DISCOVERING GOD'S WILL

 

DISCOVERING GOD’S WILL

John 4:31-38

If you have been a part of the church for very long, you have heard God’s will abrought up. You may have wondered what God’s will is for you. God’s will is both general and specific in nature. God has specific plans for most of us. He calls us to particular fields of service uniquely suited for who we are. He also has general plans for every believer that applies.

One of the things we know very clearly from the Scriptures is that it is God’s will to save souls from the pit of hell. Why does God care where we will spend eternity? God knows what hell is like, and because He loves us, He will do all He can do to spare us from going there.

In hell, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. We find this message mentioned seven times in the Gospels. There will be weeping because all hope of being saved will be gone, there will be no way out, and there will be no one to help us. And to make matters worse, there will be no forgetting missed opportunities to be saved. There will be a constant gnashing of teeth. There will be physical, mental, and spiritual torment. It will be a lake of fire (Rev. 20:11-15) and burning sulfur (Rev. 19:20} with no relief.

Hell will be a place of unbridled evil. It will be a place where the soul will forever grieve over the fact that he is there because he chose to reject Christ.

It is God’s will that we would be saved because He knows what we are like. Jer. 17:

9-10. We can hide our sins from anyone but God. He knows that we are all headed for hell if we reject Christ in our lives.

It is God’s will for us to be saved because He knows that time is short. Jer. 8:20 “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” Every day draws us closer to the coming of Christ. We can see the prophecies of Christ’s coming being fulfilled right before our eyes. No one has a guarantee that tomorrow will come. Today is our given day to be saved and sanctified. Don’t put off for tomorrow what you know you need to do today.

God will do all He can to save you from hell, but you must let Him have His way with you before He can.

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: SELF-CONTROL

 

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: SELF-CONTROL

Gal. 5:22, 23 The fruit of the Spirit 4 love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…..NLT

Self-control is not a gift, it’s a fruit of the Spirit. It is not something that only a few of the children of God have been given, it’s something that all of us should have. If we are living in Christ, we will have self-control. It may be something that we struggle with, but it’s something that we gain more and more of as we live in Christ. It is one of the ways that others can see the Spirit of Christ in us.

It is our personal responsibility to live under the control of the Holy Spirit. We must always strive to live close to the heart of God. The farther we live away from God, the less self-control we will have. It is a matter of the will whether or not the Spirit controls us. He will not fight us for control. We must surrender our all to the lordship of Christ over us before the Spirit can refine us and mold us into the person God created us to be.

Self-control affects every area of our lives. If we find ourselves unable to control ourselves, we are not living in Christ as we should be.

We are to control what we look at. Matt. 6:22-23 This is a sobering reality. It is so easy to look at unholy things. What do we view for entertainment. What do we read? What do we look at when looking at people?

We are to control our emotions. Matt. 5:22 Are you easily angered? Do you let your emotions cause you to act crazily? Do you wear your emotions on your sleeves? Yes, we do get emotional, and it’s not a bad thing. But we need to remain in control of our emotions as much as possible.

We are to control our judgmental spirits. Matt. 7:1-5 Let’s face it, we are quick to judge a person before we even know them. We judge them without any clue as to why they are the way they are or do what they do. We must learn with the Spirit’s help to not be so quick to judge. We don’t know the heart, only God does. Instead of judging, we should pray for others and show them grace and mercy.

We are to control what we feed our souls. Phil. 4:8 Remember, what goes in comes out. You determine the health of your soul by what you feast on.

Self-control is the discipline of living in close fellowship with Christ. How close are you living to Christ today?

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: FAITHFULNESS

 

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: FAITHFULNESS

Gal. 5:22 The fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…..NLT

Faithfulness consists of fidelity, focus, and firmness of purpose. It involves God’s faithfulness to us and our faithfulness to God. Consider first God’s faithfulness to us. Ps. 89

Fidelity is loyalty that perseveres regardless of circumstances. We see God’s love for us. I John 4:19 God never wavers in His loyalty to loving us. We don’t have to always be perfect little angels in order for God to love us. His love for us is constant, and He always act towards us out of His love for us.

