Sermon Central
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Understanding God’s Will? Series
Contributed by James Lee on Dec 9, 2016 (message contributor)
Summary: Paul has left Ephesus and is now heading for Jerusalem. In the first few verses of Acts 21 we see that after a couple of stops, Paul and his traveling companions, arrived at Caesarea. Adapted from a series by Pastor Jerry Shirley.
Understanding God’s Will? Acts 21: 10-14 & Romans 12:1-2
Paul has left Ephesus and is now heading for Jerusalem. In the first few verses of Acts 21 we see that after a couple of stops, Paul and his traveling companions, arrived at Caesarea.
There they are met by a man called Agabus, who gives Paul a message from the Holy Spirit. [verses 10 & 11.]
The disciples, who accompanied Paul also heard the message and tried to talk Paul out of continuing his journey but eventually gave in and we have verse 14. Actually the last few words in verse 14 is how Paul lived his life anyway.
“The Lord’s will be done.”
Now flip over to Romans chapter 12 and look at verses 1-2, where Paul is giving some solid teaching.
Most of the time when hear this passage taught or preached it’s always about surrender but sometimes we’ll teach about separation and how carnal living keeps us separated from the will of God!
As a child of God our desire should be to know and to do the will of God, not run from it.
Maybe you have felt as if God is playing keep a way with His will. You ask but don’t seem to get solid answers…
I want you to know that the will of God is NOT out of our reach or too hard to find.
Let me show you a couple of things.
1. We need to seek [Look for, pursue or search for] the will of God.
God’s will is not some mystery or a guarded secret. God really wants us to know His will more than we want to know it.
That’s why He tells us to “Seek and you shall find” He also said, “Draw near to Me and I will draw near to you.”
God is not ignoring us BUT we must understand that as a child of God, you DON’T call the shots. As a child of God, you are His, therefore we should NEVER be willing to settle for less than God’s best, which is exactly what happens when we call the shots. We not only need to search for God’s will as if everything depended on it! [Because it truly does.] Secondly…
2. We need to surrender to God’s will.
In Ephesians chapter 6, Paul is talking to children, fathers and servants about obedience and he gives some sound advice in verse 6.
[Eph 6:6 New English Translation] “not like those who do their work only when someone is watching - as people-pleasers - but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.”
I can’t think of a more perfect example of this verse than Jesus.
For a moment, put yourself in His place. You already know God’s will for your life, and understand that in just a few short hours you will be facing the reality of one of the cruelest types of death known to man, death on a Roman cross. Could you kneel as, He knelt there in the garden of Gethsemane and surrender to the inevitable? Could you/I say as He said, “Not my will, but Father Your will be done!”
We need to search for His will and we must be willing to surrender to the will of Almighty God and 3rd.
3. We need to stand in the will of God
[Col 4:12 NKJV] “…that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”
Pastor Jerry Shirley gives this definition of God’s will:
The will of God is exactly what we would choose for our lives if we had sense enough to choose it.
Do you realize that God loves you more than you could ever love yourself? God sees what we could accomplish, if we would just search for and follow His plan!
In the Panama Canal there are a series of locks, and if you want to cross there, you have to be able to accurately navigate thru them. Each lock has markers which the captain must use to make it through successfully. Also he must be able to maneuver the ship so that the markers line up in a straight sequence. If not he puts his passengers, crew and cargo; not mention the lives of those around the canal in jeopardy.
God has given us several markers and when they line up we have a better assurance of what God’s will is for our lives!
Pastor where do we find these markers? Every single marker is found in the Word of God.
Let me give you the first marker, which we’ll call, recognition. Recognition is the ability to know something. When I see one of you around town, I recognize you or know something about you.
What should we recognize/know about God’s will?
