Today we are going to end our Essentials series
with a message on the topic, "How to Know the Will of God." So let’s turn in our Bibles
to Romans chapter 12. A couple of quick questions. Does God still speak to people today? Is He
interested in what happens to us as individuals? Does the Lord have a master plan for our lives?
Now these are important questions because we all want to know the will of God. They
are big things that we wonder about. Like what am I going to do with my life? Who am
I going to marry? Why did I lose my hair? Well that is more personal me. But still.
Here is the answer. In the broad sense yes. God does still speak to people today. Yes
God indeed does have a plan for our lives. Someone asked me the other day do you think
it is appropriate for a Christian to say to someone, good luck. And my response is I don’t
know if that is a bad thing, but as believers we don’t believe in luck. We don’t believe
in mere chance. We believe providence. We believe in God’s will. To bless someone
in the name of the Lord is one thing. But to say good luck is another. You see we don’t believe that we are mere
victims of chance just groping through life. We believe that God has a purpose for us.
And the Bible clearly teaches that as a believer we are to live by faith. I wish I could say
to you I always know the will of God in every set of circumstances but I don’t. The will
of God is not always easy to discern. And for me personally it is a journey of faith
where I read the Word of God. I pray for direction. And then I take what I hope are the appropriate
steps in the right direction. Because the Bible says the just shall live by what. By
faith. It doesn’t say they will live by feelings. Remember that stupid song from years ago.
“Feelings.” Nothing more than feelings. Trying to forget my feelings of love. Feelings.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Feelings. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Feelings here in my heart. Oh stop. You know
and a lot of people will live by their feelings and their fluctuating emotions. No. Instead as believers we want to live by
what His Word tells us to do. God does speak. The good news is our God does not play hide
and seek. He wants to lead you even more than you want to be led. He wants to speak to you
even more than you want to be spoken to. You know why? Because you are a friend of God. It was said of Abraham that he was God’s
friend. And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am about to do.”
You might say, “Well that is nice for Abraham, but I don’t have such a privilege.” Oh
actually you do. Because Jesus said in John 15:15, “I no longer call you servants because
a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead I have called you friend for everything
I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.” Do you have any friends? Don’t raise your
hand on this. But you know there are certain people that we will all regard as true friends.
There are high maintenance friendships. And there are low maintenance ones. Right. I have
friends that I have known for years and even I haven’t seen them for a year or longer
when I see them it is like we pick off where we last left off. The friendship is strong.
I have other friends well that relationship needs more attention. But I have friends that
I know that I can trust. A true friend is someone that will keep your confidence. We
all know people that if we say to them, “Don’t say to this to anyone” they will say it
to a lot of people. And if we say, “Really it is important you don’t tell anyone”
they will tell it to as many people as humanly possible. And then we know other people who
are friends that we will say, “Please keep this to yourself” and they won’t breathe
a word to anyone. You can reveal your heart to a friend. You can tell a secret to a friend.
You can trust a friend. You know a friend will speak the truth to you. Even if it is
not easy. Because Proverbs says, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses
of an enemy are deceitful.” A friend is someone that tells you the truth. God is our
friend. He will always tell us the truth. And listen. He wants to reveal His secrets
to us. Because in Psalm 25:14 we read, “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear
Him.” Yes God wants to speak to us. In fact Jesus said, “You are my sheep, and my sheep
hear my voice.” By the way, that is not a compliment. God picked one of the most dimwitted
creatures on the face of the earth to compare us to. I read an article in the newspaper the other
day that said that they believe now that dolphins are the most intelligent of all animals and
some even say maybe we shouldn’t even regard them as animals. Whatever. But I will tell you what. Sheep are one of
the dumbest of all animals. Jesus did not say, “You are my dolphins and my dolphins
hear my voice.” That would be nice. You are my sheep. Did you know that if you released most animals
into the wild they can survive? If you let your dog go or your cat or your bird they
will in many cases learn to fend for themselves and make it. But if you release a sheep in
the wild it cannot survive. They have no survival skills whatsoever. You release your cat. He
is gone. Born free. You know he is loving life. You release your sheep. He is just like
what do I do now. Where am I? What is for dinner? Oh no. I am for dinner. That is why
there are no wild sheep. They are totally dependent upon the shepherd. Just like we
are. So the sheep come to know that when the shepherd speaks they should follow because
his plan for them is better than their plan for themselves. So God has revealed His will to us. Now before
we get into how to know the will of God in particular situations let’s talk about what
the will of God is for everyone. We might call the principles we are about to look at
briefly so no-brainers But let me say this. Maybe one of the reasons we don’t know the
will of God in particular areas is because we have not applied what is clearly the will
of God for all areas. Listen. Obedience to revealed truth guarantees guidance in matters
unrevealed. Let me repeat that again. Obedience to revealed truth guarantees guidance in matters
unrevealed. So before we stress about what God’s plan is for you and for me as an individual
let’s talk about His plan for everyone. Let’s start with the simplest one of all.
