Request To Know God's Will
Title: Paul’s Prayer Part 1: The Request to Know God’s Will
Text: Colossians 1:9
Theme of the book of Colossians: Jesus Christ: The pre-eminent and all-sufficient Savior
Theme of Text: Knowing God’s will for your life leads to a worthy walk before the Lord.
Proposition: You must understand and follow God’s will for your life.
Introduction
Have you ever wondered what God’s will is for your life? By God’s will, I mean his sovereign plan for your life. Have you thought, “I wonder if God would want me to this; is this God’s will for me?” If you have not asked that question, you should. You should want to know and understand God’s will for your life. Here in Colossians 1:9, Paul is praying specifically for the believers at Colossae to have a knowledge and understanding of God’s will. God wants you to know his will for you life; do you want to know his will for your life?
Many people say that they are “looking” for God’s will. They think that God’s will is something that is hard to find and understand. I know people that think that one day they will suddenly “find” God’s will for their life. Their idea of finding God’s will like a person stumbling across a hidden treasure map. They think that they will be walking along one day and then God’s will for their life will be laid out in a map for so they can follow the directions.
Some people think that God’s will for there life will never be the best or the most exciting thing to do. They think that if they follow God’s will, they will be unhappy with their life.
Some people do not want to know or follow God’s will because they do not think it will bring them financial stability and security. They think, “If I follow God’s will, I will be a poor pastor or church worker that does not have any money or happiness.” These are all incorrect ideas. God’s will is something that we should all want to know and that we should want to obey.
Colossians 1:9 (NASB95)
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
This verse tells us that Paul wants us to have a deep, intimate knowledge of God’s will. God’s will is not hidden; God wants us to know his will! The word for “knowledge” here is ἐπίγνωσις. It means to have a clear knowledge of God’s will. It will produce a heart-transforming and life-renewing change. This type of knowledge is not available to an unbeliever; only believers can have a clear understanding and knowledge of God’s will. This understanding and knowledge is different from what the false teachers in Colossae offered. The false teacher’s knowledge was based on speculation and vision. The knowledge that Paul wants us to have of God’s will is not based on speculation, it is based on the infallible Word of God.
I. The Sovereign Will of God
a. God’s sovereign will explained
God’s sovereign will is his ultimate plan for the universe that he has had for eternity. God has a plan for this world. He controls the universe. He does whatever he pleases since he is the sovereign creator of the universe. Whatever he has planed to do, he will accomplish. Nothing that we do can alter the end of God’s plan. God will accomplish his plans whether you obey him or not. We can see that Psalm 135:6 says, “Whatever the Lord pleases, He does, In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.” He created and controls the earth, therefore, he can do as he pleases. Psalm 33:10 tells us that God controls the decisions and plans of every nation. (“The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples.”) If he wants to change the plans of the nations of the world, he is free to do so. He is God over everything! His plan will be accomplished! Everything that has happed throughout eternity is because of his plans (Isaiah 46:9-10). 9 “Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’.” Nebuchadnezzar says in the book of Daniel, that God will accomplish His will despite what anyone else has to say! (4:35 35 “All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’)
Paul attributed everything that happened to God’s power. He knew that God sent Christ to rescue us from sin. This was God’s will for that to happen. Satan could not do anything to hinder God’s plan. (Galatians 1:3-5 3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forevermore. Amen. Ephesians 1:11 (NASB95)
11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,)
Paul gives a great summary of these thoughts in Romans 9. No person can question God’s plans. God made us, so we are his creation. We obey everything that he has for us. We are not in position to question his authority, plan, or purpose. We are saved by his amazing grace; how can we question his goodness.
Romans 9:18-23 (NASB95)
18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. 19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” 20 On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? 21 Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? 22 What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? 23 And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory,
I have just shown you a glimpse of God’s sovereign will. God’s sovereign will cannot be challenge, changed, or thwarted by anything that man or Satan attempts to do. God is in control. This should be a huge comfort for us as believers. God knows exactly what he is doing for eternity. We can trust him to lead and direct our lives because he knows everything. He does not react to what happens, nor is God ever surprised by an event. God’s will is going to be fulfilled. Therefore, we should be committed to totally and completely to following God’s will. Let us look at why God’s will is so important for our lives.
b. Why is God’s will important
It is easy to think that God’s will is not important if you do not know what the Bible says about God’s will. We will look at the reasons that God’s will is important to us.
As I already said, we cannot do anything to alter God’s eternal plan and purpose, but he has given a specific will for man. Knowing God’s will for my life is extremely important. If I do not know and obey God’s will, then I will be missing the most significant blessing from God.
i. Man is not capable of planning his own life.
