Sunday Service - How do we know God's Will? by Pastor Timothy O'Connell

[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] good morning glad to see you here in church this morning whether you're here in woodlands or in tampines or on mankind by us all to stand can you turn to someone and wave wave at them because those cannot shake our hands but we can wave with each other isn't it tells us that the joy of the lord is our strength so this morning let's come and worship him the holy god we stand and lift up our hands of the lord is our strength we bow down and worship him now i break together we sing come on let everyone see [Music] the earth is filled with his glory because holy is filled with his [Music] [Music] for the joy of the lord is our strength we bow down and worship him now how great how awesome we see [Music] is [Music] [Music] is [Music] is [Music] [Music] together we see everyone [Music] [Music] is [Music] is the earth is filled with his glory holy holy is [Music] the earth is [Music] [Music] the earth is filled with the glory of god as the people of god raise our praise unto him lord we thank you god that you are filling this up with your glory and today lord we come as honestly as we know how long into your presence to worship you we want to seek your heart as honestly as i know how broken by the days gone by spirit helped my soul to rise [Music] i tried my best but still i failed [Music] and even you're with me there you remind me i'm a child of god regardless of the things i've done all my home is triumphs over judgement [Music] [Music] to the heart of god [Music] is [Music] oh they say that it's impossible to ever save a single soul but my god say to the prodigal [Music] my beloved one you will come home wider than [Music] your [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] oh jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] today we declare that we are yours we are children of god and fear has no hold in us we are no longer a slave we are free and we belong to jesus lord he worship you and you alone today but lifted up o god you unravel me with the melody you surround me with a song [Music] of deliverance from my enemies [Music] [Applause] [Music] you surround me with the song of deliverance from my enemies [Music] i am a child [Music] [Applause] i am a child of god [Music] from you had chosen me [Music] [Applause] [Music] family [Music] [Applause] i'm the longest [Applause] no longer [Music] [Music] together now we are sons and daughters of the most god [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] me me me so i could stay [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] no longer [Music] [Applause] [Music] a child of god [Music] i [Music] am [Applause] [Music] in every situation every circumstance [Music] as children of god come in the authority of your name lord jesus and i just wanna speak the name of jesus [Music] over every heart and every mind [Music] cause i know there is peace within your presence i speak jesus i just wanna speak the name of jesus [Music] to every dark addiction starts to pray declaring there is hope and there is freedom i speak [Music] but jesus name is [Music] i just wanna speak the name of jesus i speak jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] and jesus in the streets jesus in the darkness over every enemy jesus i speak the holy name jesus show jesus from the mountains and jesus [Music] jesus [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] is is [Applause] [Music] shine through the [Applause] [Music] want shadows speak the name of jesus jesus over every heart and every mind cause i know there is peace within your presence i speak jesus [Music] christ always speak the name of jesus over circumstances over every heart and every mind oh there is power in your name there is healing in your name there is peace in your presence lord lord we are so thankful that at the mention of your name there is power there is hope there is freedom and there is peace and today lord god just want to give you back all the praises honoring thanksgiving that is due to your name alone in jesus name and praying all god's people say it great amen praise the lord [Music] [Applause] [Music] amen i speak the name of jesus to you dear brother and sisters please take our seed in the presence of the lord even the psalmist king david he wrote in psalms 42 as the deer pants for the streams of water my soul pants for you my god my soul tears for god for the living god where can i go and meet with god isn't it the desire of all our hearts that we long for the living god that today as we gather to worship him we long to be in his presence let's emulate the heart of king david for his love for his god and even jesus is in our midst today and our god is here with us let us just spend a moment just cry out to god god i love you i long to be in your presence thank you lord jesus amen welcome brothers and sisters all who are worshiping at woodland center at tampani center and all my brothers and sisters worshipping with us this morning online a very well a very warm welcome to all of you at this time i would like to take a moment a special warm welcome to those who join us for the first time god bless you may you be touched and ministered by the word of god today now for the announcement we have resumed our fiscal worship services and now in order to encourage more lighters to join us we have increased the number of tickets available so please come and worship with us more regularly at the fiscal worship service entry is by tickets only we have increased the capacity of our on-site services to 190 with a new green zone the green zone will be open to all and available for booking on our website for more information please go to our website at lighthouse.org