How to know the will of God ............. Parables 754

June 4, 2002

Most of us would flunk if our pastor quizzed us on last week’s sermon, so it amazes me that I can remember one I heard more than twenty years ago.

The topic was knowing and doing God’s will. The pastor explained God’s will is twofold: moral and incidental. The first is simple to figure out, but less easy to follow. God’s moral will is in the Bible. We can know how to be in His will through the Ten Commandments, Jesus’ commands to love God and love our neighbors, and other clear directions for living our faith.

The second aspect of God’s will is not as easy. Suppose you are faced with non-sinful choices such as which job to accept, which school to attend, which person to marry? How can you know God’s will for these? The pastor showed us five Scripture passages that clearly state the will of God, then added a sixth to show us the answer to that question.

The first passage was in 1 Timothy 2. It says, “God wants all to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. . . .” It is God’s will that a person is a Christian. We cannot expect Him to reveal His will to people who disregard His offer of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

The second verse came from 1 Thessalonians 4. “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.” Sanctified means to give your life to God rather than sin or selfish pursuits. It includes sexuality, as in this verse, but also all areas of life. He wants to save our souls, but also wants us to be spared from a life of sin.

The third verse is in the next chapter. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” God wants those who are saved and sanctified to also be saying thanks. A careful reading of Romans 1 shows that thankfulness is the first thing to go when a person denies or rebels against God. Saying thanks is His will.

Then, 1 Peter 2:15 says, “For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.” Serving others is another important part of God’s will. The pastor told us when he played football he noticed what happens when a player is on the bench. First he criticizes the coach, then the other players. If he stays out of action too long, he will be secretly rooting for the other team. Serving God keeps us from resentment and taking shots at the family of God.

1 Peter 3:17 goes on: “It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” Sometimes Christians think if we do the right things, our lives will be peaceful and people will love us, but God says people may not like the good things we do. They may persecute us for our faith. He wants us to know that suffering for doing good is not outside His will.

Then the pastor read Psalm 37:4. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” He explained God will not give us anything we desire, but this means if we make Him the focus of our lives we can expect Him to put right desires in our hearts.

This is an important part of decision-making for Christians. God wants us to be holy, thankful, obedient people, but He gives us the freedom to follow our hearts regarding non-sinful choices.

So, if we want to make a decision that fits into the will of God, we need to check: Am I saved, sanctified, saying thanks, serving, and perhaps even suffering, for Him? If we can say yes to those five, and have eliminated any sinful options, then as the pastor said, we can do whatever we want!