By the Will of God
First B Jackson
2017-04-30

Automatically transcribed. Where this and the recording disagree, the recording is the record.

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Good morning. Hey, church family. How are you? Good to see you all. What a gorgeous morning.

Hey, what do you say we stand up and start this thing off right and in prayer? I'd I'd like to lead us in in prayer. God, thank you for this morning. Thank you that we are here. Thank you for breath on our lungs.

Thank you for meaning and purpose in you. Good to see you all. Have a gorgeous morning. God, we indeed were made to worship, and I I would I pray that as we approach here, we would not do so lax, but but with enthusiasm, with a a sincere heart that's that's ready to to worship you, to to be with you, to learn from you, to draw close to you. Amen.

Alright. Before the day. Before the day. Before the light, before the world bogged around the sun. Got on high, stepped down into time, and wrote the story of stuff for everyone.

And he has filled our hearts. And he has filled our hearts with wonder so that we don't waste remember. You and I made to worship. You and I are called to love. You and are forgiven and free.

You and I embrace surrender. You and I choose to lead. You and I will see who we were meant to be. All we are and all we have. All we are and all we have is all a gift from God that we receive and he has filled our hearts with wonder so that we don't always remember You and I made to worship.

You and I called to love. You and I are forgiven and free. Amen to that. You and I embrace surrender. You will not choose to believe.

You and I will see who we were meant to be.

Announcements. Here we are. I was just in my study just a second ago finishing up the digital part of the sermon today. It didn't want to work this morning. That's the first announcement.

Pray for me as I anticipate that thing not working this morning. Connect hours between services that happens or about 10:00. Down the hall, still happening whether we're doing construction or not and we are and it's looking great. Things are progressing. So, connect hour still happening at the other end of the hall.

We are having a vacation Bible school. It's coming up. It's Hero central is the theme. The sign up is in the back of the room back there. You could talk to either Krista Clemmer or Liz Owings about being a volunteer, and they need lots of volunteers.

So if you do that, that'd be great. And that's coming up soon, but I don't have the date in front of me. It's in the bulletin. June twenty third and twenty fourth. It's an abbreviated schedule this year.

It is in the bulletin. So there we go. Vacation Bible School and nursery both need volunteers. Renzi, you have something? Thank you.

This cheese looks like the Tetons.

It's At Monday night.

Just as easy as

It is potlucks, so know that. If if you come, bring a little something to share because we do eat together at Monday night. And then the other is one of the takeaways for the message is to grow where you're planted, which really grabbed a hold of me. But I would hope that would grab ahold of you too and know that the door is always open for you to come on Monday night, 06:00, meal, music, message.

Fantastic. Mondays, Awana. This is the last Awana right here in this room. Last one for this year, the school year. So please plan on being here, kiddos and adult volunteers.

Awanas are here on Monday night, 06:00, same place that always is right here in this room. And for everything else, there should be dates and times and all the stuff that I've forgotten this morning in the bulletin. Thank you, Nick. And would you all get up and greet one another, And we'll bring it back together with a song. Thank

I've he won't leave his face all night and come for a simple man to die. You counted strange, so once did I, before I knew my savior. My savior loves, my savior lives, my savior's always there for me. My God he was, my God he is, my God he's always gonna be. My savior loves, my savior lives, my savior's always there for me.

My God, he was. My God, he is. My God, he's always gonna be. Yes. Living, dying, are God alone.

And right now in the good times in bed, you were on your throne. You were God alone. And you're the only God who spies power none can contend. You're the only God whose fame man. Praise will never end.

You're the only God whose word ain't anything we can do. You are God. That's just the way it is. And he's got love. And you are God alone from before time began.

You were on your throne. You were God alone. And right now in the good times and bad, you were on your throne, you were God alone.

God, we take a moment just to pause and and thank you God for your unchangeable, unshakable, unstoppable nature. That what you set out to do, you do, and nothing can thwart your plans. We certainly can't. And I thank you, God, for being just with us, for being faithful, that no matter that no matter what, we know that you are indeed with us. Even when we don't see what's going on all around us, when we don't understand what you're doing, how you're carrying out your plan, that you indeed are.

