Discerning The Will Of God Pt 2 Series

Chico Alliance Church

Pastor David Welch

“Discerning God's Will” Part 2

REVIEW

Our encounter with James instruction to consider God’s will in every aspect of your life because life is short lead us into a deeper discussion of the nature and discernment of God’s will.

WHAT IS GOD’S WILL?

The topic of God’s will is expansive and deep. I tried to simplify it last week. The primary word translated “will” in the New Testament is primarily emotional rather than volitional. The term describes the desires of God’s heart out of which He in turn decrees or determines a specific course of action. God’s desires breakdown into two categories.

GOD’S SOVERIGN WILL

God’s sovereign or determined will describes His intentional involvement in our world. This involvement includes the instigation, intervention and interaction with the people and events of our world and the universe.

He sovereignly created and maintains the universe apart from man’s help.

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Heb 11:3

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. Colossians 1:16-17

In these last days God has spoken to us by his Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of his power. Hebrews 1:2-3

God powerfully reminded Job concerning His sovereign will. Many view Job as a book about suffering. Yes, there is plenty to learn about dealing with suffering from the book, but the core of the book has more to do with the sovereign will of God. Job spent the bulk of the book defending himself in the face of suffering and eventually demands an audience before God to explain why such a “good” man should have to face so much pain. At the close of the book, God grants Job’s request.

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:1-7

The Deist holds the view of God that recognizes His creative acts at creation but sees no ongoing personal interaction with His creation. Everything now functions according to natural processes and reason. A study of Biblical history reveals both. Some things come about thorough on-going natural function. Yet one cannot escape God’s personal and specific interaction with people and events from time to time. Much of God’s sovereign will has occurred and will yet occur despite any awareness or action by us. God revealed other aspects of His sovereign will in the Scriptures. These events and interactions will come about even though many of them include the involvement of people. They will occur because God determined they would occur.

We touched on some of them last week.

The promises of God.

All the prophetic declarations of God.

The details of Jesus’ suffering and death.

The number of specific details predicted and fulfilled are staggering even when it included human choices. i.e. Judas, soldiers, Pilate

God sovereignly determines certain events in our life.

God sovereignly establishes governments while also determining the means.

Pay attention to those sovereign acts of God recorded in the Bible. God works ALL things according to the counsel of His own will with the goal of bringing Himself glory, honor and power. I am not convinced that God sovereignly orchestrates every specific detail in the world or even our lives. There are some things that function according to natural processes without God’s specific intervention. Within those natural processes however, there are times when God sovereignly intervenes for His purposes. He may sovereignly disrupt weather patterns. He may directly discipline through a myriad of means. He may apply pressure through direct means i.e. Ten plagues against the Egyptians. We refer to these as SUPER natural events. These are the times that God interrupts the natural order of things.