Title: Open Doors of Opportunity
Theme: God Does Not Contradict His Word
Series: Three Foundational Truths to Grasping Gods Will
Introduction: The greatest frustration to many people is the inability to determine God's will for them. Many find themselves in circumstances which are unpleasing to the Lord, in direct rebellion to God or at the very least living in the aroma of confusion and uncertainty. The Bible tell us, "All a man's way seems right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart." (Proverbs 21:2) Many Christians find themselves living in a sin cursed world, making decisions from the control of the flesh, the lures of a world view and amazingly the lies of the devil. The Bible gives a stern warning, There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 16:25)
Proposition: I would propose to you that the Bible gives truths to help us discern God's will for us. Yes, we are to live by faith. However, our faith is to be based from Biblical truths that are eternal.
We all must understand just because an opportunity presents itself, and it looks appealing, doesn't necessarily mean it is from God. Likewise, just because an open door looks a little uncertain, doesn't mean you shouldn't walk through it.
The key to walking in step with the Lord, is to hold the key to opening doors that glorify the Lord in our lives, present God as being the one true God and presents Christ as Lord and Savior to all who sees our lives.
Interrogative Sentence: Just what are three foundation truths to holding keys that opens up doors of opportunity of God's will for us? The master key - is to be able to discern God intercession in our lives by placing God's written Word into our minds and spiritual hearts. Christians must be hungry to seek the Lord's will. The Bible says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:1-2)
Feeding your spiritual heart is like preparing a healthy meal for your body. It takes time to read and study so we can determine what is a healthy meal. It takes time and effort to purchase the food, then properly prepare it and discipline ourselves to select the right proportions to eat.
Have you ever heard of those people who knew they needed to loose weight and their lust of the flesh was pop. So they purchase diet pop, and then drink twice as much. "All a man's way seems right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart." (Proverbs 21:2) The heart problem was they knew they should loose weight, after all the message to lose weight is everywhere, it is the right thing to say and agree to. The heart issue missing, they should get themselves in shape because it is God who created them, it is He who gives them life and breath and everything. (Acts 17:25)
The child of God who wants to know God's will, will discipline his mind, open his heart, and choose this day to apply these foundational truths: 1.) God Never Contradicts His Word. 2.) Biblically Seeks Confirmation and 3.) Depends Whole-heartedly Upon the Lord.
Transitional Sentence: The first key to opening the door to knowing God's will is understand He never contradicts His Word. Mankind is prone to sin, they desire to have teachers who tell them what their itching ears want to hear. (Acts 17:25) James 1:13-18, "When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Do not be deceived... Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
Temptation to accept life-styles that are contradictory to God's Word is a constant struggle in the church, these false teachings often lead people astray from the truth. This problem was addressed by the apostle Paul in his dealing with the Corinthian Church, he writes, "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. And your proud." (1 Corinthians 5:1)
We must understand, the church at Corinth was a seriously troubled church. Infected with many problems all because she was immature and unclear of God's will for them. Their inability to walk in step with the Holy Spirit of Christ was their down fall to accepting the world view of the culture of their time.
Just to get a Biblical understanding so we can see that God does not contradict His Word, even if it is spiritual immaturity, we need to take a look at a couple of the sins that was disrupting the Corinth church.
First: Sexual sin of the man having his fathers wife: Let us get a different translation. The Message Bible says, "I also received a report of scandalous sex within your church family, a kind that wouldn't be tolerated even outside the church: One of your men is sleeping with his stepmother. And your so above it all that it doesn't even faze you! Shouldn't this break your hearts? Shouldn't it bring you to your knees in tears?" A church allowing a sin to go on and not confront the issue. All because they thought God would overlook it - after all they are the church.
How do we keep from accepting what God calls sexual sin from being allowed in the church in America? It lays in this heart attitude: Is the sin committed by the man in the Corinth church wrong because we considerate to be wrong, or is wrong because God's Word says it is wrong? If we believe God says it is wrong - then can we point the ignorant to His truth in the written Word. Jesus said, "Man does not live on bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4) The charge given before God and Christ to the church, "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season [meaning when it is popular or not popular] correct, rebuke, and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction." (2 Timothy 4:2)
The Biblical answer for the man sleeping with His father's wife is found in Leviticus 18:8, "Do not have sexual relations with any of your father's wives, for this would dishonor your father." Loving God's truth would have overcome the church's pride of the man who was clearly doing wrong in the church, thus such a report that appears to have been commonly known would not have made it's way back to the Apostle Paul. The community's sin of fornication would not have had its negative effect on the church.
Paul said they were proud. Matthew Henry Commentary gives this enlightenment, "The man might have been of great eloquence... and they were proud they had such a leader in the church." (Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 2252). Peabody: Hendrickson.)
It is not an uncommon to see pastors, youth pastors be fired and sent on their way without any offer of helping with the restoration of a fallen man who was found in moral failure, rather it be sexual for financial. Yet, we see people still in leadership position in the church, who have fallen into the same moral failure, all because they are a sports hero in the community, give a great amount of money to the church, or seen as pillars in the community. God's does not contradict is Word, because of a man's status in the community or church.