And I thank you for your faithfulness through it, but I pray that that would also draw us closer to you. Because everything that you do is meant to do that. You're really you're calling out to us, and you're showing us your love. And I I pray that it's your love that wouldn't lead us to repentance, but it would lead us to you in Jesus' name. Great

is thy faithfulness,

You can be seated and I'll invite up the frontline team here as we participate in the worship through giving. God, I do thank you for your faithfulness. And indeed, just like we sang, all all that we need, your hand provides, and it's and it's true. You do. And I and I pray that that would move us in such a way as to be just generous back.

You say, John three sixteen says, God, loved the world that he gave, and giving is just part of loving. And I I pray that, we would be cheerful givers, and that we would, model ourselves after you in that way. Thank you, God, for these gifts. I pray that you'd use them to pray that you'd use them so that people can know who you are, that you are God. Amen.

Thank you, Florine. Alright, it's time for Peak Children's Church. Well, good morning. Glad y'all are here. I am we're in that transition stage.

We're between Colossians and Ephesians right now and so last week, we finished off and Colossians four two through six especially but we went on down through the personal remarks there but the making the most or the best use of the time and being careful of how you act around outsiders, that little ending right there and this beginning shows that these are twin books. Paul is very, very concerned with both the Colossian Church and the Ephesians Church. The Colossian Church I've told you before, he did not know that church. He'd not been to that place as far as we know. He'd never been there before.

He knew a lot of the people but they were people who had come to him either while he was in prison or he had met on his journeys but he had not been to that church and didn't found that church. Epaphras founded that church or planted that church. Ephesians, Paul went there on his second missionary journey. He went there on his third missionary journey. He spent longer in Ephesus than anywhere else.

He spent like three years in Ephesus. And so he knew these people really, really, really well. And though the teaching of both books is the same, this one has a much more personal and actually a deeper, I think, impact because I know what it's like to study in the study, and then I know what it's like to stand up here and look at your faces while I'm presenting God's word. And I know y'all, and I know what you've been through, and I know when you're happy, and I know when you're sad, I know what you're going through when things are heartbreaking. And so I can only imagine how Paul was feeling as he was writing Ephesians.

Now we'll get when we get to the next portion three through 14. It's all one sentence, and it's just this overflowing doxology praising God. But I want to start very simply today with just two verses. And they're the standard format kind of for a Pauline letter. But I don't want to just skip over them as, oh, that's the introduction.

Just skip that. Who needs that? There's a lot in there. There's a lot of juice in this orange. So we're going to squeeze it and see what we get out of it.

So Ephesians one one and two, and I'm going to concentrate the rest of the sermon at the after we go over what it says on by the will of God. Would you pray with me? God, I thank you for your word and for how it is so so good. It is so refreshing and lord, it is so affirming to the way that we experience this life. Lord, would you allow us the, freedom to actually admit when something is wrong?

Would you allow us the freedom of knowing you, lord, that you still are in control. Lord, as deep a mystery as your will is, would you give us some insight into it today? In Jesus name, amen. So, Ephesians one one and two starts off. This is what it says, the whole thing.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus, grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I can start right there. Paul. Remember Paul? We've been talking about Paul a lot because we're going in a chronological study of the New Testament and right now, for the last little while, we've gone through first and second Thessalonians that Paul wrote.

We've gone through Galatians which Paul wrote. First Corinthians, second Corinthians, Romans, and most recently, Colossians. And so as we're walking through and Philemon, by the way. So all of these, we're still talking about Paul. What hits me so hard about Paul is he always introduces himself as either a slave of, a bondservant of, or an apostle.

An apostle is someone who is sent out. Apostle, apostolos is someone who is sent and he says he's sent out by Christ Jesus, an apostle of Christ Jesus. Messiah Jesus, the anointed one of God who has been long awaited. Is the one that sent Paul out. That's important.

That's not something you just slough over. Even if he says it every single time and we've become used to it, he is an apostle of the Messiah, the anointed one of God, the only one that has made solution for our sin, for our problem. An apostle of Christ Jesus. Then by the will of God, that's what's captivating me this week. We'll get to that in a minute.

