“The What For of the Wherefores”
(A general message on finding the will of God)
Ephesians 5:14-17
I am preaching to you today on the subject of “The What For of the Wherefores.” There are two “wherefores” in the scripture that I read to you today. Both of them sandwich a fool in the middle. You will see what I mean in a moment. Have you ever had a child that every instruction you gave them they said back to you “what for?” When I was growing up you might have had the luxury of asking one time if you were brave, never twice “what for.” We just didn’t question the wisdom and authority of our parents. You just did or were expected to do what you were told to do. The reasoning behind it was so you wouldn’t be a fool in life. Parents of old took it seriously to teach responsibility, creativity, and dedication. They didn’t want their kids to grow up to be fools. If we asked “what for” too many times they gave us the right hand of Christian fellowship in a place we least desired it if you know what I mean.
The Bible uses the words “fool” or “fools” 104 times and so it is not a forbidden word in God’s vocabulary. We are just carefully warned in Matthew 5:22 not to use that term in derogatory and hateful speech against a fellow human being. But it is not wrong to declare the characteristics of the man whom God calls a fool. Nabal was a fool in the Old Testament and God didn’t mind saying it in 1 Samuel 25. The rich man in Luke 12, the one who built bigger barns to hold his riches, a party animal indeed who thought he had so much stored up for years and didn’t need God was clearly called a “fool.” Now Paul says in Ephesians 5 by implication that if a man doesn’t wake up, walk circumspectly, and redeem the time he becomes a fool. Here it is now, don’t miss it! “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.” That is verse 15. Now on the front side and the back side of that are the two “Wherefores”. The “Wherefores” are stay awake and understand what the will of the Lord is. So, my friend, may I just tell you that the “What for” of the “Wherefores” is so you won’t be a fool. If you don’t stay awake and redeem the time because of these evil days you will become a fool. You may not think you’re a fool. You may not hear anybody call you a fool but God clearly says in Ephesians 5:14-17, “don’t miss your light to guide you in the will of God, walking circumspectly and redeeming the time” or you will turn out to be a fool.
Last Sunday we made a crucial decision about a strategic step in our ministry at our church. Before us was the decision to purchase a piece of property for our new building. Regretfully we could not reach a consensus of support. This has discouraged many. It was a disappointment to me as pastor but I have been affirmed this week that God is reinforcing my mandate to be an earnest prayer warrior for our church. We need prayer in the worst way. I don’t believe any of us are praying enough. I believe few of us are truly sensitive to the leadership of God’s Holy Spirit at this time in our lives. I furthermore believe that God wants us to wake up and walk in God’s light before it is too late. It has also been revealed to me this week that few of us really do know how to discern the will of God in our lives and in our church. At least two possibilities exist in that arena. It is possible that we can be stubborn and refusing to obey God, listening to our own will. Then secondly, it is entirely possible as I believe that there are a great number of us that just do not know truly how to discern the will of God. I say that because some of the things you’ve voiced to me I know beyond a shadow of a doubt reflects your misunderstanding about how to know the will of God. Because of that reality God has called my heart into the Word to preach to you for a while as the Spirit leads on how to determine the will of God. Paul was quite adamant with the believers in Ephesus: “Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”
Verse 17 of Ephesians 5 is a commandment to the believer. It is a present tense command meaning that we are to be continuously and constantly doing everything possible not to be “unwise” but instead continuously and constantly discovering the will of God in our lives and for our church. God says that folks who are obedient to this command are wise church members. But He says those who are disobedient to this commandment are unwise church members. Now, let me spell it out for you a bit more specific in the specific language of the Bible. A study of the Greek language of verse 17 finds the word “unwise” coming from a compound of two words in the original text. The word is aphron. The first part “a” in aphron means “no” or “not having”. If you put an “a” in front of some English words it negates the word. Atypical means not typical. Atheist means “not a believer in God.” Apathy means “no passion.” The word phren in aphron means your mind or your cognitive faculties. Paul is saying if you don’t put everything you’ve got into discovering the will of God in your life you are aphron, no mind, mindless. This word in Paul’s day also meant that the person was egotistical, rash, unbelieving, ignorant, and stupid. God doesn’t have many compliments to pass on to those who are content to stumble around without knowing the will of God. What percentage of believers in the church does God expect to be understanding His will? One hundred percent - nothing less will satisfy the Lord who commands us to know Him and His will at all times.
