#4 -- Introduction to Will of God
Colossians 1:9, 10
Proposition: To continue presenting the things that God identifies as His will in Scripture and to tie off the introduction to the will of God. The goal is to explain how a believer can be living in the will of God.
Introduction
A. We Have Accumulated Important Revelation for Christians from God's Word
B. We Have Examined Some of the Key Concepts of God's Revelation of His Will for Christians
C. We Have Created Some Responsibility for God's People Concerning the Will of God
D. We Have Shared Material That Can Become Experiential Knowledge for Each Christian
TRANS: We have considered seven of the twelve things that God has identified as His will in His Word to this point. Today we will be looking at more of these. The last five will simply be dealt with in generalities in order to give the saints the opportunity to know what the will of God is for them. The next element of the will of God relates to a magnificent truth in that God desires the believer to experientially know the riches from the indwelling of Christ in the believer.
I. GOD DESIRES YOU TO EXPERIENTIALLY KNOW THE
RICHES OF THE GLORY OF THE INDWELLING CHRIST -- AN INTENTION THAT A BELIEVER
EXPERIENTIALLY KNOW THE GLORY OF THE WAY THE INDWELLING CHRIST IS IN YOU --
Col. 1:27
A. God's Provision of Information for His Saints Revealing a Mystery
B. God's Program for Revealing His Will in Making Known the Mystery
C. The Plan for God's Glory Through the Mystery
1. A New Testament Mystery Is Not to Be Solved but to be Shown
2. By the Gentiles (the instrument)
D. The Presentation of the Mystery = "Which Is"
1. Christ in You
2. The Hope Coming from the Glory
E. The Potential for Participating in Glory
1. Glory = God's Opinion of Himself and His Program
2. God's Opinion of What He Designed for You to Be and What You Will Be
TRANS: God
has provided eight types of communication for the believer that can be used to
speak with God. Two are a part of His
revealed will: thanksgiving and
asking. Asking is one of three types of
communication that seeks something from God.
We can ask for ourselves as no one before
II. GOD DESIRES YOU TO ASK FOR YOURSELF ACCORDING
TO HIS WILL -- A COMMUNICATION OF ASKING FOR ONESELF ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF
GOD -- 1 John 5:14, 15
A. A Confidence in the Matter of Speaking to the Father
B. The Content of Asking According to His Will
C. The Certainty That the Father Hears Us
1. He Hears and Responds
2. We Possess the Things for Which We Ask
3. That We Asked from Him
D. The Coming of a New Kind of Communication -- John 16:24
E. The Character of Christ and the Believer's Communication with God -- John 14:13, 14
TRANS: God desires that a believer have a reputation for doing good. This thwarts the accusations of a lawless character by those who know nothing about how Christians live and what they believe.
III. GOD DESIRES YOU TO DO GOOD IN EVERY PART OF YOUR MANNER OF LIVING -- A REPUTATION FOR DOING GOOD SILENCES THE IGNORANCE OF FOOLISH MEN -- 1 Peter 2:15
A. The Believer's Relationship to the World of Unbelievers -- Vss. 11, 12
B. The Believer's Responsibility to Human Government -- Vss. 13, 14
C. The Recognition of the Will of God -- Vs. 15
D. The Believer's Responsibility to Be Doing Good
E. The Result in Putting the Ignorance of Foolish Men to Silence
TRANS: A believer may suffer because of his or her Christian faith in the desirous will of God. God has provided for dealing with persecution. This provision involves doing good in such a way as to make others happy and therefore providing a refutation of any accusation and demonstrates the reality of the goodness that should be inherent in the Christian faith.
IV. GOD
DESIRES YOU TO SUFFER IN SOME CIRCUMSTANCES FOR YOUR CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN
TESTIMONY -- THE PERSECUTION THAT MAY BE THE WILL OF GOD FOR ONE'S CHRISTIAN
FAITH -- 1 Peter 3:17; 4:19
A. The Possibility That It May Be Necessary to
Suffer for Doing Good --
1. May Be Advising You Because of Your Good Behavior in Christ -- Vs. 16
2. May Be Acting Good Before All
B. The Preference for Suffering for Good Behavior Rather Than Evil
C. The Provisions of a Faithful Creator --
1. Be Made to Commit Their Souls [center of emotion] -- passive voice indicates divine enablement
2. Be Continuing in Doing Good
TRANS: In a sense the twelfth item in the list of what God has revealed as His desires for the believer summarizes the essentials for doing the will of God here on earth as we live in these bodies of limitation. God's desire is that Christians live the remaining days that their hearts beat in their bodies as spiritual and not to the sin nature.
V. GOD EXPECTS YOU TO LIVE THE REMAINING TIME IN THE WILL OF GOD AND NOT TO THE SIN NATURE -- THE CONTINUATION OF OUR REMAINING BIOLOGICAL LIFE IN FLESH BE LIVED IN THE WILL OF GOD -- 1 Peter 4:1, 2
A. The Need to Have the Same Thoughts in One's Mind as Christ -- Vs. 1
B. The Need to Live Outside of the Sin Nature
C. No Need to Live Life by the Lusts of Men [unsaved men with only a sin nature] -- Vs. 2
D. The Need to Be Living Our Biological Life in the Will of God
TRANS: We have spent four weeks giving an overview of what God identifies in His Word as His will. Scripture provides the information clearly. Each individual believer can live the will of God as it is revealed in grace revelation. As each believer practices the will of God, it becomes easy to identify the will of God in matters not included in Scripture. It becomes evident for the individual life and is evident as the individual believer seeks God's will for the local church.
Conclusion
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