Will of God

Good afternoon to all of you that are here today. It's good to see you all. I hope that you've had a good week. My wife and I have been quite busy, as I'm sure you have, visiting and going around to different churches. I don't think I've been to San Jose for about a month now, but hopefully we'll get a chance to get back down there and see them. Santa Rosa, we're going to get to see them this month, so I don't think other churches will have that opportunity to be there. But anyway, we're trying to get around to as many as we can and to see people. But good to see that you're holding fast, and the church hopefully will grow as things settle down. And I think that certainly is going to happen. The first Sabbath, we were down in Stockton, by the way. We had seven new people that had never been to church, so it's kind of surprising what happens when trials happen to the church. But I thought it was very good that the sermonette fit very well into what I'm going to talk to you about here this afternoon. How many of you have seen the classic stage play or movie Fiddler on the Roof? Okay, I thought that would be the case. I thought everyone would have surely seen Fiddler on the Roof. Do you remember the old father Tevye in it? He was a blustery old kind of a fellow that had said things that were sage-like. There was a ring of truth in what he said. I want to read you something that Tevye said in Fiddler on the Roof. The first one goes this way, A Fiddler on the Roof sounds crazy, no? But here in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask, why do we stay up there if it is so dangerous? Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word. Tradition. You know, and he starts singing. Tradition. You know, and it becomes a song that Tevye sings. Then another thing he said, he said, odd, he's talking to God, you made many, many poor people. I realize it is no shame to be poor, he said, but it is no great honor either. Now, what would be so terrible if I had a small fortune, he said? Maybe you remember that particular line in the fiddler on the roof. Well, now I want to read a statement that Tevye made which relates to the subject that we're going to talk about today. Tevye says this, quote, because of our traditions, every one of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do.

Now, I think that's an interesting saying here. Maybe in the Jewish community, everyone knows exactly what they're supposed to do. Maybe they are. But is it really true that everyone knows what God expects him to do? I think most of you would probably say no. We don't necessarily know what God expects us to do because most don't know even what the will of God is. They have never looked into the scriptures to know what the will of God is. Well, what is God's will? Brethren, is it your will, his will for you to be even here today? Is God's will for you to be here?

Here in this hall at this time that you're here right now? Do we know that? The absolute answer to that question. What does the Bible say about the will of God? Do you know what God expects of you?

What is will for each one of you here today? How can we discern the will of God in our lives?

Do you seek the will of God in your life? And even why should you? Why should you seek the will of God in your life? Well, these are questions that we want to answer today. I want to cover this subject. I'm sure you've heard the subject of will of God before. I want to cover it a little differently. And to reach it from a different angle, to talk to you about it from a new perspective.

Let's go to John 4 just to begin here with this topic. The will of God. Do you know the will of God? Do you seek God's will in your life? But in John 4, John 4, verse 22, notice here it says, you worship what you do not know. Remember he's talking to the Samaritan woman who was at the well.

And it says, we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is. It says, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. And so it's kind of interesting here, brethren, that it tells us that the Father in heaven is seeking people who will do His will.

He's seeking people that will worship Him in spirit and in truth. And, you know, is God found somebody who is willing to worship Him in spirit and truth in you, brethren? You know, it's kind of interesting that Jesus Christ came. The greatest things He said to people time and time again is, I didn't come on my own volition. I was sent.

I was sent by the will of God. And He said as an example with that in His life, when Jesus Christ gave the model prayer, you remember in Matthew chapter 6, He instructs His disciples on how to pray. And in Matthew chapter 6 and verse 10, He says in verse 9, He says, In this manner, pray our Father in heaven. Hollow would be your name, your kingdom come. And then He says, brethren, He says, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. You imagine this, that in heaven, the will of God is being done all the time.

All the time. You know, I've meditated on that. It must be like in heaven, you know, to be in a community, in a world, as it were, because there are multiple millions of angels where they are all doing the will of God. What must it be like, you know, to be in a place like that? But what we ought to be praying is the will of God be done here upon this earth.

In fact, every day we should be praying that God's will be done upon the earth. Not just in the world, by the way, that is out there, but in your personal life every single day, that you're living by the will of God, and that you are striving to follow God's holy will in your personal life. Let's go to Matthew chapter 7. Matthew chapter 7. You know, there are a lot of people in the world, brethren, that put us to shame, in terms of the work that oftentimes that they do.

