 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
The Will of God
By William R. Cunningham
November 4, 2007
Introduction
This week in the city of Philadelphia, a police officer, Chuck Cassidy, was shot in the head by a person robbing a Dunkin’ Donut shop. There are many shootings in the city of Philadelphia. I have been close to shootings, stabbings, robberies, and an assortment of other crimes as I grew up in Philadelphia. However, the shooting of the police officer seemed to have struck a nerve in the entire nation. There is a universal cry for justice especially since the fallen officer left behind a wife and three children.
However, for me there was more to this than what the news provided. When I heard that the police officer was shot and in critical condition in the hospital, I immediately started to pray earnestly for him. I was begging God to spare his life. I pleaded with the Lord that the fallen police officer would live. However, the next day my wife said that he died. I was extremely heart broken. Why wasn’t he spared? Why did he not live? Why didn’t God come down and rescue him and restore his life?
I felt as though God should have come and rescued officer Cassidy from death. I was certain that surely this office, who has struck a nerve in the entire nation, would indeed live. I even thought that it was premature for the Catholic ministers to give him his last rites. They saw him and evidently didn’t expect him to live. How could they have lacked faith, I thought? Surely God would spare officer Cassidy. However, he died anyway. The nerve of the nation was touched even more by his death, but that doesn’t help his wife and three children. Why couldn’t he live? Why didn’t God save him?
I didn’t understand the officer’s death from the perspective of faith. There are a number of things that I don’t understand from the perspective of faith. However, I see in myself that my perspective of faith is inaccurate and inconsistent with what the bible reveals about faith and the will of God. Was it God’s will that officer Cassidy die? Was it God’s will that he be shot? What about God’s will for the Dunkin donut shop to be robbed? We could go further back and ask about God’s will for all of the events that led up to that day, even to the birth of the man that shot officer Cassidy. Where was God?
I have learned through the study of theology and apologetics that for one thing, God is not looking down on the events of the earth emotionless. He grieves with us. I believe that God is grieving with the family because of the death of officer Cassidy. But God is almighty and all powerful. Couldn’t he have stepped in and saved officer Cassidy. Couldn’t he have caused officer Cassidy to not walk in that donut shop at that moment or even caused him to be delayed so that he would arrive after the robbery? What was God’s will? That is the question that I have been asking myself for years. What is God’s will in various events and especially in my own life?
In this sermon we are going to briefly look at the will of God. We will see what the bible reveals to us about the will of God so that we don’t falsely accuse God of evil and blame him for the things that happen to us and others in the world.
Scripture Lesson
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15 NKJV)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV)
We all have plans for what we are going to do today and what we will do in the future. However, the fact of the matter is, we really don’t know what will happen at the next second and we surely do not know what will happen tomorrow. James said that we should instead say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” This is not to say that everything that happens is God’s will. Sometimes the will of God is divided into his permissive will and his absolute will. The permissive will of God are those things that he allows, but did not necessarily purpose. The absolute will of God are those things that happen that God specifically wants to happen. However, even here, we do not know his permissive will or absolute will. We can’t say for sure what God definitely wants and what things he merely allows.
By stating that we will do this or that if it is God’s will simply causes us to acknowledge the fact that we really are not in control of anything. Ultimately God is in control and what he wants is ultimately what is going to occur.
Solomon told us not to lean on our own understanding, but instead acknowledge God in the things that we do and the situations in our lives. God will direct our paths if we do that. We believe that things should happen based on our own understanding, but the fact of the matter is that God knows a whole lot more than me and you. What may appear to be a catastrophe, though it may be in the short term, may be part of a bigger purpose for God. At best we really know very little about anything, especially the events that shape history and the course of our own lives.
Let’s now look at some scripture verses regarding the will of God so that we could at least get a better grasp on it and hopefully help us to cope with the events in history. The bible will paint a picture of reality with regards to the will of God and the events that occur in our lives. I am not saying that the bible will show you the definitive answer to why things happen. However, the bible does reveal something of the operation of the will of God in events on the earth. We can take that revelation as reality and it will help keep us from developing an expectation of utopia for all Christians.
