Sermon Tone Analysis

KNOWING THE WILL OF GOD

Romans 12:1-2; Colossians 1:9; 4:12;

 

12:1  Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

2  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.

(Col 1:9 NIV)  For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

(Col 4:12 NIV)  Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings.

He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

!

INTRODUCTION

 

            As Christians we too often major in minors.

We pray, “Oh Lord, help us pay the rent.

Help me find a new job.

I need a new car, Lord.”

Those are legitimate concerns but they should be our minor concerns.

Paul had a different approach.

He had a specific request for the Colossian church: “…We are asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

(Col.1:9).

This is majoring in majors.

The basic premise is this: /it is possible to know the will of God!/

This should be at the top of our prayer list for ourselves and others.

I.

LEARNING THE SKILL OF RECEIVING DIVINE GUIDANCE IS LEARNING TO WALK IN INTIMATE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD.

A.

God created man originally in order to have communion with Him.

1.      Man was created with the ability to know God.

But man’s rebellion and sin (his inability to hit the mark) broke the lines of communication.

2.      Through the Lord Jesus Christ and His sacrifice we’ve been given the opportunity to restore that intimate fellowship with God, and this is the goal which we’re seeking.

3.      The initial problem is that our minds and our intellects are out of tune with God and blinded by the sin within and around us.

4.      When we pray for our children, we pray: “Oh God, give them a capacity to know You.”

If they come to know God, everything else will fall into place.

a.

This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things (Material needs) will be added or given to you” (Matt 6:33)

 

B.

Paul had observed what happened in a man’s life when he came to know the will of God.

In the Colossian letter he lists seven expected results.

10  And we pray this in order that you /may live a life worthy/ of the Lord and /may please him in every way/: bearing fruit in every good work, /growing in the/ /knowledge of God,/

11  being /strengthened with all power/ according to his glorious might so that you may have /great endurance/ and /patience,/ and /joyfully/

12  /giving thanks/ to the Father, who has /qualified you to share in the/ inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.

Col.1:10-12

 

1.

Most people are self-pleasers.

Others are man-pleasers.

But until we reach the stage of wanting to be God-pleasers we will never fully understand the will of God for our lives.

2.      It is only by doing the will of God that our lives become fruitful.

Maybe you know someone who has been saved for years, but has never led another person to Christ.

They complain, “What’s the matter with me?” Maybe I need to read a book on soul-winning.”

They don’t need to read a book; they need to be in the will of God.

a.       Can you imagine an apple tree crying out, “Oh Lord, please bring forth apples from my life.”

An apple tree doesn’t have to pray to bear apples.

It has to bring forth the life that is in it; this is the act for which it was created, and it shouldn’t have to strain to produce.

b.      Fruit should come naturally.

3.      When we are in the will of God, knowing the will of God for our lives, we will bring forth fruit, the kind of fruit God wants each of us to bear.

C.

Knowing the will of God we /increase in the knowledge/ of God and we’re /strengthened with all might/ according to His glorious power.

That is strength!

1.

Christian’s often complain of their weakness, rather than glory in their available strength.

a.       “It takes all the power I have just to stay right with God,” they say.

“Please pray for me.

I need more joy, more victory in my life.”

We could pray, but 10 minutes later they’d feel down again.

b.   Talk about the days when we would have testimony time in the service and someone would stand up and glorify the devil.

c.

If they would seek to know God’s will for their lives and stay in that will, they would be strengthened with all might according to His glorious power unto all /patience and long-suffering with joyfulness/,

d.

When you /know /you’re in the will of God you can stand almost and hardship.

There’s a problem when we are not sure a particular thing is God’s will for us.

Then there is confusion and we become impatient.

The translation of the Greek word for patience freely translated means /to remain standing after everyone else has collapsed./

We’ve all known people who have endured great trials and hardships yet showed the joy and victory that we admire.

They could do it because they had come to terms with the Will of God for their life and they could give Him thanks in everything.

e.

When you know the Will of God you can give thanks to Him in all circumstances.

That means while you’re going through the trial, not just after it’s over.

f.

With God, there are no accidents.

I cringe when I hear people say after a close call in their life, “Boy I was lucky” Give God the praise!

a.

Joseph told his brothers, “You meant evil, but God meant it for good”

D.    How much of God’s will are we capable of knowing?

1.      Paul prayed that we should know and do all of God’s will for our life.

(Col 4:12 NIV)  Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings.

He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

2.      As we seek the will of God for our life, we should earnestly ask:”Father, what do you want for me and my family?

What do you want for my finances, my capabilities, and my talents?

All that I have and all that I am I want to surrender to you and your will.

I want to know and to do all of your will for my life.

3.      How do we go about knowing and doing the will of God for our life?

The formula is found in Romans 12:1-2 (our text).

a.       Paul says that we are to be /transformed /by the renewing of our mind.

This is the same word used to describe what happened to Jesus on the Mt of Transfiguration.

The disciples saw Jesus with Moses and Elijah.

As He was transfigured, His whole countenance was changed by the Glory of God.

b.      That’s what Paul wants for us, that our mind would be transformed by the Glory of God.

We need to learn to think differently from how we ever thought before.

The /ability/ to /know/ the will of God requires a changing, a renewing of our minds.

c.       J B Phillips translation of this passage reads this way:

“With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intellegent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him.

/Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within, /so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all the demands and moves toward the goal of true maturity.”

d.

When God remolds our minds we’ll think differently.

We’ll see things in a different light.