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Knowing the Will of God

Part 3

3rd April 2009

Over the last two weeks, we've looked at three important keys to knowing God's will :

I hope and expect that none of these have come as a surprise to anybody.

Jesus, our example in all things, showed the importance of what these things. He said:

John 6v38
For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

John 4v34
"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

John 5v19
Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

Even when He was just 12 years old, He was in the temple, studying the scriptures. And many times we read of Him quoting the scriptures, and obeying them, particularly when tempted.

And we read of several occasions when He spent time praying alone.

To repeat: the most important key is actually wanting to know and obey God's will for you. If you want that, of course you'll read your Bible and pray regularly.

If you're serious about God's will, then you will already be using the next key, which is:

Obey what you've already heard

The writer to the Hebrews wrote:

Hebrews 5v12
In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!

He meant that if you don't accept (and obey) the basic stuff, then you can't understand the advanced stuff.

And why would God show you more of His will for you if you disobey what He's already shown you?

May I recommend that you read Ezekiel 20v1-31? Here, the elders of Israel go to the prophet to enquire of the Lord. God refuses to let them do so, because they had not obeyed the Law. That is, they had not been faithful to the scriptures that they had been given. Surely, today, God has the right to insist that we obey the scriptures we've been given before He tells us anything else.

The fifth key is:

Become sensitive to the Holy Spirit

John 14v23-26
Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

The Holy Spirit is our Counsellor. Jesus promised that He would come to us, and that he would teach us. The Greek word translated as "Counsellor" is paracletos. It means "one who comes alongside". The Holy Spirit teaches us about Jesus and about all things, including what God wants for us. We should not be in any way surprised that the Holy Spirit talks to Christians, although His voice is seldom discerned using the ear. We need to use our "inner ear" to hear Him speak. But the issue is not about whether the Holy Spirit will speak to His people - of course He will. The issue is whether we will listen.

In order to listen to God, we need to value solitude and silence. We need to set aside time to be quiet before God, to still our hearts and minds before Him. so that we can hear Him.

We also need to develop quieter lifestyles generally, so that our heads are not full of TV or music, so we have the capacity to listen for God's voice.

Many people find this the hardest discipline of all: being quiet. But quietness brings huge benefits. It enables us to connect properly with the King of the Universe, speaking to us, touching and healing us, through His Spirit.

God promises us:

Isaiah 30v21
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."