WHY IS IT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT WE CAN DO IN THIS LIFE?
Two reasons, we need to know and do God’s will…
(1) For God’s sake.
That is God created each and everyone of us for a purpose. And when we stand before Him on the judgment day we will give account of our lives if we did or did not do what God created us to do.
NOTHING COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT…NOTHING!!!
However, we live in a society today where a lot of people do not think that is important.
But when they stand before their CREATOR that created them for a specific purpose it will be the only thing that is important to them.
All of a sudden:
• Sports
• Money
• Material things
• Hobbies
• Fishing
• Hunting
• Golfing
Will no longer be important to them!!!
But we should seek to do God’s will for our lives for another reason, we should seek to do God’s will for God’s sake but also for…
(2) OUR SAKE
Let me illustrate it this way…
Illus: Suppose we get tired of the high price of gas that we pay to fill our car gas tanks. We come up with this brilliant idea of cutting our gas bill in half by putting a half tank of gas and a half tank of water in our gas tank.
WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN?
We are going to have some serious car problems because our car designer designed our cars to run on gas alone.
And the same thing with us, God the Creator designed our life to function doing His will and if we do not do His will we are going to have some big problems.
The world we live in we find many are having some serious problems and it can all be trace back with people not living their life doing God’s will.
Again, if you believe in God the Creator it is critical for God sake and our sake that we find what God has created us for in this life.
HOW DO WE FIND GOD’S WILL FOR OUR LIFE?
I have noticed among Christians a lot of Christian in order to find God’s will they look for a sign from heaven.
That is, they will pray, “If it is God’s will for them to do something, let fire come down from heaven.”
The Bible tells us THE STEPS OF A GODLY MAN ARE ORDERED OF THE LORD.
• When we are trying to find direction many of turn to GPS and it directs which way to go.
• We also depends on road signs to direct us where we are going.
I came across some street signs the other day.
• One gas station has a restaurant actually had this on their changeable sign, “Eat here and get gas!”
• A dry cleaners had this sign, “Leave your clothes here and spend the afternoon having a good time!”
• Outside a resale shop, “We exchange ANYTHING, bicycles, washing machines. Why not bring your wife along and get a wonderful bargain!”
• A pet shop had this written on a sign, It said, “If youre looking for a pet Dog for sale, eats anything and is fond of children, come on inside!”
• And finally, this one for a funeral parlor that said, “Come in and ask about our lay away plan.”
Yes, when we want to go somewhere we depend on GPS and ROAD SIGNS to get us there!
In this spiritual journey that we are on God wants us to know His will, such as…
• WHOM SHOULD I MARRY?
• SHOULD I QUIT THIS JOB AND TAKE THE OTHER JOB?
• DOES GOD WANT US TO START A FAMILY NOW, OR SHOULD WE WAIT?
• WHAT COLLEGE SHOULD I GO TO?
• WHAT DEGREE SHOULD I PURSUE?
• WHAT CHURCH SHOULD I JOIN?
The decisions we make for these and many others will make a huge difference in our lives.
That is, we can not leave these decisions to chance, or guess work.
God created you for a purpose and He wants you to know what that purpose is!!!
If God wants us to DO His will, why wouldn’t He want us to know His will?
Just as the Lord Jesus was assigned a specific task to perform on earth, each Christian is assigned special tasks which we must perform.
The Lord Jesus was placed here on the earth to die for the sins of mankind. When the Lord Jesus was facing death on the cross, listen to this prayer He prayed.
Matthew 26:36-42 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
He prayed this prayer for two reasons.
FIRST…the holy Son of God was fixing to take on the sins of the world.
Every filthy sin that man has ever committed the Holy Son of God who has never come into contact with sin was fixing to take the sins of the world upon Himself.
This was the most repulsive thing that could ever happen to him.
Illus: I remember watching Sylvester Stallone in one of his movies when he was caught by the enemy they hooked him to some chain and both of his arms were tied to those chains. And they had it rigged up where he was hanging by his two arms and he was lowered into this hole of sewage. And leaches attached themselves to his body.
I mention that to only mention this, the most horrible thing that could happen to the holy Son of God was he was fixing to have the sins of the world dumped on him.
He prayed if there was some other way He did not want to do this disgusting thing….Nevertheless He said, “Thy will be done!”
He prayed this prayer for another reason…
(2) He was fixing to face a horrible, painful death.
He lived in a human body like we live in which meant He was fixing to suffer the same thing we would suffer if we were crucified.
For these two reasons He prayed, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
It is our primary mission in life to learn the will of the Lord, and to do it.
Let’s look at-
I. THE INDIVIDUALITY OF THE LORD’S WILL
We know some things about the will of God immediately.
That is, God would not have created you if He did not have a purpose in creating you.
God was not bored in heaven when He created you, He had a purpose in creating you.
Let’s look at some things concerning His will. We need to look at…
A. GOD’S WILL IS DIVINE
Some folks have the idea that only pastors, evangelists and missionaries have a divine calling on their life.