We see the fidelity of God in His mercy towards us. Gen.8:20-22 God does not treat us like we deserve to be treated. He does not pour out His wrath on us when we mess up. Jesus is our protector. He is God’s mercy towards us.

We see the fidelity of God in His pursuit of us. II Pet. 3:9 God is relentless in His pursuit of us. His passion is to see everyone come to a saving knowledge of Him.

God’s faithfulness is seen in His focus. God’s focus is redemptive. John 3:16 His focus is reconciliation. Jesus came to make us right with God. His focus is rehabilitative. Jesus makes us into new people. The old passes away and all things become new. II Cor. 5:17

God’s faithfulness is seen in His firmness of purpose. God’s intent is to make us a holy people, a people fit for heaven.

Then there is our faithfulness to God. We must constantly look inward and examine our loyalty to God. Are we loyal to God no matter what, or do we abandon our confidence and trust in Him when things don’t go our way?

Is God our focus in life? Phil. 3:12-14 Do we keep our eyes on Jesus or are we easily distracted?

Do we have firmness of purpose? What is your purpose in life? Do you intend to follow Jesus all the way to heaven? Are you striving to honor and glorify Christ in all you do and say?

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: GOODNESS

 

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: GOODNESS

Gal. 5:22 The fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,…..NLT

What is goodness? Where does it come from? Who is good? Why is it important to know what goodness is? To begin with, goodness comes from God. In reality, apart from God, no one is good. We are all naturally born sinners. No amount of effort on our part can make us good. The Scriptures make it very clear, God alone is good. God cannot act in a way that is not good. We may not always see it, understand it, believe it, or accept it, but God is good. He knows always what He is doing and what is best. If we allow Him to work things out according to His will, everything will be good and He will be glorified. So, what is goodness?

Goodness is the purity of our hearts that motivates us to do what is morally right. We are good when we live by God’s standards. It is a desire to do what iis pleasing to God. It is honoring God in our living. It is honoring Him in our relationships.

Goodness enables us to look beyond the sins of others to see them as people of worth. It enables us to see people as people loved by God. No matter how evil a person may be, Jesus died for them. He desires that all would be saved. We may not be able to help some people to accept God’s love for them, but we should be vessels of God’s love to them. Instead of judging people as hopelessly lost and dismissing them from our hearts, we should pray for them and if we have the opportunity, try to help them out of their misery.

We are made good only through Christ. Living submissively to Christ and letting His righteousness and holiness rule our hearts makes us good. We may do many good things apart from Christ, but nothing we do makes us good in the sight of God. What we do apart from Christ will never get us into heaven, nothing. It is impossible to earn our way into God’s favor. Jesus alone is the way, truth, and life, and no one can approach God except through Him.  John 14:6

One of the ways to determine one’s goodness, is through the work of the Holy Spirit in them to make them holy. If a person is not progressing in holiness, he is not good before God.

THE FRUIT OF SPIRIT: KINDNESS

 

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: KINDNESS

Gal. 5:22 The fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…..NLT

What is kindness? Wayne Caldwell put it this way, ‘Kindness is a sincere desire to help another person bear his burden.” It is extending a helping hand to someone in need. It is treating others with goodness. It is being respectful to others and giving them value.

Kindness is going the extra mile to help someone in need. Matt. 5:38-42; 25:3–40 Instead of ignoring or avoiding someone in need, we are to respond in a positive way to help them as we are able. It is extending grace towards those who are going through difficult times. It is not demanding more out of others than what they can deliver.

Kindness is the love of God in action on our behalf. Isaiah 53:4-5 It is God offering to us help with our sin problem. It is God valuing our lives. It is God not leaving us alone to fend for ourselves. It is God at work within us to make us fit for heaven.

Kindness is the wings upon which faith impacts the world. It is wrapping the Gospel up in love as we share it with others. It is not beating someone over the head with it and judging them guilty of sin. It is drawing others to Christ by how we treat them with love and dignity. Without kindness, the Gospel message comes across as harsh, cruel, and judgmental. Without kindness, people naturally reject it.

