.What Would Jesus Do... About God's Will?

John 5:30 (NIV), John 8:28-29 (NIV), Ephesians 5:17 (NIV)

Christians can come up with really strange ways to interpret the will of God. We've all heard some weird stories.

Here's one of the favorites: A Christian sat by a window with her Bible open and allowed the breeze to whip the pages over as she chose a verse to give her insight into God's will. Her finger fell on a verse at random and she read the words, "Judas went and hanged himself." Horrified, she closed the Bible and tried again. This time her finger found these words, "Go and do thou likewise." Even more dismayed, she quickly tried a third time and the wind-and-finger method led her to, "Whatsoever thou doest, do quickly."

Other wrong attitudes concerning God's will.

Some Christians are afraid of God's will. They are afraid that if they seek to do the will of God they will become fanatics. They fear God will ask them to be a missionary. They imply that God is out to rain on their parade and take away everything they enjoy.

Some Christians think God's will is found in a mysterious experience. They listen for voices in the night, or interpret their dreams and look for visions.

Some Christians set out fleeces for God. They Try to follow Gideon's example in the OLD TESTAMENT.
... if the light turns green before I get there it must mean...
if the coin is heads I should...

God wants us to know His will. God's will is not a mystery. He is not playing a guessing game with His people. He is not a divine Easter bunny, stashing His will here and there like missing pieces of a puzzle.

The Bible states in Eph 5:17
that we are not to "be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is."

If God commands us to "understand what the will of the Lord is", there must be some way or ways to "understand" His will.

God is in control. He has determined many things.

Isaiah 46:10 (NIV) "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."

Eph.1:4 says He "chose us in Him before the foundation of the world." God's controlled will is inevitable, unconditional, and fixed.

God's DESIRED will relates to man's responsibility. God desires certain things for us. He desires that we worship Him and serve Him. He desires that we raise godly families. He desires that we trust Him with our finances. He desires that we obey the truths and principles of Scripture. However, He leaves those decisions up to us.

Following God's will for our lives is the process of discovering and doing His desired will. Jesus came to do the will of His Father. His ministry and death were God's will. His life and choices were God's desired will. The cross was the ultimate test of His obedience to the Father's will.

Jesus had unique insight into God's will. There was never any question, any indecision, any uncertainty with Jesus. Our original question, "What would Jesus do?"

What would He do in our place with our decisions. For example...

1. What would Jesus do if He faced an opportunity to promote in His career but in that process He would have to uproot His family and move far away?

2. What would Jesus do if He had to determine which college, university or seminary to attend?

3. What would Jesus do if He had to choose between marriage and staying single?

4. What would Jesus do if He had to choose between staying in His current job or opening His own business?

5. What would Jesus do if He were faced with the decision of whether to have more children or not?

6. What would Jesus do if He had to choose between staying with an abusive spouse or separating?

7. What would Jesus do if He had to choose a new church home?

We should ask, "What would Jesus do?"

The answer in every case is: Jesus would do the will of God. How, then, can we know the will of God?

Basic steps for knowing the will of God.

1. BE SPIRIT FILLED

Ephesians 5:17-18 (NIV) "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. {18} Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."

Knowing God's Will Means Being Spirit-Filled. These two verses are commands. First we are not to be "unwise." It means "Don't be stupid." The word means "ignorant or egotistically mindless." We are to "understand what the will of the Lord ." "Understand" comes from a word that literally means "put it together." Put together "the will of the Lord."

v.18 tells how to do that. First we are not to "be drunk with wine." Instead of being "drunk" we are to be "filled with the Spirit." Instead of being out-of-control, we are to be controlled by the Spirit. Being "filled with the Spirit" means to surrender to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

The moment we were saved or born again, the Holy Spirit comes to live in each of us. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is to guide us, teach us and lead us in the will of God. We simply must surrender to His leadership.

At home I have some Pepcid A/C that I occasionally take. I have it but it doesn't do me any good in the medicine cabinet. Pepcid A/C only works when I put one in my mouth. Unless we surrender to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to guide us, His leadership is ineffective.

