Sermon Tone Analysis

How can a Christian know the will of God for his life?

Most believers acknowledge that God has a plan for their life, but often have trouble finding just which way the plan goes at a particular juncture.

In spite of the plethora of resources that cover this problem, the answers can seem elusive even to the most ardent of pursuers.

Why does God’s will seem so elusive?

For some it is because of their view of God…he is some Easter Bunny or Santa Claus and God must be hiding it somewhere saying “you’re getting warmer”

For some it is because of their view of how God works…God only lets you know his will in a traumatic experience…running down the street, fall on a banana peel and land on a map of India… “Thank you Lord for making it clear where you want me to go…India it is!”

For others it is waiting for the voice of out of heaven…or a vision in a dream...

Some are simply just afraid of it…they don’t really WANT to know what God wants them to do...

Some view God as this cosmic killjoy that wants to take all their dreams and desires and pulverize them into oblivion and make them eat grasshoppers and wear clothes of camel hair!

To them God’s will is a severe way of life that demands complete sacrifice of their most treasured ability or possession.

How about the brass ring mentality?…God’s

will is nice if you get the proverbial brass ring, but if you don’t, then you have to settle for the iron one…not necessary to win as long as you are in the race!

So What is the Will of God?

Are there concrete principles and can they be put into practice?

Can you know the job to seek, what school to attend, what girl or guy to love, what decision to make in any given situation?

YES...

The Crucial First Step (not going to spend a lot of time here…Wednesday night crowd…you already know this)

God has a will and He wants us to know it!

So if God wants us to know it, how is he going to make it known?

We must know the Scripture…God very clearly reveals his will to us in the pages of the Bible.

The Crucial First Step

What do you think is the most critical step in knowing God’s will?

You must belong to Him first…salvation...

God wants people to know his will…so he stays His judgment so they will be saved!

It is God’s will that all men be saved…those stumbling to find God’s will can never find it if they are not genuinely saved.

God has no reason to reveal anything about a person’s life if they have not met the first criteria…SALVATION.

God Leads His Own

Without Christ, man is a stranger to God…a rebel…a foreigner in God’s universe.

It is God’s will that men be saved…that is where it starts.

This must have astounded his audience…He was teaching that in order to be related to Him, one has to do the will of God…to do the will of God, one has to be related to Him.

God is not obligated to anyone…if they are going to reject God’s plan of salvation, they are rejecting God’s will…so why should he reveal anymore specifics...

God Does Not Hide His Will — Col 1:9-14

Why would God hide it if he wanted you to be Filled With The Knowledge of it?

This is why it is so important to be a pursuer of biblical knowledge.

be filled with spiritual knowledge when you factor other

statements God's Word makes about the importance of knowledge.

- cf. - It is not good for a person to be without

knowledge.

- cf. - My people perish for want of knowledge.

that’s the condition we bring into the process...

- cf. - Brethren, be not children in understanding.

- please look over at for a couple of other critical

ideas on this matter of biblical knowledge:

Eph

- verse 18 - (our condition as unbelievers) - READ

look at what happens when we don’t pursue biblical knowledge...

- thats the condition we bring into the process.

- verse 13-14 - READ - this will happen if we don't grow in

knowledge.

a good question to ask would be - How does a person grow in knowledge?

1) He must desire it - - "If any man will do his will, he

so the point is that Paul prayed that the people of this church would be filled with spiritual knowledge.

shall know of the doctrine."

He must have the Holy Spirit -

He must study the Scripture - - All Scripture...

so the point is that Paul prayed that the people of this church would be filled with spiritual knowledge.

be filled with spiritual knowledge.

now that's not the end of the process--"cf.

"knowledge alone puffs up"

but it is the beginning of the maturing process.

have I made the matter of "gaining spiritual knowledge?"

do I really desire it - and what is the evidence of that desire?

do I have the Holy Spirit - have I genuinely trusted Christ?

am I making a place in my life/schedule for study of the Scripture?

God wants us to know His will.

normally, when someone speaks about "wanting to know God's will," what are they speaking of?

you to be filled with the knowledge of God's will."

- we need to "camp" on that one for a minute because there's so much

confusion on this matter of God's will.

- normally, when someone speaks about "wanting to know God's will,"

what are they speaking of?

knowing something about the future...the problem with that is, that’s not the way this subject is normally addressed in the Scripture.

- the problem with that is, thats not the way this subject is

normally addressed in the Scripture.

God's will can be divided into two parts...His directive will and His decreed will

- His directive will and His decreed will

Directive will -- what He wants us to do,what He's already revealed in His Word

- what He's already revealed in His Word

Decreed will -- what will ultimately come to pass in the future.

the future.

the important difference between the two is that only one can be known in advance.

in advance.

I can only know in advance what God wants me to do now, based on the principles of His Word.

the principles of His Word.

I can't know the future, and God doesn't want me to know the future.

future.

I know that God wants me to be faithful to my wife today - that’s His will for me today.

-- His directive will.

will for me today.

-- His directive will.

I don't know what my health is going to be like tomorrow - God's will for my health tomorrow is something He doesn't want me to know.

--that’s His decreed will.

for my health tomorrow is something He doesn't want me to know.

--

thats His decreed will.

Here is a Test

I give some statements -- and you tell me if we're talking about God's directive will, or His decreed will.

talking about God's directive will, or His decreed will.

Will my car still be running next year?

(decreed)

Does God want me to be a good steward of my car my keeping it well maintained (directive).