Month: November 2014

Ephesians 5:15-18

Right after “understanding what the will of the Lord is” comes the exhortation about wine. There are many arguments I’ve heard about temperance from the Scriptures, however, this seems to be the strongest. We are exhorted to walk wisely and redeem the time, then added to that, understand the will of God and not be drunk with wine. Drunkenness alters the mind. If a Christian is drunk, how can they be sure that they are following God’s will? How can they be sure that they are walking wisely?

The Christian should be filled with the Spirit. I believe this exhortation applies to all of the previous exhortations:

     – walk circumspectly, as wise — be filled with the Spirit

     – redeem the time — be filled with the Spirit

     – understand the will of the Lord — be filled with the Spirit

     – be not drunk with wine — be filled with the Spirit

“(9) And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (10) For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. (11) If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? (12) Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? (13) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”(Luke 11:9-13)

1 Peter 2:13-16 –Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

Specifically speaking, God’s will is that we submit to those in authority – in modern, American terms, to our president, governors, and police officers.

1 Peter 3:17 –For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

God’s will is not that we should suffer for our evil-doing (it is not His will that we should doevil), but it is possible that it is God’s will for us to suffer, even if we are doing well in His eyes (think of Joseph who was cast into prison for his stand on purity – which, as we saw in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6, is definitely the will of God).

1 Peter 4:1-5 –Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

God’s intent for Christ’s suffering was that we would live according to His will. This passage outlines that there are two wills battling – the will of God, and the will of the Gentiles (i.e. the world). The will of the world is completely opposite to the will of God. We cannot follow the will of the world and be following the will of God at the same time.

1 Peter 4:19 –Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

If it is in God’s will for us to suffer, our responsibility is simply to commit the keeping of our souls to God. It seems as if one of the ways to do this is by continuing our well-doing.

1 John 2:17 –And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

The will of God (salvation for men) will be rewarded with eternal life. However, the will of this world simply fades away and is destroyed. Which will would we follow?

1 Thessalonians 4:3-6 –For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.

If, after reading this passage and looking up definitions, one comes away with the mindset that “God doesn’t care about purity,” they must be blind!!!! This verse seems to clear that it is God’s will that all of His children should live in purity – though applicable spiritually, this passage is specifically talking about physically.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 – In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

God’s will is that we give thanks in every thing (good and bad).

Hebrews 10:36 –For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Again, there is the will of God for our individual lives. However, this verse encourages us to be patient, because if we have done God’s will, we will also receive His promise. Ultimately, this is talking about Christ’s promised return (Heb 10:37), but given the verses previous, applies to many aspects of life.

1 Corinthians 1:1 – Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,

 2 Corinthians 1:1 – Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:

Ephesians 1:1 –Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Colossians 1:1 –Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,

2 Timothy 1:1 –Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,

By God’s will, Paul was called to be an apostle. The calling was evident in his life – I wonder if the calling is just as evident in our lives? Do we ignore it?

2 Corinthians 8:5 –And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

God’s will for every believer is that we give up ourselves to Him. This must be the first step before God will use us effectively in other areas. Have I surrendered myself to this will of God?

Galatians 1:4 –Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

God’s will is to deliver us from the evil world by Christ taking our sins upon Him.

Ephesians 6:6 –Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

Doing the will of God begins in our heart. This verse seems to be very applicable to children/daughters and even wives. Though we are not “enslaved” to our parents/husbands, there is a limitation on what we can and cannot do because we are under our father’s/husband’s authority. I believe that even in any “limitations” I might conceive, my duty is to do God’s will from my heart while I am under the authority of another.

Colossians 4:12 –Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

We can stand complete in God’s will – I do not think this comes naturally to the born-again believer, but it is possible by dying to self and seeking Christ.