Number one. God’s will is that you be a believer. Duh. But it is true. That is God’s
will. The Scripture says in 1 Timothy 2:4, “God’s will is that all would be saved.”
Scripture says, “God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come
to repentance.” So before we are ever going to know the will of God we have to be a believer
in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and our Lord. The Bible is not merely a book filled with
principles of truth, success, and prosperity. It is not a book of magic formulas that work
for everyone. The way some people teach the Bible you would think they are like little
things that we just apply and they always work and we just release these faith principles. But no. Wait a second. The Bible is a book
authored by God to tell us how to know God and to walk with God. And these principles
found in, though true in a general sense, are really for those that are walking in submission
to God. So first you must be a believer. Number two. To live this life God has called
us to live we need to be filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit. We need to be filled with
and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:15 says, “Don’t be foolish. Understand
what the will of the Lord is.” All right. What is it? Ok. Here it is. “Don’t be
drunk with wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead be filled with the Spirit. Speak to
one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to
the Lord always giving thanks to God the Father for everything.” But what does that mean to be filled with
the Spirit. It means to be controlled by the Spirit. The word filled speaks of permeation.
It is used to describe salt permeating meat to preserve it. The word filled also is used
to describe wind filling a sail. And also the original emphasis in the Greek would be
constantly be filled. And finally it is a command. So put it all together. God is saying, “I
command you to constantly be filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Let His wind fill your
sail. Let His power permeate your life. Be filled with the Spirit.” And how is that
expressed. It is expressed with praise and worship to God. Singing and making music in
my heart to the Lord. Giving thanks to God the Father for everything. That brings me principle number three. You
are to have an attitude of gratitude. You are to have an attitude of gratitude. 1 Thessalonians
5:18 says, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning
you.” This is simply the attitude that recognizes that God is in control of all circumstances
that surround your life. He is leading you both to still waters and through stormy seas.
It is all a part of the process of making us more like Jesus. Number four. It is the will of God that we
live a pure life. That we live a pure life. You don’t have to pray about this. It is
clearly stated in Scripture. 1 Thessalonians 4:3 says, “This is the will of God, even
your sanctification that is that you abstain from sexual immorality.” The word sanctification
speaks of holiness and consecration and dedication to God. Effectively this verse is saying look
if you are a single person remain sexually pure. No sexual relations with anyone until
you are married. And once you are married be faithful to your spouse for all of your
life. That is the will of God. Ok. So having established in a broad sense
some of these principles I have clearly defined as the will of God for everyone what about
particular situations. Is it ok to go to God and say, “Lord I need Your direction in
my life.” Answer. Absolutely. In fact we are told over in the book of James 1:5–6,
“If you need wisdom, if you want to know what God wants you to do, ask Him and He will
gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking but when you ask Him be ready to receive an
answer.” So we should ask God for His wisdom. All right. Now having established this, let’s
look at our text together. Romans chapter 12. And we are going to read verses 1 and
2. Very familiar verses. Verses that many have committed to memory that really tell
us how to know God’s will. This is what we might define as a conditional promise.