And we've seen them, you know, we, of course, seen it reported to us, you know, the mother Teresa's of the world. We see the work of other people that are very powerful, and in the work that they do, Billy Graham is one of those that is very well known in this world and society, and others are known that, you know, think, of course, they're about the business of preaching the gospel and powerfully doing so.

Of course, Mr. Graham is getting quite old now, and his son is beginning to take over. But there are others that do very powerful works upon the earth and very good works, for that matter. There are people that are out there that feed the hungry. You know, they help people that are diseased do a very good job at doing this. But let's notice in chapter 7 of Matthew in verse 21, Christ said, 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.

In other words, what is most important, brethren, is that we do the will of God, that we live by the will of God. You know, there are going to be people that, again, if we were to be compared to them and what work they did in the world, even in helping the poor or preaching what they thought was the gospel to the world, that would put us to shame.

But Christ, it's not those that are going to be accepted in the time ahead in the kingdom. It's going to be those who do the will of my Father in heaven. But notice in verse 22, it says it very clearly, Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name?

Cast out demons in your name and done many wonders in your name. And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me, you who practiced lawlessness. And of course, you know what that means. It has to do with the law of God. And many are going to come up short.

You know, I know very powerful preachers that preach about and prophesy about the future.

But the unfortunate thing is they don't say what the Bible says. You know, they preach something that's not in the Bible. And yet there's a lot of people that listen to them and hear them. And so God said here, Christ said, that it's the will of God that makes the difference, all the difference. And, brethren, that hopefully makes the difference between you and me and the rest of the world of religion that is out there. Is our living according to the will of God?

You know, as we pointed out, brethren, in the model prayer, it says that we should pray for God's kingdom to come and that the will of God be done on the earth as it is in heaven. In heaven, again, God's will is always being done there. But this is not so on earth. We know it's not so at all. And is His will being done, though, brethren, in your personal life, in my personal life, are we living according to the will of God? Let's go to Ephesians chapter 1. Ephesians 1. You know, Jesus Christ, as we know, He came and He gave His entire being for us. He surrendered His life for us. And as a result of His blood, we can have the opportunity for eternal life. And because of what He did, brethren, it is the absolute will of the Father in heaven that you and I submit to Jesus Christ. But let's know this Ephesians chapter 1 and verse 15. It says, Therefore, I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayer, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the Church of Him. You know, we need to understand about Christ. We need to understand about the Father as well. And one of the things that Paul prayed about all the time was that, that they would grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and have an understanding. And again, not all have an understanding today. And it says, The eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. You know, do we understand again the calling of God, what God is offering us, brethren, and how great it is. And it says, And what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power? And so God wants us to understand those things, which He worked, it says, in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. Far above all principalities and power and might and dominion in every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. And it says, And He put all things under His feet, and He gave Him to be head over all things to the church. And so this is the will of God, you see, that Christ is over all things.

He's over all things, brethren. And what it means, what this means, is that you and I must surrender to Jesus Christ. And that's what repentance is all about. You have to surrender to Jesus Christ, who is the head of this church. And I think sometimes we have not, quite frankly, surrendered to Christ. I remember when I was baptized, that's one thing that stuck in my mind, have you surrendered to Jesus Christ? Have you really done that? And I must admit, I did not fully understand then what I understand now about what that meant, what it has to do, that as all things are to be under the feet of Jesus Christ, brethren, even you and I have to be under Christ, even though He is our brother. And we must, brethren, surrender to Him. And this is where, you know, the Sermonette was beautiful, because only the meek are going to inherit the earth. And if we can humble ourselves, if we can be meek Jesus Christ, you know, then brethren, we'll be there as well. You know, we'll be in the kingdom of God. But Colossians, let's go to Colossians chapter 1 over here. You know, it's really something to think about, isn't it? In light of some of the problems we're having right now, it's something to meditate on, to really think about, have we surrendered to Jesus Christ? Colossians 1 and verse 9. Here Paul again says, For this reason we also since the day that we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. You know, that is a prayer that all of us should be praying. That's a prayer that all pastors ought to be praying, that God's people were what the will of God is, and that they would submit to that will. And that we would grow in our understanding of the will of God. And that we may walk worthy, in verse 10, it says, of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. You know, that we should grow to that point, brethren. It says, Strengthen with all might according to His glorious power, for all patience and long suffering. You notice in the other verse it talked about, that you'd be able to see, you'd be able to see, you'd be able to understand and perceive. Here he's saying that we need patience, we need all patience and all long suffering. And what that means, brethren, is it becomes a part of us. In other words, it's not something I think wouldn't get baptized. We realize we may have to wait a little while, but we didn't expect it was going to be 50 years or longer. You see, when something's not a part of you, you could actually act, can't you, if it's a short period of time. And we've had people that come and they've acted in the church and they acted for a while, you know, and they disappeared. They faded away back into the world because Christ didn't come right away and, you know, because things didn't happen the way that they said. One of the fruits of the Spirit is long suffering. Long suffering. And it's got to be a part of us, brethren. Can't be made up. And right now, I don't know about you, but I'm suffering long. You know, I've been in the church since 1968. Some of you have been a little longer than I have. But if we're going to be in the kingdom, these things have to be a part of us. And if we're surrendered to Christ, brethren, they will be a part of us. It says, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints of the light.

