There's a lot of things that we could talk about this morning on how to know the will of God, how to understand the will of God or how to even find the will of God. We could do a whole series on it but I don't believe we're supposed to look at that today. The thing that I felt the Lord was impressing on my heart was this, how do you live in the will of God? Once you've found it, once you've discovered what God has for you, when you're living this life it is possible and wonderful to live in a plan that God has for your life.
Living in the will of God is different from the world's understanding of destiny or their understanding of success. The truth is if we're obedient to God, no matter what he has for us to do, no matter how successful we appear in the world's eyes, if we are fulfilling the destiny and the call and the purpose he has for us then that is the definition of success. When the Christian will embrace that, when we have that in our mind, it won't matter if we have a million dollars in the bank or very little. When you're in the will of God you may not know what he's doing all the time, you may not exactly see where he's leading you all the time. This is not careless living or missed opportunities or a lack of preparation, it is the knowing in your heart that you are being obedient and that you implicitly trust God that he has a plan and a purpose and you're willing to go after it with all your heart.
I want to say this while we're talking about living in his will, God leaves no life to chance. Nothing that's happening in your life, nothing that goes on does God leave to chance. God has not passed you by and the beauty of God's will is not just for ministers and missionaries but for all his children. So many times we look at people who are pastors or that do other things for God and we think they are the ones who hear from God. How many know we all can hear from God and we should be hearing from the Lord.
All of us know that God has a general will for everybody, it's written in his word.
One thing that I think is marvelous that binds the body of Christ together, the family of God together, is that we all know that God has a general will for everyone of us. What's cool is that you can look around this room and you can realize that everyone of us are on the same path, following God, seeking his face, knowing that if we will obey this word we are really in the same thing together. That's why Christians have such unity together, that's why there is such a bond of love together, because we've fallen in love with the same father God and we've followed his general will. But the truth is God has a specific will for each of our lives and we can know what it is and we can live it. Some of you have already begun to sense and know what God's will is for you. Some of you are in the middle of it.
I want to teach you the first part of living in God's will and that is to embrace the plan that he has for your life. I remember when I was called into the ministry at 8 years of age, for years and years thats all that was on my mind. Somewhere around High School I decided I didn't want to be in ministry anymore but there was a point when God got my attention. He said this, "You can fight this or you can embrace this and if you will embrace this, you will enjoy the journey but if you don't embrace this you're going to be fighting me all the time but you're still going to go where I'm taking you kicking and screaming".
How many know God has got a plan? I want to encourage you, how do you live in God's plan for your life? Embrace it through the help of the Holy Spirit knowing that God has good things for you. Many Christians understand what it is to submit to the will of God but in America I think the word 'submit' many times really implies the idea that we didn't want to do it in the first place, we're just going along with it. There's a reluctance about it and we're not necessarily embracing it. But there's a different thing when you embrace God's plan for your life. It says, "Listen, I'm going to come into agreement Lord with all that you have for me knowing that you have good things, knowing that the path and the things that you have won't always be easy but Lord I know that you will be faithful".
When we begin to joyfully accept the specific things that God has for us, and I want to say this, God may confirm through other people what his plan is for your life but the truth is he will tell you. You don't have to go running to someone else and run to every prophet and teacher, If you will seek him you can understand exactly what his plan is for you right now. If you will hear it and embrace it, you will have more joy and satisfaction in living in the will of God than you ever dreamed possible.
Jesus embraced the will of God for his life, even though it was going to mean some personal discomfort. In John 5:30, Jesus said this "I seek not my own will but the will of the father who sent me". Christ knew that living in the will of God for his life would have far greater value and it would have eternal significance. I love what Hebrews says about this, "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith who for the joy set before him endured the cross". Listen to me, Christians, Jesus found that there was going to be joy in God's plan for him even though it meant going to the cross. There's joy even in taking up your cross. Think about this for a minute, Jesus wasn't crazy, he knew what it was going to take to go to Calvary for you and me but Jesus said "For the joy that was set before him". He knew that if he would go through those things that there would be incredible things awaiting him. I want to tell you church, the reason God says to look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, is because sometimes when we're in his will we may not be enjoying what's going on but there is joy to come. Embrace God's will for the joy.