The promise is you will know the will of God. The conditions are as follow. “I beseech
you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Don’t be conformed
to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that
good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Ok. That is the part we want to know. I want
to know the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. But what do I need to do? Well
according to Paul I have to present myself to God. I want you to notice that he begins
by saying, “I beseech you therefore.” Whenever you read the word therefore in the
Bible find out what it is there for. It is always drawing upon what has previously been
said. And in the first eleven chapters of Romans Paul is talking about the fact that
we are all separated from the Lord from sin. There is nothing we could do to right our
situation through our own strength. But God demonstrated His love toward us in sending
Christ to die for us and forgive us of all sin. So in light of this, therefore, considering
all that God has done for you, Paul says, here is what you ought to do. Present yourself
to Him as a living sacrifice. God is not asking you a favor. He is saying as your Master,
your Owner, your Father, “I command you to give yourself to Me.” Another translation of this verse says, “Here
is what you need to do. Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work,
and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” An offering. You are
not being forced to do this. You don’t have to do this. The language that Paul uses is
I urge you. Beseech. It means I plead with you. I am appealing to you. You could even
translate it I beg of you brothers. Here is what you ought to do. In light of all that
God has done for you present yourselves to Him as an offering. Offerings are not taken. They are given. When
we receive an offering we don’t reach into your back pocket, pull out your wallet, and
extract money. We give you an opportunity to give a freewill offering as you are led
by the Lord. In the same way with our life. It is something
we offer to God. But it is a living sacrifice. See that almost sounds like a contradiction.
Because generally sacrifices are well dead. Sacrifices that have been killed don’t squirm
off the altar. But living sacrifices have a tendency to do that. In other words we may
offer ourselves to the Lord and then sort of reconsider a moment later. No. Offer yourself
again and again as a living sacrifice. Well what do I offer? Your body. “I urge
you therefore brothers present your bodies.” And that word bodies could be translated your
total being, your total personality. First of all I need to present my mind to God. My
mind. I should fill my mind with God’s Word. Not with the junk and twisted world view of
our culture. A recent survey revealed that America’s
children and teenagers now spend an average of more than seven and a half days (hours)
of involved in electronic media. That would include TV, video games, listening to music,
surfing the web, texting, email, etc. Seven and a half hours of every day in electronic
media. And the problem is a lot of that is going to influence you in the wrong way. No. Here is what the Bible is saying. Fill
your mind with the things of God. Philippians 4 says, “Fix your thoughts on what is true
and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think
about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Number two. I need to present my tongue to
God. What we say matters. Words have power. Both to build up or to tear down. James 3:5
says, “The tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A tiny spark
can set a great forest on fire.” And we are so interested in the dirt on people.
What are they really like? And you know we may get a piece of information. Some will
say, “Now I don’t know if this is true will say but.” What? You don’t know if
it is true. “No. I don’t know if it is true, but I heard.” Wait. If you don’t
know it is true why would you repeat it? Have you ever had a lie told about you? Have
you ever had someone gossip about you? You know how that feels? Well the very word gossip
just hisses. Gossip. What is the source of that? How about the father of lies. The one
that loves to sow discord among us. I am talking about the devil. Maybe we should apply the acronym THINK before
we speak. THINK. T stands for is it true? Before I pass on this bit of information ask
myself the question is it true. I suggest that would stop a lot of information dead
in its tracks. H. Is it helpful? I. Is it inspiring? N. Is it necessary? K. Is it kind?
THINK before you speak. “Well Greg if I applied that acronym I would
hardly say anything.” Amen. Do us all a favor and shut up. Dedicate your tongue to God. Instead of using
it to tear down others and to spread gossip use it to build up others and to glorify God. We need to also present our hands and feet
to God too. Proverbs 6:16–18 says, “There are six things the Lord hates—no, seven
things he detests: haughty eyes.” Which would mean an arrogant look. “A lying tongue.”
We have touched on that. “Hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet
that race to do wrong.” Hands that kill the innocent. Feel that race
to do wrong. That is the wrong use of your hands and feet. How much more glorious it
is to use your hands to help others and to use your feet to bring the gospel to others. Romans 10:15 says, “How beautiful are the
feet of those that bring good news.” “I urge you therefore brothers,” Paul
is saying, “Present yourselves to God as a living sacrifice, which is your reasonable
service.” See that word reasonable. It could better be translated logical. In other words
it doesn’t make any sense to not do this. A half-hearted commitment is illogical. It
is good for nothing. Listen. To be a Christian means to give as much of myself as I can to
as much of Jesus Christ as I know. Again. To be a Christian means I give as much of
myself as I can to as much of Jesus Christ as I know. We should be growing in our faith.
