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| | | | | | Knowing and Doing God's Will
06/10/2001 | | | | | [A little background here - I was wrestling with whether God wanted me to be a preacher or not. I prayed a while then asked Preacher Moody for an opportunity to speak as part of a Youth Sunday service. He agreed to let me speak. I prayed and prayed for God's guidance and wrote 2 closings to this message depending on how it went. I prayed for God to use me and give me peace while I preached if that was what He wanted me to do. And He did. Here is that first message...] Youth Sunday is about 2 things
1. teaching kids about areas of service in a church
2. showing appreciation for those who do it every week. and we do appreciate all the teachers and you preacher so we wanted to give you all a day off
Now pardon me if I get nervous just pray for me up here. I've never done this before and I have some big shoes to fill because normally there's a great man of God up here. But let's look at Luke 2:42-49
Now, I'm not a great preacher but I'd like to speak to you about knowing and doing God's will. On this subject I believe that if we look to God's word we can see that there are five categories of people. | | Knowing and Doing | Jesus is the greatest example of this category. As we just read Jesus knew God the Father's will and he did it. From his birth, to his death, his every thought and deed was to do God's will.
Now let's look at a regular guy like us. Let's look at Paul. This guy must have looked like the Anti-Christ to early Christians. He killed Christians. But on the road God stopped him.
read Acts 9:4-6
And he did it for the rest of his life. Despite personal suffering he did it. Paul knew the secret and shares it in Philippians 1:21 where he wrote "to live is Christ, and to die is gain". I live only to serve Him, I will rest and reap the rewards when I am dead!
John 15:14 says "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." That is our reward; we get to be friends with the King and not just any king but the King of Kings.
There is a businessman in Texas who places signs outside his building much like a church might. one day it simply said "Yes, Lord." This is the key to life and to surrender - it is how we are to be. | - "Yes Lord, I'll be happy where I'm at"
- "Yes Lord, I'll trust you"
- "Yes Lord, I can do that"
| | Jesus gave his all for me how can I give anything less. | | Knowing and Half-doing | People in this category know what to do but they only half-way do it.
One way they only half do it is by delaying. Sadly, the favorite book of the bible for many Christians is the Book of Hesitation. You know the one where it says "sit wait rest then sit some more"
Read Luke 9:59-62
Here we see men told by God in the flesh "Come on let’s go". One says to Jesus "Not yet I have to bury my dad first". The other says "OK but let me go say bye to everyone first" (Did you know a Jewish burial ritual with the anointings with perfume and all could take as much as a year). Jesus says, "Looking back is no way to plow a straight line."
How many times have the parents among us asked kids to clean the room. "In a minute, mom... let me watch the rest of this show." Does that please you? Do you think it pleases God? Some things can wait - the harvest of souls isn’t one of them. Delayed obedience is short-term disobedience.
Other people in this category may try to alter the will of God like we see with Moses in Numbers 20:7-8,11
In verses 7 and 8, God told him what to do - speak to the rock. Then look at verse 11. When he saw the people he got mad and STRUCK the rock. Because of this he did not get to enter the promised land. This little act of partial disobedience kept him from the promised land.
Questioning God's will is another way some only half do His will. There's a list called "The Redneck Dictionary of Medical Terms". On it are items like Artery: the study of paintings, Vein: conceited, Varicose: nearby, Dilate: to live long, Bacteria: back door of a cafeteria, and Node: was aware of. I like it and think its rather funny but too often that list is like us; sometimes we use our own made-up definitions not God’s.
Saul was commanded to execute the wrath of God on the Amalekites. Look at 1 Samuel 15:2-3. He disobeyed. Now read verses 8-9. He didn’t do as he was told and if you keep reading you'll see Samuel, God's spokesperson, came to him and asked "If you did as God told why do I hear those cows mooing?" Saul said "Well I thought it would be good to sacrifice them at the temple?" Now read verse 22. To obey is BETTER than sacrifice. Continuing with verse 23 we see because of this God removed him from the throne of Israel.
If God says "jump" you ask "how high?" Don’t try to pole vault. God wants us to listen and obey. we are not supposed to question just do
The end of a Frank Sinatra song says "...I did it my way" Ordinarily, having that kind of self determination and individuality is good but when it comes to the tasks God gives it’s His way everyday all the way.
Obedience doesn’t procrastinate, alter, or question | | Not knowing but Doing anyway | Other people may not know God's will but try to do it anyway. for an example of this lets look at a chapter out of David's life recorded in 2 Samuel 7:1-3,5-6. David wanted to build a permanent place to worship God. In verses 1-3, he told Nathan and Nathan thought it was a good idea but neither of them asked God so finally God spoke. And in verses 5-6 we see that God had someone else in mind for that job - David’s son, Solomon.
