Do You Truly Want to Know God’s Will For Your Life?

God’s Will is Not Popular

Ephesians 5:17-33

Introduction:

We live in a culture saturated with voting. We somehow think that, if it is the “Will of the People” it must be the “Will of God.” They even have a Latin quote to that effect: “Vox Populi, Vox Dei.” (The voice of the people is the voice of God!) Doesn’t that sound blasphemous? To declare that our collective will is equal to God? Nothing could be further from the truth! Let’s think of a few examples in scripture where there was unanimous or near unanimous “public opinion.”

Scriptural Example

In Genesis 19, there were exactly six persons in town who opposed the “will of the people; (the voice of the people:)” And two of those six were the angels sent to destroy that city. Of course, you may say, “Well, that was Sodom! It is rather a special case, isn’t it?”

OK, what about Numbers 14:10? It says that all the people—“all the congregation” of Israel—“bade (voted to) stone them with stones.” Even if I interpret that to say “just all the adult men,” we are talking 640,000 people; the whole “voting” nation of Israel at the time. And who were the targets of that “public opinion?” Joshua and Caleb! They were urging the people to obey God, and enter the land. Was it just another “special case,” maybe? Do you really think that we have advanced much beyond ancient Israel when it comes to finding God’s will…and obeying it?

Not Much Has Changed

The World is rapidly becoming very much like both ancient Israel and ancient Sodom, in the particular aspects of those two narratives. The voting public in our own country consistently rejects the voice of God, and embraces the sin of Sodom. As humans, we are members of a fallen race, and (other than the fallen angels…now called demons) we are the only ones in the history of the universe who have ever disobeyed God, under any circumstances! As humans, then, we utterly devote ourselves to our own will…not the will of God.

But, as born-again individuals, God has given us each a new nature which is created in the likeness of God’s Holiness and His Righteousness. Thus, we have the twin responsibilities of

Knowing (understanding to one degree or another) God’s will, and
Obeying God’s Will—fulfilling it, to the best of our ability.

We can learn some sweeping generalities, regarding God’s will: They form the backbone of our relationship with Him. 1^st Thessalonians 5:16-18 lists some examples:

Rejoice evermore! Pray without ceasing! In everything, give thanks!

WHY? Because this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus concerning YOU!

Other examples might include 1^st Peter 1:16 “Be ye holy, for I am Holy!” (OOOH! That is not popular, either!)

Submission

So, what has this to do with today’s text in Ephesians? The need to understand God’s will prefaces the passage, but virtually all of today’s text is about one of the most unpopular things in God’s Word: Submission. Let’s read the text, and see what He actually says.

Ephesians 5:17-6:9. We will read the whole context, and then see how it all ties together. Yes, it means what it says, but remember: Everyone is called to a life of submission to God, and there is no person who is not accountable to some other humans, as well. (read it)

Submission as a Concept

Now, let’s back up and take just the Ephesians 5:17-33 passage concept by concept:

¹⁷ Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

How can I know God’s will? I must begin by looking in His Word. There, I can learn the principles by which He wants me to live. God says I am to learn wisdom there—learn to habitually make good decisions, based on His Word—Learn to have the same values as God does… and learn to find obedience a sweet experience rather than bitter. (Proverbs 2)

¹⁸ And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

God doesn’t just “forbid drunkenness,” here, although it certainly includes that idea as well…it is a comparison. When a person is drunk, we say they are “under the influence of an intoxicant.” That intoxicant affects everything they do —it affects their judgment, their mannerisms, their choice of words. It affects how strongly they feel about things for better or worse—they may be filled with exuberance, or sadness— they may rage, or they may be absolutely calm: but it is all being controlled to one degree or another by the alcohol (or other drugs) that they have ingested.

Under the Influence of (Filled With) The Holy Spirit

We, on the other hand, are to be “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit. Now, what sort of influence will the Holy Spirit bring in our lives? John 16:14 says that the Holy Spirit wants to glorify Jesus. If we choose to obey God and be under the influence of the Holy Spirit, then our lives will glorify Jesus. We will rejoice in His presence, obey His Word, and reach out to the lost.