We'll come back to it. But think about the by the will of God this way. It's either God spoke it to be. It is God's will of decree. He spoke the universe into existence and it just became because he wanted it to become and he spoke it into existence and that is God's will or there's that's his will, we'll say, of decree.

These are not my terms. These are old, old terms. Will of decree or his will of command. As will of command is what he wants to see happen but he's leaving it up to us. Like his will of command would be thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal.

Do people kill and do people steal? So God did not decree that it could not happen. He said it should not happen. So his will is both his decree which he brings to pass. Stopping the sun in the air.

He did that during a battle in the Old Testament, right? He decrees things and he can just make it be. And then there are other things that he leaves up to our human responsibility and obedience. So we're talking about the sovereignty of God We're and talking about human responsibility whenever we talk about the will of God. And when we were singing this morning, I told Carl what we were what I was preaching on.

He goes, oh, yes, songs about God's sovereignty. You are God alone From before time began, all these songs that we sang are about God's sovereignty. Well, at the invitation, it's going to be man's responsibility. I said, give a Calvinistic lead in and an Armenian invitation, okay? Because both of these things are true under the will of God.

So, we're going to get to that. To the saints who are in Ephesus, this is a standard thing too. The holy ones, the ones who God has made holy. To the holy ones, the church folk at Ephesus. Now, he starts off most of his letters with to the saints at Rome or to the saints who are at Colossians, whatever.

He starts them off that way. This one, he ups the ante just a little bit. He knows these people. He's looking at their faces as he's writing this, as he's dictating this to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus. Not just saints.

Oh, yeah. Made a decision one time. These are folks who really mean it. They're folks who are faithful to that God that saved them. There's a lot in this.

The only way to be faithful is to be faithful in Christ Jesus. Otherwise, we are, like James says, double minded, blown about by every wind of doctrine. Faithful in Christ Jesus. Grace to you, which is significant. He always says grace to you at the beginning.

And I always say start and end with grace. Well, as I was studying at this time, I noticed something different. It's not just grace to you at the beginning and at the end. It's grace at the beginning to you. He's delivering it as an apostle, one who's called, sent out with the message of almighty God under Jesus's command, he carries the grace that God gave him and he sends it out to you.

So, the grace to you, unmerited favor to you and peace. At the end of the book though, he says grace with you. Grace with you because now that you've got it, you can be a conduit for it. So from one two to six twenty four, he's gonna expound on the goodness and the mystery, this cosmic mystery that is the will of God and how this this is supposed to grow. He's doing this and from now, he's transmitting grace to you and by the end of the study, he's going, okay, you've got grace now.

You understand it. Send it out. Be the channel of this grace. Grace to you and peace. From the only place that's available, from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ and and there equates those two two things.

It's a statement of Jesus's deity. God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ and that and is grace and peace. They're equal things. Peace comes with grace and they only come from one place, God our father and our Lord Jesus Christ. So, that is the mechanics of it.

That's the grammar of it. That's how those things go. Paul's first missionary journey, that's a terrible, terrible map. Ephesus is right there. So, on his first missionary journey, he did not get all that close.

He went to Antioch. It was about as close as he got to Ephesus. On his second missionary journey, hey, somebody back there in the back was trying to fix that map. Thank you very much. So, that's his first missionary journey.

His second missionary journey, he makes it to Ephesus. After he goes to Antioch and Tarsus and then he hears that Macedonian call in Troas and goes across, goes all the way down to Corinth, and then he comes across and he lands at Ephesus. And that's when he stays there for such a long time. And he stayed there for a long time and got to know the people. He argued in the synagogue for Christ, Jesus being the Christ, the Messiah.

And he also had a significant Gentile church that grew up around there. On his third missionary journey, Acts 18 tells us and they came to Ephesus and he left them there. Oh, that's sorry. That's secondary. They came to Ephesus and he left them there but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

That's his second missionary journey that he did that and then, he carried on and the Gentile church began to grow so fast there that there came to be a riot because he was messing up the economy of selling all the little trinkets for the gods, right? So, this is that Paul. Second journey. Third journey, he goes from Corinth over to Ephesus and that one, he actually doesn't go straight to Ephesus. He goes to Miletus nearby and he calls for the Ephesian elders and as the Ephesians come over, he has a tearful reunion with him.