I have found that there is great fun in serving God. How many have found that to be true? The things we get to see, the lives we get to touch, the things that happen for us, in us and through us are absolutely amazing. If I would have known years ago the things I could have enjoyed, I wouldn't have gone kicking and screaming, I would have embraced it long ago. The one thing that God has been saying to our church and its almost become the underlying theme, out there on the board it says 'we're moving forward, building by faith' and we're doing just that but the one thing that God has been laying on my heart and you've probably heard it at every service is "Lord, have your way".
When I was preparing this message, I really believed what God was saying that if each of us would make that the thing that we say, "Lord, have your way" every morning when we get up then we would have a much better day. When we begin to embrace everything that he wants for our life, "Your will be done Lord, your Kingdom come", that's what Jesus taught us to pray. In American vernacular it's "Lord, have your way". How many know that If God is having his way then you get to live in the Kingdom of God? I'm so thankful to be an American but I'm even prouder to be called a Christian, to be part of the Kingdom, to serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lord's, the God of all creation, the Lord of everything, the one who made it all. When we find out that we're living in that kind of a will and that kind of a purpose it makes it easy to say, "Lord, have your way".
I want to say this, much of our strife and our discontent in life comes with our discontent in God's way and our discontent with God's will. When we get frustrated with God, we'll wind up getting frustrated with our lives and that frustration will begin to bleed over into every relationship that you have. But when we begin to surrender our goals and our plans and dreams to God we begin to flourish in every area of our life.
I want you to listen to this verse because I think sometimes we just read it and we forget the promises that God has for each of us. Psalms 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart". How many have grown frustrated with God's will because you thought you weren't receiving the desire that you really wanted only to find out a little later that God had something far better than what you wanted? When God gave you what he had planned for your life you said, "This is what I really wanted", and God did it far better than you could have ever dreamed. "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart".
When we delight ourselves in the Lord we will naturally gravitate to the attitude and the things that are in step with his word and the things that he has planned for our life. The truth is that his desire for us is greater than we could ever set out our own will for our own life. His desire for you and his desire for me, his plans for you, his plans for me, are far greater than the things we even think for ourself. How many know we serve a God who is an incredible creator? I've had the privilege to travel and have been able to see parts of the painted desert out in Arizona. All you have to do is drive 10 minutes down the street and look at the ocean here in Florida, to look at the beauty of the sunset. How many have liked some of the storms that have come through? When you look at some of the things that God does and the beauty that he brings and that's just a little bit of his creative power. If God can do that then the desires that he can grant to us are far better than we could ever dream.
Living in his will is amazing. We just need to allow him to accomplish those things as we draw close. The truth is this, those who humbly embrace God's will for their life have found the key to finding their heart's desire. There are things that I didn't even know that I wanted but when I began to serve God those desires deep down began to be met. How many have ever found your kid trying to articulate something and they could never really just get it out? But you knew exactly what they wanted. Parents are incredible that way, they know how to give good gifts and so does God.
Psalms 10:17 says, "Lord, you have heard the desire of the humble and you will prepare their heart. You will cause your ear to hear". Psalms 20:4 says, "May he grant you according to your heart's desire and fulfill all your purpose". How many have found in life that sometimes you're wondering what in the world is the reason for what I'm doing anyway? But you find out all of a sudden that God is fulfilling the purpose that he has for you because you've embraced it.
Men, I want you to hear me, I don't believe that we ever need to go through a midlife crisis. I don't believe we ever need to go through a young life crisis or an old life crisis. When we start to be saying, God, what in the world are you doing in my life right now? God will show you what the purpose of your heart really is. That's what his promise is.