¹⁹ Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; ²⁰ Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; ²¹ Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

This is all a continuation of verse 18—people who are “under the influence of” the Holy Spirit are characterized by the things in verses 19-21. They rejoice, they give thanks, they Worship, they fellowship with the brethren, and they submit themselves to God and to one another. This last clause is definitely not a popular concept.

God’s Will and “Self-Will” Are Not Compatible!

Our whole modern culture is built on the principle of Self: Self-realization, Self-direction, self-sufficiency, self-determination, and, in general, Self-will. (On your own, go and read Isaiah 14:13-15,) and see if you can tell where that whole concept of “Self-centeredness” originated.

Now— notice as we continue into verses 22 and following, there is a pattern of submission; a structure within which we are to know to whom we are accountable, personally. Some people don’t like these verses. Actually, most people don’t like these verses.

It Applies To You!

But you have to determine how you are going to respond to God’s Word. It is all God’s Word, and, whether we like it or not, it is there, and we have to deal with it. Some parts are more comfortable than others. But if you are going to choose to be “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit, as the command in v. 18 is given, then you have to remember that this is part of the same context. People who are Filled with the Spirit, or “under the influence of” the Holy Spirit, act like this! Please don’t brush it off as if, somehow, it does not apply to you. It does!

If nothing else, you must realize that God always calls you to submit to the leadership of God, and, to some degree, to the leaders in the church. This is definitely a “politically incorrect” stance, and perhaps I will offend some by saying so, but this truth is taught consistently throughout the New Testament: It cannot be denied or ignored.

On the other hand, they (those leaders) are sternly warned that as the shepherds and overseers, over the flock of God, they are not to “lord it over the flock:” Rather, they are to serve, and to lead by example. (1 Peter 5:1-3; Hebrews 13:17, etc.) But for now, we will focus on the text at hand:

**Apply God’s Word to Your OWN Life!**

James 1:22-25 compares God’s Word to a mirror, with which we are to examine ourselves, not our wife, our husband, our neighbor, or whomever. The mirror is pointed at YOU: look at the part that reflects you: when you have that part under control, you can see clearly to help others with theirs. Jesus alluded to this in Matthew 7:3-5, saying “…remove the beam from your own eye: then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye!”

Remember that the mirror is pointed at YOU!

**Verses 22-24 are to the Wives: (Three verses)**

²² Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.²³ For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the savior of the body.²⁴ Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Remember: Sisters, this is to you…husbands, you have no right to “beat your wives over the head” with this passage—you will have enough trouble with the part that is to you—and if you are in full submission to God in that part— loving your wife as Christ loves the church— then you will never “scold” her like that anyway…and she will have no trouble with her part. Furthermore, it does not suggest in any way that all women are to be submissive to all men. That is an utterly false doctrine.

**The Next Eight Verses Are To The Husbands:**

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;²⁶ That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,²⁷ That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

²⁸ So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.²⁹ For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:³⁰ For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.³¹ For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.³² This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

This Was Given Before Sin Entered the World!

Verse 31 is a direct quote of Genesis 2:24! The Husband-Wife relationship is supposed to be a visible, public, object-lesson: a picture of Christ and the Church. In fact, if we go back to Genesis 1:27, and read about the creation of the human race, it specifically says that “God created Man in His own image: in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” The Human race was created as “Man, Inc.”; Adam was the CEO, and Eve the President, or some similar comparison. All of that was given before sin entered the world.

Adam was put in charge, but Eve had full authority along with him. Together, they comprised the Human race. There was no conflict. Eve was part of Adam. Adam was in full fellowship with Eve.

Both were in full fellowship with God, in the Person of Christ, as He came walking in the Garden…until Sin entered the World.Then the peaceful co-ownership ceased. The trouble between men and women began there, and we have never fully escaped it.

If you, as a husband, think you have this matter all under control and can flawlessly love your wife as Christ loves the church, then personally, I think you are fooling yourself: You only compare yourself with other sinners, and not with the living Christ. Compare yourself with Him alone, and you’ll avoid smugness: See the Lord Jesus as your example to follow, and you embrace Humility.

