Knowing the will of God
Topical Sermon
Introduction:
Eccl. 1:2 – Meaningless
Solomon was in sin and out of God’s will.
1. Why do we need to know His will for our lives?
a. Frustrations comes being out of His will
b. Incompleteness
c. Lack of peace
2. God desires and commands us to know the His will.
a. Scriptures of assurance
i. Ps 32:8
ii. James 1:5-6
3. Hindrances to hearing from God and being in His will
a. Looking too much for a long term plan:
i. Needs to be a daily walk.
1. Live for God day to day and you will live in His will for your future.
ii. Sometimes we need to stop looking for a road map and start looking for the next turn.
1. Abraham Gen 12:21
2. Luke 12:16-20 man who built a store house but would lose his life
3. Matthew 6:34 do not worry about tomorrow.
b. Scripture manipulation
i. Interpreting scripture the way you want to
1. Rev. 22:18-19 add to or take away from the word of God
2. In order to do this, you have to override the HG, who is steadily operating in the anointing on the word to speak truth to you. Spirit of truth.
c. Selfish proclamation
i. Wanting God to bless our own selfish desires
1. Lord let it be your will that I date …
2. Lord let it be your will that I get …
ii. This is not seeking God, instead it is an attempt to control Him.
d. Lack of understanding of God’s love
i. Belief that God wants you to be unhappy
ii. Not able to accept that God wants you full of joy
1. Phil 4:4 – rejoice always, rejoice
2. John 15:11 – joy complete
e. Disobedience to Gods already revealed will
i. Not doing what you know to do – James 4:17
ii. Great Commission
iii. Not living according to the scriptures that you know
iv. Why should God show you anything else when you don’t attempt to do what you know to do now, according to His word.
f. Unwillingness to obey what God reveals
i. You could hear but you would not obey
1. Not being ready to do what your are told
4. How to hear from God and be in His will
a. Quit overcomplicating it.
i. Where did I come from Illustration
1. we can make it more difficult than it has to be.
ii. Shift from asking God his will for you to asking how to make right decisions.
1. In all your ways acknowledge Him. Prov. 3:6
iii. Believe that you can be in His Will
1. The key to being in the will of God is WANTING TO BE IN HIS WILL!!
a. If you want to be in His will, you will be in His will.
b. Examine God’s Word for principles of guidelines
i. Adequate intake of God’s Word
1. Ps. 119:105 Lamp unto thy feet
a. Is your lamp 100 wts or 20 wts?
2. 119:11 Hidden word
a. The word will guide you into His will
b. Are you familiar with what the scriptures really say about the issue for which you are seeking guidance?
c. Utilize prayer
i. Do you have a daily prayer time when you seek God’s will and fellowship with him?
1. or does He get the leftovers?
ii. Have you been specific with God about your situation?
1. not about what you want, but about what He wants?
iii. Are you too busy to adequately meditate and wait on him?
1. Psm 46:10 – Be still
d. Acknowledge the work of the Holy Spirit
i. Do you acknowledge the presence of the Holy Ghost with your life?
1. Titus 2:12 - teaches us to say no
ii. Are you filled with the Holy Spirit?
1. John 20:22 Be Filled
e. Utilize the counsel of others
i. Proverbs 15:22 (NIV) Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
ii. Do you consistently fellowship with other Christians and hear God’s Word proclaimed?
1. not just when you need something but consistently
iii. Go to people that will have an opposing view not just people who will tell you what you want to hear.
1. I never learned anything from someone I agreed with all the time.
iv. God to Godly people who produce fruit outside of the church building, not just pew warmers
v. Go to your pastor!
1. He will help you seek God’s will.
2. He has an investment in you.
3. He has charge to watch over you
f. Evaluate yourself
i. Are you tired?
ii. What are your motives?
iii. Have you considered the needs of the world around you?
iv. Have you considered your abilities?
v. Is what you are seeking possible within God’s will?
vi. How will what you do effect others?
vii. How will what you do effect your growth, walk and witness?
g. Seek God’s peace.
i. Making a decision
1. Do you have peace?
2. Hebrews 13:20-21 (NIV)
a. May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, [21] equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Selected Bibliography
Special thanks and acknowledgement to Sermon Central and their contributors. Points and or illustrations may have been drawn from materials found on their website: www.sermoncentral.com.
A Treasury of Great Preaching. Austin, TX: WORDsearch Corp., 2005. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Brown, Francis, S.R. Driver, Charles A. Briggs. The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1906. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Eims, LeRoy. Be the Leader You Were Meant to Be: Growing Into the Leader God Called You to Be. Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 1996. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Gaebelein, Frank E. Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1976-1996.
Harris, R. Laird, Gleason L. Archer, Bruce K. Waltke, ed. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press, 1980. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Jamieson, Robert, A.R. Fausset, David Brown. A Commentary: Critical, Experimental, and Practical on the Old and New Testaments. Toledo, OH: Jerome B. Names & Co., 1884. WORDsearch CROSS e-book. Commentary contained as a single volume.
Life Application Study Bible. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1988. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
McGee, J. Vernon. Thru The Bible with J. Vernon McGee. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1983. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Meyer, F. B. Expository Preaching: Plans and Methods. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Peters, Ruth. Bible Illustrations – Illustrations of Bible Truths. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1998. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Tan, Paul Lee. Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Dallas, TX: Bible Communications, 1998. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Thayer, J. H., trans. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament New York: Harper & Brothers, 1889. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Thompson, Frank Charles. Thompson Chain Reference Bible. Indianapolis, IN: B. B. Kirkbride Bible Co., 1997. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
Vine, William E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old Testament and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1940. WORDsearch CROSS e-book.