There's a wonderful quality about those who are completely yielded to the will of God. Those who see the result of what God does in many people's lives sometimes stand amazed at those great men and women of faith. Much the same way that we might look at a firefighter when they've run into a burning building and pulled people out saving their lives. Much the same way we might look at a police officer who in the process of protecting someone who's in danger puts their on life on the line. The amazing quality that they would say when you come up to them and say, "What you did is incredible, you're a hero" and they would say "No, I'm not, I just did what I was prepared for and what I was trained to do with my life". When we look at this lady, Gladys, she took care of 100 orphans and received national recognition and when she stood before them she said, "I just did what God asked me to do".
In Luke 17:10 it says this, "So likewise, you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, "we are unprofitable stewards, we have done what it is our duty to do".
Christian, I want you to listen to me, God is preparing your heart for good things. God is doing things in your life that you can't believe. We are living in incredible times where God will use us to change and touch hearts and lives for his glory. Lives will be gloriously saved, people will be marvelously healed. If you will walk in the will of God, you're going to pray for people and your going to see miracles take place that will astound you. God will use you to bring people to him, people you thought could never be saved. The Lord will use you to touch other people's lives just in your workplace because you've been a friend. Some people will look at you and say, "How did you ever get to be like this? You're an amazing person". We look at people like Billy Graham who have done amazing things and they all say this, "All I am is a servant of God that has lived in the will of God. What you perceive to be amazing is exactly what I expected God to do because he promised he is faithful. I am just being a servant of God". That's what it is to live in the will of God, just be faithful for what God has called you to do in your life.
God has trained you. God has encouraged you and put some things inside of you and you can humbly say, "The reason I have accomplished things is because I'm just doing the will of God for my life". How many of you have ever heard that from a great saint of the Lord? Listen, that's how you live it, just live humbly with what God is doing.
When I was preparing this today, it was one of those messages that for whatever reason was really hard to put together. I've noticed this, when I start to preach something and I'm really struggling getting the time to prepare it then God has something else that he wants to say. How many have ever had frustrating days like that? I thought I had all this together and God said this, "To learn how to walk in the will of God we must have a good grasp on the sovereignty of God". I'm not going to preach to you today all about the sovereignty of God because that would be a series of 5 or 6 messages. As a matter of fact I thought about teaching that on a Wednesday night sometime soon. We need to apply it to living in his will today. In religion we've made the sovereignty of God to mean this, "Anything that I don't understand that is happening to me, I attribute it to the sovereignty of God". This thing happened and I don't understand it so as Christians we trust the Lord and say he's sovereign so that's why it happened. How many know that really can be a cop out on alot of things?
What that has done is leave many believers and unbelievers confused.
How can it be God's will for me to go through this horrible thing? I want to set us straight on this because some of you have gone through some stuff and your walking in the will of God but you've been confused about some of the things that have been going on in your life. I want to set you free this morning and write this simple thing down, "Not everything that happens to me is God's will". I'm going to blow your theology right out of the water. Some people think that if this happened to me then it must be God's will for my life. Listen, God is in control but he doesn't control everything. That would make our actions and the actions of others irrelevant. That would make us puppets. Here's what the word 'sovereign' means, sovereign means supreme. It means highest in rank and powerful, ruler over everything, independent. This is our God, he is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
In 1st Timothy 1:17 it says, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, the honor and glory forever and ever". As believers we submit to the rule and the reign of the most high God, that's what it means to walk in his will. Lord, not my will but yours be done. How many of you serve the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? That's why as believers we understand and really don't have a problem with saying, "Lord, your will not mine". So we submit to his rule and reign but I want to say this, not everybody does.
God is willing that none should perish, he wants all to come to repentence. Many do but many don't. He gave his life, he speaks to their heart. He will set up many roadblocks so that they'll come to Him. He shows them that he is God in the creation, he shows them that he is God in his faithfulness, he comforts them and is there for them but still some people, even though it is God's will for them to be saved, bypass his will. Listen, the problems that you and I face in life come from the devil or our own making. How many in this room have ever made mistakes in your life? How many of you have ever troubled your own self? Or they come from a result of living in a fallen world with other people that make choices.
