GOD WANTS YOU TO KNOW SOMETHING
Dr. Larry Petton
Text: Luke 11:1-10
Series: TALK TO YOUR FATHER (90 Days in The Lord’s Prayer)
Did you hear about the old golfer who was standing in front of the first tee, a hazardous hole with a green surrounded by water, and wondering if he should use his new golf ball? Deciding that the hole was too dangerous, he chose an old ball that he could afford to lose and placed it on the tee. Just then he heard a Voice from above say loudly: "Use the new ball!"
Frightened, he replaced the old ball with the new one and approached the tee. Now the Voice from above shouted: "You better take a practice swing!"
With this, the golfer totally obeyed the Voice. He stepped backward and took a swing. Feeling more confident, he approached the tee when the Voice again rang out: "Use the old ball!"
Are you listening to the voice of God? Is He speaking to you about something? The question before us today is: HOW DO YOU KNOW THE WILL OF GOD? Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done”. What does that mean?
Jim George once said, “Prayer is our attempt to bring our will and desires in line with God’s will. “ That’s a great statement, but it is just the opposite of how so many talk to their Father in Heaven. So often we come to church and pray for God to put His rubber stamp upon our plans. They are plans that we made totally independent of prayer and independent of what He has declared in His Word. And that is just the opposite of how Jesus prayed. He taught us to pray, “THY will be done.”
PERSONAL QUESTION
How do you say the phrase, “THY WILL BE DONE”, when you pray the Lord’s Prayer?
• “Ok, have it your way! Whatever.”
• “I guess I really don’t have a choice, do I?”
• “I don’t like this at all, but do what you want anyway!”
Do any of these represent the attitude of your heart right now?
Come on, be honest with God and yourself. He already knows what you are thinking, anyway.
That is not how Jesus meant the Lord’s Prayer.
That is not how Jesus prayed the Lord’s Prayer.
That is not how Jesus prayed when the game was on the line – the Garden of Gethsemane.
LET’S GO BACK TO GETHSEMANE.
It was the night before Jesus died. He was about to carry the judgment of the sins of every person who would ever live on this planet (I John 2:1-2). He was under such intense pressure that He sweat drops of blood. This is medically possible for someone facing excruciating stress. Notice how He prayed in Luke 22:40-46:
When He came to the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”
This prayer from the heart of Jesus shows us so many things about His relationship with the Father.
1.Jesus turned to the Father in moments of pain. Do you talk to your
Father when you are hurting?
2.Jesus was able to be transparent with the Father and tell Him how he felt.
This is a great example for marriages. Do you have the freedom to tell your spouse how you feel, even if you disagree with a decision that is being made in the home? Jesus and the Father were ONE. The husband and wife are ONE. If you are united, then you should listen to each other.
3.Jesus made his will subservient to the Father’s will. Jesus was no hypocrite. He prayed just like he taught others to pray. His walk and his talk matched up even though it was painful.
JESUS AND THE WILL OF THE FATHER
Jesus clearly defined His mission statement in John 4:34: “My food is to do the WILL OF HIM who sent me and to accomplish His work.” Maybe you should hang that verse in your cubicle at work, on the dash of your car, plaster it on your refrigerator or post it to your favorite social media.
Summary:
• Jesus knew the will of His Father.
• Jesus heard the Father speak His will.
• Jesus talked to others about doing the will of the Father.
• Jesus did the will of the Father regardless of the cost.
Does this represent the disposition of your heart? I used to sing a song entitled, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus!”
I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back, no turning back.
Though none go with me, yet still I’ll follow.
Take this whole world, but give me Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
Have you decided to follow Jesus? If you aren’t willing to do God’s will, regardless of the cost, then let’s just stop right here. There’s no sense in knowing the will of God if you are not willing to do the will of God (James 1:22).
SIX FACTS ABOUT GOD’S WILL
Let’s go deeper. Here are six facts every believer should know about the will of God. They are crucial to our spiritual growth.
