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Sermon Notes of Rev.Dr.I.J.W.Oakley (25-8-1996 Guisborough Evangelical Church)
Additional reading: Romans 12
Another way to be wise is in understanding what the will
of the Lord is. Another very practical and down to earth subject. Trips very
lightly off our tongues. We give the topic lots of lip service – we talk about
it and sing about it and mention it on our prayers. But in practice we do not
always feel very comfortable it, especially when it crosses what we want to do.
Going to define what we mean by the “the will of God”, the blessings which accompany it, where we discover it, and the conditions of knowing it.
God has a plan and a purpose for every child of His. He
created them, redeemed them that they might be His, and that they will live to
please Him and delight His heart. God has an overall strategy for His people –
the Church of Christ. And within that overall plan, His will for every member of
His people. There is no question of His right to have a plan and purpose for
every life. He is our God and our Saviour. We are not our own, we have been
bought with a price. He has the right to plan and use and dispose of us. He has
a plan which is not for some things, but covers all things. It is
not just for some periods of life, or for in times of crisis, but for the whole
of life, a life-long process, even to the very end. It covers the big things and
the little things. Nothing is excluded or exempt.
Here as always our Saviour shows
us the way. My food is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his
work (John 4:34). Towards the end of His life, He could say, I have
glorified you on the earth. I have finished the work which you have given me to
do (John 17:4). When facing the Cross He prayed, Not my will but yours be
done (Mark 14:36). On the Cross He declared, It is finished (John
19:30). He was always conscious of His purpose and mission in life. By myself
I can do nothing…. I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me (John
5:30). And in following His Father’s will He found perfect satisfaction even
though, especially in His case, it was extremely costly. He taught His disciples
to pray Your kingdom come, Your will be done (Matthew 6:10).
God loves us immensely, and is
very concerned about us. He has a plan for us, and in it we will find happiness
and purpose. He is concerned that we should not make mistakes. Our supreme
concern should be to find out what pleases Him, not what pleases ourselves, or
someone dear to us, or the group of people to which we belong – but pleasing
to Him. Knowing the will of God is a supreme necessity if we are not to leave
the task given us unfinished.
Question worth asking – as a Christian – where do I find satisfaction? In indulging myself and pleasing myself, or in pleasing Him? The turning point in the life of Count Zinzendorf was when he saw a painting of Christ on the Cross, with the inscription underneath: “I did this for you. What have you done for me?
Important to emphasise this
because of misunderstandings which arise. This subject can be preached on as a
grim and harsh thing, as if the will of God is something to be endured, which we
have to grin and bear, a bitter medicine, robbing us of some of the good things
in life. We need to remember that God is a loving Father, infinitely tender, who
wants the best for us. We are loved with an everlasting love. My yoke is easy
and my burden is light (Matthew 11:30). As for God, His way is perfect (Psalm
18:30). God’s will is good, pleasing and perfect (Romans 12:2). If only
we believed it!
Natural man and the half-hearted
Christian think God always wants to curb freedom and spoil joy. The opposite is
true. God’s will is for our highest well-being. It brings peace and
contentment, satisfaction and happiness. When we let God have His way, we can
say with the Psalmist I delight to do your will (Psalm 40:8). He who
loses himself, and gives himself away to the will of God is the one who finds
himself. He finds self-fulfilment when he is surrendered to the will of God.
How often our first reaction is
to shrink from the task, but by the time we have to do it, He has given us the
“want to”. Then we cannot start soon enough, and the will of God gets
sweeter as the days go by, whatever it concerns. On the other side, there is no
misery, bleak and unrelieved, like knowing I am outside of the will of God. Just
as there is no joy like being in it. Perfect correspondence between the purposes
of God and the personality of man. And whatever being in God’s will may
involve, He is a sufficient God to uphold, strengthen, empower and resource.
Handley Monk had been a believer
for years when he became aware of areas is his life in which God was not allowed
to rule. At a meeting in a barn on a relative’s estate in Linlithgow,
Scotland, he was challenged to surrender himself unreservedly to the will of
God. He submitted to the Lord, and became conscious of being in the grip of the
absolute Master and having grasped in Him the supreme secret of life and peace.
Later Monk realized it was the Master’s interest to provide for His
servant’s every need – physical, moral, mental and spiritual - as his soul trusts himself to Him.
And the blessing in the long-term – The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives for ever (1 John 2:17). Oh that we would stop doubting and questioning and suspecting God, and give Him instead our total confidence and trust.
To understand what God’s will is for us, we must put
our minds to work, and as we do so, He will give us understanding. Finding
God’s will is not some wonderful mystical experience involving strange
appearances and heavenly voices. It involves clear honest thinking by the mind
transformed by the power and grace of God.
We find His will constantly, but
it does not get easier as we get older. And there are no shortcuts in the
process. Need to emphasise this because sometimes Christians are reluctant to
use their minds. They use them in all sorts of domestic and work situations, but
not for spiritual matters. Happy to be on the A.B.C. level, with guidance served
up on a plate without effort on their part. People prefer to live on feelings.