dot s g slash and click resumption of sunday worship services next check in and check out to the on-site service is only by trace together app or token you'll be required to check into the center by safe entry in the trace together app or token do ensure that you have registered for the trace together app or you go to the nearest community center and collect your token for more details please refer to the lighthouse news [Music] hey church light college is back with a new approach this time light college extension school offers lightest and non-lightest flexible and non-accredited courses for everyone to increase our knowledge of the bible this new extension school and the light college in our church aims to prepare and equip the church and her members to meet the challenges of our day through digestible causes held by renowned speakers in both english and chinese languages light college extension school will also be launching her very first course in chinese eq teen tian li jaffen conducted by pastor chan honshek and his wife pastor lei fong ling this course will help you to have a better understanding of self-management and self-awareness and importantly help you to improve your eq so that you can be a positive impact to your family workplace and ministries eq tnt lights often will be conducted online on every tuesday evening at 8pm for the month of april sign up by the 38th of march and discover how you can utilize your full potential and at the same time being able to understand others better as well as helping them to adjust their inner emotional world habakkuk chapter 2 verse 14 speaks of the day when the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the lord sign up for the courses now and be a part of this exciting new venture hey family it's so good to see you in church here are some gentle reminders when attending the live worship services in church entry into the centers are strictly by ticket only and the booking of tickets is applicable to ages 13 and above you will be required to check into the centers by a safe entry in the trace together app or token do ensure you have the app downloaded and registered on your device or have your traced together token collected at your nearby community centre before attending the live worship service to find out where you can collect your token go to token.goware.gov.sg for further information regarding trace together please refer to the link below let's all adhere to these measures so that we can enjoy a great time back in church miss last week's message or looking to revisit a message you have heard subscribe to our youtube channel today [Music] although we are unable to meet physically keep up to date with us through facebook or instagram what are you waiting for follow us on our social media platforms today do also check out our official website at lighthouse.org.sg [Music] [Music] now let's prepare our hearts for the time of time and offering we remember the story in the gospel when jesus healed ten leper he was amazed that only one came back to thank him let us develop a heart of thanksgiving remember that god is the one who gave us strength ability and the opportunity in order to be able to provide for our family therefore with grateful heart we return to him a portion what he has blessed us so let us and remember for those of you here at lew and let they are offering boxes provided as you exit the facility for those of you who are worshiping online with us you may take this opportunity to give by pay now or internet banking let us pray dear father god with grateful heart we come before you it is you who have given us the strength ability and opportunity to provide for our family and our needs now we return to you a portion of what you have given to us may you bless the tithe and offering and use it for the expansion of your kingdom this we pray in the name of our lord jesus christ and everyone say amen [Music] me through the deepest [Music] in desperation who will be my savior to rescue me lest i forget to call upon your name [Music] legs you're my liberty come deliver me [Music] you're the one who meets my everyday [Music] foreign [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] me [Music] break free by the power of your resurrection [Music] [Applause] [Music] by the power of your resurrection [Music] me [Applause] [Music] it's time to listen to what god has for us this weekend let us quieten our hearts and welcome pastor team o'connell as he shares today's message well a very good morning it's wonderful to once again be in the presence of the lord and uh the month of march we're looking at the series with regard to god's will and last week pastor pacer shared on the subject how big is god's will and this week we want to talk on the subject of how do we know god's will and this is a question that many many people are constantly asking in my years of bible school when i was serving as dean and principal this was really a common question that many of the students would always ask what is god's will for me after bible school how do i come to know god's will and so how do you answer a question like that well i think first and foremost we need to know that god does have a purpose and plan for each and every one of our lives and i'd like to illustrate this by looking at a particular picture it's a beautiful picture of the of the galaxy and i want us to envision king david uh one night as he comes out to look at the the night sky and he gets caught up he becomes enraptured at the the beauty of god's creation and he sees all of the stars and the moon and all of the celestial bodies in the sky and then david asks this question which is recorded in psalms 8 chapters 3 and 4. it says this lord when i consider your heavens the works of your fingers the moon and