It says, He has delivered us from the power of darkness and convey us in the kingdom of the son of His love. There again, surrendering to Christ there. He's presented as, it says, into the kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ. And it says, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. And He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Here we see that He's the firstborn. You know, that leads us to see that if He's the firstborn, who's going to be the secondborn? I don't know about you. I grew up in a family where there were nine children, and I wasn't the firstborn. I was the sixthborn. And I'm sure glad I was the sixthborn, you know, and I'm glad there was a seventh after me. You know, my mother and father could have stopped having children. And I'm proud to be a sixthborn. I'm just proud to be. But who's going to be born afterwards, brethren? It's going to be us. We're going to be born into the kingdom of God, and we're going to be like Jesus Christ, as the Bible tells us and instructs us about.

And, you know, it is amazing to think about, brethren, that since we are going to be born into God's family, and the goal and the mission is to eventually bring all mankind into sonship in His kingdom, right now the world, of course, is not being called. But, brethren, we have been called, and we're in line to be born into the family of God later on. And right now, you and I have the right to call the Father in heaven our Father, because He really is. He really is our Father. And Jesus Christ, brethren, really is our brother. And Christ wants to have a close, personal, intimate relationship with us. And, you know, why we know it's a very intimate relationship is because we're a Christ. Personally, I don't think I'll look good in a wedding dress, but on the same token, you know, I will be proud to marry Jesus Christ. We know it's going to be a different relationship than that of a physical, married relationship. But there's going to be the intimacy and the closeness with Jesus Christ for all eternity. Think about that. How wonderful that's going to be. And, you know, when we were traveling recently, I saw a couple, and they frankly looked alike. Their profiles were alike. And I think it is that when people live together, you know, for a long time, that eventually the husbands and wives begin to look like each other. I don't know how that works, how that happens. Now, my wife is scared to death that that will happen to her. But, you know, I think it's probably there's some truth to that, that people start looking like each other.

But this is not a bad thing, brethren, because think of the fact that when we live with Jesus Christ as his wife for all eternity, we're going to look like Christ. We're going to be just like Christ. And, you know, remember what Jesus said of the Father? He says, you see me, you see the Father. Someday, we'll be able to say, you see me, you know, the bride of Christ, the wife of Christ, you see my husband, Jesus Christ.

And so that's the kind of relationship, brethren, that God wants to have with us. And, you know, in the book of Revelation, blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, these are the true sayings of God. And you and I are going to be there, brethren. We're going to be right there with the family of God, and we're going to be the wife of Jesus Christ.

Now, let's go over to Matthew chapter 12. Matthew chapter 12 over here. In Matthew 12 and down in verse 46, you know, down here it says, and while Jesus was still talking to the multitudes, you remember the story, but it says, Behold, it says, His mother and brothers stood outside seeking to speak with Him. And then one said to Him, Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, speak with you. You can imagine again the scene of this, the families out there and wanting to see the brother and the mother there wanting to see her son.

And He answered and said to the one who told Him, Who is my mother? And who is my, who are my brothers? And He stretched out His hand, it says, toward the disciples, and said, Here are my mother and my brothers. And it says, For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and my sister and my mother. Now think about that again. Christ's brothers and sisters are those that do the will of God and walk into the will of God. And we must understand, brethren, even though all mankind, created of God. Again, we are the ones that have the right to call the Father in heaven our Father and Jesus Christ our brother.

You know, in the world, the world that we know, there are people that seek God, but in a lawless manner. They do away with the law of God and so forth. You know, the Apostle Paul called those who were in the world, who were receptive to the prince of the power of the air, the children of disobedience. He didn't say, You're the children of God.