We must know what he wants us to do before we do it. That is why we are to "wait upon the Lord" & "study to show thyself approved". We are not to hesitate but to learn his will.
Look at the Israelites during Isaiah's life. Read Isaiah 58:1-4 and skip down to 13,14
They went through motions of religion but God paid no attention. They didn’t really know God’s will they were playing church like so many of us. Isaiah condemned them for this. Religious activity is no substitute for an obedient heart. | | Knowing and Not doing | Jonah is a well known example of knowing what Go'd will is and simply refusing to be obedient. Read Jonah 1:2,3. Verse 2 is God’s will revealed and verse 3 is God’s will rejected. Jonah ran from God's will. Jonah paid a price for it. First he was thrown overboard and then swallowed by a whale. He had plenty of time to think. Ignoring God has its consequences.
James 4:17 - "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin"
If your mom says "Clean your room" and you don’t. You’re not technically "doing wrong" because you’re not "doing" anything. But you knew what was right and didn’t do it. That’s the same thing. So know comes the question...
What is God's will?
If you're lost it's simply this: come to know Him as your personal Lord and Savior.
If you're Christian then this month’s teen Sunday School focus says it all in four steps: | - Worship - worship Him because he is worthy to be praised
- Prepare - prepare for His return
- Serve - serve Him. do all in His name
- Pray - fellowship with Him
| Read Luke 12:43,44 jumping down to 47
He will only ask us to do what we can handle. He will reward us for it and punish us if we don’t
Now back to James. Looking at James 1:22 it says "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."
How many of you know about baseball? If there’s a runner on 1st the play is at second right? Yes. As a little league coach you would tell your kids this right? Yes and probably all coaches do but do they always do it? No. Why? Because they are hearers and not doers. Just like the little league coach, God tells us what to do but like the little leaguers sometimes we don’t. | | Not knowing and Not doing | This last group are the lost that have never heard. Sadly, there are some who will never hear the Word of God - even in America. This is the Devil’s best case. "Ignorance is bliss!" Now not a single one of us are in this category because I told you a few minutes ago, the preacher has told you, God’s word has told you. The fact is WE ALL KNOW!
Then there's also little children in this group. These are the ones under the age of accountability. This is the only safe group to be in except those in God’s will (the knowers and doers). These children don’t know and don’t do because they don’t yet understand but one day they will. I appreciate seeing parents that will bring their children before the church and dedictae them to God. | | Closing | Let's look at the Words of Jesus found in the Gospels.
Jesus’ 1st recorded words were found in Luke 2:49 - "Don’t you know I must be about my Father’s business"
In the Garden Luke 22:42 says he cried "This is too much Dad if there’s any other way take this cup from me. But I’ll do what you want me to do."
On the cross, John 19:30 states he proclaimed, "It is finished. Dad, I did it"
What about you when your life ends can you say "God I know I did what you wanted me to do. IT IS FINISHED!" Or like Paul will you say "I have run the race and fought the good fight"
There's an old Led Zeppelin song that contains a smidgen of truth. It says "there are two paths you can go by but in the long run there’s time to change the road you’re on." There are 2 paths; there's God's will and not God’s will. But we’re not promised tomorrow \- the next few minutes is the only long run you may have. Will you change your mind? Will you surrender to Him?
Think on this illustration of crossing the road. Imagine you and Jesus standing on the side of Bullsboro Drive in rush hour. Jesus looks yells "Come on" and runs to the other side. You have choices; you can
1. go with him and be OK
2. go in a minute when it might not be clear
3. run but stop in the middle of a lane - you will get hit
4. never go across at all - sure there's no danger but what will you miss? Well Lowe’s might have a tool clearance sale and you’ll never know why the chicken went!
Like I said at the beginning, I’m no great preacher but knowing and doing His will in my own life means preaching & teaching whenever & wherever there’s an opportunity. It is better to be an unknown preacher than a famous bench warmer. Babe Ruth once said "I knew an old minister once- How I envy him- I am listed as a famous home-runner, yet beside that obscure minister, who was so good and wise, I never got to first base."
I invite you to pray to Jesus right now and yield to his will. There's a song called "Footprints of Jesus". It's not a normal invitational song but that’s what He wants for us to follow in His steps.
The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He leadeth me...
Will you let him lead you come on surrender to His will; do business till He comes. (Luke 19:13) | | | | | | | |
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