the stars which you have ordained what is man or who am i that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you would visit him and it's it's really quite a contrast isn't it i mean david is just caught up in just the not only the beauty but the vastness of god's creation and then he says lord how is it possible that you would even think about someone like me someone like you and we need to appreciate and understand that you know in the mind of god even before creation we were in his mind that's how precious we are and how easy it is to get lost with that thought especially in the world that we live in today because we ask the question who defines you you know we are not a data point we're not a commodity that can be exchanged or merchandised and yet this is the world that we're living in this is the system that we're subjected to and sadly more and more this element even sometimes creeps into the church statistics become the evaluation you know of how we view each other or maybe even of ourselves now there is a place for that but we must never ever forget how precious each and every one of god's creation is and you know i feel that is helpful in laying a foundation and coming to understand god's will for our lives as individuals and also for the church you know david then went on to write these words in psalm 139 and these are very familiar to us in verses 13 and 14 he says for you formed my inward parts you covered me in my mother's womb i will praise you for i am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous are your works and that my soul knows very very well you know paul when he wrote to philemon in philemon chapter 1 verse 6 he makes this statement that it's important for you and i to acknowledge every good thing that's in us now that's not pride that's acknowledging what god has done for us the work of god that is taking place in us and we are to praise him for that we are to acknowledge him for that and as we do i believe we can enter into like us a portion of rest where we sense his pleasure and then we begin to move and to flow in the gifting and the ability that god has placed within us another familiar verse in jeremiah chapter 1 verse 5. he had a tremendous call upon his life but it wasn't something that all of a sudden just came at any moment this is what god said to jeremiah before i formed you in the womb i knew you before you were born i sanctified you i ordained you as a prophet to the nations and this is not limited to someone like jeremiah now we're not all called to be prophets but each and every one of us does have a call a purpose in life and the sad reality is that in the world we're living in it's so easy to get lost so easy to get confused to become insecure because we get caught up in this system of data points and chattel but god wants us to know and appreciate that he has a purpose for each and every one of us and that's really our first point and i feel it helps to lay a good foundation and how we can know god's will secondly god's will must be sought after we've referred many times to the sixth kingdom parable over the last couple of years but i repeat it again matthew chapter 13 and verses 45 and 46 this is the parable of the pearl of great price and this is what the lord says again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls who when he had found one pearl of great price he went and sold all that he had and bought it so we we see this essence of seeking and there are many other scriptures that will substantiate this truth one of the dangers of this year of code that we've been involved in is that we can get into what we can call like covet passivity and you know meeting virtually online church services and things like this and meeting with our cell groups has been a wonderful tool and blessing you know through the course of the year as we have navigated ourselves through this pandemic but there is the danger of getting a little bit too comfortable with that you know it is a blessing but the danger is is we become we can become passive and and i've been guilty of that too because you know the bible says there's a beautiful verse in isaiah chapter 65 verse 8 that talks about how the blessing of god is in the cluster it's it's in the gathering and that's why it's wonderful over the last few weeks here in the two centers and within even in cell groups people are again coming together little by little because you know it's in the gathering in the cluster where the blessing of god can begin to flow we thank god for the wonderful instrument of zoom and all that has allowed us to do over this last year but we must realize that we can get into this passive nature and uh we we in doing that we can excuse ourselves from gathering and connecting together because there's something about physical connection that is like a catalyst that allows the spirit of god to begin to move in powerful ways jeremiah chapter 29 verse 13 familiar verse says and you will seek me and you will find me when you pursue when you passionately seek after me with all of your heart you see there is something required on our part we heard last week about god's declared will when god declares something it will come to pass but there is the portion about the commandment that then comes to us and our ability and willingness to respond to god's will it isn't just going to happen to us if we just sit and wait you know god has given us gifts he's given us abilities he's given us the ability to choose and to pursue to choose to you know to pursue him and he makes this promise to us that if you seek me with all your heart you're going to be i'm going to find you and in that place of discovery you know what happens we begin to have an unveiling more and more of not only who god is but his will his desire and his