If you have known the Lord for a period of time you should be stronger spiritually today
than you were a year ago. Certainly stronger than you were 10 years ago. But for some of
us our best days are in the rearview mirror. We are resting on our laurels. We are living
in the past. It is time to continue this growth process. This is the reasonable thing to do.
Present yourself as a living sacrifice and then we will know His will. Number two. Don’t be conformed to this world.
What does the Bible means when it says the world? It doesn’t mean the planet per se.
It means a culture. A mentality. A way of thinking that is largely hostile to God. 1
John 2:15 defines the world as follows. “Love not the world, neither the things that are
in the world. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
the pride of life is not of the father but of the world.” A more modern translation
states that verse this way. “Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods.
Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on
in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear
important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and
all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants
is set for eternity.” Love not the world. Don’t be conformed to
the world Paul says. And by the way this word conformed refers to the act of assuming an
outward appearance that does not accurately reflect that which is within. In other words
Paul is saying, “Don’t masquerade as if you belong to the world.” See we all want to just fit in. We don’t
want to be thought of as a dork, a nerd, a fool, an idiot. We don’t want to be classified
as uncool. So we will do the thing that we think others want us to do. Paul says, “Don’t
be conformed to this world.” As the J. B. Phillips translation puts it, “Don’t let
this world squeeze you into its mold. Don’t pretend to be something you really are not.” Sort of like what we all do on Halloween.
We put a costume on. A mask on. This last year as I went out as Strawberry Shortcake.
I probably shouldn’t have shared that. But that’s not true. But the thing is is you
know you pretend to be someone you actually are not. And this is what Paul is saying. Don’t do
that. Don’t try to appear to be of this world when you are not of this world. I think so much of the world’s thinking
has entered the life of Christians. Even sometimes even in the church. Like just take the world’s
view of marriage. What is the world’s view of marriage? Forget marriage. Let’s just
take the world’s view of love and romance. What is it? Until you get sick of the person.
Look at Hollywood as an example. You know how long these people are together on the
cover of the magazines. So-in-so they are together. Oh they broke up. Oh they are together.
Oh they broke up you know. And what do these people have? Relationships that last like
two days you know. And I am talking the marriages. The others are even shorter. You know so basically
the world’s mentality is sure go ahead and get married if you want to get married. But
you know if it isn’t working out, if you don’t like the person anymore unload them.
Dump them. Cut them loose you know. They probably ought to change the vows from till death do
us part to till boredom do us part. I am bored with you. Bye. And even in the church we will see people
say, “Well you know our marriage isn’t working out. It is difficulty. We have irreconcilable
differences.” I hate hearing that. As I have said before, I have had irreconcilable
differences with my wife for 35 years. We are different. She is neat. I am messy. She
is one way. I am another. Welcome to reality. But oh no. Irreconcilable differences. Let’s
just dissolve the relationship. No. That’s not biblical think. You are being squeezed
into the mold of the world. No. Listen. I want God’s will. God’s will
is always better than my own. Don’t be conformed to this world. Be transformed by the renewing
of your mind that you may know the good and perfect and acceptable will of God. God’s
will is good. Now God’s definition of good may be different
than our definition of good. Just as my definition of good is different than my granddaughter’s
definition of good. Her definition of good is eating quesadillas, playing with toys,
and watching Care Bear cartoons. My definition of good is I am good with the toys and the
quesadillas. Not so much with the Care Bear cartoons. I have learned more about Care Bears
than I ever knew before. But you see the point is she is only three and I am 23. And plus
a few more years. And so my definition of good is different than hers. My definition
of good for her includes a nap, proper nutrition, other things that I know will help her. And so often in the same way our definition
of good is different than God’s definition of it. We define good as that which is fun,
pleasurable, happy, enjoyable, pain free, in the moment. Something along those lines.
