Sermon Central
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The Will Of God For Individuals Series
Contributed by Billy Ricks on Apr 22, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: God's will for each individual is to say yes to Jesus. How does that play out though. God's primary will for everyone is for each individual to konw Him. Read on to find out how that is practically lived out.
Intro: Many of us as believers can take a test and answer yes to questions like, did Jesus die for your sins, did he rise from the dead, is Jesus coming back to earth? Pastor and author Bruce Larson says that he grew up saying yes to these types of biblical doctrines. But eventually he sensed that God was asking him some new questions:
1. Will you trust Me with your life, yes or no?
2. Will you entrust yourself to My church family, yes or no?
3. Will you serve Me by getting involved with others, yes or no? Only when Larson said yes to these questions did God become real in his life. (From our Daily Bread)
Jesus does not merely want us to say yes to Biblical information. He wants us to say yes to Him! The will of God has always been for us to say yes to God. Adam and Eve said no to God when they said yes to Satan. Involved in saying yes to Jesus is saying no to the world system controlled by Satan.
I. God’s primary will is for you to know Him
John 17.3 “This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent—Jesus Christ.”
It is from a conversation with His father that Jesus defines for us eternal life. The ultimate will for the individual is found not in simple yes to Bible truths but yes to the person the Bible truths reveal.
Psalm 9:10 “Those who know Your name trust in You because You have not abandoned
those who seek You, Yahweh.”
Eternal life is knowing, communicating with, serving, enjoying, and finding satisfaction in the one true living God.
A) Life is an active relationship
Immanuel God with us real life is revealed as an endeavor and not an event. It is a journey not a destination. Jesus says is you love me keep my commandments. How do we actively spend time on Jesus? Prayer – communication. This prayer that defines eternal life is a conversation between Jesus and His Father for the disciples benefit. The Bible shows us more about God’s will and His person. If we give up many of the empty activities we use anesthetic to deaden our empty lives we would have more time to learn who Jesus is. Trust is active obedience. We interact with and invest in the church, people, missions, ministries because we trust Jesus. Obedience is trust in action. It takes work, sacrifice, forgiveness etc.
B) Life is an abundant relationship
John 10:10 “A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”
Our heavenly father never meant for life to be a burden to endure. We are called to enjoy discovering living with Him and with others.
There is a lie perpetuated by false teachers today that the abundant relationship with Jesus and others is easy and always fun. That is not true because it happens in a universe and world system that is broken. Dad’s are absentee or abusive because of sin and separation. Spouses cheat because of an emptiness that is filled with wrong relationships. Church’s split because we think life is supposed to be easy mode.
Do you realize you came to know Jesus by grace, you will continue to know Jesus more by grace and the only way you can call others to Jesus is by grace!
Remember that you were dead in trespasses and sin so the only way to have active relationship and abundant life and relationship is for Jesus to raise you from the dead.
There are four falsehoods to gaining a full life examples, encouragement, environment, education. Those may cause life to grow but they don’t plant it in you.
II. God’s will for you is to be healed
Why do we need Jehovah Rophi, the Lord our Healer? Because the devastating disease of sin brings death to us. The principles revealed in the Bible reveal God’s great care for our mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Jesus alludes to this every time he offers us His peace.
John 14.27 “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.”
Jesus uses a word that means peace of mind, it was a common Jewish farewell. In the Hebraisitic sense it carried the idea of health or welfare of the individual.
The great physician wants to be active in healing our thinking, our emotions, and our desires and decisions. This is not the absence of difficulty. It is instead the acceptance of God’s control and desire to make us whole.