Consider some of the current spiritual songs, which consist of shallow thoughts
and repetition of the same line over and over again – and contrast that with
the deep and biblically rich hymns of men like Charles Wesley, hymns which
require thought and concentration to sing with meaning. Consider the “ten
minute titters” which some preachers pass off as sermons – to keep it simple
for their congregation – and for themselves. They would argue life is hard
enough without having to think and use the mind. Be transformed by the
renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2) – certainly, the mind has to be
involved in our spiritual life.
In what ways must we use our
minds? To distinguish between God’s general and His particular will. His general
will is that which applies to His people in general – It is God’s will
that you should be sanctified (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Chosen that we should
be holy. Predestined to be conformed to Christ’s image. Guidance in this
direction is found in His Word. There we find much about the conduct required of
God’s people if they are to please Him. The will of God in this area is in the
Word of God – teachings, instruction, warnings, encouragements, examples –
they are all there for us to read. Many things we do not need to ask special
guidance for because it is already there for us in Scripture. For example, in
the teaching of Christ we find clear instruction about being honest, warning
against being unequally yoked, the example of Baptism. God will never guide us
contrary to His Word.
For this reason we need to know the Scriptures
thoroughly, to meditate on them, to ask how they apply to our lives and conduct.
There is a need for prayerful systematic study of the Word under the guidance of
the Holy Spirit. Need to redeem time to study God’s Word in order to know His
will.
Then God’s particular
will is for individual lives, different for each of us. His will for our career,
marriage, home, the next step to be taken in a particular situation or problem
we find ourselves in. Again, we are guided by the basic Bible principles. But in
addition we need to gather facts, weigh evidence, ask the Holy Spirit to direct
our thinking, consider the circumstances God has placed us in, seek guidance of
mature spiritually minded people who will pray with you, and will keep
confidences. Ask yourself whether the conviction you have about something comes
and goes, or whether it is constant and deepening in power. So we begin to
understand the will of God.
The lazy or half-hearted Christian will never have any assurance he is in God’s will. But for those in earnest, God is delighted to shine light in darkness and show the next step ahead. He has made ample provision for the one who means business – His Word, the Holy Spirit, His sovereignty in controlling circumstances, helpful friends. If you really want to know His will, you can be absolutely sure He will make it known.
God has a plan for every one of His children. In it, they will find deepest satisfaction and delight. Blessings of peace and fulfilment accompany it. He has a general will for all His children regarding their conduct and character. He has a particular will for each individual. But on what conditions does He guide?
One condition – being totally
honest with God. When we pray asking for God to guide us in what we should do
– are we totally open to doing that thing, whatever He may ask? If not, our
prayer for guidance is really a mild form of blasphemy. To know God’s will we
must come with an open hand, open mind and open heart, saying “I am not my
own, I belong to You, my time is Yours, my talents are Yours, my future is
Yours, tell me what You want me to do and I will do it”.
“Here
I give my all to Thee
Friends
and time and earthly stores,
Soul
and body, Thine to be,
Forevermore”
George Muller said nine out of
ten difficulties about knowing God’s will disappear when hearts are ready to
do God’s will, whatever it is. How often we ask God’s will, but what we are
really looking for is for Him to rubber-stamp our previous decisions. Bishop
Moule wrote “God’s will can be known as long as there is nothing between us
and God, and no personal bias.” He wants the rudder of life, and not the oars
[unclear where quotation ends]. How easy it is for just one thing to come
between us and the Lord, when we want our way in just one thing. Or we allow one
person to come between us and God. We will never know with certainty God’s
will till we simply say “I take my hands off the controls. I yield. I hand
over the controls to you.” If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will
find out (John 7:17).
A famous sermon once preached
had these three heads: (i) The Lord Jesus does not want a place in your life;
(ii) The Lord Jesus does not want prominence in your life; (iii) The Lord Jesus
demands pre-eminence in your life. This is to be the attitude of our lives, not
just occasionally after reading a challenging book or hearing a challenging
sermon.
God’s purpose is always moving on. Down though the years He is constantly disclosing His will about multitudes of things. Knowing that will, and recognizing it is a certainty when Christ has pre-eminence in the life. As Paul put it, Offer your bodies as living sacrifices… Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is (Romans 12:2).
Understand what the Lord’s
will is (Ephesians 5:17). What possibilities there are in that phrase. How
it speaks of a life of purpose, with clear direction, in companionship with One
who loves us, and who wants and has planned the best for us. So that life is
full, rich and satisfying, and ends in triumphant entry into His presence at the
end.
One last word. Someone might say, “Sounds marvellous. So pleased for those who can enjoy this. But I cannot. I took a wrong turning some time ago. I missed the opportunity of a lifetime. That door has now been shut and I cannot go back and be obedient as I once was called.” Remember, nothing is static in God’s purposes. He is continually moving on. Your sin is real. But you can get back onto the highway of His will. Your mistakes of the past can be forgiven and, in a way that is beyond us to explain, can be made into part of the way by which God brings you into His perfect will for you now. The grace of God is limitless and wonderful, even to the wandering wayward Christian when he humbly confesses and returns to God. Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle… Then they cried out to the Lord… He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle (Psalm 107:4-7).