God’s definition of good is that which is productive, character building, eternally
focused. I tend to focus on the small picture. God looks at the big one. I am thinking more
of the here and now. God more of the by and by. I think more of the temporal. God more
of the eternal. But listen. Know this. His plan is good. If you want to know the good
will of God. Ok. All right. So these are just general principles.
So here is what you need to do. You need to willingly offer yourself to God. Commit yourself
to Him. Don’t let this world squeeze you into its mold. But be transformed by the renewing
of your mind that you might know God’s will. Now let’s close with some principles about
how to know God’s will as individuals. How do I know if what I am about to do is the
will of God? Number one. You need to always build it on
what the Word of God says. The Bible says His Word is a lamp unto our feet and light
to our path. God will never lead you contrary to the written Word. If it is not in the Word
it is not of the Lord. That is why you need to be familiar with, conversant with the Word
of God. The way I know right and wrong is from studying the Bible. This is the source
of truth. You remember those people in Berea scrutinized
the Scripture to see if those things were true that were being said to them. Everything
you need to know about God is found in the pages of the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All
Scripture is breathed by God and it is useful to teach what is true and make us realize
what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right.
It is God’s way of preparing us in every way fully equipped for every good thing God
wants us to do.” I bring this up because people will say, “I
have a new revelation from the Lord. You won’t find it in the Bible. This just came to me.”
Well it didn’t come from the Holy Spirit buddy. Because listen. If it is true it is
not new. And if it is new it is not true. We don’t need new revelations. We need to
take everything so-called revelation, every teaching and compare it to what the Scripture
clearly says. We need to realize how precious this Bible is. I am holding my grandmother’s Bible that
was just given to me by my Aunt Willie who has had it for years. As you can see the front
cover is gone. It is held together by tape. And I am going to get it recovered. But as
you open it up. This is the Bible she took to church with her. And she wrote in the names
of her children when they were born. I was looking through it. It is falling apart as
I hold it. But she has the name of my aunt here. And here is my mom’s name. Born in
1928. Here is my brother. Born in 1945. Here I am. She writes down. Gregory. Born December
10, 1954. I was very excited when I read that because my birth certificate says 1952. That
means I am two years younger according to my grandmother Mama Stella. But I actually
think she got the date wrong because I do have the birth certificate. But this was her
Bible. Look at how it is falling apart. I like to see a Bible that is falling apart.
It has been said, “A Bible that is falling apart is usually a good indication of a life
that isn’t.” What if we treated our Bibles like we treat
our cell phones? Think how important cell phones have come to us. Have you noticed how
everyone has them now? Even younger kids have them. In fact a recent study pointed out that
66% of kids now own a cell phone. Even my granddaughter has a cell phone. She is only
three. Now it is not functioning. It is a Dora the Explorer cell phone. But it is really
quite impressive. You push a button and Dora talks to you. “Hi. How are you? What are
you doing?” And then she says, “You are my best friend.” And then she says, “Have
to go. Bye.” And I actually kind of got involved in the conversation with Dora the
other day. And, “Hi. How are you?” “I am really good. How are you?” “You are
my best friend.” “Well thank you Dora.” And I started like to share a secret like
friends do. And she said, “Got to go. Bye.” Kind of blew me off. Kind of hurt. But then
I realized I am talking to a computer chip. Actually Dora herself is a drawing. But still. You know everyone has cell phones now. And
believe it or not I read an article where they are actually making cell phones now for
dogs. I am not kidding. It is shaped like a bone. It hangs around their neck. It has
a two-way kind of speaker on it. So if your dog runs off you can call him. And he hears
you through the speaker. You know. Sit. Poor dog. Come home now. Runs home. They don’t
make them for cats. Cats wouldn’t even listen. I was out with some friends the other day
and we all had our cell phones. We sat down. We are waiting for the server to come. And
everybody was looking at their emails or their texts. And I am sitting there looking at everyone
on their phone. So I texted everyone simultaneously. “So when are we going to eat?” They all
looked up at me you know. I was like can we put the phones down for a moment. I mean phones have become so essential to
all of us now. All the things they can do. Of course they check emails. You can play
video games. Take photos. Take videos. Update your Facebook page. Tweet people. They even
make phone calls. Not very well. Some of them. I have a phone. I won’t say who my carrier