1.God has a PERSONAL plan for your life.
Notice the personal plan that David saw about his life in God in Psalm chapter 139. He reminds us of the 3 big O’s that are unique to God:
1) He is OMNSICENT – all knowing
2) He is OMNIPOTENT – all powerful
3) He is OMNIPRESENT – always present everywhere
Here is the personal plan God has for you, too! (Psalm 139: 13-18).
13. For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;[b]
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15. My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18. If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
2. Following God’s plan is the BEST THING for you.
The Father knows best! If you don’t believe that God wants the best for your life, then you have a serious question with the character of God. The problem is that you can’t interpret what is best through your understanding.
3. The will of God is not a mystery.
You can discover it! God is not trying to play “hide and go seek” with you. It’s not even Duck, Duck Goose! His heart is all about revealing things, not concealing things.
4. The will of God is not forced upon you.
How many are afraid that, if they surrender totally to Christ, they will end up as a missionary in a deserted country thousands of miles from home. Actually, He may call you to do something just like that! But it will always be with your cooperation. God is a gentleman. He works with our will, our fears, our insecurities and our disobedience. He allows the Prodigal Son the opportunity to leave home and lose everything in the far country. And He also offered him the opportunity to return to the Father’s house.
5. The will of God can be forfeited in your life.
Here is what God wanted from Pharoah: “Let my people go.”
Pharoah said, “No.” God showed him what he wanted, but Pharoah declined and paid a severe price.
Pilate could have spared the Lord Jesus. He even had a dream given to his wife. But Pilate washed his hands of the blood of Christ. It cost him dearly.
I met a former pastor once who wandered far from God. He left his wife, family, church and calling. He never went back. What a price to pay for not be willing to do the will of God.
6. If you have wandered from God’s will, you can come back.
Have you ever been on vacation and lost your way? You took the wrong turn and ended up way off schedule and found yourself somewhere in the Twilight Zone! I have had those vacations!
If you make a wrong turn, go back to your GPS and get back on the highway! It’s the same with God. Repent of what you have done. Agree with God that it is wrong and does not belong in your life. Get back on the Heavenly Highway and complete what God has called you to do! Start right NOW!
PRAYER FOR THOSE RETURNING HOME
“Lord, thank You for the One who is returning home to you right this moment. Cleanse them of their sin and fill them with your Spirit. Put your arms around your child and let them know that FAILURE is never FINAL with their FATHER in Heaven. In Jesus’ Name, Amen!”
Now, get up and get going back to the Father’s house!
THE MISSING LINK TO ROMANS 12
I have been blessed to lead over 150 camps, revivals and conferences in my ministry, in addition to being the Senior Pastor of 6 churches in Texas and Arkansas. I have often been asked by young people at camp: Pastor Larry, What is the key Bible verse concerning how to know the Will of God for your life? I always go immediately to Romans 12:1-2. You probably know the verse already:
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
I always jump right to the phrase, “the perfect will of God”, and then take off from there. But I have made a huge mistake! I have missed Romans 11:33-36. The Bible was originally written as letters without chapter titles, divisions and verses. Romans is the letter Paul wrote to the Church at Rome in the first century. So, you don’t just stop at the end of Romans 11 like you are reading a newspaper article and then go to a totally different thought in Romans 12.
I confess that I have done that. I confess that I have missed the context of Romans chapter 11, especially the last four verses. What do those verses have to say about the will of God for my life? Check this out.
FOUR THINGS TO HEED – Romans 11:33-36
If you want to know the will of God for your life, you must first understand these four basic principles that are so often overlooked by believers and spiritual leaders who are in a hurry to get to the good stuff in Romans 12, but they miss the deep stuff in Romans 11!
• Don’t try to explain God’s WAYS (Romans 11:33).
• Don’t try to change God’s MIND (Romans 11:34).
• Don’t try to NEGOTIATE with God or buy Him off (Romans 11:35).
• Don’t try to steal God’s GLORY (Romans 11:36).