THAT IS INCORRECT!
God’s divine calls also extend to painters, carpenters, plumbers, brick layers, secretaries, bank tellers, tile setters, etc., as much as He calls some to preach.
God has a divine will for everyone.
Look at Eph. 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
God’s will for our life is a DEVINE CALLING. And also…
B. GOD’S WILL IS DESIGNED
It is a fact of life, that some people can not do what others can do. God designed us that way!
Illus: One of my favorite candies that I like is M&M’s. The concept for M & M’s candy company, discovered on a trip to Spain that soldiers were eating “pellets of chocolate that were encased in a hard sugary coating to prevent them from melting.”
Inspired by the idea, Mars returned to his kitchen and invented his version of what we now call M & M’s. They went public in 1941 and quickly became a part of the American GI’s rations and were packaged in cardboard tubes for them.
But the man who came up with the idea of M & M’s was smart enough to DESIGN them different colors.
Just how many different colors do M & M’s come in? Well, from the website you can order 21 different colors of M & M’s on-line!
Some people not only enjoy eating M & M’s they use them to play a game.
Illus: For example, one man said whenever I get a package of M&Ms, I make it my duty to continue the strength and sturdiness of the candy as a species.
To this end, I hold M&M duels.
Taking two candies between my thumb and forefinger. I apply pressure, squeezing them together until one of them cracks and splinters. That is the “loser,” and I eat the inferior one immediately. The winner gets to go another round.
I have found that, in general, the brown and red M&Ms are tougher, and the newer blue ones are genetically inferior.
I have hypothesized that the blue M&Ms as a race cannot survive long in the intense theater of competition that is the modern candy and snack-food world.
Occasionally I will get a mutation, a candy that is misshapen, or pointier, or flatter than the rest. Almost invariably this proves to be a weakness, but on very rare occasions it gives the candy extra strength. In this way, the species continues to adapt to its environment.
When I reach the end of the pack, I am left with one M&M, the strongest of the herd. Since it would make no sense to eat this one as well, I pack it neatly in an envelope and send it to M&M Mars, A Division of Mars, Inc., Hackettstown, NJ 17840-1503 U.S.A., along with a 3×5 card reading, “Please use this M&M for breeding purposes.”
This week they wrote back to thank me and sent me a coupon for a free 1/2 pound bag of plain M&Ms. I consider this “grant money.” I have set aside the weekend for a grand tournament. From a field of hundreds, we will discover the True Champion.
There can be only one!!!
Aren’t you thankful for variety? Suppose all the car makers design all cars to look alike and was the same color –
• The same kind of car design year after year the same design.
• The same color year after year
Listen, I have a hard enough time trying to find my car in a parking lot already, that would be a major problem if all cars were designed alike.
But the car makers knew that variety is the spice of life and so does God.
He designed us all differently!
That is, some are gifted in some areas while others are handicapped in those areas.
• Have you ever heard anyone sing a special in church that should not be singing a special in church? (Perhaps not even in the shower).
• Have you ever heard anyone in the pulpit preaching the Word of God, and it was obvious they should be in the third row.
God has a DIVINE WILL for everyone, and you can rest assured that GOD’S WILL IS DESIGNED for the person that God has called us to do a certain job.
That is, God’s divine will for our life always FITS THE PERSON.
The thing God has called us to do, is suited to our personalities, talents, needs, potential, and the age in which we live.
Not only does God equip us, He also has certain times in history that He places us here to do a certain job.
For example, Esther was put here on earth at a certain time to defend God’s people.
Look at Esther 4:14, we read, “For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether THOU ART COME TO THE KINGDOM FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS?”
• What ever God calls us to do, He also equips us to do.
• Whatever God calls us to do, He place us here at a certain time to do that job.
Eph. 4:11-12, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; FOR THE PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:”
Look at the word “Perfecting”, which means complete furnishing.
Illus: When you rent a furnished apartment, it means the things that you need to live in that apartment are completely furnished.
And when God calls a person to do something, He furnishes that person with what they have need of to do the job.
God’s will is always
• DIVINE,
• DESIGNED,
but also -
C. GOD’S WILL IS DEFINITE
God does not ask us to do something, and later change His mind.
Illus: Did you hear about the man who came to another man and said,
• “I changed my mind”.
• The man said, “Good, I hope this one is better than the other one you had.”
God does not change His mind.
The Word of God says, in Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
That simply means that if God has called you to do something, He does not change His mind later.
We may not be in His will all the time, but His will is there for us all the time.
Illus: God’s will for our life is like a path in the wilderness that we must follow. When we wander off the path, our progress is hindered and we need to get back where we can move ahead with His work.
E. GOD’S WILL IS DESIRABLE
Psa. 143:8, “Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: CAUSE ME TO KNOW THE WAY WHEREIN I SHOULD WALK; for I lift up my soul unto thee.”
The Psalmist cries out for the Lord to SHOW him the way to go.
Notice, he asks this in the morning so he can know where he SHOULD GO through out the day.