purpose for our lives i'd like to also look at another couple of verses from isaiah chapter 30 verses 20 and 21 and it reads it says though the lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore but your eyes shall see your teachers your ears shall hear a word behind you saying this is the way walk ye in it whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left this is a beautiful promise and verse you know when i went through these verses i'm mindful of the wonderful teachers mentors men and women who've had such imp been such impartation into my life i'm so grateful for them and can only pray that in some way i can be someone like that to others but oftentimes when we think of teachers we we think of pastors ministers and bible teachers and certainly that is part of it this is that's part of how we learn part of how we grow part of how we come to know more about god and god's purpose in life but as i was going through these verses the lord brought a particular woman before me an elderly lady a lady whom i never met she was 90 years old and my encounter with this particular lady was that i was called to actually do her funeral and when i came to sit down with the family and began to hear more and more about this lady's story i was dumbfounded you know sometimes you can think well people get old and and they die and life carries on and that's a part of life and you go and as a pastor you go you you eulogize and you share some of the highlights of a person's life but i tell you i was literally floored when i began to hear the testimony of the life this woman lived at the age of 38 she lost her husband who was running a family business she had seven children that were no older than 13 at the time and everything just was lost she had she didn't speak english she knew nothing about the business and if ever there was a reason for someone to give up that would have been a reason right there she did not expect that her husband would all of a sudden pass away but when i began to hear the testimony and this is coming from her children she took initiative to learn the english language she took initiative to learn about her husband's business all that same time feeding nurturing and making sure the children were getting their education and taken care of and the more i heard her story the more i began to realize you know it made for a great eulogy because i mean you'd love to be able to share on a person's life with those kind of attributes but what uh it's regrettable though that in her lifetime that story is not shared that story is not magnified is not amplified more and more think of how people someone like her would be blessed in being able to share her experience to others you know our generation we're all guilty of it if our phone breaks down or you know the mrt breaks down we think it's the end of the world but if we can sit down and listen to the experience of people like this it helps to bring perspective into life and the thought is this and i feel this is important for us in lighthouse we have many such teachers we think of the prime light ministry you know that obviously there are programs and things that cater to that generation to for them to gather together to engage and these things are wonderful it's it's a blessing to do that but i feel that there are many many teachers in lighthouse like this 90 year old lady and these are messages that need to be tapped these are relationships that need to be you know encountered it does two things number one it brings fulfillment to someone who can share their experience secondly and just as important for people like you and i it helps to bring perspective and understanding and and it just helps to bring a binding and a uniting together of a people and when we struggle and go through issues you hear experiences of what people have gone through it changes everything and so i really believe in the days to come god is going to begin to move and to stir let's appreciate you know the prime light generation if we can say that there are many many such teachers in lighthouse we rob ourselves and we deny god the glory if we don't buy it through wisdom begin to tap into that and in doing so the church is going to have a greater understanding of its purpose and plan that god has for her as will the individual praise the lord okay number three another key in how we can know god's will is learning to delight in doing god's will and in psalm 40 verses 7 and 8 it reads then i said behold i come in the scroll of the book it is written of me i delight to do your will o my god and your law is within my heart now if you've been walking with god for any period of time you know that there will come seasons and times where there's that conflict of wills right we know that god's ways are oftentimes many times not our ways and god's will for things can be quite different than our will but as we learn to walk in unity together as we learn to grow in our relationship with the lord there comes the ability to begin to seed and to yield more of our will to his will and at times it's not easy because we have a way that seems right to us but oftentimes god's perspective god's plan is different do we have the ability to in humility come before the lord asking god to help us to not only do his will but to delight in doing his will you know in psalm 37 verse 4. again very similar as we learn to delight our ways and delight ourselves in the lord in his ways god then begins to bring his purposes to pass why because we're now searching him out we're searching for the heart of god we're searching for the things that please god and the more we delight in pursuing that those aspects of god then the more god begins to move because what happens is we're bringing to pass his delight his purposes and his will