Second: In 1 Corinthians 12-14 we see the Apostle Paul dealing with the abuse of Spiritual gifts in the church in Corinth which was the second subject needing correction. (Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; The Pulpit Commentary; Richards, L., & Richards, L. O. (1987). The teacher’s commentary (p. 857). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.) The Apostle Paul's letter guides us as well as the Corinthians to understanding. This portion of God's Word helps us deal with issues that are very likely to arise in the local church.
The New Testament church in Corinth was not an utopia nor is the church here and now going to be a perfect church. The reason - old saints pass on to their new home in heaven, what is left, a Body of Christ that is immature, influenced by the flesh more than the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12-14 deals with problems in the church in Corinth, which are just as much a problem to us today. Spiritual pride - rather than serving one another with Spiritual gifts under the guidance of sacrificial love. Let us take a look at some possible problems that can easily justified by human reasoning.
1.) The more important the gift, the more mature and spiritual the person is. That thought is in contradiction to God' Word which says, "There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now each one the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." (1 Corinthians 12:6-7)
2.) We must ask God for the Spiritual gift we want. That thought seems to make sense, however, it is in contradiction to God's Word which says, "All these [gifts] are the work of the one and same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as He determines." (1 Corinthians 12:11)
3.) A person under the influence of the Spirit can't help shouting out. That thought has brought much disruption in congregational worship services and in contradiction to God's Word, "The spirits of the prophets are subject to the control of the prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace - as in all the congregations of the Lord's people." (1 Corinthians 14: 33)
4.) Only the pastor should teach, he is usually the only one with seminary training. If that were true - then people would not be able to share what the Lord has revealed to them or taught them over the years. The New Testament says, "I will poor out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit... and they will prophesy." (Acts 2:17-18)
5.) Can everyone who calls themselves Christian be teachers? Many have taken on the mistaken ideology that just because they are a Christian, God is just going to speak through them. The Bible says, "Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judge with greater strictness." (James 3:1) There is a charge that is given for all who speak or teach on God's behalf. The Bible says, "Do your best to present yourselves to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the Word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)
6.) Some people are more important than others in the church as in every other situation. There is an worldly influence that has made its way into the church, people have different value in this life according to the position they hold or status they are in. The pastor is more important than the grounds keeper, etc. The Apostle Paul in teaching about unity and diversity in the Body of Christ wrote, "Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ." Paul goes on to teach "God has placed the parts in the body, everyone of them just as He wanted them to be." Paul goes on to say, "The eye cannot say to hand, 'I do not need you.' The head can not say to the feet 'I do not need you." "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; If one part is honored, every part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Paul teaches us, "...God has put body together... there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other." (1 Corinthians 12: 12-31)
7.) There is not a test to true spirituality. Many convinced themselves that one can just claim they are a believer. To just say I believe and not live a life according to that belief is a contradiction to what God says. The Bible says, "Even demons believe - shudder!..." (James 2:19) James, the half brother of Jesus wrote, "...faith apart from works is useless." (James 2:19) There is a difference from believing a truth and not responding in some way and believing a Biblical truth and responding in a way that causes you to participate. Luke, the writer of the Book of Acts shares about The Fellowship of Believers, they devote themselves to the apostles teachings, to fellowship, to breaking of bread, and to prayer. According to God's Word, another sure test is the exercising of Holy Spirit gifts through sacrificial love.
When a Bible teacher starts a Biblical writing ministry, He or she must give an accounting, substantiate their call, their hunger for God's Word, fellowship with the Body of Christ, participation in fellowship meals and they are discipline in prayer. Their is a season of testing, do they sacrificially do their writing for the good of others, is it offered freely with nothing expected back in return, such as payment, recognition or position in ministry. These are a sure signs of mature Christianity which understands that God does not contradict nor compromises His truths.
In Closing: Recognizing God's open door of opportunity involves holding the key to understanding God does not in any way contradict His Word. When Christians fully understand how easy it is to presume on the Lord, twist His truth with religious sounding slogans, they seek His guidance through the whole counsel of God's Word so they may enjoy His perfect will for them.
There is a very sad truth, it is convenient not to read or study the Bible and say "I did not know." Here in America, as long as we are healthy, come of age, and are responsible people we can enjoy the privilege of driving. You can not just get in a car, drive, break the laws of driving - get pulled over by the police and tell the officer, "I did not know." Ignorance is no excuse. We must be a mature enough people, to study, take the test - and do what ever else is needed to be a responsible driver of a vehicle.
The Bible says we are living letters read and known by all. (2 Corinthians 3:2) What does our letter say to all who sees our lives. Do they see a people who live like God is up there somewhere, waiting for us to go home to be with Him. Or do they see a people of God who are lead and controlled by the Holy Spirit of Christ.
Understanding God's will - starts will seeking to understand the foundational truths of 1.) God does not contradict His Word. 2.) Biblically Seeks Confirmation (message 2) and 3.) Depends Whole-heartedly Upon the Lord (message 3).