Illus: Many of you have jobs that require when you go to work each day you have to report to the boss man and ask, “Boss man, what do you want me to do today.”
That is exactly what we should do before our feet hit the floor, “Heavenly Father what do you want me to do today”
• Who should I pray for!
• Who should I visit!
• Who should I help!
That is, the way we should start the day off.
TIMING IS IMPORTANT!!!
Everyone who has ever entered a race, understands the significance of getting off to a good start. Before our feet hit the floor in the morning, we need to DESIRE to do the will of God and get off to a good start each day.
Timing is important!
Illus: Just ask the tennis player or the baseball player. Swing too early or too late and YOU MISS!
Illus: If you men think timing is not important, just wait until your wife has:
• Four pots of food cooking at once
• A cake in the oven
• And is talking to some salesman on the phone
Then go ask her if she loves you. You will find out soon that timing is important!
We need to start off each day DESIRING THE WILL OF GOD FOR OUR LIVES! That is wiser than waiting until the end of the day when it is to late.
His will is…
1. Divine
2. Designed
3. Definite
4. Desirable
We looked at THE INDIVIDUALITY OF THE LORD’S WILL, now look at ...
II. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LORD’S WILL
Illus: Many of us can remember when we were Juniors and Seniors in high school. The “Guidance Counselor” called us into the office and said, “What do you plan to do with your life?”
(Humor) And if you were one of those students that made straight “D’s” on your report card, and you told her you were going to be a brain surgeon, she got a worried look on her face.
But you do not have to be a genius to figure some things out.
For example, someone has wisely discovered:
• Psychiatrists say that 1 of 4 people are mentally ill. If you have 3 friends who are OK, then you're it.
• The average woman would rather have beauty than brains, because the average man can see better than he can think.
• If clothes make the man, naked people have little or no influence on society.
While we can learn some things from life, we are incapable of planning our own lives.
Jer. 10:23, “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not IN HIMSELF: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.”
ONLY GOD knows the future, and ONLY GOD is able to guide us and to show us what He wants us to do.
We looked at:
THE INDIVIDUALITY OF THE LORD’S WILL
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LORD’S WILL.
Now look at ...
III. THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LORD’S WILL
God use three things to show us His will.
I. HE USE PRAYER
You cannot know the will of GOD WITHOUT PRAYER.
The Bible tells us, “YOU HAVE NOT BECAUSE YOU ASK NOT!!!”
There are people who have lived their entire life and they have never ask the Lord, WHY DID YOU CREATE ME?
You can not know His will for your life if you do not spend time in prayer asking Him.
This is why the Bible tells us to PRAY WITHOUT CEASING!!!
Every day He leads us through prayer.
(2) HE USE THE WORD OF GOD
• 253 times in the Bible God says thou shalt do!
• 1250 times God says thou shalt not do this or that!
Again, God wants you to know His will for your life.
Psalms 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
When it comes to walking in the will of God He does not want us to walk in darkness.
There are all sorts of questions we can find the answers to in God’s word.
Questions like:
(1) What is God’s plan for me for eternity?
God’s Word tells us in 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
(2)Some would pray does God want me to divorce my wife?
God’s Word gives us the answer in Matthew 19:6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
(3) A young person might want to know how involved should I get with someone of the opposite sex? How far is too far?
God’s Word has the answer in 1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
The answer to all of these and many more questions can be found in this book called the Bible.
But when it comes to sin some time…
(3) HE USE THE HOLY SPIRIT
John 16:13-14 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth.
The word Spirit is a compound word that consists of the Greek word for “God” and the verb that means “to breathe out”.
In both Hebrew and Greek, the word for “spirit” is the same word which can also be translated “breath” or “wind”.
Illus: When a storm come into our life the WIND which can not be seen, it blows us!!! Sometime it can blow us down.
We can not see the Holy Spirit but we can know
God wants us to know His will for our lives. He guides us through:
1) Prayer
2) Word of God
3) Holy Spirit.
Conclusion:
God is the Creator of all things!!!
Concerning God’s will for our life, we have looked at…
I. THE INDIVIDUALITY OF THE LORD’S
WILL
A. God’s will is divine
B. God’s will is Designed
C. God’s will is Definite
D. God’s will is Desirable
II. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LORD’S WILL
III.THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LORD’S WILL
A. PRAYER
B. WORD OF GOD
C. Holy SPIRIT
The most important thing in our life is to find the will of God for our life.
WHY IS IT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN OUR LIFE?
(1) OUR HAPPINESS DEPENDS ON IT.
(2) OUR REWARDS DEPEND ON IT.
Illus: Did you know one of the worst thing you can do physically is wake up each day and sit in some chair throughout the day.
When you do that you are sending a signal to your body that you are shutting down and soon you are going to have some serious problems physically.
And the same thing spiritually, some the only thing they do for the Lord is sit in a church pew AND SPIRITUALLY THEY DYING A SLOW DEATH SPIRITUALLY!