He cries on the beach. I had a professor in seminary that said, Paul stayed too long in Ephesus. Always have an exit plan. Always have an exit strategy. He shouldn't have gotten that attached.

Obviously, this guy was task oriented, not relationship oriented. Drove me nuts being in his class. He would look at the clock over the wall whenever anybody else was talking, and then he'd look at you when he wanted you to finish. Okay. Alright.

You're enough. Now let me talk again. I've got a task. I have to teach you something. No.

Anyway, good guy. We need both kinds. So Ephesus, he says that he stayed too long in Ephesus. He shouldn't have gotten that attached. He should have kept on rolling.

Well, for a guy in his time, Paul did a lot of rolling. But Ephesus was kind of a home base and you can see the sweetness that he feels for these people in the letter that he writes to him. So, that just gives you a little bit for the transitional time between Colossians and Ephesians. Think about, okay, these are folks he knows and he knows well. He skips in his introduction a little bit of the, oh, I thank God for you and this, that, and other thing.

He skips that entirely. So he goes from this introduction that we're doing to a complete doxology of God in his infinite greatness and cosmic scope. He does this introduction rather than thanking them because he knows that they know him and they love him and he loves them and so this is a pretty amazing book. What I got stuck on this week is by the will of God and a couple of reasons. You all have heard me say for last month that my cousin who passed away, my good friend, just died at 45 years old, four months older than me.

And you wrestle with that sort of thing, you know? I know that y'all have people that have passed on and you're wrestling with, was that God's will that this guy died at 45 with a wife and two kids? Well, you have two camps in theology that argue. One of them says, well, it came to pass so it was God's will that this guy died. And you have another that says, no, that's a product of the fall.

Death was never intended in the first place. This is something that got started. It is just going to be. I've had a couple other very difficult situations present themselves in the past couple of weeks. One of one of them is a life and death matter where someone was counseling and doing all they could to counsel and the person rejected good counsel and died.

Sorry. Another one, a marriage is falling apart, neither side will break and get back together. Good counsel given, not mine. I would have given the same counsel. It wasn't mine.

But it doesn't matter. It's doing everything right and still having it go wrong. You know what I'm saying? So the by the will of God. I I look at Paul right here and he says, I'm I am an apostle.

I am a sent out one of Christ Jesus by the will of God and when he says that, is he saying that I believe that it's God's will in my life so I'm doing this or is he saying God has decreed this to be so. I think in Paul's case, he's actually saying, God has decreed this to be so. You know why I think that? Because he was adamantly against him. Have we seen before the by the will of God though?

Have we seen it before? So, in first Corinthians, which was two years ago that we started studying it. Paul called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. In second Corinthians, Paul, an apostle of Christ by the will of God. Second Timothy, we haven't gotten to yet in our chronological study but he says, I, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.

According to the promise of the life that is in Christ Jesus. By the will of God, I want you to consider these. I'm not going to read all of em especially ones in Acts. They're very very long. Basically, the three down here in Acts talk about Paul's conversion and these talk about Paul in his previous life.

I am gonna read the first couple. Galatians one thirteen and fourteen says, for you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. That was Paul's mindset. He tells this to the Galatians early early in their letter.

Acts seven fifty seven through eight three is what I'm going to read. But they cried out with a loud voice and they stopped up their ears and they rushed together at him and this is Stephen's martyrdom, okay? Fairly early in the book of Acts. It's before the disciples started spreading out and being the witnesses where Jesus said they would be the witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the other most parts. They hadn't been spreading out.

They've been clumping together around Jerusalem and the stoning of Stephen is what this is about. They cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and they rushed together at him while Stephen was praying. They rushed at him. Then, they cast him out of the city and they stoned him and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul and as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and falling to his knees, he cried out with a loud voice. Lord, do not hold this sin against them.

And when he had said this, he fell asleep, he died. And Saul approved of his execution and there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria except the apostles, devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him but Saul was ravaging the church and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. Now, Jesus had said, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts to the ends of the earth and they didn't do it and it still happened, Okay? Were they disobedient to him before Stephen Stoney? I think they were.