We must release His power in our lives. We can never understand God's will apart from surrendering to the Spirit. Many well-meaning Christians pray and sing, "Lord, send your Holy Spirit" or "Give me more of your Spirit."

Because of our relationship with Jesus we have ALL that we need to know God's will. We don't need to ask for more of God's Spirit.

1 Cor.6:19 asks, "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit...? We need to realize that in Christ, we are all sufficient, we have everything we need.

2 Pet.1:3 says, "His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness."

Col.2:10 says, "You are complete in Him." The power of the Spirit of God is in every believer

Illustration:
There was once a man who had the dream vacation of a Caribbean cruise. He gathered all the brochures, contacted several travel agents and planned his trip. He didn't make much money, but he saved every spare dime for over a year to pay for the trip. Finally, the big day arrived. He was thrilled as the big ship pulled out of the harbor and headed out to sea. Because the man was relatively poor and had spent all his savings on the trip, he assumed he could not afford to eat at the sumptuous buffets aboard ship. Instead, he had packed a suitcase with peanut butter, crackers, raisins and non-perishable foods. When the other passengers were dining on delicious, exotic meals, he ate in his room. One day a steward asked him how enjoyed the wonderful food. Embarrassed, he explained his situation. The steward said, "Didn't anyone tell you? The price of the food is in the ticket. These wonderful meals have already been paid for!" In much the same way, many of us are missing out of the benefits of being believers because we don't realize we have them!

Knowing God's Will Means Holding Nothing Back. Knowing God's will means surrendering to the Spirit.

2. STUDY THE SCRIPTURES

2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV) "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."

We must be "Diligent" Students of Scripture. The word "diligent" literally means "work hard" as you study. We are to work hard at studying the Bible that we may "present" ourselves to God as "approved" workers. God has given us His Word to teach us. He's give us His Spirit to guide us. We must diligently dig into that word.

When we study the word diligently we will become proficient at "rightly dividing the word of truth." We learn how to rightly understand what it means. Work at becoming familiar with your Bible. As we become familiar with the Word, we will learn its precepts.

Precepts are specific, black-and-white truths that leave no room for guesswork. We never have to ask if it is God's will for Christians to: witness, assemble together in church, give of our financial resources, pray constantly, to study the Bible, to support missionaries, etc... God's Word specifically tells us to do these things

Then there are principles. Scripture is filled with Principles. Principles are general guidelines to assist us through the "gray areas" of life. Principles are wisdom and discretion in areas where the Bible does not speak specifically.

On our highways we have an example of the difference between precepts and principles. A precept sign says "Speed Limit 55." A principle sign says, "Drive carefully."

The Bible gives us many principles with which to filter our own decisions and questions. We would know God's will in a given situation if we knew the Bible better. When you have a question, the first place to look is in the pages of God's Word. Why should we expect God to reveal more of His will if we are not doing what He has already revealed to us?

3. GODLY COUNSEL

The Bible Teaches Us to Seek Counsel from Others.

Prov.20:5 "Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water, But a man of understanding will draw it out.

Prov.27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."

Prov.27:19 "As in water face reflects face, So a man's heart reveals the man."

Moses' father-in-law, Jethro gave him great counsel when he advised him to delegate his work (Ex.18). Titus 2:3-5 compel older women to give good counsel and instruction to younger women. God Often Speaks Through Sincere Counselors.

Often the words of a friend give us light . A message by a pastor can give the insight we need. When a quarterback faces a fourth down with one yard to go, He often calls a time-out and seeks counsel from a coach.

We often need a little godly coaching.

4. LOVE THE LORD WITHOUT LIMITS

Knowing and Doing God's Will Means Living Out the First Commandment.

Jesus said in Mark 12:30 "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.

Have you ever thought of it this way:
When we are loving the Lord as we should, walking in His ways, doing His work, whatever we do becomes the will of God.

Psalm.37:4 "Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

When we "delight" ourselves in the Lord, His desires become our desires and we will be in the center of His will. When We are Confused About God's Will, Deepen Our Love For Him. When we are seeking the Lord, moving on toward maturity in Him, He can easily change the direction of our lives and guide in His perfect will.

The bottom line is:
GOD'S WILL IS A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM

W W J D?
Get to know the Father better!

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