James 4:15
“For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”
The best path for a Christian to walk is one that aligns perfectly with God’s will. He is, after all, omniscient, which is to say that He is all-knowing. Who can better navigate for us? In the words of a popular song… ‘No one, no… no, no one.’ With this in mind, the Christian has one simple task, “Follow God’s Will.” If we do this, we will walk on the path He has chosen for us and be greatly successful in His eyes. However, success in God’s eyes is not necessarily success in man’s eyes. Today, we will discuss the difference in these two distinctly different perceptions.
The greatest examples of how to live a Christian life have always come from those who took our text to heart and really did all they could to “Follow God’s Will,” which means they walked the best path possible. These remained faithful even if their path involved suffering and death. Sadly, far too many perceive this type of end as a great failure because they believe that we are to live our “best life now.” Incredibly, the preeminent voices of our day even proclaim that we should never be sick or in need of anything. However, this idea does not square with Scripture, at all. Here is proof positive…
We know that Jesus is the greatest example, as He never did anything of Himself. Instead, He only did what He saw the Father do (John 8:19). He demonstrated this in His prayer, in the Garden of Gethsemane, that the cup from which He knew He must drink could pass Him by. I believe, this particular prayer was recorded in Scripture for the sake of all of us mere mortals. He wanted us to know that it was ok to struggle with the fact that our path may lead us into difficult circumstances. He also wanted us to know that the Father’s will is always the best choice. We can liken this prayer to the instance when Jesus spoke to the Father just before calling Lazarus out of the tomb:
John 11:41-42
“Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.”
Now, back to our present example…
Jesus knew that He was on a distinct path, a path chosen before the foundation of the world:
Revelation 13:8
“And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” emphasis mine
Thankfully, the Lord partook of the cup fulfilling the Father’s will completely and perfectly. Without His obedience, our names would not be in the book of life and hope would be a figment of our imagination. The Lord’s absolute surrender to the Father made a way where there was no way, and His actions set all of us free from a life of sin and death. He also provided us with a “Blessed Hope” that brings great peace of mind as we watch the great falling away mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 take place. Here are the corresponding passages:
Titus 2:11-14
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” emphasis mine
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” emphasis mine
Before returning to our main thought, consider where the human race is in terms of following the will of God. If you are intellectually honest with yourself, you are scratching your proverbial head and wondering what in the world is going on. Things have really gotten out of hand in a very short time. Not long ago, our churches were full, and children were thriving in the youth programs that abounded. Now, the youth flee our assemblies, as they would rather partake in the pleasures of this life than those of the next. I might suggest that we will continue to lose them if we succumb to the notion that we need to entertain them to keep them.
Instead of light shows and fog machines (things the worldly do much better than we), our children need sound teaching about Jesus in order to combat the many fallacies that inundate them daily, like evolution and gender fluidity. Most importantly, they must learn how to submit themselves to God so they can resist the Devil, which is the only way for them to escape his wiles and snares:
James 4:7-10
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”
Our youth can only know these truths if we share it with them when we have the chance. Sadly, many churches now spend the time they have with their young ones ‘entertaining’ them instead of ‘training’ them. We must not make this mistake. Our children can be mighty in the Lord from a very young age if we will train them in the way they should go. This way is what we speak of today, we must simply teach our children to “Follow God’s Will.”
At this time I turn to an excerpt from last week’s message entitled, “Follow Jesus.”
Be a Good Soldier for Jesus
This would be an opportune time to speak briefly about the life of a soldier of Jesus Christ. Notice, Paul said that a good soldier does not entangle himself in the affairs of this life so that he may please Him that chose him. The best soldiers sell out completely for their cause. They have no time for distractions. A good soldier in God’s army would look like Paul, who, following the example of Jesus, went where God said when God said, and said what God told him to say.
It is very important to point out that neither Jesus nor Paul were involved in trying to overcome the systems of this world. Jesus proved this when He said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Sadly, in today’s church, many errant voices call for Christians to overcome the systems of the world in order to bring forth the kingdom of God on earth. Those of us who understand how things will play out in these last of days understand the fallacy of this path because Jesus does not need us to build His earthly kingdom, as He will establish His earthly kingdom at the end of the Tribulation, but that is a message for another day.