is. But it drops calls all the time. AT&T. And it drives me crazy. Because you know you
are telling someone, “So the thing I really want to say, and I really need your reaction
is,” And you say it and there is no answer. What? What? You haven’t been talking to
them for three minutes ok. You have been. Because the call was dropped. But someone raises this question. What if
we treated our Bibles like we treat our cell phones? This is not original to me. They said,
“What if we carried our Bible around like we carry our cell phone? In our purse or our
pocket. What if we flipped through our Bibles several times a day? What if when we realized
we forgot it at home turned back and got it? What if we used it to receive messages from
the Lord? What if we treated it like we couldn’t live without it? What if we gave it as gifts
to our kids? What if we used it when we traveled? What if we used it in case of emergency? One
more thing. Unlike our cell phone. We don’t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected
because Jesus already paid the bill. And no dropped calls.” I like that. How precious is the Word of God to you? “Greg
I have my Bible on my cell phone.” Ok. Fine. Don’t mess my point up. Ok. I have my Bible
on my cell phone too. That is good. But there is something about opening up the Word of
God and saying, “Lord speak.” But then some people you know will come up
with the wackiest things from the Bible. “God just told me to do this. I read it in the
Bible.” How did you do it? “I just held it up and the wind blew it. And I said Lord
what is Your will. And I read it. And Judas went and hanged himself. It is in the Bible.
And I said but Lord how does that apply to me personally. And I held my Bible up again
and then the wind blew the pages. Go thou and do likewise. Oh no.” Are you an idiot? Walk into this right now.
What is wrong with you? Read verses in context. What is said before it? What is said after
it? Does that jive with other passages of Scripture? God is going to speak to you through His Word.
This is where He will give us our primary truth. But then believing something is the will of
God I ask for confirmation. God also speaks to us through circumstances where He will
confirm His Word to us. The Lord spoke to Gideon. But he asked for confirmation. In
Gideon’s case he asked the Lord to demonstrate it in a tangible way and he said, “Lord
now have a fleece, which is an animal skin, and I am going to put it out on the ground
in the morning.” Normally of course there would be dew on the ground. But so Gideon
said, “Lord if You have told me this I am going to put this fleece out and if there
is dew on the fleece and the ground is dry I will know it is You speaking it to me.”
Interesting request. Gets up the next morning. It is just as he
asked. So he reverses it now and wants dew on the ground and he wants the fleece dry.
And again the Lord confirms it. I am not suggesting we ask God to do all of
these little tricks to know His will. But I do believe that when I have seen something
in Scripture I believe is the will of God that He will open the doors for me. Ok. And
it will confirm that I am doing the right thing. A good example is the story of Philip who
was directed by the Lord to go to the desert. And the Lord didn’t give him any more information.
He just said, “Go to the desert.” And so Philip is standing out there in the desert
waiting. Lizards are standing around. Lizards. Lizards. I wanted to see how she did lizards.
I am watching the girl sign. Lizards. Lizards. Lizards. Lizards. Lizards. Snakes too. Snakes.
Snakes. And lizards. Hot sun. Nice. Nice. She is good isn’t she? She is good. Very
nice. So do the lizard again. I want to learn that. Do the lizard. That’s cool. L. Are
you call me a loser? It doesn’t mean that. Anyway so he went out there and he waited.
And then along comes a man from Ethiopia who had been searching for God and didn’t find
Him. Confirmation. He was in the will of God. So first Lord lead me through the Word of
God. Operating on biblical principles. The Lord opens the doors and confirms things through
circumstances. And then there is that work in your heart.
That peace of God sealing the deal if you will. Colossians 3:15 says, “Let the peace
of Christ rule in your heart, since as members of one body, you are called to peace, and
be thankful.” Or as another translation puts it, and I think quite helpfully, “Let
the peace of God as an umpire settle with finality all matters that arise in your heart.” You know there might be something that seems
to be biblically sound and it seems as though the doors are opening. But inside of your
heart there is a sense that this just isn’t right. I have learned to listen to that. Sometimes
the Lord gives you discernment about things that are happening that you can’t see outwardly
but are indeed happening. Lord give me your peace on this situation. Scripture says, “You
will go out with joy and be led forth with peace. The mountains and the hills will break
forth before you into singing.” God will lead you with His peace. When you are in the
will of God there will be joy and peace as a result. Fourth and lastly there is the issue of God’s
timing. Sometimes we have the right idea but our timing is way off. Like old Moses man.