I think they were. They were clumping up. This is for us and for these folks right around here. I don't really need to go do a. Nah, we're just right here.

But then there arose a day of great persecution against the church in Jerusalem and they were scattered. So, there they are, his witnesses carrying forth his word, carrying forth that gospel. Saul though was ravaging the church. He did not want to see it spread. Anything he could do, he was going to do.

Acts nine is Luke's third person account. It's just kind of a narrator's account of what happened at Paul's conversion. It's a little long but stick with me. Most of you know the story. Some of you don't.

But Saul still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus that if he found any belonging to the way, Christians, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now, as he went on his way, he approached Damascus and suddenly, a light from heaven shown around him and falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Who was Paul? Saul persecuting Christians, the church, the body of Christ. What did Jesus say to him?

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? That's one of the earliest to me. That is a really strengthening thing. If someone is persecuting you for your faith, they are persecuting Christ. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

And he said, who are you, lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city and you'll be told what you're to do. The man who were traveling with him stood speechless hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground and although his eyes were open, he saw nothing.

So, they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus and for three days, he was without sight, neither ate nor drank. Now, there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias and he said, here I am, here I am, lord. I love that. And the Lord said to him, rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas, look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. For behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.

But Ananias answered, Lord, I've heard about from many about this man. How much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem? And here, he has authority from the chief priest to bind all who call on your name. But the Lord said to him, go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.

So, Ananias departed and entered the house and laying hands on him and said, brother, Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came and sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit and immediately something like scales from his eyes and he regained his sight then he arose and was baptized and taken food. He was strengthened and for some days, he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately, he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues. Is that a dramatic conversion? That's why we say, oh, he had a Damascus Road conversion talking about politicians and everybody else.

It's incredibly dramatic. For some days, he was with the disciples. Okay. Okay. Okay.

I think I get that. I got that. I got that. He had his direct message from God. He knew the scriptures in Judaism.

He knew pagan stuff too. Immediately proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues because he saw him as the son of God. He said, very simply, he is the son of God and all who heard him were amazed and said, is is not this? The man who made havoc in Jerusalem and of those who called upon this name. And has he not come here for this purpose to bring them bound before the chief priests?

But Saul increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. That's a dramatic story. Paul tells exactly the same story in Acts 22. He gives a first person account when he is in the midst of a riot and he knows exactly what to do. If you're in the midst of a riot and you can't get out of it start a theological or political argument.

So he started this theological political argument. There's a resurrection. There's no resurrection and as the crowd is confused he asked the soldiers to let who are arresting him to let him speak, and he gives that same account of his conversion but from first person. He says, brothers and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you. He starts off and tells the same story, tailored to the audience, but he tells the same story.

I won't read it all. It's long. Remember the first part where he said he will present to Gentiles and to the people of Israel and to kings? Acts 26, Paul gives a first person account of his conversion before King Agrippa. The king is now listening.

And the king, towards the end of it, it's long too, says this, In such a short time, Paul, by telling me the story of your conversion, That's what he's done. He just told him his story. That's all that he had done. Remember last week when I said, declaring the mystery of Christ and making it plain is tell your story. Paul was telling his story and this is King Agrippa's response.

In such a short time, would you persuade me to be a Christian? And Paul's response is, whether short or long, I'd love, I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am except for these chains. I want for you to be a Christian and find your peace in him. Agrippa declares him innocent just like Pilate had declared Jesus innocent, but yet he still had to go. Right?

This man is doing nothing to deserve death or imprisonment. And Agrippa said to Festus, this man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. Well, within the will of God, he appealed to Caesar. So, he gets to carry on. Did that eventually bring his demise?

It did. So, if we're studying not just from this but from all the text that we've covered so far, the will of God. I want you to think about Paul adamantly against the church, a murderer adamantly against Christ deserved to be damned. The worst, the chief of sinners, he called himself on multiple occasions and because he had good reason. He wasn't just false humility.

He really believed that. So, Paul's gospel of grace that he promotes everywhere he goes, he learned it firsthand directly because he knew he didn't deserve it and he took it on. Now, for the rest of the sermon, it's going to be what God's will is for our lives as his people. First things first, God wants people to be saved. Today, you don't hear nearly as much about this as we might have a hundred years ago or fifty years ago.

