The Will of God

The Will of God was the topic of our discussion this week. We learned that it is important not only to know the will of God, but also to follow it in our lives.  The will of God is perfect and unchangeable.  It is important for our lives because if we follow it we can reap the great rewards of peace knowing that He will take care of us and the promise of eternal life with Him.  We can know the will of God by studying His word, the Bible, and by practicing its teachings in our lives.

Please enjoy the notes of our discussion.

January 24, 2011

The Will of God

Opening question: Have you ever gotten lost and how did you find your way back?

No matter how smart or careful or prepared we can be, there can be times when we can get lost.  It could be in a new city or an old city that has changed and some of the old landmarks that used to guide us around are not there anymore.

Today, we are going to talk about the will of God.

1.         What is the will of God?

What is a will?

A desire, a command, a wish. 

The will of God is what God wants from us, in the same way that a teacher or a king or someone else of authority can ask from us.

What is important about a will?

We cannot change it or break it.  But, we can chose to obey it or refuse to obey it.  If we modify a will, then, it is no longer the will of the person who first declared it.

In Romans 12:1-2, we read:  1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Therefore, the will of God needs to be taken and accepted in its entirety.  We cannot chose and pick what command of God to obey and which one to refuse or to change.  We either accept the entirety of God or we don’t. 

What does this verse tell us about the will of God?

The will of God is perfect and we cannot improve it.

2.         Why it is important to know the will of God?

Many things in our lives work out well if we obey the commands or if we follow the wills of the people with authority over us.  We get good grades in school if we follow the will of our teacher, their instructions and their teachings.  If we follow the directions on a map or a compass or a GPS, we will reach our destination and not get lost.

In the same way, it is important to know the will of God so that we can benefit from His plan, so that we will not be lost. You see, God has a plan for the salvation of mankind, to save each and every one of us from our sins.  And in order for us to benefit from this plan, we need to know it.

In Matthew 7:21, we read: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

What does this verse tell us?

We will enter the kingdom of heaven or have eternal life if we do the will of God, our Father in heaven.  We do not follow the teaching or the interpretations of men, but we follow only the commandments of God.

It is not only saying the words, but also doing the actions, doing those things that God commands.

3.         So, how do we know the will of God?

How does one know how to become a surgeon?  Do you go to an art school for that?  Do you begin exercising at the gym for this?  No, of course not.

In order to know the will of God, we go to the place where we can know and learn it.  And where is this place?  The Bible.

In Matthew 7:7, we read:  7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

What are these verses telling us?

Our father will give us the good things that we need and one of the things we need is to know His will, His wisdom and His plan for each man and woman on this earth.  Knowing the will of God means the difference between living with Him for eternity or losing our soul.

In the verse above in Romans we are told to be transformed, so that we can do the will of God, which is good, acceptable and perfect.

Conclusions

The will of God is that what the Lord expects from us, what He has asked us to do.  Knowing the will of God is important, because He loves us and created us.  He is the best at telling us what will work in our lives so that we can benefit from His plan of Salvation and have the great reward of peace knowing that He will take care of us and the promise of eternal salvation.  We can learn about the will of God in the Bible, his inspired word, as we seek Him, trying to learn more about Him and what He wants from us.  As it says in 2 Timothy 3:16: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

So to wrap up, can someone tell us how this applies to us today? 

Or do you have any thoughts or questions?

Campus Bible Talk 2011

What Rule do You Live by?

Last evening we spent some time talking about What Rule do You Live by.  We discussed the different types of rules that exist in the world and how some people live by the rule of "an eye for an eye" and others follow a more passive approach to mankind.  Then, we looked at the Bible, focusing on the Golden Rule of Jesus: Do to others as you would have them do to you.  If we live by the Golden Rule, God will bless us as we bless the lives of the people around us.

Here are the notes from this talk.

 

January 17, 2011

What Rule do You Live by?

Opening Question: What is one of the most important rules that you live by?

There are many rules that govern our lives.  Many of these rules are taught to us by our family as we grow up.  Other rules we learn in school.  As we mature and gain experience in many areas of life, we learn other rules that are also helpful to our daily living.

Today, we are going to talk about types of rules, not necessary certain rules in itself.  This is what you would call the “philosophy of rules” to be live.  We are also, as always, look at the type of rules that the Bible and Jesus teach us about.

1.         Iron Rule

The Iron Rule says: Do onto others as you would not want them to do to you.

Maybe you have heard the saying “ruling with an iron fist”.  Or the “iron curtain”.  The idea here is of someone that is doing something bad or evil before the other person has a chance to do that to you.  Do you know or have known anyone that lives by this rule?

In Genesis 4:3-8, we read: 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.  4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.  6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?  7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”  8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”[a] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

This is not a rule that the Bible teaches.

What happened if everyone followed this rule?

The world would be a very dangerous and a very miserable place at the same time.

2.         Brass Rule

The Bras Rule says: Do onto others what they do unto you.

This is what is known as “an eye-for-eye” type of rule.  So, if you are nice to me, I will be nice to you.  But, if you are mean to me, then I will be mean to you.  Maybe you know people that live by this rule.  The fans of a team seem to be living by this rule.  When a team wins, the fans are all over it, praising the abilities and taking pride in the team’s victory.  However, when a team loses, fans are disgusted and start blaming the team and claiming it is worthless.

