Pastor’s Bible Class
Thomas Road Baptist Church
Series: What Makes You Do the Things You Do?
Lesson 3: The Will of a Person
Dr. Elmer Towns
7 October 2007
A. INTRODUCTION “WHAT IS MAN?” (PSALM 8:4).
1. We are material and immaterial. “As her soul was departing (for she died)” (Gen. 35:18).
2. Our inner person, “God created man in His own image” (Gen. 1:27). “The Lord God . . . breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7).
3. We have a three-fold power-capacity.
a. Intellect (mind). “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10).
b. Emotions (feelings). “You shall love the Lord your God” (Matt. 22:27).
c. Will (choice or direction). “God works in you both to will and to do” (Phil. 2:13).
B. WHAT IS OUR WILL?
1. Noun, our ability to choose. Our will is a power we possess. “Will ye that I release to you, the King of the Jews” (Mk. 15:9).
2. Noun, a disposition to act by principle. “For to will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not” (Rom. 7:18).
3. Noun, the power or control of one’s actions, i.e., self will. “And in their self-will they hamstrung (crippled) an ox” (Gen. 49:6).
4. Our will must know, noun and choose verb. “If any man willeth (choose) to do His will (noun)” (John 7:17).
Some are said to have a strong will because they know what they want and do it. Others are said to have a weak will because they can’t make themselves do what they want.
5. A person is free to exercise their will contrary to God. “Ye will not come to me that ye may have life” (John 5:40).
6. God asks that we use our will to choose Him. “If ye be willing and obedient” (Isa. 1:19).
7. God wants our free will to worship Him. “If . . . of his own voluntary will” (Lev. 1:3).
8. We should surrender our will to God before acting. “Thy will be done” (Matt. 6:10). Jesus’ prayer. “Thy will be done” (Matt. 26:42).
9. Our will can be in bondage to our sin nature and we can’t do right. “I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it, instead, I do the very thing I hate” (Rom. 7:15, LB).
10. When we are in bondage to our sin nature, we are helpless. “I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong . . . but I can’t help myself, because it is sin (nature) in me that makes me do these evil things” (Rom. 7:16-17, LB).
11. When we are in bondage, we can’t stop sinning. “When I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway” (Rom. 7:14).
12. You become a slave to sin when you surrender your will to your old nature. “Don’t you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master?” (Rom. 6:16).
Results
- Progressively blind to scripture
- Lacks self discipline
- Satisfaction changes focus
- Loses control over life
13. Self-will is the root of sin and misery. “When I want to do what is right, I invariably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to sin . . . oh what a miserable person I am!” (Rom. 7:21-24).
14. The secret to victory is a person. “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 7:25).
15. The secret is yielding your will to God. “Once you were slaves of sin, but now you have obeyed with all your heart” (Rom. 6:17).
16. Learn the ministry of “NO.” We do too much half-heartedly and we don’t do enough well. Learn to open the door “Yes” to God. It’s power that releases authority in your life. Your “Yes” doesn’t mean you will do something for God it only means you are getting started.
You don’t have the power to overcome temptation
until you make a choice to overcome it.
17. The pledge of Jimmy Breland
- Intellect, you know what is right in your head
- Emotions, your emotions want to do right
- Will, you will is pledged to do it.
Susanna Wesley’s Method of Child Training
1. God’s mastery of the child’s will is the decisive factor in character formation.
Character is habitually doing the right thing in the right way.
2. The will can be subdued with love (positive) or force (negative).
3. You can’t direct the child until the problem of the will is solved.
4. Both God and the devil want to control the child’s will for their own purposes.
5. The aim is personal discipline and spiritual submission.
6. To indulge the child’s outbreak of temper is to do the devil’s work.
The Steps to Develop an Iron Will
1. Focus only on what you want.
2. Eliminate all other options.
3. Determine to pay the price to get what you want.
4. Don’t listen to contrary voices.
5. Study to find the best path that leads to your goal.
6. Formulate the best plan to reach your goal.
7. Resolve to take the path and reach the goal.
8. Be willing to take detours and re-adjust, always with the goal in view.
9. Put other goals out of your mind.
10. Don’t quit!
If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:
Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.
For more information on the TRBC Pastor’s Bible Class, log on to the Internet for TRBC Home page at www.trbc.org/pbc.
To receive this lesson, log on to www.elmertowns.com. You will find it under Sunday School lessons. To email Dr. Towns; eltowns@liberty.edu.