Oh, wow! What depth of thought we have in the last four verses of Romans 11.
Once you have understood and obeyed these four key principles, then you are ready to go to the BIG QUESTION:
HOW CAN I KNOW GOD’S WILL FOR MY LIFE?
Here are several steps that I think are important in understanding how to know the will of God for your life. James 1:22 – Do. If you aren’t willing to do……just stop right now.
I. KNOW THAT JESUS IS YOUR SAVIOR.
It all starts and ends with this point. If you don’t know for sure that you belong to Christ, go no further in talking about God’s will for your life. The first step in knowing God’s will is knowing God through His Son Jesus Christ. Listen to how simple it is to come to know Him:
Romans 10:13: “For whosoever shall upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” Call upon the Lord right now. Ask Him to forgive you of all of your sins and come into your life. That is called being born again (John 3:1-5). That is what it means to be saved.
It is a matter of knowing that only He can save you.
It’s as easy as A-B-C:
ASK Him into your life.
BELIEVE that He will keep His word, forgive your sins and give you a home in Heaven one day.
CONFESS as your personal Savior by following Jesus in believer’s baptism, which is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Because Jesus rose from dead, you have risen to a new life in Him!
2. MAKE JESUS NOT ONLY YOUR SAVIOR, BUT LORD OF YOUR LIFE.
Years ago, a pastor in a small church in England was upset that he was not in a bigger church in London or New York. “Lord, I am very good preacher and a very leader. Why can’t my church grow! Why can’t I be a big church?” The Lord spoke to his heart and gave him this impression, “What is in your pocket?” The pastor replied, “Those are the keys to every room and closet in the house.” The Lord spoke again to his heart, “Give them to me. Every key……including the room to your dirty laundry.”
Have you given Jesus the key to every room in your heart…..even the dirty laundry?
3. ASK THE LORD IN PRAYER TO SHOW YOU HIS WILL.
In Matthew 7:7, Jesus said, “Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opend to you.” James reminds us that we “have not because we ASK not” (James 4:2-3).
Here is warning: when you ask God to show you His will, be content with ONE STEP at a time, not your whole life. What if a baseball catcher gave every signal to every pitch for the entire game of nine innings! That would totally confuse the pitcher. If you asked God to show you His will for your whole life………it would be scary and confusing! Don’t do it. Look for one step you can take.
4. LOOK FOR OPEN DOORS.
How many times have I heard someone in ministry say, “Well, God has opened a door for me. I got a call from a church. The Lord must be moving me to another place of ministry!”
Be careful, not all open doors are for you. We don’t go by NEED and we would be exhausted trying to meet every near everywhere. We listen to the Father’s voice and follow Him (John 10).
I John 4:1 tells us to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God”. We are to listen with discernment to each voice we hear. Satan speaks, too. The flesh certainly speaks. Make sure the open door is God’s choice. If you are not sure, turn it down. If it is God…..He will be back.
5. GET PLENTY OF GODLY COUNSEL.
Proverbs 11:14 is a timely verse for the United States of America. It declares, “A nation falls through a lack of guidance, but victory comes through the counsel of many.” God has placed godly men and women around you in the Body of Christ. Use their wisdom, experience and insight.
Sometimes when a football team is on the goal line of their opponent late in the game, the quarterback knows how important those plays are for his team. Many times he will call a time out and go to the sideline. There are coaches who are viewing the game from a private suite above the field. They talk to the quarterback and give him their perspective on the field of play, which is higher up.
Maybe you need to call a time out and go to the sideline. Perhaps you need to find a godly leader who is older and more experienced in ministry, marriage or the marketplace. Tap into that valuable resource to confirm what God is saying to you.
6. MAKE SURE YOU ARE LINED UP WITH THE WORD OF GOD.
God will never lead you contrary to His Word. It is His final authority. Listen to II Timothy 3:16-17 in The Message:
There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
When I was pastoring in Texas, a married woman I had counseled called me from New Mexico to tell me that she had gone off with another woman’s husband. She was very tired of her husband and her marriage. She justified the decision by appealing to this phrase: “Pastor, don’t judge me for doing this. God told me that it was His will for my life.” How convenient for God to affirm our immorality.