and pleasure and so even though we struggle at times because our wills will cross with god even jesus as the son of man in the garden at that penultimate moment there when he was saying father if there be any other will or any other way let this cup pass from me but nevertheless nevertheless even though in my flesh and humanity i wish and cry out for another way i delight to do your will oh my god and we will have gethsemanes in our lives not as intense as the lord was in the garden but we will have those times when our will will come before the will of god will we have the ability to delight in his will will we have the ability to say god this i i so want this to to come to pass but oh lord please please not not not what i want you're almighty god your elf and omega you know what's best lord please let your will be done and then come to the place of delighting in doing what god is calling us to do praise the lord number four um discerning god purpose and plan through his word and also through prayer now all we're doing this this morning is just touching on some foundational truths here it's not like god is going to just drop god's his purpose and plan the absolute blueprint into our laps today but we do have the blueprint the the question is are we willing to to pursue after it do we have the understanding that god does have a purpose and plan for each and every one of us but this thought of discerning his purpose and plan through his word in psalm 119 verse 105 a very familiar verse it says lord your word is like a lamp unto my feet and this is something i would always share with the bible school students particularly in their devotional life if you really really want to know the will of god spend time in his word spend time and cultivate a consistent devotional life oftentimes when you begin to read the word you know there may be a bible story that you're reading now you've known the story over and over you've read it many many times but maybe you're going through something where that story all of a sudden just kind of quickens to you and you know god oftentimes can use his word to to be as it were a light to bring up you know a picture before us that will help us to know what to do or or maybe to give us perspective of why we're going through a particular situation you know the bible has many many wonderful stories in them but those stories when breathed upon by the holy spirit can be life to us it can be direction and guidance for us as well there's a particular person that is close to my wife and i and the lord gave us a particular bible character as we were praying for this person and this is many many years ago and this really has helped us to to kind of understand and know the call that god has on this person's life and so we encourage this person accordingly and it helps us to understand and know uh part of the purpose and plan that god has you see through his word he can bring insight not only for our own lives but even if you're praying over people or situations the word can bring light it can bring insight and perspective that will help us to know god's will and purpose for a situation also through prayer and again this is a subject that warrants much more time than we can afford it this morning but in matthew chapter 6 this is when the disciples you know asked the lord teach us lord how to pray and there is the portion of the lord's prayer where jesus says your kingdom come on earth as it has been established and decreed in heaven you know our prayer life even now especially during the time of covet this is i think the prayer our prayer lives have suffered quite a bit because a lot of what we do now has become virtual and we work with it the best that we can you know we can establish prayer pointers whether it's within the pastoral team whether it's when we're meeting together together in upper light or whatever and god i know honors that but you know it feels like there's a there's a limitation and i believe god wants to to to bring us even into a greater level and greater understanding in prayer because as we begin to ascertain his will his purpose and his plan you know then our prayer will reflect that just this past thursday uh in upper light uh one of the prayer items that was brought forth was a a situation actually a political situation in america with the passage of a bill known as the equality act and the person who led in prayer obviously did some research researched the bill research what it meant and as the person was leading in prayer there was a sense that it wasn't just praying that they that god would you know uh kind of counter that but there came an understanding of this is what we're dealing with this is what's happening in the world and see as that is being projected in prayer it helps us then to to kind of galvanize together and begin to say oh god no lord let your kingdom be established on earth lord and let not the gates of hades prevail and i believe the more we pursue god the more we really spend time in his presence whether it's in a pastoral prayer whether it's an upper light or in our homely our family devotions our prayer life is going to be enhanced why because we're going to come to know his will his pleasure in ways we've not known before and our prayer is not going to be one out of self-ambition it's going to be more of a reflection on that which is in god's heart number another the next point very quickly is god's purpose and plan for your life for the church will be challenged and we need to understand this because sometimes when we are experiencing opposition and going through great difficulty it's easy to give up it's easy to let go and become overwhelmed and let make no mistake the enemy is very powerful in trying to sow discouragement confusion to the point where you