Are You Committed To Doing God's Will?

Are you committed to doing God’s will?

Jeremiah 41:16-43:7

How many of you have heard of Francis Schaeffer? He’s dead now but he was a relatively famous Pastor and Christian author. When he was 19 years old he had a decision to make: Stay home and become a mechanical engineer (which was something he was interested in) or go away to Bible college to become a Pastor (which was a pull he felt in his heart). His father had demanded that he make a decision—the time was at hand. Francis told his father he needed a few more minutes to think and so he went off to the cellar to pray. Weeping, he asked God for help. Finally, in desperation he took out a coin and said “Heads, I’ll go” It was heads. Then he pleaded, “God, be patient with me. If it comes up tails this time, I’ll go.” It was tails. “Once more, God, Please let it be heads again.” It was heads. Back upstairs Francis went. “Dad, I’ve got to go.” Francis went on to become a pastor, philosopher, lecturer, and an author of 24 books.

Every day we make numerous decisions. What cereal to purchase, what to eat for supper, whether to rent an apartment or buy a home, where to go to college, what career path to take, what church to attend, who to date or marry, what to do when your boss tells you to close your eyes to some wrongdoing that is happening at work, what to do if you are married and your spouse admits to cheating, etc, etc.

Our lives can be changed forever by one decision.

While flipping coins, which is akin to casting lots, and asking God for signs has been used by God at various times to communicate His will there are other ways to determining His will. They include:

1. Prayer

James recognized that is not always easy to know what to do, so as he explains in James 1:5, we are to ask God for the needed wisdom “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James

2. Going to the Scriptures

In Psalm 119:105 it says “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”. The point: God’s Word has much to say on how we are to live our lives and what we are to do.

We need to go to the Scriptures without misusing them.

A classic story is told of one way the Bible has been misused to find guidance. It’s about a young man who used the “flip and point” method of reading the Bible. One day while wondering what to do with his life, he flipped his Bible open and point to Matthew 27:5 which says “Judas went and hanged himself”. Thinking he should try again he flipped and pointed, this time landing on Luke 10:27 which says “Go and do likewise.” Trying once more he arrived at John 13:27 which says “What you do, do quickly.”

Too often we are guilty of not considering what the Bible says on an issue. In the Bible God has spelled out all we need to know. The Bible is full of God’s clear commands that offer us direction for most of life’s decisions. The more we know of God’s written Word, the more quickly we will know what God wants us to do.”

Note: Where there is not a specific command your knowledge of the principles of Scriptures will help. i.e Should I buy lottery tickets or not.--- to which the Bible says in Proverbs 28:22 “Don’t try to get rich quick” and Matthew 6:20 says “Put your treasures in Heaven.”

3. The seeking out of Godly counsel

In Psalm 1:1a it says “Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked”

Often times we will go to people for counsel. Sometimes we seek them out because we want approval of plans we have already made. Sometimes we genuinely want their guidance.

I would like to propose to you today that when it comes to the matter of God’s will for our lives that our biggest issue is not the determining of it. Yes the determining of God’s will really challenges us as times, however I think biggest thing as it pertains to the will of God is the actual doing of it.

To prove the point I’d like to introduce you to a group of people who lived a long time ago: The survivors of the Babylonian invasion of 586 B.C

In 586 B.C King Nebuchadnezzar mounted his final campaign against Judah and Jerusalem. At that time the great city of Jerusalem had her walls breeched, her king captured and her Temple destroyed. All of this happened just as God prophesied through Jeremiah and the other faithful prophets.