October 19, 2003, SM: HIS Will Be Done

October 19th, 2003, Sunday Morning

"His Will Be Done"
Understanding why His plan for you is better than your own--even if it means bad things happen

OPENING: Matthew 6:9-13

Proverbs 21:2: Since Adam, man has done what HE believes to be right--not what God considers right; in other words, man gets permission from himself to do the things he does--he doesn't first do a permissions-check with God
The age-old question, "why do good things happen to bad people?" has had it's crystal-clear answer since the Bible:
- John 3:16: GOD LOVES EVERYONE--NOT JUST THE OBEDIENT AND SAVED: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
- 2 Peter 3:9: GOD DOES NOT TAKE PLEASURE IN THE EVILDOER AND WICKED PERISHING: "...but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
- Matthew 5:45: JESUS' SERMON ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES: "for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust"
- In short, God loves all man equally; he does not love obedient men more than sinners and he does not hate those who sin against Him; God's favor cannot be bribed like the judges of this world
Which brings up the other age-old question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?"
- Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."
  - "ALL THINGS" means both bad and good events that happen to you in this world
  - "WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD" means that every calamity or tribulation you experience in life is meant for a greater good event to happen to you, in the end
  - (Note the catch at the second half of the verse: "to them that love God", meaning this applies only to the saved
  - Scoffers will immediately question why, for example, a family member had to die, or what good can come out of the destruction of their home or car
    - God's Will is not done instantly before your eyes--that's man's thinking; God's will for outcomes in your life comes at His perfect time, which can range from same-day to 12 years before you have your answer as to why that calamity happened to you
  - John 16:33: Jesus said while the saved believer will have peace, "...ye shall have tribulation..."; how else can we, the saved, convert the secular non-believer to God if we cannot prove ourselves in trials of calamity or loss?
God "walks the talk"; let's examine some of the people in the Bible who loved and were obedient to God and yet suffered hardship for the purpose of emerging victorious in the end:
- Joseph, son of Jacob (the Abraham-Issac-Jacob that God later renamed Israel in Genesis 32:28)
  - STORY: Genesis 37-45
  - CALAMITY #1: His father Jacob loved him more than his other sons and for that his other sons hated Joseph so one day they all led Joseph out on the road, stripped Joseph of his clothes and sold as a slave to Egypt (where his first duty was house-servant to an Egyptian captain-of-the-guard, Potiphar
  - CALAMITY #2: Because Joseph's integrity and obedience to God made him refuse Potiphar's wife's request to sleep with her while he was away, she yelled rape and Joseph was bound and imprisoned (and prisons back then were literally dungeons compared to what society has today)
  - CALAMITY #3: While in prison, Joseph helped Pharaoh's imprisoned butler return to work for Pharaoh and while Joseph asked the butler to plead his case of innocence to Pharaoh, the butler forgot him and Joseph remained in prison for two years
  - GOOD-ENDING: And when Pharaoh needed one of his troubling dreams interpreted, only Joseph could accurately answer him because God was with Joseph; because of this, Pharaoh, in effect, made Joseph--a non-Egyptian--the second most powerful person in all of Egypt
    - And now, as the ruler who could've exacted the perfect revenge against his brothers for what they did to him, Joseph instead forgave them and gave them food during the famine
      - Genesis 50:20: Joseph told his brothers, "ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive"
  - SUMMARY: Joseph, an Egyptian-hated Israelite, could not have become the ruler of Egypt (short of just Pharaoh) if he was not, according to God's timed plan for him, made a servant and prisoner against his will in the land of Egypt for years
    - TAKE-AWAY FOR US: Joseph was wrongfully imprisoned for two years and never took self-pity or revenge against his enemies but instead helped them
- Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son
  - John 3:16-18: The familiar story of how God's Son, the only perfect man in the entire world suffered the greatest pain, hurt and loneliness ever to be experienced by man in order for man to be able to be saved
  - Why did Jesus have to experience false accusations, being spit on, punched in the face, mocked whipped, tortured, betrayed and crucified? Because it was God's plan for Him so that man could have condemnation removed from him by becoming saved
- Webmaster personal testimony
  - Come my High School graduation, I applied and wanted to attend the Air Force Academy but also applied for a college-level Air Force ROTC scholarship to Michigan State University in case I didn't get the Academy.
  - While I asked God for His will, I secretly wanted nothing short of an Academy scholarship. What I received was a denial from the academy and a three-year Air Force ROTC scholarship (meaning my first year wasn't paid for).
  - I didn't have the money to pay for my first year at Michigan State when in the mail was a college application stamped in red, "pre-approved admission, pre-approved financial aid" to Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago. Turns out not only did IIT pay for my full ride but fully paid for unlimited books and room & board. On top, the school, itself, threw in a monthly tax-free stipend.
  - One of the conditions of being on AF scholarship is to meet criteria not just academically but physically. I was unable to pass the physical fitness test until the first day of my second year at IIT--the day the AF ROTC scholarship took effect. It took me a year to understand God didn't want me to go to the Academy or have a full-ride (4-year) college scholarship because I would've failed their physical fitness test and, as a result, been sent home with nothing--neither the Academy or the college scholarship
  - SUMMARY: By trusting God, receiving a three-year (non-full ride) college-level ROTC scholarship and not the AF Academy or a four-year college-scholarship was the only avenue to successful college graduation and AF officer commissioning. God knew the outcome and what I did and did not need before I finished High School and by trusting Him to make my decisions for me, I didn't have to worry about not being able to see what decisions were coming I had to make without having the answers
Therefore, don't be angry and blame God when things go bad "in your eyes"; stop and consider why God allowed this and what greater good it will (not might) eventually serve you
- God knows how you feel when you lose an immediately family member--He has emotions, too, and lost His only Son!
The bumper sticker, "God is my co-pilot", is not demonstrating full trust in God; God should be the "sole pilot" not co-pilot
Man will always be tempted to take the easy way out or think God's plan is not the right plan; possible reasons include fear/ignorance (circumstances are more powerful than God), not having faith or believing God is not in control
- Matthew 26:39: God understands this. His own Son prayed before His arrest that if there was a way other than crucifixion to redeem the soul of man that Jesus would prefer that route; Nevertheless, Jesus ended His prayer with, "not as I will, but as thou wilt."
  - John 6:38: Further, Jesus publicly told his disciples many times that His purpose for being in life is not to do His own or perform his own mission or destiny "but the will of him that sent me"; in other words, He wanted to do God's will
- TESTIMONY: THE MARTYDOM OF POLLY CARP: During one of the many periods of sweeping, wide-spread persecution of Christians everywhere, an 83 year-old saved preacher (and martyr) named Polly Carp could've escaped but decided to stay in the town of persecution because he wanted God's will for him.
  - His enemies came to his house, a few at a time, and as they did, Polly Carp treated them all as friends and fed them
  - At his sentencing, Polly Carp's last request was for two hours of isolation so he may pray without ceasing
  - The hostile crowd was so amazed at Polly's attitude to being fed as dinner guests and asking only to pray before death that many repented of their actions to persecute Christians; however, Polly Carp was still executed
  - SUMMARY: By holding the friendly attitude to death that Polly Carp did, many souls repented of their persecuting actions and possibly turned to God and became saved; But only God knows the true purpose behind calling Polly Carp home