Scripture Revelation of God’s Will
God’s will through the activities of others
So Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it? Come, please, let me now give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. Go immediately to King David and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord, O king, swear to your maidservant, saying, “Assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’ Then, while you are still talking there with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words.” So Bathsheba went into the chamber to the king. (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was serving the king.) And Bathsheba bowed and did homage to the king. Then the king said, “What is your wish?” Then she said to him, “My lord, you swore by the Lord your God to your maidservant, saying, ‘Assuredly Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’ So now, look! Adonijah has become king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know about it. (1 Kings 1:11-18 NKJV)
This is an excellent example of the will of God in action in a way that we may not expect. God had purposed that Solomon would be King of Israel and that he would build the temple. However, Adonijah, David’s fourth son, had declared himself to be king (See 1 Kings 1:1-12). Had the will of God been thwarted? What happens next is very important to understanding the will of God within our lives.
Both the prophet Nathan and Bathsheba played a role to enforce the will of God. Nathan approached Bathsheba when he discovered the plot of Adonijah’s kingship and Bathsheba approached King David about it. David then declared Solomon as king, thus thwarting Adonijah’s plans and establishing God’s will. The important point here is that people played a part in establishing and enforcing the will of God. If Nathan had not approached Bathsheba and she had not approached David then Adonijah probably would have been king. Now you could argue that God would have done it another way. Well that’s the point here. God did establish his will, but he did it through the actions of people. Perhaps we have a role in the will of God being done on the earth.
Praying God’s Will
In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV)
I underlined the part of this scripture that I wanted to highlight. Jesus taught his disciples to pray that the will of God be done. Here’s the question. Why should we pray for God’s will to be done on earth if God’s will is automatically done? If we consider the above illustration with David and Solomon, then we can see that we have a part to play in God’s will being done on the earth. Things don’t happen on the earth by magic or miraculously. It appears, as we learned in our lesson of God’s providence, that God carries out his will and establishes his purpose on the earth by including the activities of people. For example, Jesus had to die in order for us to have salvation, which was an act of a person. The apostles had to preach in order for the gospel to be heard and people receive the salvation that Jesus died for. Therefore, we should pray for the will of God as we pray for everything else.
What God Desires
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:3-4 NKJV)
God desires that everyone be saved. However, the fact of the matter is that everyone will not be saved. Some people will reject the salvation provided to us through Jesus Christ. Does this mean that it is possible for God’s will to be thwarted? Of course not. It only means that we sometimes don’t do what God wants. It would be different if the bible declared that God will save everyone or that God will cause everyone to come to the knowledge of the truth. We know that salvation is available for everyone, but only those who believe will be saved.
So we can be sure that what God desires with regards to humanity is not always what happens. However, at the same time we know that what God commands or what he purposes will surely come to pass.
Transformation to Know God’s Will
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:1-2 NKJV)
This is a very important scripture regarding the will of God. The Apostle Paul states that a transformed person will be able to determine the will of God. We are transformed by the renewing of our minds. Paul’s statement also implies that conforming to the world will keep us from knowing the will of God. We also see that we have to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy (set apart), and acceptable to God. We have to deny the flesh so that we can live for God. Living for the flesh will keep us from knowing the will of God. This points to righteousness, or more precisely, righteous living. So in order to know the will of God, we must be truly righteous and a new creation in Christ. There is no way that a person living after the flesh can truly know God or his will.
Counsel and God’s Will
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise. (Proverbs 12:15 NKJV)
Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established. (Proverbs 15:22 NKJV)
We learned earlier that God’s will may be manifested sometimes by the activities of individuals. These verses seem to imply how our activities should be governed. We can do one thing or another as a result of counseling. We can ask the advice of others to help us make a decision regarding the course of our lives. This is indeed part of the providence of God, namely working through others to accomplish his will. So one aspect of knowing the will of God is to seek counseling from those qualified to counsel (you wouldn’t ask about a plumbing problem of someone who knows nothing of plumbing, for example).
