Living in the Will of God

Introduction

Today we start our 3 installment sermon series, entitled “Shift.” This is important because as God tells Isaiah, he is doing a NEW THING right now. So being that he is doing something new in our lives, we must learn how to move according to his will.

Background

I hear you, you are saying so what is the will of God? We have heard it said that we should follow the Will of God, pray the Will of God, make our decisions according to the will of God. So that brings me to ask the question, what is the will of God? Well, I’m glad you have brought that question today. The will of God is the intent and purpose of God, as revealed in and by scripture. The will of God is simply, what God wants. Repeat that if will, The will of God is what God wants.

Right there I lost about 25 of you, because it’s not what you want. You know that’s how you feel. You don’t want to be held down. You want to be able to do as you please. You know that’s what you want to do.

When you was coming up your parents told you what to do, when to do it, how to do it. You were made to come to Sunday School and Bible Study. You were made to sing in the choir, be on the usher board, be a part of the DCYF (or the youth ministry for you all that don’t know what that is). You were made to come to revival and church. You said when I grow up, when I get my own car and I get my own house, I am going to do what I want to do and can’t anyone make me do anything.

What we see here is what Paul talks about in his letter, he says that there is a war within my members. That is the law of the Spirit and the Law of the Flesh. Let me put it like this, I have to contend within me with what God wants and what I want. Paul verbalizes like this when he said, When I WOULD do good, Evil is always present. That which I would do, that I find myself not doing, that what I know not to do, THAT is what I find myself doing. There is a war going on within ourselves. We have to take the spotlight off of everyone else and put the spotlight on us. The old songwriter said, “Search me lord, search me lord.” God I’m not concerned about my neighbor, I need you to check me. Is there anyone here that can say that I need God to put ME in check.

But let me help somebody it is not only God. You have to put YOUR FLESH under subjection to the will of God. Paul says it like this, I I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.

In other words, Paul says what I do is I strictly discipline my body, or rather I strictly discipline my will, so that it aligns with the will of God. The fact of the matter is that we live in a church world now, where there is a lot of people coming to church, but there is not discipline. I’m not just talking about in the church, but I’m referring also to outside the church. We don’t behave like Disciples, we don’t love like Disciples we don’t, live like Disciples there is a war in our flesh and we have to tell our flesh, I don’t care how good it feels, I don’t care how much I want to, I can’t do it because I must LIVE in the will of God.

Body

Move 1: The will of God should be obeyed by us

The fact of the matter is if we are going to be Disciples of Christ we must learn to obey his will. I know that it is inconvient sometime. You have your own plans, you have your own desires, but while you making your plans and while you have your desires, you must understand that God has a plan. Psalm 33:11 says “The counsel, or plan, of the Lord standeth for ever, The thoughts of his heart to all generations.” He has a plan for us all we have to do is follow his plan. Solomon wrote it, Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

We must learn to obey his will. Don’t you know that there is safety in the will of God? Don’t you know that when you obey the will of God, you will come out better than following your own plan.

Okay, maybe it’s just me that has messed myself up before. Doing what I want to do? Follow my own way? Maybe you just have it all together and don’t ever regret any decision that you made. Maybe you have done right all the time and can say that your way was better than God’s way, but that’s not my testimony, I can’t say that, there were times in my life that I wished I would have obeyed God the FIRST TIME. I’ll go as far as to say, there are times I wish I obeyed God the second or third time, because I found out that after I FINALLY obeyed God and HIS PLAN, I came out better than what I went in.

I don’t think we truly consider the ramifications of disobedience. Samuel says, “It’s better to obey, God rather than man.” We find ourselves in harder places and positions when we don’t obey God. Tell somebody, you better obey God.

I believe that the main reason we can’t obey God will is because we don’t know his will. Pastor Richardson, well how do I know God’s will. You must recognize that his will is revealed to us through scripture.

Move 2:The will of God is revealed to us, through scripture

We don’t take time to get to know what he said in the scripture. We’ll take time for everything else, but won’t take time to study God’s word. Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Move 3: The will of God is what is Best for us

We must recognize that the will of God is best for his children. People tend to believe that they know what is best for themselves, but I begged a differ. You can say what you want, you can think what you will, but I believe in my heart that without God and his plan for my life, I would be a mess. I would be wrecked. Honestly, I don’t know where I would be, but what I do know is without God, I wouldn’t be where I am right now. God’s plan is what is best for my life!!! Is there anybody here that can testify with me and say I know for myself, God’s way is the best way. So we might as well follow his will.

Conclusion

If we want to shift, we must learn to live in God’s will. We must follow the will of God no matter where it takes us. David said it best when he said, “The Steps of a Good man are ordered by the Lord: and Man delighteth in God way.” We must follow the Plans of God, Jeremiah said, “for I know the thoughts I have towards you, saith the Lord, thought of Good and not evil, but to give you a future and a hope.”

Tell somebody we must live in the will of God. He has plan for our lives and he will do just what he said. I need to know if there is anybody in the house this morning, that can say that I want to live in the will of God.