He says, You are the children of disobedience. And remember what he told the Pharisees. He said, If God was your Father, Jesus Christ said, You would love me. You would love me, he said. But because God is not your Father, the antithesis of that is, Your Father is somebody else. And later on, in that same passage in John chapter 8, you know, Jesus Christ said to them directly, he says, God is not your Father, but rather, you are of your Father the devil.

And he talked about how they sought to kill him and they lied and had wrong attitudes. He says, You're of their Father the devil. And that's, of course, what he means to say, brethren, our Father in heaven, Jesus Christ, is indeed our Father and our brother. And we're a part of the family of God. You know, the thing about the church that I've noticed over the years, and I know you have too, I remember the first church service I ever went to in Jenny Lynn, Oklahoma, if you've ever been there, or Arkansas, I'm sorry.

We met in a country schoolhouse. The roof was caved in, by the way, of this schoolhouse. And when I parked in my car, my car was an old Raltrap 1960 model. It was a rust bucket, you know, that kind of thing. And I felt quite alone. I mean, quite not alone when I drove into the parking lot, because about all the cars in the parking lot were that way, you know.

I'm thankful to say that when we drive into the parking lot now, we have a little bit better cars in the church. And, you know, so it's obvious God hasn't called the mighty of the world. He hasn't called the powerful of the world. I'm looking around this audience, and we may have a sleeping millionaire here, I don't know. But if you are a millionaire, you're the only one who knows it. As far as I know, we don't have anybody here that way. But, you know, God hasn't called the well endowed of this world. You think about it, when God selected Israel, he didn't call the greatest nation in the world.

He didn't call the best people in the world. You know, Israel, they were not necessarily the best people to even call.

You'll think about it, there were nations who were greater than Israel, and the people were better than the people of Israel. Because Israel had not really accomplished all that much, quite frankly. But that's about the way it is for us. God has called the weak of the world, the base of the world. And we know, though, he doesn't intend that we remain that way. But that's what God has done by calling us. Oftentimes, brethren, our lives seem hard, pretty difficult. You know, it's like sometimes, you know, in our lives we have more problems than other people. Maybe we don't. Maybe we really don't. But remember what Tevye said in the Fiddler on the Roof? You know, again, he's talking to God here. He says, sometimes I wonder when it gets too quiet up there, if you are thinking, what kind of mischief can I play on my friend Tevye? I don't know if you feel that way. Sometimes, God, why is this happening in my life? Why am I going through this? You know, Tevye says in another place, I know, he says, I know we are your chosen people. But once in a while, can't you shoot someone else? Especially with the problems, you know, that people have in their lives.

You know, we of course know that that's not the way it is. God is up on his throne. He's thinking of how he can bless us. That's really the way he's thinking about us. Let's go to Hebrews 2, Hebrews 2. Hebrews 2, down to verse 9. You know, God is not up there in discussing how he can make your life more miserable. He may discuss what we need to go through to be in the kingdom, as he did with Job, in the case with Satan there. But, you know, his best interest was in the salvation of Job. But in Hebrews chapter 2 and down in verse 9, notice, it says, But we see Jesus, who is made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God might taste death for everyone. Now, thankfully, Christ, you know, put his eternal life on the line so that we don't have to die, you know, and the eternal death, of course, that people will have to go through if they have not repented. But in verse 10 it says, And so it goes on to say in verse 11, He is not ashamed, brethren, of calling us his brothers and sisters. Think about that.

You know, somebody walked in and they were in all raggedy clothes, and I guess you probably, if we're the base things of this world, you know, not that we wear raggedy clothes, but from a spiritual perspective, you know, they walked in, you know, hear Christ, you know, he would put his arms around us. Not that we're perfect, brethren, not that because we are, we have not done wrong things in our lives, but because we accept his sacrifice and because we're striving to obey his way of life. So he would favor us, brethren, over the wealthiest people in the world when it came to the physical. Absolutely. And so it's something to think about. God is not ashamed. Christ is not ashamed to call his brothers and sisters. Remember what Peter said to Christ? You know, he made the statement, look, we've lost, we've left everything, and we've come to follow you. You basically want to know what was going to come of all this.

And remember, Christ says that there's no one who has left father, sister, and brother in lands, he said, that will not, you know, receive a hundredfold both now and in the future.