God really wants for people to be saved. He says so in first in second Peter three. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise as some men count slackness but he is long suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish. That word there is for willing. That's why I use the King James.

Some say desire, some say wanting, willing. God is not willing that any should perish. Now, is that by decree? Did God decree that none should perish? No.

Unless you're Rob Bell, you don't believe that, okay? Universalism is a tempting heresy. God has made a way for people to be saved but it is in obedience to his command. He wants for them to be saved. He's not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Will they? No. It's a quiet room here at First B this morning. This is good and it is pleasing in the sight of God, our savior, who desires for all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. That's from first Timothy two.

He wants for people to be saved. You don't believe me? Matthew 18. So, it is not the will of my father who is in heaven that anyone of these little ones should perish. This is parable of the lost sheep.

He leaves at ninety nine and goes after the one. He's making best use of the time. Careful about how you act around outsiders and stragglers. It's not the will of my father who's in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. Luke nineteen ten, for the son of man came to seek and to save the lost.

Now, who's lost? To begin with. Everybody. God also wants or wills for his people to be spirit filled. I know spirit filled is a kind of a euphemistic thing to divide Pentecostalism apart from Christianity.

I think that there's a blurrier line there than there should be and we are all to be spirit filled, okay? Amen. God wants his people to be spirit filled. I get that straight from Ephesians. Down the line, we haven't gotten there yet.

Look carefully then how you walk. Sounds like Colossians. Not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time. Sounds like Colossians because the days themselves are evil. Therefore, don't be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Don't get drunk with wine for that is debauchery but be filled with the spirit, addressing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing, making melody to the heart, from the heart, to the heart, to the Lord with your heart. Giving thanks always and for everything to God the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. Who or what is in control? Are we in control? Are we allowing the spirit of God to control us?

His will is that we would allow the spirit of God to control us. I think he uses wine well here because that is something that leads to an absence of control. And so to be controlled by the spirit of God is the exact antithesis to being controlled or out of control under the influence of wine. God wants for his people to be pure. Purity, holiness matters to be sanctified.

First Thessalonians four three says, it is God's will that you should be sanctified, that you should avoid sexual immorality, that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans who do not know God and that in this manner, no one should wrong or take advantage of brother or sister. Romans twelve one and two. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world. But be transformed by the renewal of your mind by that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

I think all of us at Baranas fall short right there but since he wants for us to be sanctified, since he wants for us to be pure and we're not, this is the way in to that purity. If we confess our sins, he's faithful and just to be forgiving us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Praise God. That's the way he works. He convinces us of his righteousness, convicts us for our sin, and if we will humble ourselves, he will sanctify us.

God wants for his people to be thankful. This is sometimes a struggle. In everything, give thanks. For this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. That one is arguably the most clear of what God's will is for your life to be thankful in everything.

Actually, the passage that I just read says, giving thanks always and for everything to God. This is his will for you. This one's unpopular, but true. It's not just for women. Okay.

There we go. Thank you. Appropriate use of the make it plain. Thank you. God wants his people to be submissive.

Actually, I like this shortened version and if I had to pick some bumper sticker verses that are not bumper sticker verses right now, I like this one. For it is God's will that by doing good, you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. It is not by arguing with them. It is by doing good and it's actually, if you read back two more verses, it's by submitting. I've had a very difficult situation that I'm going through with a family right now where they have no power, none, whatsoever.

And they are having to submit themselves to courts and submit themselves and to continue doing good knowing that they may lose in the end. Be subject to the Lord's for the Lord's sake to every human institution whether it be to the emperor as supreme or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God that by doing good, you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. By doing good, not by arguing, not by fighting, by continuing to do good. Love this, John Wesley quote, do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times that you can, to all the people that you can, as long as you ever can.

Amen. So, in this sermon, I've borrowed heavily from Richard Strauss and John Piper and John Wesley and a few other guys. Just the whole gamut of what is the will of God really mean? And all of them agree on this. God wants for his people to be ready to suffer.