just lose your biblical your your your spiritual moorings and you begin to drift and you know there's just nothing to anchor to in matthew chapter 4 when jesus was tempted you know those several times the enemy came and sought to give the lord an alternative an easier way a shortcut and this is a warning for us because the enemy will come alongside and he will seek to offer alternatives or an easier way and it can be very very tempting but jesus because he knew his father jesus because he knew the word of god could respond it is written and he allowed the word of god to be his anchor that he would hold on to that would chart his course and they being able to fulfill god's purpose and plan for his life i want to read another verse very quickly from exodus chapter 1 verse 16. the point i want to try to make is this i believe the enemy has a fairly good understanding of god's purpose and plan for lighthouse as a church and for you and i as individuals but notice this this is going back even before moses was born in exodus 1 verse 16 it says when you do the duties of a midwife for the hebrew women and see them on the birth stools if it is a son then you shall kill him but if it's a daughter then she shall live even before moses was born you get the sense that the enemy knew there was a deliverer about to come forth so he put it into the heart of pharaoh this genocide to exterminate moses even right from the beginning second kings chapter 11 verse 1 there was a wicked plot by a wicked lady by the name of athaliah to exterminate all of the royal seed of judah and all the seed of judah was eliminated with the exception of one little baby and with the help of a godly priest and his wife they preserved joash that little baby so that the royal line could preserve so that the lion of the tribe of judah could come forth the point i'm trying to make is that the enemy will oppose this church especially as it pursues and gets closer to fulfilling god's purpose and plan the opposition is going to be there we need to discern it and recognize it and not give up the same is true for each and every one of our lives we have to move on quickly but i want to close with this thought if you have forgotten everything else that has been said so far this morning with regard to knowing the plan and purpose of god if you forget everything else do not forget this we are sons and daughters of the most high god knowing the heavenly father and i believe god is going to reveal this aspect of his father's heart and he is already but it's even going to become more manifest in the days to come why because people have lost their sense of identity their sense of purpose our worldly system today treats you and i like chattel you know what chattel is it's possessions that can be merchandised like statistics without any reference to the value of a life our father loves us the god the creator of all things created you uniquely he has a purpose and plan for your life in second timothy chapter 1 verse 7 let this be a reminder to us god has not given us the spirit of fear but he's given us the power of love and a sound mind to know that we are sons and daughters of the most high god that god has a purpose and plan for each and every one of us finally in first john chapter 3 verse 1 behold what manner of love the father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of god therefore the world does not know us because it did not know him my brothers and sisters god has a purpose and plan for each and every one of us but understand and know this you're a son and a daughter loved by the almighty god let's just sing that song together if we can rise in the centers as we sing and just receive the blessing [Music] to your family [Music] i'm no longer i am a child of god i am a child of god i am a child of god i am a child of god [Music] hallelujah i just father i just pray for everyone in the centers this morning who is viewing online right now that they would receive that touch that comes from you knowing that they are loved that they are sons and daughters of the most high god lord you are the one who gives identity lord you are the one who gives purpose in life and father i pray you breakthrough confusion you break through discouragement and i pray that you would touch each and every one and that give that assurance that they are precious that they are your sons and your daughters created even before the foundations of the world for a purpose and plan we thank you lord we bless you and we receive this right now in the mighty name of jesus just want people let's just receive the benediction of the lord father we thank you for this day we thank you for this wonderful time and season in which we live and lord our eyes are not going to focus upon the world its systems and all of its problems though we live in it lord our focus is upon you our loving heavenly father we receive your love and i pray now that lord you would bestow your blessing blessing of god the father the blessing of god the son and the blessing of god the holy spirit upon each and every one today and forevermore and all god's people said amen praise the lord god bless you [Music] thank you for joining us online and we hope you've been blessed see you again next week [Music] as i lift up my hands and pray holy spirit come and stay as i lift up my eyes and see let your glory come fall on me come into my [Music] is breathing in my breath fill [Music] [Applause] i me to you [Music] oh yes we will prepare [Music] as i lift up my eyes [Music] [Applause] [Music] is fill me right now i belong to you [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Lighthouse Evangelism

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Length: 72min 15sec (4335 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 13 2021