The fact that sickness is here, the fact that those things take place. Bad things happen, evil is present, things go on that I can't explain, trajedy, sickness, accidents. That's why they're called accidents. They're not all the will of God. I want to speak this to some of you, the enemy seeks to distract us by getting us out of the will of God. He'll distract us by having things happen in our life that can discourage or detract or that keep our focus off the goal. How many of you have been in the middle of what you knew God had for you and all of a sudden trouble just kept showing up and it seemed like one thing after the other began to distract you from what God had for you?
I believe that God has a word for us in this place. Here me now, don't get distracted. Don't let the enemy take your focus off of the Lord. Don't let the enemy put your focus on everything else and begin to question whether God is good or not. Bad things happen but James 1:17 says this, "Every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning".
God is good. God is in control but he doesn't micromanage everything. He has power and he has grace but he won't micromanage our life. Lord, your will be done. Here's the good thing, it's in the midst of those hard times, in the midst of those things that we don't understand, that when they happen we can trust God. That is what his sovereignty is all about.
Some people say this, "God will never give me more than I can handle". I've heard them quote that like it's a bible verse time and time again. How many of you have ever had something happen in your life that you can't handle? Some of you fly off the handle because of the things you can't handle. Listen, God will never give us more than we can handle but life will. We can always trust God. God promised that he would never allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear. God will never let you be tempted to sin and to grasp something that's beyond your control but life does give us things that are more than we can handle. Living in his will is truly trusting in God because when life gives us more trouble, more sorrow, more sickness than we know what to do with, we can know that he desires to guide us and to lead us through every bit of that. Sometimes people say "My kid is not living right, they're not with me". What do you say to the Christian whose parent was killed by a drunk driver or whose son or daughter's life was taken in a battlefield? We blame so many things on God.
Psalms 37:23 says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delights in his way". Now listen, when man has laid a minefield and you find yourself in the middle of it, God will help you to go through but you will still have to go through, and you will come through unscathed and unhurt and untouched. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stood up for God and there was a fiery furnace. But they were walking in the will of God and when they were thrown into the fiery furnace they said, "We serve God and whether we live or whether we die, he is still a good God. He is still a faithful God. Blessed be the name of the Lord". Here's what we know that happened to them, they got thrown into the fiery furnace. That was man's will but in the midst of the fire God showed up, the fourth man in the furnace. What happened? When they came out of the furnace they didn't have a hair on their head singed or clothes that were burned. As a matter of fact the Bible says that they didn't even smell like smoke. They trusted God and they walked in his will and here's what they said, "No matter what happens we will follow the Lord".
We could talk about knowing the will of God or understanding the will of God. I'm not talking about understanding why Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had to go into the furnace. I didn't come to preach that sermon, some of you still have some questions going on in your mind. I'm talking about walking in the will of God and living in the will of God today. How many of you know that If you will live in the will of God he will see you through? He is faithful. No matter what you have to endure your steps will be ordered by the Lord.
A verse that we teach children very early in churches and as a parent I had my kids memorize this but it is not a child's verse. Proverbs 3:5,6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and he will direct your path". I'm talking about living in the will of God. This is the hope that we have as Christians, walking in his ways, allowing him to have his way. Listen, God is glorified when we begin to trust him and we say, "Lord, whatever it is, whatever your will is for me, I trust you. Even though I may not understand why I'm doing this, I'm going to do it. No matter what it is you have for me, somehow you have brought me to this place and here I am, I'm going to do everything to live for you and I believe that you will direct my path".
Here's what happens when we do that, we have all the benefit of that. We come back to the first verse that we opened up with, "But he who does the will of the Lord shall abide forever". How many of you are thankful that God didn't just call you to live but to abide and to thrive and have all the benefits of what he has? Living in the will of God.