Contrary to generated debate by those who doubt, life, control and circumstance is not beyond God's control

According to Randall Basinger, the normal view of Christians today is:
- 1. "What actually occurs in the world is, to an extent, consequent on the human will."
- 2. "Things can occur that God does not will or want."
- 3. "Our responsibility is to work with God to bring about a better world."
Scripture's reply is that God does not react to or blindsided by man; God is not surprised by man; Goes does not need to recover from events because He always was, is and will be in control
Was the fall of Adam and Eve planned or was it a surprise to God?
- Ephesians 1:4 and Revelation 13:8: Both make reference to the duty and future of man decided by God from/before "the foundation of the world" which concludes God knew us and our destiny before the world was even formed (and the fall takes place)! This negates Mr. Basinger's #1 and #2 argument
  - CONSIDER THIS: Per the above two verses, why would God have created a "Lamb's Book of Life" (which contains the name of every saved person on earth) before earth was formed if Adam and Eve never sinned? If they never sinned, no Book of Life would have been needed! More proof God knew what Adam and Eve would do before He formed them
Do natural disasters "just happen" to people or did God create and direct each one of them? God's reply:
- Isaiah 45:7: "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things."
- Isaiah 45:12: "I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded."
- Matthew 8:26-27: Jesus (God in the form of man) rebukes and forces the winds to calm down, proving His control of them
Does God even care about a grievous sinner such as me?
- Luke 12:6-7: God cares for you so much, He knows the exact number of hairs on your head
Does God control the decisions of world leaders?
- Proverbs 21:1: YES ("The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.")
- Daniel 2:21: God not only controls world leaders for His plan for the world but God--not man-- "removeth kings, and setteth up kings" (i.e., George Bush won the contested 2000 Presidential election not because of the vote counts or court rulings but solely because God directed it)
What gives the God the right to take the obedient saved believer from earth (like the martyr, Polly Carp)?
- 1 Corinthians 7:23: While the gift of eternal salvation is free to us, the gift, itself, came at a cost to the provider (God). In other words, through Jesus' crucifixion, the taking of God's Son from earth, we--the saved believer--are purchased by God at a great price--the cost of the blood of His Son Jesus Christ

Therefore, when you pray, pray for God's will and perfect timing and in your life instead of the earthly things you need because God knows you better than you know yourself

Ephesians 1:4: God chose us and loved us BEFORE the "foundation of the world" therefore we can conclude He's seen our entire life before we have--we can trust Him

"If we pray rightly," said the fourth-century theologian, Augustine, "...we say nothing but what is already contained in the Lord's Prayer. And whoever says in prayer anything which cannot find its place in that gospel prayer, is praying in a why which, if it be not unlawful, is at least not spiritual."

THE LORD'S PRAYER
Matthew 6:9-13

"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

CLOSER

What God does to and in your life you may not understand why until either that moment, tomorrow or years after (like Joseph) but make no mistake you know right now that what God starts in you He will complete
Psalm 92:5 and 111:2: And not only does God do His will in you but does it great and mighty so you may be a testimony of God's glory and greatness to friends and non-believers, alike
Jesus said that just because you're saved doesn't mean the rest of your life will be easy. Trials and tribulations WILL come so always prepare yourself for the unexpected every morning you wake up
The next time something doesn't work out according to your itinerary or plan, stop and consider who's plan you're following (yours or God's) and what the meaning and future good outcome that event could mean
And what is the purpose/outcome of fully trusting in God and doing His will at all times? For His glory, your success and testimony and for the people to hear your testimonies so the saved may be spiritually strengthened and the secular person saved

THE LORD'S PRAYERMatthew 6:9-13

THE LORD'S PRAYER
Matthew 6:9-13