Determining the Will of God, Pt. 2

In my last post, I began looking at discerning God’s will.  The initial step in discerning God’s will is understanding and obeying God’s commands.  The commands form the boundaries and the foundation for our faith walk.  We can be sure we are to evangelize, pray, tithe, etc.  We can also be sure that we shouldn’t lie, steal, cheat, etc.  But what about other decisions?  How do we know what to do when there isn’t a clear command or prohibition?

If our first question is, “What does the Word say?, then our next question should be, “Is it wise?.”  Wisdom is the art or skill of living a life that pleases God.  Wisdom not only recognizes the commands and prohibitions of Scripture, but it also recognizes the other principles in the Word.  As we learn how to apply the Word to life, that is to put it into practice, then we grow in wisdom.

The last question we must ask ourselves is “Do I want to do this?.” There is some prevailing wisdom that suggests that God only desires for us to do what displeases us.  That is to say, some people think that if you don’t want to do it that must mean God is going to make you do it.  As I have heard someone say, “Don’t pray that God wouldn’t send you to Africa or that is where he will send you.”

When we desire to do what pleases the Lord, he gives us the desires of our hearts.  In a decision, that doesn’t concern a specific command or principle that guides us, we have follow our sanctified hearts.  For example, we have two jobs that we have to choose between.  Neither job violates the law of God, and both jobs will provide you with the ability to provide for your family.  How do you decide?  This is the place where we have to ask ourselves, “Which one would I enjoy more?”

This simple, three-fold approach to determining the will of God, frees us to make decisions based on faith.  It makes us dependent upon the Word of God, and frees us to respond in faith.  In faith, we can know that what God has commanded us; he will enable us to do.  In faith, we can know that as we apply God’s Word to our lives, we will walk in wisdom.  By faith, we can know that stepping out in faith to glorify God, and enjoying the opportunities God sends our way. 

Determining the Will of God, Pt. 1

"My son, keep your father's commandments, and forsake not your mother's teaching.  Bind them on your heart always; tie them around your neck.  When you walk, they will lead you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; and when you awake, they will talk with you.  For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of disciplines are the way of life" (Prov. 6:20-24, ESV).

How do determine to do the will of God?  This passage offers us a good starting point for understanding how to determine the will of God.  The first point we need to know when trying to determine the will of God is that we must know what God has commanded.

If we are to do the will of God, we must know what he has commanded us to do and what not to do.  If we know that God says, "Be fruitful and multiply," then we don't really need to question whether or not we need to live a fruitful life.  We have been commanded to be productive (and reproductive), so while we may have questions about how exactly that applies to our lives, we can have no doubts that it does apply to our lives.  When God says, "You shall not lie," then we can know that God does not will for us to lie.

Thus, knowledge of the commandments liberates us to do the right things.  The first step in doing God's will is doing what he has commanded.  We must do what he says.  As we walk in obedience, we will learn more of his will.  In the future, we will look at the next two steps of doing God's will: walking in wisdom, and following our (sanctified) hearts.

FAQs Mondays: What Is the Word?

In our quest to understand how we can achieve our ultimate reason for existence, to glorify God and to enjoy him forever, we have uncovered an important reality.  That reality is that although the creation and man’s conscience point us to the Creator, God is only effectually revealed to us, for our salvation, by the Word of God and the Spirit.  In this post we will look at the Word.

What is the Word of God?

The Word of God is the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, given by divine inspiration, and the Word is the only infallible rule of faith (doctrine) and practice (obedience).  As Paul reminds Timothy, “All Scripture is breathed out by God, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16).  Paul also reminds us that we are “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20).  Here Paul is referencing the message of Christ revealed through the apostles and prophets.

Thus, when we speak of the Word of God we mean the 66 books now commonly known as the Protestant Bible.  Although, calling it the “Protestant” Bible is a bit of a misnomer.  These 66 books are the same that Athanasius listed as the official canon in the fourth century.  These books our only “infallible,” that is, it is our only sure and trustworthy guide for doctrine and practice.  But how do we the Bible is the Word of God?

How do we know the Bible is the Word of God?

The Bible evidence itself to be God’s word by the heavenliness of its doctrine, the unity of its parts, and its power to covert sinners and edify saints.  But only the Spirit of God can make us willing to agree and submit to the Bible as the Word of God.  The Bible says of itself, “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are you true, and righteous altogether” (Ps. 19:7-9, ESV).  It is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions” (Heb. 4:12, ESV).

Paul warns, “The natural [unconverted] person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14, ESV).  Thus, not everyone who reads the Bible will “get it.”  Although all of us suffer spiritual blindness before we come to know Christ, the Spirit can give us spiritual eyes.   Does that mean only believers can read the Bible?

May all men make use of the Holy Scripture?

All men are not only permitted, but commanded and encouraged to read, hear, and understand the Holy Scripture. The Bible is to be read and enjoyed by all.  Why are we expected to read it?

What do the Scriptures mainly teach?

The Scriptures teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.  Solomon concluded, “The end of the matter, all has been heard.  Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Eccl. 12:13, ESV).  Paul adds, “Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 1:13, ESV).

Conclusion

The Word of God teaches us about God and how to please him.  The Bible gives us the pattern by which we are to live in order to please the Lord.  Next Monday we will look at what the Bible teaches us about God.

Sermon Recap 4-4-10

Sunrise:  During the sunrise service we looked at 1 Corinthians 15:12-22.  The message focused on the importance of Christ's resurrection.  If Christ isn't raised, then our faith is in vain.  But Christ has been raised.  Christ's resurrection secures our justification, gives meaning to this life, and gets us ready for the next life.