You know, I looked at that scripture the other day and I said, well, you know, I don't have a lot of land. You know, my land where I live is about as big as a postage stamp. You know, I crank up my mower, run it across, and it's done. You know, the grass, not a lot to cut. I've always wanted to have a big, big place, you know, big hundred acres or whatever. But, you know, I don't have, you know, relatives that are knocking down my door, you know, that are wanting to see me.

I see my relatives, but I have to usually go and see them. You know, they don't come see me.

I'm sure many of you have the same situation. So where are my lands? Where are my brothers, my sisters? Well, brethren, you are my brothers and my sisters. And you have the land. You're the ones that have the land. I got a postage stamp. You're welcome to come over anytime you want. And I'm sure that you wouldn't mind me coming and seeing you. I know we've had people in the church. I know I remember one fellow that had 3,000 acres. You know, I could have gone out to his ranch and, you know, ridden a horse to, you know, run his cattle on if I'd wanted to. I didn't end up going out and doing that. But, and there are many people, you know, around the world. Think about it. You have access to because you're in the church. I know people in Australia. I do too, you know. I know people in England. I know people, you know, in far distant lands. But they're my brothers and my sisters and we're in the same family. And I'm pretty sure they would welcome me at their houses at any time and they would welcome you too. I think that's what Christ meant when he said this. But, you know, in the kingdom, you know, you're going to be also given things and blessed probably far beyond what you can even imagine. And, you know, realize, brethren, that there are many called, the Bible says, but there are a few chosen. Let's hope, brethren, we're the chosen of God. So, again, it's important for us to know what the will of God is.

What is the will of God for you, brethren? The will of God for you? Let me try to tell you what the will of God is to share with you what the will of God is. The Father and Jesus Christ want you to be a part of His body, Christ's body. That's the will of God. They want you to be a part of the body of Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ, of course, desires so much He gave His life for you and for me. And the Father, we're told in John 6 and verse 44, No man can come to me, Christ said, unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. So you are handpicked by the Father in heaven.

And so the Father and the Son are totally on board with bringing us into the body of Jesus Christ, the future bride of Jesus Christ. And I'm not going to go to it, but in 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 18, it says, God, you know, there sets us in the body as it pleases Him. And so not only has God set us in the body, brethren, but He's given us purpose within the body of Jesus Christ. They want us to be in the body so much. And, you know, it talks about in the Acts, over in the book of Acts, it talks about how a few thousand people were added here or a few thousand people were added there. It talks about people being added to the body of Jesus Christ. You know, some people sometimes say, well, I joined the church back and so and so. You don't join the church. You can't join the church. You have to be added to the church. And it's a very special honor to be added to the body of Jesus Christ. And let's go over to Galatians chapter 6. Because, again, brethren, we are the body of Jesus Christ, we've been brought into a special household, brethren, and it's God's will that we be here. You know, it's always good to feel welcome, isn't it, when you go to somebody's home and to be welcomed in. Oh, brethren, we've been welcomed in to the family of God. Let's go to Galatians 6 and verse 10 down here. It says, therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all. And it says, especially to those the household of faith. That's what we are. We're the family of God. Every family has a household. And we're the household of faith. And we have to do good. And the church, by the way, is the Greek word is achlesia, and it means called out once. People called out of this world into the church, into the family of God, into the body of Jesus Christ. So, brethren, know that the will of God for you is to be in the body of Jesus Christ. He desires it with all of his being, the Father and Christ do. Another will that God has that we need to be aware of. God wants us to be approved as workers and rightly dividing the word of truth. God wants us. That is his will. It's like a great person who maybe is wealthy. They want their children to be instructed in the very best institutions. You know, they usually send them to Harvard or to Yale, one of the Ivy League schools. Well, the Father in heaven wants you to be in the church in the body of Jesus Christ so that you can rightly divide the word of truth, that you can understand the Bible, in other words. And you know how very often you can talk to the ministers of this world. And many of you may have done that before you found the church. You talk to the pastors, and a lot of times the pastors of the church of this world, frankly, do not know anything about the Bible. And you know, sometimes even the Jewish rabbi doesn't know anything about the Bible. I can understand that we had a rabbi down in the Phoenix area. The reason I know this is because the church in the east side meets in a synagogue all the time. It's a perfect situation there because the Jews don't go to church.

They use it on Friday nights, and they don't do anything during the day part. They do do a Torah meeting, but it's usually just a few people. That particular synagogue had 800 families that was in it, and they had probably about 12 people who came to Torah class.

