How To Know The Will Of God Series

This Sermon From Adrian Rogers Legacy Collection

Used By Permission © 2010 www.ARLC.org

Take God’s Holy Word, please, and turn with me to the Book of Colossians, chapter 1. We’re going to read verse 3, and then, verses 9 and 10. And, as you’re finding it, and as you’re looking it up, I want you to listen to this question I have for you today. I want you to imagine, first of all, that you are face to face with the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we know He’s always with us. He lives in us. We understand that. But, I want you, in your imagination, to imagine that Jesus Christ, in a bodily form, face-to-face, eye-to¬eye, is standing before you. Now, of course, right away, you’d just want to fall on your face, and worship Him, and praise Him. But now, let’s suppose that you had an opportunity to ask Jesus Christ one question. What would you ask Him? You have an opportunity to say, “Lord Jesus, there’s something I want to know. Would you please tell me?”

I have an idea; I know what you would ask. I believe you would ask Him the same thing the Apostle Paul asked him, when the Apostle Paul met him face to face. And, what the Apostle Paul said to him was, “Lord, what would You have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul asked the Lord Jesus, that day, on the road to Damascus, the two greatest questions that could ever be asked: number one, “Who art thou, Lord?” (Acts 9:5); number two, “What would You have me to do?”—Who are You? What do You want me to do? And, he spent the rest of his life discovering the answer to those two questions—just who Jesus is, and what Jesus wants him to do. “What would You have me to do, Lord?” Not, “Lord, what do You want others to do?” Not, “Lord, what do others want me to do?” But, “Lord, what would You have me to do?”

When we take surveys, and we say, “What do you want to hear a sermon on?” People will always say, “Tell us how to find the will of God for our lives; I want to know the will of God for my life.” Now, when you pray for your loved ones, what do you pray for them? Do you pray for them that they’ll be healthy, wealthy, successful? Or, do you pray for them that they’ll know the will of God for their lives?

Notice how Paul felt about the church at Colossae—verse 3: “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you” (Colossians 1:3). Paul prayed for this church. Wouldn’t you like to know what he prayed for them? Well, wonderful; let’s skip on down—verse 9: “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will” (Colossians 1:9). Paul said, “This is what I pray for you: that you would be filled with the knowledge of His will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” And, by the way, as we’re going to see in the message, that’s primarily the way you’re going to find God’s will: by wisdom and spiritual understanding. And, today, we want to help give you that spiritual understanding. The title of our message is “How to Know the Will of God”—“How to Know the Will of God.” “Lord, what will You have me to do?”

Now, Paul says, in verse 10, that he makes this prayer: “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing” (Colossians 1:10). Now, friend, you cannot walk worthy of the Lord, until you know the will of the Lord. A worthy walk is a walk in His will, and that’s what pleases God. Nothing outside of His will pleases Him. And, if you please God, it doesn’t matter who you displease. And, if you displease God, it doesn’t matter whom you please. And, the way to please God is to walk, in His will, a worthy walk. And then, that will make you fruitful. “Being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10).

Now, Paul says, “I want you to know the will of God. And, I pray for you, that you might know the will of God. My prayer for you…” But, He is the dynamic. God makes it possible for you to do His will. He shows you the way. And then, He clears the way. He makes straight your paths. We’re so blessed. We have a Father above, who is controlling all things. We have the Savior beside us, directing our footsteps. We have the Spirit within us, impressing our hearts. God says, “I will guide you.”