What does the Bible say about the brass rule:

In Romans 12:17-19, we read: 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.  19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”[a] says the Lord.

The Bible says that we are not to repay evil, so therefore the Brass rule is not a rule that the Bible teaches.

3.         The Silver Rule

The Silver Rules says: Do not do unto others what you would not want them to do to you. 

So, this rule highlights the passivity of behaviour.  If you do not want the other people to say bad things about you, then do not say bad things about them.  If you do not want people to cut you in traffic, then do not cut them in traffic.

In Romans 12:20-21, we read: 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.  In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]   21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

There are different interpretations for the “heap burning coals on his head.”  It could mean “burning with shame” since you are now doing nice things to your enemy.  It could mean that “you are going to melt his heart and the anger within”.  It could mean that you are actually helping them in this way.

Do you know of anyone or any group that is passive and only helps because they don’t want to be hurt by others?

 

In any case, the Bible says being passive is not a rule we should live by.  Then, what is the rule that the Bible teaches us, if none of the three previous rules are the one we should follow?

4.         The Golden Rule

Do onto others as you would have them do unto you.

In Luke 6:27-36, we read:  27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.  29 If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.  31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.  32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.  33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.  34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.  35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.  36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

The Golden Rule puts us in the action, requiring not only that we do something, but that we do something good for the other people, what we would want others to do unto us.  So, if we need somebody to help us move our things if we are getting a new apartment, we should do the same for them.  If we would like others to cook a good meal for us, we should cook a good meal for someone else.  And so on. 

Jesus says that the Golden Rule sums up the Law and the Prophets.  In Matthew 7:12, He says: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

How great the world would be if anyone lived by this rule!  If we follow the Golden Rule, then we would be doing good things to other people and they would do good things to us.  God has already acted out the Golden Rule by sending Jesus to become a sacrifice for us.  He did something good for us and we can do the same.

How does this apply to us today?

Conclusions

Although people have invented different philosophies and different types of rules to live their lives, the Bible and Jesus teach us to live by the Golden Rule.  In this way, our lives will be blessed and we will be a blessing in the lives of other people.

Campus Bible Talk 2011

Walking Wisely

Welcome back to Campus Bible Talk.  Our first meeting for this year took place last evening.  We talked about Walking Wisely and how God provides us with guidance in making the right choices in our lives.  Our main text was Ephesians 5:15-20.  We discussed how walking wisely means to learn about God and what He expects us to do.  Making the most of every opportunity is important, as our time on earth is short.  We concluded that instead of being filled with evil we need to be filled with the Spirit of God.

The notes from this talk are below.

January 10, 2011

Walking Wisely

Opening Question: What is a wise goal you have set out for yourself recently?

It is important to set out goals for ourselves, in order to know where we are headed and how to get there.  If we determine wise goals, then we will be able to have a direction toward what we want to achieve and we can work in smaller, continuous steps to these goals.

Today, we are going to talk about a few passages from the Bible that can help us think about making wise goals and walking wisely in our lives.  The main text is taken from Ephesians 5:15-20:  15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us take this passage verse by verse.

Verse 15

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise

It is important to know how to live in a wise way.

What does it mean to live wise?

Wise means knowing what to say and how to live. 

Proverbs 2:6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

By studying the Bible, we can get the wisdom to live in a righteous way.

Verse 16

making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Earlier in the same letter, Paul has told the Ephesians in Ephesians 2:10 that:

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Time flies and we do not know how many days or years we have left on this earth.  Therefore, we need to seize the day and make wise choices now and do the good works that God wants from us. 

What are some of these good works?

God expects us to talk to people about Him and the salvation from sin that He offers.  God also expects us to provide for the people that are in need.  Everyone has a talent that he or she can use to do good works for God. 

Use our time to study what God wants, to pray, to encourage others, to remember to give thanks, to not waste time with “partying” all night.

We can waste time or use it in the wrong way, which will take us even more time to fix these errors or wrong choices.

What does it mean that the days are evil?

There are many temptations not to do the wise things and not to make the right, wise decisions.

Verse 17

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Once again we are told that understanding the will of the Lord, the will of God, will bring us wisdom and lead us into making the right choices with our lives.

Verse 18

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,

We all know stories about situations when somebody became drunk and bad things or actions resulted from them.  God’s alternative to become full of wine is to be filled with His spirit, the spirit of goodness and wisdom.

Verses 19-20

speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God does not expect us to walk wisely and do good works while being isolated islands in the world.  Here, we are told that we need to have a good and strong relationship with one another.  For this purpose, we sing and we sing psalms, hymns and songs so that we can speak and communicate with one another. 

Basically we encourage one another. By using words from the Bible and this can be done with songs as well.

Throughout all this process of following the Spirit of God and allowing the Spirit to work in our lives, we should be thankful to God for everything.  As we have mentioned in previous lessons, we can all find something to be thankful to God.  And all thankfulness should be done in the name of Jesus.

Conclusions

Walking wisely means that we need to learn about God and what He expects us to do with our lives.  Making the most of every opportunity is important and so is the understanding of the will of God.  Finally, instead of being filled with evil, we need to be filled with the Spirit of our God. And He is more than willing to help us with that if we only ask and study.

Campus Bible Talk 2011