Morning:  The sermon, "Demonstrated God's Love," was an exposition of Romans 5:6-8.  In this passage, Paul reminds us that God's love has been demonstrated in Christ's death for the sinner.  Christ's death was timely, both in the sense that it was when God ordained it would happen and that it came when the need was the greatest.  

Christ's death was for the ungodly who were powerless.  They were powerless in their ability to change.  They were powerless in their ability to obey.  They were powerless, enslaved to sin, and blinded by Satan.  They were godless in the sense that they lived their lives without reference to God.  God's law and his will did not factor into their lives.

Paul contrasts the willingness of people to die for someone they deem worthy with God's willingness to send his Son to die on behalf of his enemies.  God's love for humanity is demonstrated in the death of Christ.  Christ laid down his life the sinner, his enemy, in order that they might share in his life and righteousness.  He didn't wait for people to get their lives straightened out, because he new they were powerless to do so.  He didn't wait for people to love God, because they were powerless to do so.  He didn't wait for people to seek him, because they were powerless to do so.  He died for them--in their place, for their sin--while they were still his enemies. What amazing love this truly is!

Saturday's Seven

I hope these articles inform, encourage, and enlighten you.  Check them out, and let me know what you think.  

Read More, Read Better by Tim Challies.  As the "to read" pile in my office continues to grow, I find myself looking for ways to get more read.  This article offers helpful tips from a seasoned reader.

Is Your Church Losing Blood? by Russell Moore.  This articles points out a trend of moving away from singing about the blood of Christ.

Jesus Isn’t Ashamed of You by Russell Moore.  This every encouraging article is a reminder that Christ isn't ashamed to call us his brothers.  

Of First Importance—The Cross and the Resurrection at the Center by Albert Mohler. This article drives home the truth of the importance of the death and resurrection of Christ.

Wisdom, Complexity, and Chilling the Heck Out by Kevin DeYoung.  I like DeYoung's word on wisdom.  This article is a helpful reminder that we must continually exercise discernment.

The Letter by Billy Coffey.  This article relates a serious warning about assuming the gospel, and the danger of assuming the salvation of our loved ones.

Off Centered, Off Key, Off Balanced by Kissie.  This article reminds us that we need to reorient our thinking sometimes, and realize that God's help we can accomplish whatever he wills.

On A Hill Far Away

"And he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of the skull, which in Aramaic is Golgotha.  There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them" (John 19:17-18, ESV).

The events that surrounded the death of Jesus seem so far removed, both by time and space, from the events of our life.  Many are asking, "How can the death of one man, nearly 2000 years ago, still matter?".  Many men (and women) died long before Christ Jesus came and dwelt among us, and many have died in the time since his crucifixion.

Why is Jesus' life and death any different?  Jesus' life is different for many reasons, and his death if different, too. First, before he took on the human flesh, and became the God-man Jesus, the Son of God existed eternally with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.  Second, God the Son took on human flesh.  Thirdly, he was/is fully God, and fully man.  Fourthly, Jesus didn't have to die, because he was without sin; he died voluntarily. Fifthly, Jesus' death secured pardon from sin for all those who trust him.  Finally, Jesus didn't just die; he rose from the dead on the third day.

Jesus' death still matters because of his resurrection.  The resurrection means that Jesus is still alive.  It means he is sovereign over the whole creation.  The events that lead up to the execution of Christ are still relevant today because they force us to make a decision.  They demand a response.

If Jesus just died, how did the disciples go from cowardice to courage?  If Jesus just died, how did Christianity take root in Jerusalem, the city outside of which Christ was crucified, just fifty days after his death?  If Jesus just died, how was Christianity able to spread over the known world in just a few short years?  If Jesus just died, how did a former persecutor of the church, Saul of Tarsus, become a preacher of the gospel he formerly despised?  If Jesus just died, why did the apostles all accept death and refuse to deny their risen Lord?  The answer is to all of these questions is simply, Jesus didn't just die.  He arose on the third day.  He is ascended into heaven, and he will return again some day.

The hill on which he died may seem far away, but King Jesus is always near.  The cross where he died still bridges the gap between God and man.  Anyone who turns to Jesus will never be cast out.  Have you gone, in faith, to that hill far away, and found freedom through the old rugged cross?

Don't Be Fooled

"The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.' They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good" (Ps. 14;1, ESV).

April Fool's Day seems like the perfect time to tackle the foolishness of denying God.  It smacks of arrogance to claim, with the limited amount of knowledge that humanity possesses, that there is no evidence of God's existence.

Everywhere there are signs of design.  The heavens declare the glory of the Lord.  Mankind is fearfully and wonderfully made. There is so much information within the natural world.  It is ludicrous to believe that information came from no where.

David alludes to the reason they deny God.  They deny God because their hearts want the freedom to operate outside of their consciences.  They don't want to be condemned for doing the things they enjoy.  If they don't acknowledge the Lawgiver, it's easier to rationalize their guilt away.

When we live like there is no God, we are only fooling ourselves.  God is there, whether we acknowledge him or not.  He will not always be patient, one day we will all stand before him in Judgment.  If we are trusting Christ, he has stood in our place in judgment.  If we have not trusted in Christ, we will stand alone in judgment.  Don't be fooled by fine sounding, empty arguments.  God is real, and he has made a way through Jesus for mankind to know him.