Are you committed to doing God’s will?
Jeremiah 41:16-43:7
How many of you have heard of Francis Schaeffer? He’s dead now but he was a relatively famous Pastor and Christian author. When he was 19 years old he had a decision to make: Stay home and become a mechanical engineer (which was something he was interested in) or go away to Bible college to become a Pastor (which was a pull he felt in his heart). His father had demanded that he make a decision—the time was at hand. Francis told his father he needed a few more minutes to think and so he went off to the cellar to pray. Weeping, he asked God for help. Finally, in desperation he took out a coin and said “Heads, I’ll go” It was heads. Then he pleaded, “God, be patient with me. If it comes up tails this time, I’ll go.” It was tails. “Once more, God, Please let it be heads again.” It was heads. Back upstairs Francis went. “Dad, I’ve got to go.” Francis went on to become a pastor, philosopher, lecturer, and an author of 24 books.
Every day we make numerous decisions. What cereal to purchase, what to eat for supper, whether to rent an apartment or buy a home, where to go to college, what career path to take, what church to attend, who to date or marry, what to do when your boss tells you to close your eyes to some wrongdoing that is happening at work, what to do if you are married and your spouse admits to cheating, etc, etc.
Our lives can be changed forever by one decision.
While flipping coins, which is akin to casting lots, and asking God for signs has been used by God at various times to communicate His will there are other ways to determining His will. They include:
1. Prayer
James recognized that is not always easy to know what to do, so as he explains in James 1:5, we are to ask God for the needed wisdom “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James
2. Going to the Scriptures
In Psalm 119:105 it says “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”. The point: God’s Word has much to say on how we are to live our lives and what we are to do.
We need to go to the Scriptures without misusing them.
A classic story is told of one way the Bible has been misused to find guidance. It’s about a young man who used the “flip and point” method of reading the Bible. One day while wondering what to do with his life, he flipped his Bible open and point to Matthew 27:5 which says “Judas went and hanged himself”. Thinking he should try again he flipped and pointed, this time landing on Luke 10:27 which says “Go and do likewise.” Trying once more he arrived at John 13:27 which says “What you do, do quickly.”
Too often we are guilty of not considering what the Bible says on an issue. In the Bible God has spelled out all we need to know. The Bible is full of God’s clear commands that offer us direction for most of life’s decisions. The more we know of God’s written Word, the more quickly we will know what God wants us to do.”
Note: Where there is not a specific command your knowledge of the principles of Scriptures will help. i.e Should I buy lottery tickets or not.--- to which the Bible says in Proverbs 28:22 “Don’t try to get rich quick” and Matthew 6:20 says “Put your treasures in Heaven.”
3. The seeking out of Godly counsel
In Psalm 1:1a it says “Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked”
Often times we will go to people for counsel. Sometimes we seek them out because we want approval of plans we have already made. Sometimes we genuinely want their guidance.
I would like to propose to you today that when it comes to the matter of God’s will for our lives that our biggest issue is not the determining of it. Yes the determining of God’s will really challenges us as times, however I think biggest thing as it pertains to the will of God is the actual doing of it.
To prove the point I’d like to introduce you to a group of people who lived a long time ago: The survivors of the Babylonian invasion of 586 B.C
In 586 B.C King Nebuchadnezzar mounted his final campaign against Judah and Jerusalem. At that time the great city of Jerusalem had her walls breeched, her king captured and her Temple destroyed. All of this happened just as God prophesied through Jeremiah and the other faithful prophets.
Following this, King Nebuchadnezzar set up a Jewish Governor over the land and went back home, leaving behind the poorest of the poor, the prophet Jeremiah, and a small garrison of troops.
Shortly after gaining his position the Governor was told by one of the Guerrilla leaders- that an assassination attempt was being planned against him. This leader offered to kill the offender. The Governor, a fellow named Gedaliah, refused to belief what was being said to him. Not long after this Gedaliah was murdered and the few survivors of Jerusalem were taken into captivity by the perpetrators.
When the guerrilla leader, named Johanan, who had warned Gedaliah of the assassination plan heard what had happened he mustered the men who were with him and went after the perpetrators. When Johanan and his men caught up a pitched battle was fought and the people were liberated—and Jeremiah was amongst them.
Filled with fear, at what the King of Babylon might do to them when he found out that the Governor that he had placed over the people, and his troops that were left behind, were dead, Johanan started a trek towards the land of Egypt.
However, before going very far Johanan and all the people had a bright idea that all agreed on “Let us go to Jeremiah and get him to go to God on our behalf. We need the Lord’s direction on what we should do.” To Jeremiah they went with what appears to be genuine hearts. To Jeremiah they went with this promise “Whatever God tells us to do we will do. Wherever God tells us to go we will go.”
Jeremiah agreed to their request and went before the Lord.
10 days later God gave Jeremiah an answer.
God’s answer to the people was very gracious: Stay in the land. Do not be afraid of the King of Babylon. Stay here and I will bless you and protect you.
God’s answer also included a warning. Do not go to Egypt. If you go to Egypt what you fear will happen to you. If you go to Egypt I will judge you and destroy you. If you go to Egypt I will send Nebuchadnezzar after you.
Unfortunately over the course of the 10 days of waiting the peoples hearts had gone from somewhat softened back to being rock hard and obstinate for as soon as the words were out of his mouth Johanan and those with him accused Jeremiah of lying and trying to destroy them.
With that said, the people left for Egypt-taking Jeremiah with them.
What was the issue: The lack of commitment of the people to doing God’s will and not so much knowing what the will of God was.
READ TEXT
Principles
1. Don’t make promises to God that you have no intention of keeping
The Bible warns of the danger of making vows to God and not keeping them.
2. When it comes to seeking and doing God’s will, don’t pre decide what you are going to do, and then go out and seek God to rubber stamp your plans.
In Jeremiah 42:15 Jeremiah uses the word “determined”. Jeremiah was aware, despite the show of “spirituality” that the people had already decided what they were going to do regardless of what the Lord said.
How often are we like the people that Jeremiah was dealing with?
How often is that we come to God and His word looking for His stamp of approval rather than His will?
How many times have we gone to another person and asked the question “What should I do?”, when in minds all we are looking for is for them to validate we have already determined to do?
3. When you or I become aware of what God’s will is, obedience to it is required of us.
In 1 John 5:3 it says “This is love for God, to obey his commands, and they are not burdensome.”
Obedience to the Lord is the hardest thing for us. –we want our way, we think we know better, etc.
Obedience brings blessing: just as Jeremiah clearly teaches in the text v.9-12
CONCLUSION
We have at our disposal the necessary tools to determine God’s will. Prayer, patience, the Word of the Lord, Godly counsel: What is often lacking is a commitment on our parts to doing the will of God.
We need willing and surrendered spirits that say yes to God regardless of what’s in our heads to the contrary.
I know that even now some of us our struggling with the issue of the will of God.
a. Some of you honestly don’t know what’s will is—keep on in prayer, search the Scriptures, familiarize yourself even more with God’s word, wait upon the Lord.
b. Some of you know what God’s will is: whether it pertains to dating, friendships, moral questions, etc--- but if you are honest, you’ll agree with me that the real issue in your life is obedience to the Lord and commitment to doing His will.
If this is you let me encourage you to stop looking for approval to go down a different path. Let me also encourage you to say “Lord, as much as my flesh wants to go its own way, I want to be found doing your will.”
Let us pray.
Note: special thanks to RBC ministries and their booklet on determining God’s will
