By the Will of God

In one paragraph

This message opened First Baptist Jackson's study of Ephesians by pausing on just two verses, Ephesians 1:1-2, and spending most of the time on four words inside them: "by the will of God." Pastor Mark brought personal grief into the room honestly, wrestling with what it means to say anything is God's will when a 45-year-old cousin dies, a marriage is falling apart, and good counsel keeps getting...

Read together

1. Ephesians 1:1-2 primary text for the sermon, read in full and expounded at length
2. 2 Peter 3:9 quoted to show God is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance
3. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 quoted to show God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth
4. Matthew 18 parable of the lost sheep cited to show it is not the will of the Father that any little one should perish
5. Luke 19:10 quoted to show the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost
6. Ephesians 5:15-21 quoted to show God's will is for his people to be spirit filled rather than drunk with wine
7. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6 quoted to show it is God's will that his people be sanctified and avoid sexual immorality
8. Romans 12:1-2 quoted to show believers are to present their bodies as a living sacrifice and discern the will of God
9. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 quoted as arguably the clearest statement of God's will: give thanks in everything
10. 1 Peter 2:13-15 quoted to show God's will is that by doing good his people silence the ignorance of foolish people
11. 1 Peter 3:17 quoted to show it is better to suffer for doing good if that should be God's will than for doing evil
12. 1 Peter 4:19 quoted to show those who suffer according to God's will should entrust their souls to a faithful creator
13. 1 Peter 4:14-16 quoted to show that suffering as a Christian is no cause for shame but an occasion to glorify God
14. Philippians 1:29 quoted to show it has been granted to believers to suffer for the sake of Christ
15. 2 Timothy 3:12 quoted to show all who desire to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted
16. John 16:33 quoted as Jesus promising tribulation in the world but peace in him because he has overcome the world
17. Romans 8:28 cited to show God works all things together for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose
18. Galatians 1:13-14 quoted to describe Paul's former life persecuting the church and his zeal for the traditions of his fathers
19. Acts 7:57-8:3 read to recount Stephen's martyrdom and Saul's approval of it and his subsequent ravaging of the church
20. Acts 9:1-22 read at length as Luke's third-person account of Paul's dramatic Damascus Road conversion
21. 1 Corinthians 1:1 cited to show Paul consistently identifies himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God
22. 2 Corinthians 1:1 cited as another instance of Paul calling himself an apostle by the will of God
23. 2 Timothy 1:1 cited as yet another instance of Paul's self-identification as apostle by the will of God

Talk about it

1. The pastor described two aspects of God's will: his will of decree, which he brings to pass, and his will of command, which he leaves to human responsibility and obedience. Where have you seen both of these at work in your own life?
2. Paul introduced himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and the pastor pointed out that Paul had been violently opposed to Christ before his conversion. How does Paul's story shape the way you think about God's will being at work in unlikely or even painful circumstances?
3. The pastor listed six things the Bible says God wills for his people: to be saved, spirit-filled, pure, thankful, submissive, and ready to suffer. Which of these is hardest for you to accept as genuinely being God's will, and why?
4. The pastor read from 1 Peter that it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil, and he described a family in a situation where they have no power and must keep doing good even though they may lose. What does it look like practically to keep doing good when circumstances are not going your way?
5. The pastor closed by asking whether you would rather God work through your obedience or in spite of your disobedience, using Pilate and Judas as examples of God accomplishing his purposes even through disobedient choices. How does that question sit with you, and what difference does your answer make to how you live this week?