Where is He Leading You?
Now back to you and your call. Today, God may be calling you to accept His great salvation or He might be calling you into a new mission for Him. If either of these is true, I urge you to accept the call and begin to serve Him with all the vigor you can muster. If you are a newborn Christian, find a great church that is biblically sound and let those that God has equipped to do so teach you of Him. If you are the latter, I urge you to heed the words of Paul and begin to operate in the ministry into which God has called you.
Personally, I believe First Congregational Church in Hudson, Michigan, is a great place for either. Here, you will both learn of Christ and learn how to teach others about Him. If, while reading these words, God has stirred your heart toward us, then be like Jed Clampett of Beverly Hillbillies, load up the truck, and move to Hudson. All kidding aside, you can receive all the training you desire right here in our church in Hudson. At the same time, you can be part of our local missions team (Soldiers of the Way) and help others in the community while sharing Christ with the recipient in hopes that they hear God’s Word and accept their call to salvation or ministry. Today, I extend this invitation to anyone the Lord is calling to us. By way of example, my wife and I answered the call and came from New Castle, Indiana, to Hudson, Michigan. – end of excerpt
At this point, some may be saying, “How do I know God’s will?” The answer is simpler than most of us think. However, the false teaching spoon-fed to us over the last fifty years or so by the prosperity preachers obscures this truth. God said:
Psalm 37:4
“Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.”
Those that teach prosperity proclaim this is proof that God wants to bless you financially, physically, and/or spiritually. However, this is not what God is saying here at all. Instead, God is simply saying that He will provide unction to do His will in the heart of those who delight in Him. This, I believe, is how Enoch walked with God. He so delighted in God that God continually provided Enoch unction to do His perfect will.
We need a bit more information here so we may better understand this point. The phrase “and He shall give” in the passage above comes from the transliterated word “Nathan,” which means “to give, put, set.” Therefore, God is saying He will give, put, or set in the heart of those who delight in Him those things they should desire. This is completely contrary to the false teaching that God will provide blessings to those who delight in Him.
A bit of reflection here exposes another layer of false teaching by the prosperity preachers in that they do not want you to seek God’s will. Instead, they teach that seeking God’s will shows a lack of faith because His will is always to bless the socks off His Children. Oh, but our text provides the proverbial stake through the heart of this fallacy because we now know that “knowing God’s will” is the blessing that comes from inclining our hearts toward Him. This is how those who were destitute and/or horribly mistreated while following God’s will were included in Hebrews chapter eleven, often referred to as the “Hall of Faithfulness.”
With this in mind, we now know that we simply need to delight ourselves in the Lord and He will do the heavy lifting and provide the direction we need in our lives. Said another way, when we focus on God, He helps us know what is right in His eyes, even when our path deviates from social norms or leads us toward suffering, persecution, and even death, as modeled by the most faithful witness of Jesus and His disciples. This path is very unpopular in today’s Laodicean church; the church that believes it is rich and has need of nothing (Rev 3). However, that is a lesson for another day.
Conclusion
Being in the center of God’s will is absolutely the best way to live. This is because God blesses those who do His will (Luke 11:28), and He orders the steps of the godly as well (Ps 37:23). Therefore, we only stumble if we deviate from the path He has laid out for us. This is not to say that the life of the obedient is immune to suffering or tribulation. No, it just means that the grace of God is sufficient for whatever comes upon the faithful while they walk the path that God has planned for them.
From the school classroom to the pulpit, false teaching has inundated our children. Therefore, it is paramount that we teach them the truth, for with it, they can be like King David and slay the giants in their lives day by day as they earnestly attempt to “Follow God’s Will.”
***Incredibly, my sister-in-law just sent me a card celebrating my new placement as senior pastor, and this is the featured verse… how apropos.
Philippians 2:13
“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Website: In His Commission
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