Sermon Archive 14 - Trinity Fellowship

THE GOOD, THE ACCEPTIBLE, AND THE PERFECT

The Teaching Ministry of Rick Trice

5/1/05

TRINITY FELLOWSHIP

RATON, NM

SCRIPTURE:

JOHN 7: 10-24

JOHN 10:10

ROMANS 12:2

APPEARANCES OR RIGHTEOUSNESS?

TODAY WE’RE LOOKING AT THREE QUESTIONS THAT IMPACT OUR DAILY LIVES:

*WHAT IS GOD’S WILL?

*HOW DO I KNOW WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE?

*HOW DO I LIVE IN IT?

If any man is willing to do His (God’s) will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself (John 7:17).

HOW MANY OF YOU TODAY KNOW GOD’S WILL FOR YOUR LIFE?

WHEN JESUS WAS STILL A YOUNG MAN IN THE CARE OF HIS PARENTS, HE CAME UP MISSING ONE DAY; THEY FOUND HIM IN THE TEMPLE, PREACHING. HE ASKED HIS PARENTS, “DIDN’T YOU KNOW I WOULD BE ABOUT MY FATHER’S BUSINESS?”

WHEN JESUS ASCENDED TO HEAVEN, HE TOLD HIS DISCIPLES, “YOU GO TOO, AND TEACH ALL THESE THINGS I HAVE TOLD YOU.”

SO IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR ALL OF US TO PREACH AND TEACH?

(READ JOHN 10:10) “I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND THAT MORE ABUNDANTLY”

SO IS THE WILL OF GOD FOR US TO HAVE A RICH AND REWARDING LIFE?

THESE TRUTHS ARE ALL PART OF GOD’S WILL, BUT LET’S LOOK BACK AT JOHN 7 FOR A MOMENT. KNOWING THE WILL OF GOD IS NOT JUST A TWENTIETH-CENTURY PROBLEM. PEOPLE WERE STRUGGLING AT THE TIME OF CHRIST. SOME PEOPLE WERE SAYING OF HIM, "HE'S A GOOD MAN." OTHERS WERE SAYING, "HE LEADS THE MULTITUDE ASTRAY" (SEE JOHN 7:12). HOW COULD THESE PEOPLE KNOW WHETHER HE WAS LEADING THEM INTO TRUTH?

JESUS, AS ALWAYS, SETS UP STEP BY STEP CLUES FOR BOTH THE PEOPLE OF HIS TIME, AND FOR US TODAY:

1) HIS FIRST ADMONITION WAS, "MY TEACHING IS NOT MINE, BUT HIS WHO SENT ME.”

SO THE FIRST STEP, OF COURSE, IS TO BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS WHO HE WAS: THE SON OF GOD, SENT BY GOD.

YOU SEE, MANY RELIGIONS BELIEVE IN GOD, BUT SOME OF THEM BELIEVE THERE ARE MANY PATHS TO GOD. THE BIBLE TEACHES THERE IS JUST ONE PATH TO GOD AND THAT IS CHRIST JESUS. (JOHN 3:16) (JOHN 6:38-40)

2) THE SECOND CLUE IS THE SECOND PART OF THAT VERSE, “MY TEACHING IS NOT MINE, BUT HIS WHO SENT ME.”

NOTICE THE OPENING WORDS OF THE LORD'S PRAYER: "OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE THY NAME. THY KINGDOM COME. THY WILL BE DONE, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN" (MATTHEW 6:9, 10).

WHEN PRAYING THIS PRAYER, WE ARE ASKING FOR GOD'S WILL TO BE ACCOMPLISHED ON EARTH AS IT PRESENTLY IS IN HEAVEN.

SO APPARENTLY GOD'S WILL IS BEING PERFECTLY EXECUTED IN HEAVEN BUT NOT ON EARTH.