I want you to understand that he is a sovereign God, he is your King of Kings and Lord of Lords and in all his greatness and in all his majesty, if you will trust him he is fully trustworthy. Some of you have had some people lay some religious stuff on you and say, "That was God's will, that's why it happened because he's a sovereign God". Some of you have been kind of angry at the Lord saying, "God, you did this to me". But the church has been saying you need to love him and you've been getting a mixed message. You've been confused and are saying, "I don't get this". Listen, here's the joy today, even when the world gives you things, God will always be faithful to you. That's how you live in this world. "God, I trust you no matter what". That's going to set some of you free today. Some of you have been carrying around a weight for a long time saying "I don't understand". You've been thinking it's been God's will but it was actually man's purpose, or man's mistake or it was man's choice or your choice or the enemy's attack. Listen, you trust God. The truth is that sometimes we're not going to understand everything. Can I give you some real good freedom? It's ok. Some of the things that you've been through even if you had the real logical explanation for it, it wouldn't bring you any comfort. But God is your comfort, he is your help, he is your source.
Truly in this place we serve a marvelous and faithful savior. The first thing that we do to live in his will is to serve him. We seek first the kingdom of God. That is his will, that's his general will for every single one of us and it is the starting point, seek first the kingdom of God then all these things will be added to you. You know what some of these things are? The next step. "God, I'm here, I don't know what to do next". "The step of a righteous man is ordered by the Lord" and if you are God's, that promise is yours. "Lord, I need another job, what do I do"? The next step will come. "Lord, my kids are going through it and they're putting me through it but I'll seek you Lord for the next step". In your finances, "Lord, I trust you". He'll guide your next step.
I've watched God keep my gas tank on full when I didn't have money to fill it. I love the miracles of God in the next step. Do you need to take the next step? Do you know Jesus as your Savior this morning? Have you ever given your life to him and realize that he gave his life for you so that you could have all the benefits of what he's written in his word and given to us? Jesus said that if we would seek him we would find him. It's not an accident that you're in this place today. God brought you to church this morning.
Precious heavenly Father, we thank you for your faithfulness to us. Jesus, we thank you for the great privilege it is to live in your will and to live in your goodness. Father, I pray for each of those who lifted their hands, they've been in the midst of things and some are in the middle of going through. Lord, I thank you today that you are their God, that you are faithful and good. "Every good and perfect gift comes from you". Father, I pray right now that you would bless them more than they could ever imagine. Bless them in peace, bless them in the next step and the knowledge of when to take it.
I thank you, Lord that you're the provider and what I pray above all, because they have embraced your will for them, I pray that they would know the absolute joy of living for Jesus. I pray Father that right now you would begin to fill them in the inner man with such a knowledge of your goodness and your plan for them. They may have walked in here heavy today, I pray Lord that you take the burdens and you lift them off. I thank you Lord that you partner with us in the midst of this, that we're never alone. Some right now, Lord, are in the middle of things and they're afraid. They can see the different stumbling blocks, they can see the different things that could blow up on them if they just don't do it right. I pray Lord that they would trust you now and God I thank you that you are faithful and that you show us where to take the next step and in the midst of doing that we don't have to live in fear or worry or unsettledness. I pray that your peace would fill them to overflowing.
I thank you Lord for what you're doing in the life of this church and for the plan that you have for us corporately. I thank you Lord that you have a perfect plan and that you guide us and lead us and Lord we're excited about it. Lord, you've got the provision in this church for the things you have planned for us. So Father we don't worry about it, we just trust you in the midst of it. Lord, we're looking forward to the joy that is set before us. I pray your blessing on each one and I ask for your goodness that we would have a great week before us, in Jesus name. Amen
I want to encourage you, tomorrow is Memorial Day. How many of you are thankful that we've had men and women that have served this nation faithfully and have given their life for us? I want you to take time, if you find a vet, thank him. If you know someone who's served, thank him because they've been faithful for this nation. Listen, I want you to hear me, I know we're in the midst of an election, Christian, God has good things for this country, don't get discouraged. Have a great week, God bless you.
