Discovering the Real Jesus in Monroe

If you’re a follower of Jesus here are the things I teach about knowing the will of God.

KNOWING THE WILL OF GOD

1. It’s about a relationship, not a formula.
   1. Hebrew “knowing” is the word yadah = “intimacy.”
   2. Psalm 76:1, “In Judah is God known…”
   3. Yadah = “To revere or worship with an extended hand or to hold out the hand, to confess, to praise, to give thanks”
   4. “This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” – 1 Timothy 2:3-
   5. God’s will, first and foremost, is that we have a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.
2.  “Will,” in Greek, is the word thelema.
   1. what one wishes or has determined shall be done

                                                              i.      of the purpose of God to bless mankind through Christ

                                                            ii.      of what God wishes to be done by us

                                                          iii.      commands, precepts

1.  
   1. “Thelema” means:

                                                              i.      will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure

                                                            ii.      a determination (properly, the thing), i.e. (actively) choice (specially, purpose, decree; abstractly, volition) or (passively) inclination — desire, pleasure, will.

1. To know God’s will…
   1. Saturate yourself in Scripture
   2. Spend much time alone with God
   3. Hang around people who do (a) and (b).
2. Saturate yourself in Scripture
   1. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” – Ps. 119:105)
   2. God’s ultimate or universal will is revealed in Scripture.

                                                              i.      These are unchanging things from the heart of God that apply to everyone, including you. Such as…

1.      Love the Lord your heart with all your heart, soul, and mind…

2.      Love your neighbor as yourself…

3.      Love your enemies… 

4.      Seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness…

5.      (If you want a list of these things, begin in Matthew chapters 5-7

                                                            ii.      Walk in  these things…  Obey… Follow after Jesus…

1. Spend much time alone with God
   1. “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone…” – Matthew 14:23
   2. God promises to give us wisdom if we just ask Him in prayer, believing that He will give it.
   3. Sometimes we need to just ask God to give us wisdom to discern His will.

                                                              i.       “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).

1.  
   1. In Philippians 4:6, God tells us that we can pray about everything.
2. Hang around people who: a) saturate themselves with Scripture; and b) spend much time alone with God.
   1. Such people are, in the best sense, “godly.”
   2. Listen to the advice of godly people that God has placed in your lives.
   3. “The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice” (Proverbs 12:15).
   4. “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22).
   5. God’s specific will for you, today, is revealed to people who: a) saturate themselves with Scripture; b) spend much time alone with God; and hang around people who do (a) and (b).
3. God has given each of us gifts and abilities to use in His service.
   1. God always equips us to do what he calls us to do. If you aren’t gifted in a certain area, God is probably not calling you to minister in that area. (see Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 and Ephesians 4:11-13)
   2. Make two columns: “I am gifted in…”; “I am not gift in…” On another paper make two more columns: “My passions are…”; “I am not passionate about…”
   3. Remember that God’s ultimate purpose for all of us is that He would be glorified (1 Corinthians 10:31) and that the gospel and God’s kingdom would be advanced (Genesis 50:20 and Philippians 1:12).
4. God has given us the Holy Spirit for guidance.
   1. “…when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth…” (John 16:13a).
5. Following God is an adventure, not an institution.
   1. Our lives should look like the maps of the missionary journeys of the apostle Paul.
   2.  Psalm 84:5 — “Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
             who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.”
6. Trust God in faith that He will accomplish His will in your life.
   1. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
   2. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in your will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
   3. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declared the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).
7. Do the Romans 12:1-2 thing:
   1. Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual^[a] act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”