Wednesday, October 9, 2013

God's Will (Series Recap)


Since June of this year, God has opened my eyes and heart to numerous realities about His will. These truths have served to both strengthen and deepen my love for Him. I wanted to share some of those truths as well as a recap of the series we just wrapped up on God’s will at our BBC@WCU and UNCA venues. Before I do that, I must give credit to some mighty men that God has used to help shape my theology of His will: Bruce Frank (my pastor), Stuart Henslee, Clayton King, Steven Furtick, J.D. Greear and Kevin DeYoung. I’m grateful to God for each of these men.

Here are the highlights:

Before we can know God’s will we must first know God. The first crucial step in discovering God’s will for your life isn’t to know what He knows but to know and trust who he is. Many mistake the two by putting them in reverse order. Instead of seeking to know God first, they seek to know what he knows and as a result, become frustrated when life seems to be spinning out of control. Ultimately, when we trust God’s heart we won’t feel compelled to trace His hand.

When we walk in God’s ways we will be in God’s will. God’s ways are synonymous with the revealed will of God (the black and white will of God that is clearly stated within the pages of His word). To walk in God’s ways is to align the patterns of your life with the purposes of God.

Here are four unmistakable examples of God’s ways that we touched on during this series:

God’s will is that you have a relationship with him (I Timothy 2:3-4; II Peter 3:9). In no uncertain terms, God wants you to know Him. We can’t know what a person desires when we don’t know who a person is. Knowing God is what enables you to do His will. Our ability to act on what God desires flows from a relationship with Him. That was the case with Zaccahaeus (Luke 19:1-10) and can be the case for you.

God’s will is that you be sanctified (I Thessalonians 4:3). Sanctification is “a progressive work of both God and man that increases our freedom from sin’s power and that makes us more like Christ” (Grudem). Sanctification unfolds when we submit to the lordship of Jesus by living lives of purity and integrity. The specific example we focused on was God’s will for our sexuality. As a college student, one of the practical ways you can honor God in this area is by knowing and respecting your sexual limits. To know your sexual limits is to admit that that you can’t face certain temptations without falling; to respect your sexual limits is to avoid situations where you would have to try. Coincidentally, our attendance increased by 25% the week after I preached on this. Apparently college students like hearing and talking about sex…

God’s will is that you live a Spirit-filled life (Ephesians 5:15-21). To be spirit-filled is to live your life with the assurance that the Spirit of Jesus is with you, in you, and for you. It's more of a rhythm than it is a routine. The rhythm goes like this: God speaks; we obey. Galatians 5:22-23 describes what our lives look like when we do this. But before you can walk in the power of the Spirit you must be willing to do three things: turn from sin by trusting in Christ; listen for God’s voice; do what He says. Those who do this are like walking dynamite in the hands of God!

God’s will is that you glorify Him in the midst of suffering (I Peter 1:6-7). God doesn’t waste any pain on His people. This is why it is more important that we recognize that our pain serves a purpose than it is for us to always know what that purpose is. The Bible is clear: God allows “various trials” so that our faith might be proved genuine. Conflict resolution is an essential part of any lasting relationship.  Those who enjoy lasting relationships are those who have learned to work through, not run from, conflict. There’s not a meaningful relationship in my life today that has yet to experience conflict. Actually, what makes these relationships so meaningful is not the absence of conflict but that they have survived conflict. Our relationship with God is no different. God doesn’t test our faith for the sole purpose of harming us but for the ultimate purpose of restoring us. Had God never allowed my faith to be tested, it would’ve been much harder for me to acknowledge the severity of my sin and in so doing come to appreciate the grace of my Savior. It is only when we view suffering through this lens that we will start echoing the words of Job, “though he slay me, I will hope in him” (13:15).

I am grateful to God for each and every college student who isn’t content with simply hearing about God’s will but who is resolved to apply God’s will. You’re faith challenges me to be more like Jesus! Know that I’m with you heart and soul.

My goal throughout this series and prayer for you today is that you would find yourself saying more and more Psalm 40:18“I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”

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