God’s Specific Will for the Body of Christ
For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-6 NKJV)
Paul declares the specific will of God regarding several topics.
- Sanctification – maturity in Christ
- Abstain from sexual immorality
- Do not take advantage of and defraud his brother
Basically the will of God here is that we abstain from sexual immorality. Therefore, if something is sexually immoral then we know it is not God’s will for us.
For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— (1 Peter 2:15 NKJV)
Here we can see that it is the will of God that we do good. This will put to silence those who speak foolishly of Christianity. Jesus Christ also told us to let our light shine so that people will see our good works and give God glory (See Matthew 5:16).
Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator. (1 Peter 4:19 NKJV)
Now here is where our utopia idea about the will of God breaks down. Peter plainly states that suffering may be in accordance with the will of God. It may not be that God wills the suffering, but as a whole, it is in accordance with God’s will. The early Christians and even Christians in oppressive and hostile nations today experience suffering because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Peter said that those people should commit their souls as to a faithful Creator. We don’t understand why, but we do know that God is just and that God is faithful. We have the idea that Christians shouldn’t suffer, but we see from the scriptures that that assumption is not valid. The fact is that Christians suffer just like anyone else on earth and sometimes specifically because of their faith. Sometimes that suffering is indeed part of the will of God.
For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. (1 Peter 3:17 NKJV)
This scripture further helps put things into proper perspective with regards to the will of God and our lives. Sometimes (the emphasis on sometimes) it is God’s will that we suffer as a result of doing good. It doesn’t say that it’s God’s will that we suffer. However, it may be that by doing good we suffer and that might be the will of God. This tells me a couple of things.
- Doing good does not provide a magical protection from God. Doing good may actually cause suffering.
- God doesn’t control things the way we think. Christians shouldn’t think that we have a right to utopia. In fact, Christians are just as susceptible to suffering as anyone else and perhaps even more depending on where you live.
Again it appears that God does not operate how we think he should. We don’t understanding so we can’t even begin to tell God what he should or shouldn’t do.
If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority. (John 7:17 NKJV)
Jesus told the religious leaders of his day that anyone who desires to do the will of God will know whether his doctrine was true or not and from God. However, truly desiring to do the will of God implies a particular mindset. It implies that the person is being transformed and is on the path to knowing God more and more.
Lesson Learned
What have we learned? The first thing we must remember is that we lack the knowledge and perspective of God. Sometimes we think God should do one thing or another, but the fact of the matter is that God knows much more than we do. He sees things from a completely different perspective that we will never have.
It is also evident that not everything that happens on the earth is what God wants. However, just because God doesn’t want it doesn’t mean that he is going to swoop down and change the situation. Sometimes dreadful things happen to humans and God grieves right along with us. Sometimes he intervenes and sometimes he doesn’t—at least not in the manner that we think he should.
We also learned that we have a part to play in God’s will being realized on the earth. Think about that for a moment. It is God’s will that all be saved, but all won’t be saved. However, preachers and the like who preach the word of God to those who are lost effect change in their lives and accomplish the will of God for those people. People help feed the hungry and those who are in desperate need of assistance.
God’s will is not always evident by the things that we see happen around us. Sometimes because of our faith we suffer. Officer Cassidy died because of his commitment to serve and protect. Military people die as a result of performing their duties for their country. Many people suffer as a result of their beliefs in what is right.
Consider Martin Luther King and other martyrs for righteousness. We could say that God should have miraculously protected them, but that would have been contrary to the revelation of God’s will from the scriptures. That would mean that Peter, Paul, John the Baptist, and especially Jesus Christ should have been spared. They weren’t and yet God remains faithful. The faithfulness and the will of God cannot be determined by examining one event in human history. Our revelation of God’s will is seen from the scriptures. What we suffer on earth doesn’t compare with the joy that we will have for all eternity. That is God’s will for his elect. Amen.