Man is not capable of making his own plans since he has a wicked sin nature. Our plans as humans are faulty and meaningless. Isaiah 53:6 says, “All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.” If we do not know God’s will for our life, our life will be a meaningless waste. Jeremiah 10:23 “I know, O Lord, that a man’s way is not in himself, Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.” God is the one that should direct your life. As sinful humans, we must trust our sovereign God to direct our paths. God knows the future so we should follow his will!
ii. God will direct our paths.*
We should be willing to obey God’s plans because he said he will direct our paths. God wants to guide us and direct us through our life; we should be more than willing to let Him lead us. In Proverbs 3, Solomon says that we should trust the Lord and let him direct our path! Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
iii. God wants us to know his will.
God’s will is not hidden from us; he has revealed his will to man. You do not have to worry and wonder if God will ever allow you to “find” his will. He wants us to know his will. He has given his will to us! Acts 22:14 “And he said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know His will and to see the Righteous One and to hear an utterance from His mouth. God clearly directed in Paul’s life. Paul knew that God could guide and direct the believers at Colossae. He know God wanted them to know and do his will, that is what he says here in Colossians 1:9.
We have looked at God’s sovereign will over the entire world. We have also seen how God has a will for our lives, his will should be important to us, and we should want to know God’s will. I will now show you from God’s Word what his will is for your life.
II. The Will of God for Your Life
The will of God for your life is not a mystery. I have listed six things that God says is his will for your life. These things are all found in God’s Word. I have not made these up or tried to hide something, or add something that is not written in the Bible. These six things should be true in the life of every believer that is obeying God’s will.
a. God’s will is for you to be saved.
The first thing that God wants you to do is be saved. God wants all men to repent of their sins and trust in him as their savior. God’s will is for you to be saved from death, hell, and judgment. In 1 Timothy 2:3-4, Paul writes that God wants all men to be saved and know the truth! (This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.) God’s will is for you to know him as your savior.
God is very patient with man. 2 Peter 3:9 says that he is patient to man, and he is wanting all men to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.)
Christ came to this earth to do the will of God. He came to save men from sin. Christ personally said this in John 6:38-40. He wants you to have eternal life. (John 6:38-40 38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”) To have eternal life, you must trust in Jesus Christ and repent of your sins. Turn from your sins and claim the promise of salvation from God. He wants you to be saved! He wants you to worship him as your Lord and Savior. Nothing else can be the Lord of your life.
1 John 2:17 (NASB95)
17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
Before you can know any more about the Will of God for your life, you must be saved. The first step in following God’s will is trusting Christ as your savior. If you have not done that, then do that today.
b. God’s will is for you to be spirit-filled
God will for you is to be filled with the Spirit. God wants you to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that you can walk according to the teachings of His Word. You are not to be controlled by anything other than the Spirit of God. (Ephesians 5:17-18 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.) Paul says in these verses that we are not to be foolish, but we need to understand what God’s will is for us. We should not be controlled by anything other than God. If we are controlled by the Spirit, then we will not be getting drunk. What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit? Is it is a funny feeling or a interesting sensation? No, it is simply following what the Spirit has taught you from Scripture. Colossians 3:16 says, “ Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” When we are letting the Word of God dwell within us, we are letting it fill our life. If we would compare these passages, then we would realize that being controlled by the Spirit has the same results as letting the Word of Christ dwell in us. We must have the scripture running through our life! If you are a Christian, then Romans 8:9 says, “The Spirit of God dwells in you.” He may not control some of you. Please let the Holy Spirit control your life! Fill your life with the Word of God, so you can follow the Will of God.
Do you know what God’s will is for you? God’s will is for you to be saved and spirit-filled. You should also be sanctified.
c. God’s will is for you to be sanctified; set apart from sin.
God’s will for you is also to be sanctified. God wants you to be set apart from sin. You must be getting rid of sin of your life since this is God’s will for you. Look at 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8. We see immediately that Paul is telling us what God’s will is for our life! These verses clearly lay out what God’s will is for our life. 1 Thess 4:3-8. 3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. 8 So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.
-First, you must abstain from sexual immorality. You must stay away from any sexual immorality. Do not be involved in sexual immorality! This means do not have sex outside of marriage. God wants you to have sex in marriage, not before or with another person besides your wife. He wants you to be morally pure!
-Second, Paul says to know how to posses your body with sanctification and honor. You should not be handling your body as an impure tool. Romans 12:1-2 tells us that our body should be presented to God as a Living and holy sacrifice. We must live holy! (Romans 12:1-2 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.)
-Third, Paul tells us that we should not be using our bodies in lustful passions. We are to not act like the world. The people that do not have Christ are consumed with sex. You should not be. The people that do not have Christ are thinking about immoral things, looking at immoral pictures, and going to immoral places. The will of God for you is to NOT do any of those things. You must not fulfill the lusts of your flesh.