That was not the voice of God and I told her so with a broken heart. God doesn’t contradict His Word. He told us not to commit adultery in Exodus 20 in the giving of the Ten Commandments. That is black and white. Make sure that what you are doing is lined up with His Word!
7. SEEK TO KNOW THE PEACE OF GOD.
I find that God gives you a peace from His Presence when you are walking the right direction with Him. You may be in a storm of trials and tests on the outside, but there is peace on the inside. That’s what to Paul when the jailhouse rocked! (Acts 16:25-31). The earthquake could not shake him. Imprisonment could not stop him. He knew the peace of God and was able to share it with the scared jailor and led him to faith in Christ.
Isaiah 48:22 tells us that there is “no peace for the wicked”.
• Pharoah didn’t have that peace. He wouldn’t listen to God.
• Pilate didn’t have that peace. He wouldn’t receive a dream from God.
• Saul didn’t have that peace. He wouldn’t obey God’s clear command.
• Jonah didn’t that peace. He was running from the will of God.
I love Isaiah 26:3 in the KJV: “Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed upon thee.” Put your eyes on the Lord and do what He speaks to your heart and the peace of God of will guide you.
7. DISCOVER WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST BY KNOWING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS.
Every believer in Christ is gifted spiritually. These gifts are chosen for us by
the Spirit (I Corinthians 12:7). A gift is not a talent, it is a supernatural ability to do the work of ministry.
The lists of spiritual gifts in the New Testament are found in these chapters:
• Romans 12
• I Corinthians 11-14
• Ephesians 4
You can also go online and find several great spiritual gifts tests to find out who are you in Christ.
8. CHECK YOUR MOTIVATION.
Why do you want to do this? What is your purpose and motivation? Romans 11:36 says it clearly that our motivation should be “Of Him, for Him and to Him”. Paul said, “For to me to live is CHRIST….” (Philippians 1:21).
9. WAIT FOR HIS PERFECT TIMING.
Elijah sat by a brook that was dwindling and running out of water. Maybe you are there today. You have obeyed God to the best of your ability. You have given it everything you have and now you are sitting by a drying brook.
Your time is running out.
Your money is running out.
Your patience is running out.
Your resources are running out.
That is the very experience of the Psalmist in Psalm chapter 73. Look at these amazing words from The Message!
What’s going on here? Is God out to lunch?
Nobody’s tending the store.
The wicked get by with everything;
they have it made, piling up riches.
I’ve been stupid to play by the rules;
what has it gotten me?
A long run of bad luck, that’s what—
a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.
If I’d have given in and talked like this,
I would have betrayed your dear children.
Still, when I tried to figure it out,
all I got was a splitting headache . . .
Until I entered the sanctuary of God.
Then I saw the whole picture.
Are you waiting on God right now?
Listen, if God told you something……He will do it.
If you don’t listen to God and don’t wait for God…..don’t worry. He will be back. And the message will be the same. Jonah ran away from the clear will of God for His life: “Go to Nineveh!”
God allowed him to be swallowed by a whale to get his attention. When Jonah was finally ready to obey, not what Jonah 3:1-2 says: “And the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: “Go the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I have given you.”
The call didn’t change.
Jonah’s heart changed.
Do you need a heart change right now?
Has God told you to do something long ago……and you have put it off?
Here is a great PRAYER CHECKLIST to see if God is telling you to “GO!”
If the request is wrong, God says, “NO”.
If the timing is wrong, God says, “Slow”.
If you are wrong, God says, “Grow.”
But………
If the request is right.
If the timing is right.
If you are right.
God says, “GO!”
I love how Bobby Richardson, former great New York Yankee baseball player spoke about God’s will:
“Dear God, Your will.
Nothing else.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.”
- Dr. Larry Petton
