The Will of God in Your Life

Sermon Outline

THE WILL OF GOD IN YOUR LIFE
KEY PASSAGE: Luke 22:39-42
SUPPORTING SCRIPTURE: 2 Peter 3:17-18 | Hebrews 9:27
SUMMARY

Do you ask the Lord to show you His will, or do you decide each day how you want to live and what you will do?

The reality is that seldom do people give God much thought when it comes to their daily lives. This is understandable for those who don’t know Him, but for those of us who have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, seeking God’s direction and provision for each day should be a priority in our thoughts, prayers, and decisions.
SERMON POINTS

Although we may be tempted to relegate God’s will only to spiritual matters, if Jesus Christ is our Savior and Lord, there is no part of our lives about which He is not concerned and over which He does not have the right to rule.

The will of God is the principle by which we should live every single day.
To live independently without asking the Lord for His guidance and provision reveals that we don’t think we need Him. Although we might readily deny this, what we truly believe is not demonstrated so much by our words but by our attitudes, conduct, and habits.

If we believe what the Bible says about God, then we understand that He is sovereign over every area of our lives and that submission to Him as Lord is essential. Therefore, we should continually aim to please and honor Him in all we do by seeking His guidance in our relationships, financial decisions, work issues, and every other daily concern.
Jesus Christ is our example to follow.

Even the Son of God lived in complete dependence and submission to His Father. When the prospect of the cross was imminent, He did not face it independently.

• Luke 22:39-42 “And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. When He arrived at the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’ And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.’”

In His time of distress, Jesus asked the Father if there was any other means to accomplish the redemption of mankind—there wasn’t—but His main concern was that He follow God’s will, not His own. And that’s exactly how we should think about every situation we face.

The will of God is that which He approves and determines to bring about.

It concerns His choices regarding what to do and what not to do. Since He is omniscient, we can trust that He knows the best path for us. God created us to find our satisfaction and fulfillment in Him alone. Therefore, to ignore His will and live as if He has no say in our lives is foolish. All our attempts to govern our own lives cannot bring us the lasting joy and peace we desire because there is no eternal satisfaction apart from submission to the Lord.
Living in God’s will is our protection.

Second Peter 3:17-18 says, “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

If we don’t look to God for daily direction, we are sure to stumble and fall. We can’t know what the future holds, but the Lord does. He alone has complete understanding and wisdom to direct our path, not only in the crucial decisions, but in our daily concerns. Considering all this, our response should be to make Him our priority each day.
What is God’s will?

First and foremost, He desires that we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and surrender fully to Him. The Lord knows every detail of our lives and has given each of us different capabilities and skills that enable us to accomplish whatever He has planned for us. Therefore, we must avoid the danger of comparing ourselves with others and longing for what He has entrusted to another person. In His wisdom, God has provided everything we need to live as He desires and has promised to guide us into His will if we are yielded to Him.
We need the Lord for every aspect of our lives.

Therefore, we should pray and read His Word every day to discover how He would have us live and to plead for His guidance. We need His wisdom in our marriages, with our children, on the job, and with problems that arise. No part of our lives is to be lived independently of our wise and loving Creator.
Those who don’t know Christ as Savior are living without God.

This is why some people’s lives are such a mess. They try to fill the divine void with substitutes, but the emptiness remains because there is only one person who can satisfy the deep longings of the human heart, and that is Jesus.
God loved mankind so much that He sent His beloved Son to die for them so that those who believe in Jesus Christ could be forgiven and reconciled to Him. Yet so many people in the world will never turn to the Lord because they don’t want anyone, including God, telling them how to live. As a result, they miss out on the best possible life because genuine peace, joy, and fulfillment are only found in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Life is serious business because after death, there will be judgment (Heb. 9:27). As the Creator, God has a right to be the center of our lives. The reason our society is in chaos is because people think they don’t need God nor do they want to obey Him. But until they confess their sin, receive Christ as Savior, and surrender fully to Him, they will never know His salvation.

But to those of us who turn to Christ in repentance, faith, and submission, God gives guidance for every step of life. He is able to redeem our past and give us an entirely new heart and perspective on life—one in which He is the center and priority. Although His plans for our lives are not always easy, they are always best.
RESPONSE

• Are you living according to God’s will? How do you know whether or not you are?
• Do you seek God’s will each day, or do you only come to Him when you have a situation you can’t handle or figure out?
• Does the prospect of surrendering to God’s authority make you uncomfortable, or does it give you a sense of security and peace? What does this say about your relationship with Him?