The Bible And God's Will

Last time, we talked about God’s Will versus our will. We learned a little about predestination. And I tried to answer many of the questions about predestination.

Does God choose us even if we don’t want Him to? Does God choose some people but not others? How can you know what God’s will and purposes are? Do we have a free will to choose for ourselves, or has God already done that and we don’t have a say so?

For time’s sake today, I’m not going to rehash all that again. But you can go to our Facebook page or our You Tube page under Southeast Baptist Church and listen for all those answers in the sermon entitled “God’s Will versus our will” dated Jan. 24, 2021.

Today I’ll be using Psalm 19 as we discuss God’s Will and the Bible in general. I’m not sure exactly how many times the Bible mentions God’s Will but I DID find 57 verses of Scripture that include something about God’s Will. And since the Bible is our instruction book, it would be good to take heed as to what it says.

Speaking of instruction book, how are you at reading the instructions before trying to assemble something? Now I know I don’t speak for all men, but correct me if I’m wrong. Many of US guys just pull everything out of the box and look it over, and start trying to put it together. Those instructions are for the weak of mind, right?

Or at least we TRY to put things together without having to read the instructions. But when it gets down to it, most of the time we end up at least glancing through at least PART of the instructions. After all, we need to find out where all those extra pieces go, right? And then you have your wife saying, “If you would have read the instructions first, you would be finished by now.” Oh, those words of encouragement. Oh, the grief we could have saved ourselves if only we had read the instructions first.

Well, the Bible is life’s operating manual. It teaches us how to live in every major issue we face in life. It’s a sure guide to success. Unfortunately, too many fail to read the instructions. Do you remember the acrostic for B-I-B-L-E? Basic-Instruction-Before-Leaving-Earth. Today, God is going to teach us that the first step to knowing God’s Will is to read the owner’s manual: God’s Word, the Bible.

The most common way that God communicates His Will is through the Bible. The key is to regularly read the Bible to see what God’s Will is for you for every area of your life. In Scripture, God reveals to us about Himself, who we are, and how we’re to live in relation to Him. Let’s get into God’s Word.

Have you ever looked at a beautiful sunrise or sunset, or watched the waves roll in at the beach, or stared at the stars at night and said “What further evidence is needed to believe in God’s existence?” God’s fingerprints are all over creation. That is most likely how David felt when he wrote the first verse of Ps. 19. READ.

In fact, in these opening 6 verses in Ps. 19, David poetically describes his witness of creation. We can learn a lot about the One who designed it all just by contemplating creation. Read vv. 2-6.

Notice though that even though creation gives a message about God, the Creator, it doesn’t speak in detail about what God is like or what He expects of His creatures. To know that we would need an additional revelation. Thankfully, God has given us that revelation about Himself in other places in His Word. The pages of the Bible tell us all we need to know about God and His Ways. That’s why I constantly am urging you to read your Bible more. But what about the Bible. What can it do for us? Well, let’s continue:

READ Psalm 19:7-10. You say there’s no meaning to your life. You say you don’t feel successful. You say there’s no joy in your life. The Bible has been guiding people to that for over 2,000 years. These 4 verses that I just read give us six aspects of the Bible that provide everything needed for us to know how to live life to its fullest. If you read it closely, you’ll see that these verses reveal the breadth and depth of God’s Word. For instance, in verse 7:

? “The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life. (v.7) The Bible’s instructions never expire. They never grow out of date. It’s just as effective from one generation to the next, from one culture to the other. It continues to have the ability to renew our lives, restore us when we’ve failed, and empower us to face any difficulty that we come across.