“Knowing Your Place in the Will of God”
Rev. Sean D. Lester
August 17, 2003
Hebrews 9:15-28
Introduction:
A. “Are you in the will of God,” someone may ask you. It is a hard question to answer. How do you know what God’s will is for your life? You know that God wants you to be saved, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to behave yourself. But, beyond that, many are left to wonder, “What’s next?”
B. Unfortunately, people get confused about the nature of God’s will. Such confusion can lead to a state of spiritual frozenness. For instance, if you are wondering what God wants you to do at every moment, you will become frustrated. God never met people in the morning each day and handed them a honey-do list for the day. Because of this, there are people who fear making a wrong step that they choose to do nothing until they “hear clearly from God,” or so they say. (Romance is spontaneous, compare to marriage.)
C. People miss the good things that the life lived in Christ offers because they await the voice of God before choosing a career, meeting their life’s mate, or entering some ministry. They miss out because they don’t know God’s will for their life.
D. God does have a will for your life, and He isn’t keeping it a secret from you. Do you want to know what it is? This passage that I have read tells us about God’s will for your lives. If you will understand it, then you will be able to live according to God’s will. I have organized my thoughts around the word “WILL.”
Written Covenant. In this case, God’s will is written out, like a last will and testament. The word “testament” means “contract, covenant, or agreement.” But this covenant is not a negotiated agreement between two parties, but a one-sided covenant where one party is declaring how his assets are to be dispersed upon death. So when we speak of God’ will, we aren’t necessarily speaking of His specified goal for your life, but whether you are in His actual will.
A. The will of God declares who are the heirs of his possessions. In my grandfather’s will, there is a list of names of those who are entitled to a portion of his estate. In some cases, all or part of the estate is not given to a specific person or organization, but to anyone who meets certain qualifications. Andrew Carnegie, for instance, left part of his estate for the building of public libraries. The specific cities were not mentioned, but rather, the qualifications of the places who could receive funds for this purpose are listed. For this to work, someone must be appointed to decide who qualifies to be an heir of the estate.
B. In the case of God’s will, Jesus Christ is appointed to be the executor of God’s will, and it makes perfect sense. He knows exactly what the Father desires because He has perfect unity with Him. Jesus Christ executed the fulfillment of the Old Law when He sacrificed himself. Therefore, Jesus decides who gets written into God’s will. The Bible tells us that the Lord is keeping a record of who fulfills the standard for becoming an heir in the Book of Life. On the day of judgment, the books will be opened and all who are found to be written in the Book of Life will be ushered forever into the presence of God.
C. The will also lists the assets that are to be distributed. In God’s will, eternal life is the gift, and the privilege of being with God is a new heaven and new earth is to be granted.
D. What are the qualifications for becoming an heir in God’s will? Faith in Jesus Christ. God grants you life which is temporary so that you may decide whether you wish to keep it for eternity. Those who love Jesus Christ, who have faith in Him so that they conform their temporary lives according to His teachings prove that they want to keep life for eternity. God honors people who believe on Christ and sends them his Holy Spirit to empower them to do the work of building up His kingdom. Anyone who believes in Jesus, becomes an heir of eternal life and are written into the will of God.
Transition: However, a will is only good after the one making it dies, but we know that God will never die. So how does God’s will ever go into effect?
In Effect After Your Death.
A. This can be a bit confusing because we think of death as the cessation of living. We think of death as unconscious, inactive, inanimate. However, the Bible does not define death in this way. The Scriptures define death as separation. Spiritual death is the separation of one’s spirit from God. Natural death is the separation of the soul from the body. Your body gives out, but you remain aware of your surroundings.
B. God’s ultimate purpose for your life never comes to pass as long as you are alive in this temporary body. As long as you are in this body, you will get sick, you will feel pain. You will look ahead to death. Therefore, God’s will cannot be put into effect until you have finally separated from your body of flesh, and the sin that dwells in it.
C. When you die, your soul departs from your body and you are either ushered as an heir into the presence of God to await the final reading of the Father’s will, or you are ushered into hell, to await the final dispensation of your soul.
Transition: If the will doesn’t go into effect until death does it do anything for the believer before death? Yes! It does!
Liberates the Believer from Sin
A. The first covenant, the Old Testament, was designed to bring life to anyone who was willing to keep it. However, no one was really willing to keep it. Whenever a command is given, sin rises up in the flesh. The very presence of a law means that sin will manifest. I have hammered this concept in working with young people. For years, there have been rules against PDA, Public Displays of Affection. And always, then you forbid it, desire arises and the young ones are finding creative ways to break the rule. The commandment came, and with it so does sin. Instead, when I am involved with young people, I not only do not forbid meeting, I encourage it. I tell them that they should keep an eye out for the right spouse. I offer to help them. I hold hands with Barb and display affection for her. You know, I have never had a case of inappropriate sexual behavior at a camp, youth group, or other function. Once desire is harnessed for good, desire dies.
B. Similarly, Jesus Christ does away with sin by doing away with the law. My desire for fulfillment was not taken away by Christ, instead it is harnessed and put to work. The desires of the flesh are not dead, but put to work. The law is no longer the issue, but love for Christ is. I have already been given life, so nothing that is intended to advance this temporary life holds any promise for me. Desire dies as a result. “All things are permissible, but not everything is beneficial,” becomes the rule.
Transition: God’s will sets me free to live and do my very best to demonstrate my love for the Father. I don’t fret about meeting the demands of an austere master, but I think of creative ways to do God’s work and show Him my love. I will continue to do so until Jesus Christ returns.
Leads to Salvation
A. Jesus Christ is coming back to deliver mankind God’s final decision regarding each person. All people are destined to die. Some are going to die waiting for Christ to come and get them. Others are going to die expecting nothing and receiving eternal rejection. Some will not die, as we regard death, but will be instantly separated from their bodies and given new ones when Christ appears at the end of the age, in the clouds, at the trumpet call of God.
B. The saved have not totally received their salvation, and won’t until Christ returns. As long as you are in the body, sin is present with you. When you die and go to heaven, you have no body, but lay for one, which is why Scripture tells about the saints of God who have died, asking God how long will it be until the end. But when Christ returns. We will all be given bodies that have no sin. Death, sickness, and sorrow will be done away with, as will the need for sleep and food. The life that was intended for people when Adam and Eve were created will be restored, and salvation will be complete.
Conclusion:
So what is God’ will? Or perhaps the question is, “Are you in God’s will?” Are you listed among the names of those Jesus has declared to qualify as an heir to eternal life? You can know, too. Is Jesus Christ your greatest love? Does that love lead you to love the other believers? Do you love God’s church? Do you read God’s word, the Bible, so you may know how to live in a way that honors God? Jesus is either the love of your life, or He isn’t and you know whether He is, because the Spirit places that desire for Jesus in you, and that passion to tell people about Him. But if you don’t, and that bothers you, you can come to Christ right now, and become one of the heirs to God’s will.