Now, we must admit that sometimes the will of God is difficult to discern but that doesn’t change the commandment. If we fail to obey in this we are by His definition mindless, ignorant, stupid, egotistical, sometimes rash, and for sure unbelieving. God is right. We make rash decisions when we don’t discern the will of God. We demonstrate an unbelieving nature when we forfeit the will of God. We are downright egotistical if we dare to resist the will of God. We are mindless, ignorant, and stupid when we ignore the will of God. There is no excuse for disobeying this commandment. I don’t know anybody in this congregation that wants to be mindless, stupid, ignorant, egotistical, rash, or unbelieving. So my challenge to you today is to discover and decide. Discover how to find the will of God biblically. Decide to do it regardless of what gets in the way. That is the only way your life and our church will be blessed.
The Myth-takes of Understanding God’s Will
I want to share with you some of the “myth-takes”, the mistakes that people believe about understanding the will of God. In 1 Samuel 11, the Israelites of Jabesh Gilead were about to make a deal with the devil. Nahash the Ammonite was going to destroy them and they were going to surrender but the terms of surrender was that Nahash would put out all their right eyes. The story ended well because the town begged seven days to see if they could get reinforcements to help them against Nahash. Saul came to their aid and none of them died or were blinded in one eye. Folks you can make a deal with the devil in avoiding the will of God or ignoring the will of God and be blinded to God’s avenue of victory in your life.
Myth-take #1: If I understand and accept the will of God I will be miserable. Here’s the classic: “If I surrender to the will of God He’ll call me to Africa to be a missionary and I’ll miss out on the best things of life and be miserable.” Is that true? NO! Listen to Philippians 2:13. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Folks, the fact is that if you surrender to God’s will you take the misery away. If you surrender to God’s will you will enjoy His will not hate it. If you fight God’s will you will be the most miserable person in the world. Remember Jonah? He fought the will of God. He was miserable in his hometown when he heard the will of God. He ran away to Tarshish and was miserable on the whole trip. When you have to hide in a belly of a ship to get away from the storm you brought upon yourself by disobedience you’re always miserable. He was miserable overboard. He was miserable in the belly of the fish. He was miserable after being spit out on shore. The only time he had a brief break in his turmoil was in the revival at Ninevah. Then he was miserable again because he still fought the will of God in his mind though his actions had surrendered to the call. Folks, a man is not miserable doing the will of God. A man is miserable outside the will of God. The safest place to be is in the center of the will of God even if it is in the worst of external circumstances. The most dangerous place to be is in luxurious circumstances and rebellious to the will of God. If you are God’s child He is intent on you following His clear direction or face the consequences. His direction leads to peace. The opposite direction leads to a veritable hell on earth.
Myth-take #2: The will of God is hard to find out. No, this is absolutely false. People who can’t find the will of God and say it is difficult are not serious enough about finding the will of God. Their whole heart is not in it or else God is a liar. Now which is it because Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” This would be like someone saying, “I’m having a hard time finding a lamp at a lamp store.” Does it make sense to your heart that God would command you to understand what the will of the Lord is and then make it the most difficult thing for you to find? You don’t know much about God if you believe that. Do you remember daddies how you used to jerk that pacifier in and out of the mouth of your little babies? You played with the poor little infant just to hear them do that little quick squeal in between withdrawals of the pacifier. Do you remember what momma said to you about that? “Don’t do that; that is cruel.” Momma is right. God doesn’t dangle the promise of the revelation of His will out there before your face and then withdraw it laughing each time you miss getting it in your mouth. Listen to some of the things He has said and maybe you’ll believe Him that the will of God is always available for the hungry. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Isaiah 58:11 says, “And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Those are only three verses of hundreds which prove that God is always ready to make clear His will to us - if we’re ready and willing to receive it. Now that is the golden key which unlocks the door of understanding God’s will. Are you willing? Are you willing to accept the will of God if He reveals it? Do you dare to think He’ll let you in the door to see if you’ve got a second opinion about the value of that will? Not on your life. You will stand outside the door of understanding as long as your heart, clear as glass to His eyes, reveals a stubborn resistance to His desires.
