Sermon Tone Analysis

*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!