The Bottom Line

³³ Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

By the way, this is the Agapé love…the “utterly committed, lay-down-your-life” love, that sent Jesus to the Cross. A husband must be concerned about the well-being and happiness of his wife, above all other issues in life, with the exception of God’s directives…and she is to be concerned with the leading of God, right along with Him, so that her own desires don’t become her central focus. Both must be more concerned about the leading of God than about their own desires. But, they always must be more concerned about the happiness, safety and satisfaction of the other person than they are about their own feelings.

This is an interesting verse, for another reason, too, as it is the only place in the Scripture where the Greek word “phobeo” is not translated “fear, terror, very afraid,” etc. The KJV uses the word “reverence”; newer versions say “respect.” But the actual Greek word is “phobeo,” which is where we get our English word, “phobia:” which usually denotes an overwhelming, irrational fear. The translators were wise, to not imply that the wives were to be “afraid of” their husbands, as if their husbands would harm them, in any way.

The same concept guards our relationship with God: I do not fear that God will “do something bad to me:” He is entirely Good, and entirely trustworthy. But I do fear displeasing Him. This is the correct fear of God. We love Him, to the degree that we fear displeasing Him: our relationship with Him is priceless to us. The wife is to see her relationship with her husband in a similar way.

Conclusions:

The lifestyle of Mutual Submission rejects the self-centered efforts of the Old Sin Nature. It empties itself of ego, and it embraces the Cross as Jesus did. And, just like all the other factors in the “normal Christian Life,” it is impossible unless you allow Jesus to do it through you. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “Apart from Me ye can do nothing.” It is the simple truth!

Next week we will continue our examination of Biblical Submission.

Lord Jesus, teach our hearts to become submissive to You, by the presence and Power of the Holy Spirit. Fill our hearts with Your Love and allow us to reflect Your Person in our lives.

January 3, 2021March 21, 2021

How should we live (Part 4)

How should we live (Part 4:)

1^st Peter 3:8-14; Colossians 3:13-17, 18-23; Ephesians 4:1-3

Introduction

We have been studying through the book of 1^st Peter. We read through a passage explaining “how we were to live, because of our position in Christ.” One of the issues mentioned was our marriage relationship, but the concepts extend into all other relationships. The key relationship for all believers is our relationship with Christ, which is reflected in all other relationships.

The relationship which most closely pictures our relationship with Him is the marriage relationship, so it receives some fairly specific attention. But we are told that how we treat others—how we relate to others—will determine how the World sees Jesus. This is the central message of John 13:35, which says “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” This was the first commandment given by Jesus, after Judas left: Only believers— the eleven remaining disciples—were there to hear the New Commandment. Only believers can do this, and even they can only do so by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Last week, we read 1^st Peter 3:5-7, which is specific to marriage, but now Peter returns to the main theme: how we are to live as believers, because of our new position in Christ.

1^st Peter 3:8-14

⁸Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: ⁹Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. ¹⁰For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: ¹¹Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. ¹²For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. ¹³ And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? ¹⁴ But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye, and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled:

Before we move on to the rest of the teaching regarding how we are to behave in general, we have one more place to read about marriage. Over in Colossians, Paul treated this topic in a similar manner, “sandwiching” the marriage relationship between all the other behavioral instruction. Two short sentences, to sum up all that is included in that precious relationship.

Colossians 3:13-17, 18-23

¹³Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. ¹⁴And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. ¹⁵And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. ¹⁷And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

¹⁸Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. ¹⁹Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

²⁰Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord: for ye serve the Lord Christ. ²¹Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

²²Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God;

²³And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

All the other relationships are important, of course, but the marriage relationship is the only one given before sin entered into the world, and it is the only one which was specifically designed by God to let us see the Relationship between Christ and the Church.

General Commands Still Apply

All the rest of the “behavior pattern” commands apply even more stringently to the marriage relationship. Marriage is supposed to be the most secure and permanent relationship outside of parent-child relations that can exist. So violating that relationship, whether by abuse or deceit, or unfaithfulness is even more repugnant to God than doing the same things in other relationships.