Myth-take #3: I’ve got to feel right before I can believe it is the will of God. So many of the saints of God are letting the will of God pass them right on by because they are waiting for holy goose bumps, body warmth, lightning bolts, circumstantial miracles, or a night vision. Now, God may bring some of those things in our lives to help us along in our surety of the will of God but not in our surrender to the will of God. I want to say it again. God is not interested in the least bit of giving you anything supernatural to otherwise turn your resistant heart. If He has plainly made His will known through the preaching of the Word of God, through the knowledge in prayer that the decision is not evil, through the wise counsel of others and you are still resistant to stepping out in faith to obey then you can count on the heavens being like steel doors to you. You can pound on them all day and you will not hear the first utter of a thunderous voice. He is the one who speaks in a “still small voice.” Thomas was a doubter and the reason why was that he had to “see it and feel it” before he would believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. We’ve got a few Thomases in the pews today. They’re the “see it and feel it” saints. Jesus said, “Blessed are ye who have not seen and yet believed.” Gideon had to have a wet fleece and then a dry fleece before he would believe it was God’s will to go against the Midianites with such a small army. Some Baptists need to put up their fleeces, put them up in the closet, and just get a better understanding of how big and how powerful their God is.
Myth-take #4: I will always know when it is the will of God and I am not doing anything till I know it. Not always! I admit it is a wise thing to be cautious about action till God gives you revelation but folks you will not always have revelation about every move you have to make in the will of God. Do you remember John the Baptist? Jesus had a high opinion of that man. He said, “there is not a greater man born of women than John the Baptist.” There is no doubt that Jesus considered John the Baptist as a strong spiritual giant. He was no backslider. He was no sluggish saint. But John the Baptist one day sent word to Jesus, “Are you the Christ or do we look for another.” Now that was an incredible question. John had prepared the way for Christ. John had humbled himself for Christ saying he wasn’t even worthy to bend and tie his shoes. John had baptized Jesus. John had preached fiery sermons for Jesus demanding repentance before God. John had literally give his whole life for the cause of Christ and put his life on the line for Jesus. He was in jail about to be executed for his stand for Christ. Then he asks the amazing question of the century, “Are you the one or do we look for another.” Do you know what he was asking when he said that? He was asking if his life up to that point was in the will of God. John began to wonder in jail if he really was in the will of God. So, my friends, it is possible to be in the will of God and not know it. Because of that I want to tell you we fail the tests of God on our obedience countless times in Baptist life when we are not willing to press on with Kingdom endeavors despite the absence of confirmation and affirmation from heaven. Keep on asking if you’re in the will of God but don’t take a vacation till you get an answer. I don’t have a concrete answer if it is God’s will for me to continue pastoring this church but I’m going to continue till I get transfer orders because I know it is God’s will for me to preach the word and to be instant in season and out of season. I can tell you it feels like an “out of season” time in my life and ministry but I do not follow feeling. I follow faith and I follow Christ.
The Mechanics of Understanding the Will of God
I have given you the myth-takes of understanding the will of God. Now I will close in giving you the mechanics of understanding the will of God. Admittedly a thorough study of this subject would take months and years to adequately discuss the intricate details on understanding the will of God. It would be like explaining the human anatomy in topics as DNA, blood gasses, synaptic functions of the brain, and optic nerves rather than just speaking of the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the nervous system, and the skeletal system. So let us simply break it down as Paul discussed it here. The whole chapter of Ephesians 5 gives some incredible advice for the Christian life to be successful but we only have time to examine between the wherefores. Therein lies the mechanics of understanding the will of God: Seeking, Surrendering, and Seizing.