I mean he had the right idea that Israel should not be captive to Egypt. But man he went about
it in the worst way imaginable. Murdering that Egyptian who is beating a Hebrew. He
had the right idea to get the Israelites out of captivity. He was just way too early. And
he was exiled for 40 years. And then in God’s timing he went back and did what the Lord
called him to do. Moses spent 40 years in Pharaoh’s court finding out he was a somebody,
40 years in the wilderness finding out he was a nobody, and then 40 years finding out
what God can do with a somebody that realizes they are a nobody.
Timing is everything. The Bible says, “God makes all things beautiful in His time.” Listen. If the timing is wrong, God says slow.
If you are wrong God says grow. If the request is right and the timing is right and you are
right God says go. So I want to get that timing right. The will of God. He wants to reveal it to
you. The will of God. He has a plan for you. So we need to say like young Samuel said,
“Speak Lord, Your servant is listening. I want to hear your voice.” And the reason I can have this kind of relationship
with God, the reason I can call Him Friend is because Jesus tangibly showed His love
for me by dying on the cross. And then He told me to remember what He did in something
we call communion or the Lord’s Supper. We receive these elements that are symbols
of His broken body and His shed blood to be reminded of the great sacrifice of Christ.
When He called His disciples in the upper room He took that broken unleavened bread
and He took that cup and said, “Take, eat, drink in remembrance of Me. Do this to remember
what I have done for you.” There is nothing mystical in these elements.
But they represent a holy God who has made a tremendous sacrifice for us. When we come
to the communion table we are told to do a little self-examination before we receive
the elements. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:27, “If anyone eats this bread or drinks
this cup of the Lord unworthily or literally in an unworthy manner. That person is sinning
against the body and blood of the Lord. That is why you should examine yourself before
you eat the bread and drink from the cup.” So before you receive the elements examine
yourself. Communion is not for everyone. It is for believers
only. Not for perfect believers. Otherwise none of us could partake. It doesn’t say
that you have to be worthy to receive communion. It says don’t receive it in an unworthy
manner, which means don’t disrespect what it represents. The elements are not holy but
the God they represent is. So I look at my life and I say am I where
I need to be spiritually. Remember back in the Garden of Eden how God asked Adam, "Where
are you?” Did God ask that because He was oblivious to the whereabouts of His boy Adam?
No. God asked Adam that question because He wanted him to come clean. Because He asked
him after he had sinned. “Adam where are you?” “Well Lord I am actually hiding.”
What Adam needed to say was, “And I have sinned against You and I have disobeyed You.”
But of course we all know how Adam blamed his wife. “It is the woman You gave me.” So here today God might be asking some of
us, “Where are you?” Not where are you physically. You are at a pew at Harvest Christian
Fellowship or sitting outside. Wherever you are on our grounds. Or listening on the radio
or sitting at home watching a computer screen. I don’t mean where are you physically. Where
are you spiritually? Where are you at right now in your walk with God? We have talked a little bit about the world
squeezing us into its mold. Is that a description of you? Have you been allowing this culture
to mold you instead of the Word of God? Or have you been being conformed to this world
which means you have been trying to appear to be something you really are not. Then maybe
a recommitment is in order. But there might be some of you here that aren’t
believers yet? You haven’t yet put your faith in Christ. You haven’t asked for His
forgiveness. I said at the beginning of the message God’s will for you is that you be
saved. I mean that is number one. And if you have not yet asked Christ to come into your
life I am going to give you an opportunity to do that as we now pray before we receive
communion. You do not want to receive these elements if you are not a believer in the
Lord Jesus Christ. But if you are not yet a believer and you want to become one why
don’t you pray with me right now. Let’s bow our heads. Father I pray for any that
have joined us that do not yet know You. Help them to see Lord the words we have shared
today are true. They are Your words. Help them to come to You now and be forgiven of
their sin we pray.