That's not to say God wants for his people to suffer but he realizes that when you relinquish humans to their own responsibility, some of them will reject and fail and they will hurt other people. So, God wants for his people to be ready to suffer. First Peter three seventeen, which we've covered, for it is better to suffer for doing good if that should be God's will than for doing evil. First Peter four nineteen, therefore, let those who suffer according to God's will, entrust their souls to a faithful creator while they are doing good. What you do matters.

It's not how you gain your salvation but it does matter for other people. First Peter four fourteen through 16 says this, if you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you but let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet, if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in that name. Philippians, which we haven't gotten to yet but we will get there next. For it has been granted to you that you, for the sake of Christ, you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.

Second Timothy three twelve, indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted. That drains a bit but I like this one. Jesus said, I have said all of these things to you that in me, you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation but take heart. I've overcome the world.

Amen. I could probably end it right there. I think I have a few more slides. Oh, yes. Spurgeon.

I didn't want to forget the guys that I've been heavily reading this week, and I spelled Spurgeon wrong. But Strauss says this, and this is where I got the the different categories. I've mentioned before to y'all that I'm more of a lateral thinker than a linear thinker. I use the slides for your benefit, not for mine, so that I can stay on course, hopefully. I thought Strauss, this sentence struck me.

Here then are six very clear declarations of God's will for our lives as believers. God wants us to be saved, spirit filled, pure, thankful, submissive, and ready to suffer. Now, for those of you who are saying, should I marry this person? Should I not marry this person? Should I leave Jackson?

Not in the summertime. What in the world? Should I leave? Should I move? Should I move to this different house?

What should I do? I'm seeking the will of God in my life. Seek God's wisdom in applying them to the next decision that you make. What he wants for you is to be saved. Are you saved?

If not, we're gonna do a very Armenian invitation here in just a few minutes. Okay? Not Armenian, Armenian. This is saying it is your responsibility. Now that you have heard the truth, it is your responsibility to come to him and to say, I want that.

By responding to the gospel, you are one of the elect. Are you spirit filled? Does the spirit of God permeate your life and your decision making? Are you pure? Do you wanna be?

Real quick example. It's straight up 10:00 and I know it. I yesterday I've been trying to lose weight. I mention this every once in a while. So I went through the drive through at Wendy's because they have gluten free chili.

I love gluten free chili. It's wonderful. So as I was going through, I ordered. And when I got to the window, what they had given me, I ordered two things of gluten free chili. That's what I wanted.

No onions, no cheese. I just want them just like that, straight up with water. And when I got to the window, what they gave me was what I really wanted, was a number two, double with cheese and everything on it. And that's what I wanted so bad with two gluten filled buns. And I had a choice in front of me whether I wanted to be pure, and I chose to be thankful.

I ate it with God's blessing, and I felt terrible afterwards. Absolutely terrible. God wants for his people to be submissive to the authorities over them. Now I have been into some of your offices, and y'all have people over you who are not nice people. They're not kind.

They're not friendly. They're passive aggressive. Some are just outright aggressive. You know what God says to be? Submissive.

And that that's how they are gonna know Jesus. And if they don't, you've done all you can do. Ready to suffer. That's part of it. Seek God's wisdom and applying them to the next decision you make because that's what he wants us to be right there.

And I I have one last closing question to ponder because I think about Pilate. So, will of God is that no one would murder. Pilate found a man innocent and then murdered him. Okay? Now, God can work.

He says in Romans eight twenty eight, he works altogether for good to those who love God and are called according to his purpose. So, Pilate chose against God's command to murder and it was still God's plan. Does that make sense? It was still within the will of God. That betrayal of Judas.

All of that. So, I want you to consider this all week. Would you rather have God work through your obedience? All of those things that I just mentioned or would you rather him work in spite of your disobedience? I want to work.

I want him to work through what I do not in spite of what I have done. Does that make sense? Okay. Let's ponder that one together. Carl, would you come on up?

We're going to sing, I surrender all. Would you stand with us? We'll sing maybe one verse, Carl. How about that? And if you want to come down front and pray at the altar, the altar is always open.

If you would like to come talk to me, I'll turn off the mic and lay down the base and I'll be glad to talk to you. So we make it our goal to please him. That is Christ, almighty God. Whether we are at home, in the body, or away from it. Amen.