3) JESUS’ THIRD CLUE TO GOD’S WILL IS: “ IF ANY MAN IS WILLING TO DO HIS (GOD’S) WILL, HE SHALL KNOW OF THE TEACHING, WHETHER IT IS OF GOD, OR WHETHER I SPEAK FROM MYSELF" (JOHN 7:16, 17).

TO KNOW THE WILL OF GOD, ACCORDING TO JESUS, YOU HAVE TO FIRST BE WILLING TO DO THE WILL OF GOD.

WHOA! ARE YOU ASKING ME TO COMMIT TO SOMETHING BEFORE IT’S EVEN BEEN REVEALED TO ME? I’M NOT GOING TO STEP OUT THERE UNTIL I KNOW THE PLAN! THEN MAYBE WHAT YOU HAVE IS NOT A PROBLEM WITH GOD’S WILL…MAYBE WHAT YOU HAVE IS A FAITH PROBLE. BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT JESUS IS TELLING US TO DO HERE IT’S CALLED STEPPING OUT IN FAITH.

“WELL, I’VE MADE COMMITMENTS TO PEOPLE BEFORE, AND THEY JUST LET ME DOWN. “

I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT COMMITMENTS TO PEOPLE; I’M TALKING ABOUT GOD’S COMMITMENT TO YOU. GOD’S COVENANT TO YOU, THAT WAS CUT FIRST IN BLOOD WITH ABRAHAM, THEN CUT WITH THE BLOOD OF JESUS.

IT’S AN UNBREAKABLE COVENANT. ARE YOU READY TO TRUST IN A GOD THAT WILL NEVER NEVER BREAK HIS WORD TO YOU?

THE QUESTIONS ARE THESE:

*DO YOU BELIEVE GOD? (JOHN 6:40 “..EVERYONE WHO SEES THE SON AND BELIEVES IN HIM MAY HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY”)

*ARE YOU TOTALLY COMMITTED TO DO GOD'S WILL WITHOUT KNOWING FOR SURE WHAT IT IS?

*DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE THAT GOD'S WILL FOR YOU IS GOOD, ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT (ROMANS 12:2)?

* DO YOU HOLD ANY RESERVATIONS ABOUT TURNING YOUR WILL OVER TO GOD?

IF GOD IS GOD AND YOU CALL HIM LORD, DOESN'T HE HAVE THE RIGHT TO EXERCISE HIS WILL IN YOUR LIFE?

SUMMARY

DON’T YOU BELIEVE THAT GOD DESIRES ALL HIS CHILDREN TO BE SUCCESSFUL, SIGNIFICANT, FULFILLED, SATISFIED, JOYFUL, SECURE, AND TO LIVE IN PEACE?

THAT GOD REALLY WANTS WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU? DON’T YOU THINK THAT SOMETIMES, GOD KNOWS BETTER THAN WE DO WHAT’S BEST FOR US?

“FOR I KNOW THE PLANS THAT I HAVE FOR YOU," DECLARES THE LORD, "PLANS FOR WELFARE AND NOT FOR CALAMITY TO GIVE YOU A FUTURE AND A HOPE" (JEREMIAH 29:11).

SO JUST WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD? (ROMANS 12:1-2)

*GOD'S WILL IS FIRST FOR PEOPLE TO BELIEVE IN HIM.

*THEN, HIS WILL FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN HIM IS TO BE ALIVE IN CHRIST BY THE RENEWING OF OUR MINDS.

*THEN, HIS WILL FOR THOSE WHO ARE ALIVE IN CHRIST IS FOR THE PURPOSE OF ESTABLISHING HIS KINGDOM BY OVERCOMING THE EVIL ONE, AND NOT BE CONFORMED TO THE WORLD (IE. OUR WILL) ;

*AND FINALLY, HIS WILL FOR THOSE WHO OVERCOME THE EVIL ONE IS TO BECOME FULLY THE PEOPLE HE HAS CALLED US TO BE, BY STEPPING OUT IN FAITH IN WHAT WE KNOW TO BE GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS.

THE GOOD, THE ACCEPTIBLE, THE PERFECT WILL OF GOD.

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