So let’s look at what he says as far as general commands in relationships, in Colossians 3:13-17:

Forbearing one another (putting up with and accepting each other as we are.)
Forgiving one another (accepting the loss and the cost of forgiveness…without either reparations or recriminations.)
Love one another (“Charity” is the KJV word for Agape love.)
Live at Peace with one another…let the Peace of God “Rule” (umpire) in your hearts.
Be thankful. You do have a lot for which to be thankful! Think on it!
Let the Word of Christ Dwell in you richly in all Wisdom:
- Teaching one another and admonishing one another, (how?)
  - In psalms and hymns and spiritual songs
  - Singing with Grace in your hearts to the Lord
Do all in the Name of (under the authority and auspices of) the Lord Jesus,
Giving Thanks to God and the Father by Him.

How do these commands correlate with the commands back in in 1^st Peter 3:8-14?

Be ye all of one mind (maintain unity).
Have compassion toward one another. Care about others: and do something about it.
“Love as Brethren” (this is the “phileo” love, given as a command. This means being genuinely friendly: preferring one another’s company as brothers and sisters.
Be empathetic (“pitiful”: having pity for others.) Weep with those who weep!
Be courteous: polite…we do not have license to be less than courteous “because we are family”—quite the opposite: Courtesy is part of brotherly love.
No “payback”—no revenge: instead, provide blessing in place of payback.
- Jesus said “…do good to them that hate you…” (Matthew 5:44)
- We are called to bless, so that we can inherit blessing.

Application

So, how can we apply all the above information? It is easy to see that there is such a thing as a Biblical pattern, a standard we are to use. It is also easy to see that we are to apply the standard to ourselves, not to others: Not to other married couples, not even to our own husband or wife. The “mirror” is pointed at you! At me! Don’t use it to look at others!

We are to accept one another as we are: if there is definite sin involved, we are given specific instructions as to how to deal with that, but the fact is, most of what irritates us in other people is just that: Irritation. It is not thereby “sin” that needs to be “confessed and renounced and have guilt thickly spread over the poor wretch who dared to offend us.”

Notice that in Colossians 3:19, it says, “Husbands love your wives and be not bitter against them.” And, there are no qualifiers added…no “ifs, ands or buts.” Furthermore, over in Ephesians 4:31, 32, it says: “³¹Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and evil speaking, be put away from you with all malice: ³² And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake, hath forgiven you.”

(Don’t you just love that word “All?” It really covers a lot of territory, and eliminates a lot of “loopholes.”) Notice that the passage in Ephesians is to all believers: not just husbands and wives. So this thing in Colossians, about “bitterness” (hard-hearted grudges and bad feelings) applies to everyone, not just husbands.

And, over in Proverbs 31, when it describes the “perfect wife,” what if we were to apply that passage to the Church, the Bride of Christ? Remember, God designed marriage to show the relationship between Christ and the Church!

Proverbs 31:10-31 lists a number of features, but the key idea is in verses 11 and 12: “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.” Then it goes on to describe her industrious character, her kindness toward others, her hospitality, her wisdom in speech and behavior: How she cares for her household, especially her husband and children. The bottom line is that his reputation, his belongings and his children are safe in her care: He can confidently back her in everything she says or does, because she always acts in his best interest, and in such a way as to honor him.

Of course that is a great standard for a wife to consider, but, if we are collectively the “Bride of Christ”, shouldn’t we all, every one of us, apply those truths to our own lives? Consider:

In what way am I “honoring the Lord in everything I say and do?”
- In what way do I enhance His reputation by my behavior?
Can Jesus really count on me to faithfully treat others as He would treat them?
- Providing for those He has entrusted to my care, putting their needs ahead of mine?
- Speaking kindly to (and about) others in every circumstance?
Do I open my mouth in Wisdom? (Or keep it shut, when that is the best response?)
Do I provide the Gospel to those around me? (See 1^st Corinthians 15:34, 1^st Peter 3:15)
Am I being “about my Father’s business” as He was?

In the end, we saw that the “virtuous wife” was rewarded, and honored. We are the Bride of Christ, and, collectively, we will be rewarded and honored. But as individuals, we need to ask, “Will my present actions, thoughts and attitudes be deserving of reward? Will the Lord say, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful Servant’ regarding what I am doing right now?” And if the answer is “no!” then we need to confess it as sin and go do what He has commanded us to do.

