LIVIG IN GOD'S WILL

Sermon Summary, 5/20/18, “Living in God’s Will” (Col 1:0-10; Ro 12:1-2)

We’re finishing a series, “The Problem of Pain.”  Talked of God’s nature.  He is not a God who causes pain.  He heals not harms, walks through trials with us, loves us more that we are capable of.  We have a God we can trust, with those we’ve lost, with our lives.

So, what is God’s will for us?  What does a walk with Jesus look like?  A few options: A Calvinistic approach might be that God is Sovereign, there is a plan for our lives, we don’t take any steps that God has not pre-ordained.  Very Calvinistic, extremely Calvinistic.  Predestination.  But that makes God responsible for evil, too.  For the school shootings, for all the rapes and serial killings, for genocide, for all the tears and mourning.  Oh, and yes, for damnation.  We were elected before the foundations of the earth.

I can’t accept that.  Neither could John Wesley.  Wesley believed in grace, that God’s grace was available to all, we just have to accept it, to say, “yes.”  We have the free-will to accept or reject it.  We have the choices about how we live our lives.

Now there are somethings that God may not care about.  The university we attend (but he does care how we act there).  He may not care about the teams we root for even though we care a lot.  Which sock we put on first.  So, what then does God care about?  OTHERS.  God cares about our relationships with others.  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” is the theme of the New Testament.  Jesus said it, James said it, Paul said it, John paraphrased it.  Relationships matter.

Others, how we treat others matters to God’s will, how we walk with Jesus, because every decision we make impacts others.  We need to consciously think of others with every decision (or non-decision) we make.  Think of times when you’ve harmed someone you care about.  Most often it is from thoughtless phrases or acts. 

In Colossians, Paul urges us to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will so that we may bear fruit is every good work.  The fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) is all about relationships: We love others, extend joy to others, are kind to others, are patient with others, are generous with others, gentle with others, extend peace to others, deal with others with self-control. 

When we walk with Jesus it is like co-authoring our life with him.  Beginning with a blank journal and fill with the knowledge of his will, co-writing our life’s story with him.  We discern his will with him.  We act based on our understanding of his will.  We witness to his will in all that we do.  In so doing, he turns our mourning into dancing, he removes our mourning garments and clothes us with gladness!