Seeking is first. Paul says just wake up in verse 14. In verse 15 he begins with the words “See then.” Beloved, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out you will never see or seek with closed eyes during sleep. Many Baptists are asleep! They will not understand or find the will of God because they are asleep in life and sleep walking. They’re seeking everything else but the things of God which leads to blindness. It is a dangerous thing to walk with your eyes closed. You can’t walk without light because you cannot see. When Paul says, “See” he means take a careful look at your own desires and motives. Take a close account of your own attitudes and actions. Are they in line with what you know God desires right now? For many Baptists the only time they do much seeking of God is on Sunday or Wednesday. Let me illustrate. How many of you read your Bible every day this week? Did any of you spend three hours a day reading God’s Word this week as your pastor did? I don’t do that every day but I do spend an hour a day in God’s Word. It is called seeking. Seek and you will find. There was a desperation in my heart this week after last Sunday’s turn of events. How many of you prayed for me, honestly prayed for me, every day this week, hold up your hands? Don’t you hold up your hands and lie before God if you didn’t. How in the world do you think God can ever reveal a thing to us about where Aletheia is supposed to go if we’re not giving Him much attention?
Then secondly, there must be Surrendering. “Walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise.” The word “circumspectly” is akribos in Greek and means “accurately; in a straight line.” The King James translators put the word “circumspectly” in there for a purpose. It comes from two words, “circum” meaning “all around and “spectly” meaning “looking with attention.” So Paul is telling the Ephesian Christians to look all around them and not be pulled aside. Walk a straight line towards the will of God and let nothing distract you or tempt you to draw aside. The great Bible language scholar, A.T. Robertson, says this word comes from a root word which means “straight up.” You know this is what we’re missing in church life. We’ve forgotten our direction and that is a chief reason why we struggle to find the will of God. Listen to me now closely. If God has to wait for us to walk that “straight up direction” focused solely on His will in the last hours of our life we will enter into His presence with a record of disobedience that will forever shame us throughout all eternity. You don’t wait to surrender fully to the will of God when you do not have anything else enticing your fancy. Let me ask you something right now. Are you completely obedient to the will of God as you know it right now in your life? Or are you holding back on something with God, unwilling to surrender to His call and direction? If it is the latter it wouldn’t surprise me in the least that you may be finding yourselves in the dark wondering which way to turn because God’s light leads only in one direction, the perfect will of God. Many Christians try to play games with God. They play with God. They do a little bit of what they know God wants in their life and they think they’ve earned the right to go out in “left field” spiritually to live it up and pursue their selfish will. Psalm 106:15 speaks to that way of life. “He gave them their request, but sent leanness unto their soul.” It is called the permissive will of God and it is a road full of pain, heartache, regret, and failing dreams. There is always time to turn around this side of the casket. Understanding the will of God is surrendering to nothing less than the perfect will of the Father.
Then finally, Paul tells us that there needs to be some Seizing. “Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” The word for time is not the expected word of that day. Chronos talked about seconds, minutes, hours, and days on the clock. But Paul uses the Greek word kairos here. That is strange but one of the marvels of scripture. Kairos (time) means “a certain time; a proper occasion: an opportunity.” A man went to his doctor to find out why he had been having such severe headaches. The doctor ran some tests and after a few hours called the man into his office. “I have terrible news,” he told the patient. “Your condition is terminal.” “Oh, no!? the man cried. “How long do I have?” “Ten ...” began the doctor. “Ten what?” the patient interrupted. “Days? Months? Years?” “Nine,” continued the doctor, “eight, seven, six ...” You and I ought to live our life that way as if it really is ten, nine, eight, seven, six, etc. Whatever time we do have God continually brings opportunities our way to understand and fulfill the will of God for our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Folks, it is either God’s plan for our life or no peace, no future, and no hope. Aletheia was birthed in the plan of God. I have one desire - to see her live out her life till Jesus comes seizing every opportunity we are given by God with unflinching faith. What are you willing to give yourself for?