Now: is all that just about marriage? Of course it isn’t!

But what better place to practice the life He has called us to live, than in our own homes? If it is real there, then it will spill out into other relationships as well, affecting our children and our extended families, as well as all others around us.

Peter moves on to talk about how we are to fit into society at large, in the rest of this passage: he says, ¹⁰For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: ¹¹Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. ¹²For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. ¹³ And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? ¹⁴ But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye, and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled:

In effect, then, he says:

Watch your mouth! Don’t be a source of evil talk or falsehood!
Stay out of trouble! Stay away from bad situations. Look for ways to do good!
Make Peace! Look for ways to build peaceful relations, and follow that way.

He says the Lord is always watching, and His ears are attentive to our prayers, but that he will resist any who are doing evil. The Lord is a perfect supervisor: He sees everything and He understands everything, including our motives and intentions. He never wavers in his righteous response, though sometimes it seems to take a long time, from human perspective. (If you are wondering how to explain the apparent ease in which the wicked people of this World live, and how they seem to “get away with it,” I would invite you to read Psalm 37 and Psalm 73. Between the two of those psalms, I hope you can get God’s perspective on that matter.)

Is it possible that we may suffer for doing right? Absolutely! It is possible! In some places in the world it is not only “possible” but highly probable! And He says we are blessed if that occurs!

What are Our Choices?

When we look at any of God’s commands to us, ultimately we always find only two choices:

Obey, striving to do exactly and completely as He commanded us, or,
Not. If I choose to “partially obey,” I am choosing to disobey. If I choose to do something that somehow “parallels” what He says, but is different, I am still choosing to disobey.

I heard about an entertainer, a singer, who was faced with an inebriated customer demanding that he sing a certain popular song. He wasn’t going to sing that song, for a variety of reasons, but he also didn’t want to cause a public quarrel, so he assured the customer that while he couldn’t sing that particular song, the very next song would have a lot of the same notes! The customer was drunk enough to not understand that virtually all songs have “a lot of the same notes,” so he sat back down and the singer simply pressed on as planned.

When we try to do something other than what God asked, even though it may even be something “intrinsically good,” remember that He is not some drunken fool in a bar, who is unable to see that we are flat-out not doing what He commanded. He knows! And, the truth is, we also know that we are not doing what He said to do.

It comes down to a daily, moment by moment “multiple-choice test,” with only two choices for each problem:

Will I submit my will to that of God and do what He asks me to do, or
Will I not.

Those are the choices.

You can choose, moment by moment, how to respond to God; how to respond to your husband or wife, how to respond to your children, your coworkers, your employers, your neighbors, or even that “bozo who just cut you off in traffic.” (Or you can make excuses: that is a choice, too!)

Every single step is a choice. That is why we call it “walking:” We just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and constantly looking to the Lord for direction, both from His written Word, and from His Holy Spirit.

Is it easy? No! In fact, apart from the Holy Spirit living in us, it is impossible! In John 15:5, Jesus said, “Apart from Me ye can do nothing!” Now, if anyone else said such a thing, it would be incredible arrogance: but when the Lord Jesus said it, it was simply the truth.

So what do we do?

We can’t walk on water. Peter was commanded to walk on water, because he dared to ask Jesus to command him to do so. But what did Peter have to do about it?

He had to keep his eyes on Jesus!
He had to get out of the boat!
He had to put one foot in front of the other, regardless of circumstances.

He started out OK, but he soon forgot #1…he failed to keep his eyes on Jesus! That is where we all most frequently fail, I think. But, I still have to “get out of the boat!” I confess that I simply cannot live the Christian life, but I am commanded to live it! So, I have to “get out of my comfort zone:” look to God to find out what I am to do today, even if it is utterly mundane or really uncomfortable, and then go for it!

Look to Jesus, pray for strength and guidance, and step out! Start putting one foot in front of the other. I’m told that, if we keep putting one foot in front of the other, pretty soon we’ll notice that we are actually “walking!” That is what walking is!

Lord Jesus, teach us to walk with you as your disciples, doing exactly what you command. We know that we fail you constantly, and we depend upon your grace and forgiveness. Please teach us true obedience, and lead us day by day in your service.