Doing The Will Of God Is Sometimes Hard!!

Eph. 5:17

The Key to Success in knowing the will of God: Always do what you know to do before you try to do what you don't know to do.

You'll never know what the will of God is about the things you don't know until you do the will of God in what you know to do.

I. Two Parts to the will of God.

A. Revealed. I'm going to show you what is revealed, so you will be more able to find out what the un-revealed will of God is.

1. Church attendance.

2. Bible reading.

3. Praying.

4. Living like a Christian.

a) Don't sin willfully.

b) Don't smoke, drink, curse, commit adultery, etc.

B. Not revealed.

1. The exact person you are to marry.

2. Which job you are to take.

3. How many children.

4. Which house to buy.

5. Which car to buy.

6. What furniture do I need.

7. Which church do I join.

8. Which pastor.

9. What about a vacation?

II. When you find out what the will of God is, sometimes it is very hard to accomplish that will.

A. Some would think that doing the will of God would come "natural" to a saved person, but it doesn't.

III. Examples of the will of God being hard.

A. Paul.

1. Acts 19:21 - This verse shows that Paul believed it was God's will for him to go to Jerusalem, then Rome.

2. Acts 20:22-24 - Paul tells the elders at Miletus that he was "bound in the spirit to go to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall him there."

3. Acts 21:8-14 - Philip's daughters prophesied that Paul would be bound at Jerusalem. Paul didn't let this keep him from obeying the will of God.

4. Acts 23:11 - Paul received a blessing from God that he would not have received if he had quit already.

B. Christ.

1. Phil 2:5-11 - Jesus left the glories of heaven to come to the earth, be born and face death for sinners. He could have been much more comfortable in heaven.

2. Matt. 4:1 - Jesus was led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

3. John 6:61 - Jesus was misunderstood of lost men.

4. Matt. 16:21-23 - Get thee behind me Satan. Jesus was misunderstood of saved men.

5. Luke 22:39-46 - Jesus prayed as it were great drops of blood, praying that God would remove the cup of suffering from him. Not my will, but thine be done.

6. Phil. 2:9-13 - Back to this verse.

a) Christ received great blessings from His Father because of His faithfulness to His Fathers will.

b) Verse 12-13 states that we ought to obey the will of God because the end result will be the best for us and our families.

c) Verse 14-17 - we ought to do all things without murmuring and disputing so that we will show ourselves to be blameless, harmless and the sons of God.