-Fourth, God’s will for you is for you to not defraud your brother. Do not take advantage of another person. You should not try to use someone for an immoral act or pleasure. God’s will is for you to stay away from sexual sins!
In 1 Peter 4:2, we are told to not spend our life fulfilling the lusts of men! (2 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.) Our life is to be separated from sin. God’s will for you is to stay away from sin.
God freely gives salvation; his will is for you to be saved. When you are saved, he freely gives you the Holy Spirit; you are to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. When you are controlled by the Spirit, you will be sanctifying yourself; you are to be separated from sin! God’s will is also for you to be submitted to authority.
d. God’s will is for you to be submitted to authority.
God wants you to be submitted to authority. This is not just a suggestion of what you should do, but this is God’s will for your life. Look at what 1 Peter 2:13-15 tell us, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 15 For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.” God’s will is for you to submit your life to the authorities that God has put over you. You must humble yourself to submit your life under your authority. This is not easy to do, but you must do it since God says this is his will. Many scriptures tell us to submit to God. We must do it, it is a command! Hebrews 13:7; 17 (NASB95) 7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. 17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.
God’s will for you is to be saved, spirit filled, sanctified, and submitted to authority. His will also includes suffering.
e. God’s will might be for you to suffer.
God’s will for you might be to suffer. God says that if you are obeying him and walking in his will, then you will be persecuted. 1 Peter 4:19 19 Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right. The world does not like the fact that you are a follower of Christ, you might have to endure suffering because of that. Paul even writes in 2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” If you want to live godly and follow God’s will, then you will be persecuted. Suffering is not a bad thing, it helps you grow and be perfected in Christ. 1 Peter 5:10 tells us that the Lord uses suffering to perfect and mature us. This may be tough to go through, but this is what God called us to do. Remember, as Paul did in Philippians 1:29, we are suffering for Christ since he suffered for us!
Philippians 1:29 (NASB95)
29 For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
A believer will not be suffering from what is wrong, but from doing right.
f. God’s will is for you to be satisfied. (thankful)
God’s will for you is to be thankful to God. If you are thankful and joyful about Gods will, then you will be satisfied. God does not want to make you miserable. He wants you to be satisfied in His will. Paul is very clear in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 He writes, “ in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Even through the suffering that we will endure, we are to be thankful to God! Our thankfulness will not just be a show or false thankfulness, but it will be from the heart. (Ephesians 6:6 6 not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.) God wants you to be thankful for what he is doing in your life! He is not wanting you to be miserable, he wants you to be satisfied in His will. If you are truly walking in God’s will, then you will be full of thankfulness and satisfying. Nothing is more satisfying than following Christ’s commands. Look at Psalm 16:11 and Psalm 37:4-5. God will make us satisfied and thankful if we are following his will. We will be filled with pleasure and joy because we will be following God’s will.
Psalm 16:11 (NASB95)
11 You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.
Psalm 37:4-5 (NASB95)
4 Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
III. How to know God’s will in specific areas of life
We just studied what God’s will should be for your life. These 6 things that we just studied should be happening in all of our lives. If you are obeying all 6 of these things, then you should be able to do whatever you want. If you are saved, controlled by the Spirit, sanctified, submitted, suffering, and satisfied, then you should be able to discern God’s will in all areas. There are times when we have a question about a particular situation. If you believe you are obeying God in all 6 of these areas, then these four things will simply help you understand specifics in God’s will.
a. Pray.
In the “Lords prayer,” Christ taught the disciples to pray, “Thy will be done.” We should be praying for God’s will to be done in our life.
Colossians 1:9 Matthew 6:9-10 (NASB95)
Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
b. Study God’s Word.
Sometimes you may not be sure what to do about a particular situation. You should study God’s Word to determine what God says about obeying his will. God has given us everything we need for life and godliness. Sometimes there may not be a particular verse and reference for your situation, but I guarantee that God’s Word has a principle or some guidance in every area of life.
2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB95)
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.
c. Obey God’s Command
When we know God’s will for us, we should immediately obey it. There are no questions asked here. When you know God’s will, you must obey it!
James 1:22 (NASB95)
22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
d. Trust God Completely
Remember God is not trying to hide His will from you, nor is He trying to hurt you; God wants to direct you life. Trust in Him!
Proverbs 3:5-6
James 1:5 (NASB95)
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Conclusion
Christ set the example for us with his life. Do you remember when he was in the garden praying to God? Christ said, “Not my will but yours be done,” (Luke 22:42). Christ totally obeyed God’s will. God’s will was ultimately best because it brought victory over death, sin, and Satan through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. We should follow Christ’s example. You must understand and obey God’s will for your life.
May we be like David in Psalm 143:10 when he says “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God.”
I had rather be in the heart of Africa in the will of God than on the throne of England out of the will of God.
—Livingstone