Luke 22:42 “Father,
if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be
done.”
Continuing Pastor Obie’s
sermon, he proclaims that there are tremendous implications for “not my will,
but God’s will be done” on our lives today (1) Through Christ it accomplished
God’s “Redemption Plan” for us lost sinners, and (2) It serves as a model for
us to live out in our lives. We have “free Will” to choose to do things our way
or God’s way. The problem is that, because of our “sin nature”, our way is not
always the best. Putting God’s will over our will leads to a life of blessing,
having a potential to save your relationships today and your soul from eternal
separation from God and eternal damnation.
1 Peter 4:1-2 “Therefore,
since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the
same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that
he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the
lusts of men, but for the will of God.”
But, what is the will of
God? The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “Will” as: That faculty of the mind by which we
determine either to do or forbear an action; the faculty which is exercised in
deciding, among two or more objects, which we shall embrace or pursue. The will
is directed or influenced by the judgment. The understanding or reason compares
different objects, which operate as motives; the judgment determines which is
preferable, and the will decides which to pursue. In other words, we reason
with respect to the value or importance of things; we then judge which is to be
preferred; and we will to take the most valuable. These are but different
operations of the mind, soul, or intellectual part of man. Great disputes have
existed respecting the freedom of the will. Will is often quite a different
thing from desire.
It is important to be able
to distinguish between our own selfish reasoning, judgment, preferences and
will, and the perfect will of God. To discern and understand God’s will, Obie
categorize three types of God’s will. (1) God’s Providential Will, which will
come to pass. (2) God’s Moral Will, which are pure and ethical. And, (3) God’s
Personal Will for our life. God reveals His holy and just Will in a number of
ways, like through revelation, through godly Prophets, Pastors and Teachers,
but primarily through His Holy Word; the Sacred Scriptures found within the
Holy Bible. So, read your Bible!
1 Timothy 2:3-4 “For this
is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;
4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come
unto the knowledge of the truth.”
Pastor Obie explained three
points within Scripture that reveal God’s Providential, Moral and Personal Will
for us. (1) It is God’s Will that we be saved unto eternal life and come to
know Him. Salvation is the whole reason that Jesus Christ came from heaven to
earth. It was not for behavior modification, making bad people good, but to
make spiritually dead people alive by bringing redemption to humanity,
forgiving our sins and trespasses in order to provide a pathway to eternal life
and a stairway to heaven. Through reading of the Word of God, we get to know
God intimately in meditation and prayer, in connection with our Maker. The more
we get to know God, the more we get to know and understand His Will, His
thoughts, His Ways and His innermost desires. Then, our ways begin to align,
Sync, and mirror Him, so that His ways become our ways. We get to know God’s
Will so well that, in any situation, we are able to know the way God would have
us act and go. God wants us to get a glimpse of His heart and truly know Him in
a deeper way.
Let’s stop here, meditate
upon Pastor Obie’s message here and continue his explanation of God’s Will plus
three ways to help us do God’s will, in the next post. Blessings.
In Christ, Brian
No comments:
Post a Comment