Kindness is the natural lifestyle of those who live in close fellowship with God. It is loving others as much as we do ourselves. It is spreading sunshine into someone’s life. It is making others feel better about themselves, even if it’s just for a moment or two. It is smiling. It is being a vessel of God’s love in a world full of hate, anger, and lostness. It is treating others like you want them to treat you.

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: PATIENCE

 

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: PATIENCE

Gal. 5:22 The fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, patience…..NLT

In James 5:7-11, James gives us an illustration from everyday life to drive home the need for patience. He uses the example of a farmer. I married a farmer’s daughter but grew up in the city so I have had to observe and learn what being a farmer is all about. And one of the must have character traits of a farmer is patience.

A farmer plants his crops by faith. He cannot control the elements of nature, but each year he goes out and prepares his soil for the planting season. He puts his seeds in the ground with no idea whether he will get a crop or not. He is an eternal optimist and diligently persistent. He does what he can do and then must wait. He can’t hurry up his crops, so he patiently waits for harvest season. (see II Tim. 4:1-6) He doesn’t even know if he will even see the crop he sowed reaped. I Cor. 3:1-9 He doesn’t even know if the crop he sows will be enough to cover the expenses of planting his seeds. Matt. 9:37.

James also says in verse ten that patience is seen in the life of the prophets. Heb. 11 gives us many examples of great men and women of the faith who patiently enduring life’s hardships because they lived in expectation of the eternal life we find in Christ.

Patience is found in the life of Job. Job did not understand his sufferings, but he did not denounce his faith in God. He patiently waited before God and sought answers that did not come.

Patience is something we must have as we deal with one another. It takes a lot of love, grace, and patience to deal positively with others. Matt. 18:21-22; I Cor. 13:4 It many times is very hard work, but it is what pleases God.

Patience is seen in how God deals with us. II Pet. 3:9,15 If God wasn’t so patient with us, none of us would make it to heaven. Jesus is patiently waiting for others to come to a saving knowledge of Him.

Patience is what enables marriages work. In fact, it is fundamental to all relationships. If you lack patience, ask the Lord to take greater control of your life and help you.

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: PEACE

 

THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT: PEACE

Gal. 5:22 The fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace…….NLT

Peace is elusive unless you know Jesus as your Savior and Lord because lasting peace depends on the character of those involved. Only God can be depended on to never fail to do what He has promised. Only God is able to diffuse situations that otherwise sever relationships. Only in Christ are we able to take the high road and not add fire to the fuel of strongly held beliefs we disagree with.

Peace is found when we accept the salvation Jesus offers to us. Rom. 5:1 It is an issue of the heart. It is resting in the victorious work of Christ on the cross to save our souls. Rom. 16:20

Peace is allowing God to have full access to our lives. I Thess. 5:23 A partial openness to Christ only makes us miserable. It is only when we fully surrender our souls to Christ that we can say it is well with our souls and we have peace.

Peace is Christ’s gift of love to us as we wait for His return for the church. John 14:27-31 We don’t deserve it, but we have it when we live in the righteousness and holiness of Christ.

Peace is knowing who you are in Christ and where you are going when you die. Our identity is found in our relationship with God, not the perception or opinions of man.

When we accept Christ as our Savior, we are children of God We are family, and nothing, or nobody, can separate us from the love of Christ for us. Rom. 8:37-39 Knowing how much God values us and our relationship with Him ought to rest in Him and never let life rob us of the joys of living in Christ. The only one we should ever care about pleasing is God.

Peace is knowing where we are going when we die. John 14:1-4 Jesus reminds us not to let our hearts be troubled. He said that He is in heaven today preparing a place for us to spend eternity with Him. We are going to heaven when we die! There is nothing to fear about today or our tomorrows. Oh, that will be glory for me, when my Jesus I shall see!

Peace, God’s peace. There is nothing like it in the world. It is found only in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Praise His holy name!