So there weren't very many at all, and we got to use the facility completely. But the rabbi there, again, did not know very much at all about the Bible. And I understood after he resigned from the synagogue because he actually, I think, moved up to Reno or somewhere to become a hotel manager over a casino. So I don't know how they make that transition from being a rabbi and a gambling manager type of person. But let's notice in 2 Timothy 2.

So God wants us to be able to understand the Bible and to rightly divide it.

And the Bible can't be understood. You can read it from cover to cover and not understand it. It's not written in that way. It's not like a storybook in that matter to find out what the truth is. But in 2 Timothy 2, going down here to verse 14, it says, Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no prophet to the ruin of the hearers. So the instruction here, brethren, is that we as God's people, in order to understand the truth, should not strive about words. One of the things that Mr. Armstrong taught us is stick with the trunk of the tree. Remember when he would say that? Stick with the trunk of the tree. You know why? Because if you get out on the limbs and you get out on those real thin limbs at the end—that's where the nuts are, by the way—and we can go nutty and get off the track. But we need to stay with the trunk of the tree. Let's not strive about words. And it says, To the ruin of the hearers. But going on, it says, Be diligent. That's a good word to underline in your Bible. To present yourself to prove to God a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. And so we need to be able to rightly divide the Word of God, brethren, to understand what the truth is. And this is one of the greatest things that God wants us to do. It's His will, brethren. You know, it's like some fathers say to their son, I want you to be a lawyer. Well, God wants us to be lawyers in one sense, to be able to rightly divide the Word of Truth. And, you know, it's a breath to have meekness, by the way, even when we study the Bible, when we study the Scriptures. You know what happens to some people that sometimes they can study and study and study the Bible, and pretty soon they become an expert on the Bible. Usually takes about six months. You know, Mr. Horchak, Mr. Dunlap, and myself, it's taken about 40-something years. I admit we're not sharp as everybody else, but it takes a while, doesn't it? But what happens to people is sometimes their ego becomes very big. You know, when they seem like they know a little bit about the Bible. It's like karate. You know, if you know a little bit about karate, it's dangerous for you. Not for the people that you're necessarily going to use it on. Well, the same is true about the Bible. Let's notice to John 7 here what Jesus Christ said, brethren, and tying it in to what we're talking about here, about rightly dividing the word of truth. In John 7, in verse 16, he said, Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his who sent me.

And if anyone wills to do his will, in other words, if we are living by God's Word and we will to do his will, the Father's will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own authority. So Christ did not come speaking on his own authority, but he was submissive to his his Father and him. It says, He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent me is true, and no righteousness, unrighteousness, is in him. And so you see that, brethren, right there? Christ did not come to preach his own doctrine. He came to preach the doctrine of the Father. And if he had come to preach his own doctrine, he would have come to glorify himself, brethren. And as you and I study the Word of God, and we rightly divide the Word of Truth, the purpose is not so we will be these great, intelligent people about the Bible, brethren, but the purpose is to glorify God in heaven.

If we try to point something to us, brethren, that's when we get off track. That is when vans do intervene in our growth. And what happens? Not only are we misled, but we can mislead other people. So we need to be meek in that regard, humble in that regard, and realize that anything that God may reveal to us is through the Spirit of God if we see it. What you and I understand right now, brethren, it's the Spirit of God. We should always give God the credit. Anything we come to grasp about the truth of God. If anyone does not seek to glorify God, he seeks to glorify himself. So, brethren, we want God's approval in what we do and what we say. No, I remember when I first came to the church in Proverbs 16, verse 25, this always being said, it says, there's a way which seems right to a man, but they end in destruction. Now, maybe when I first started, that stood out to me, you know, that, no, I don't want to go my way. I want to go God's way in my life. You know, frankly, we should come to understand if we read the Bible, rather than we can't trust our own minds. If we really are converted, we can't trust our own minds. But what we have to do is be educated in the mind of God so that we can discern good from evil, that we can know the will of God in a certain manner. You know, the human heart, we're told in Jeremiah 17.9 is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. And Jeremiah says, and who can know it? Who can know it? Well, we couldn't know it without God's open our minds to see it, brethren.

You know, sometimes people just don't realize when they are being deceitful. You know, in Jeremiah 10 and verse 23, Jeremiah says this, O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself. It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. It's not in us, brethren, but with God's Spirit, it can be in us. With God's Spirit, if we're willing to surrender to Christ and submit to Him, I'm not going to go to Isaiah 55 and verses 7 through 9, but you know the scripture where it talks about God's ways are higher than our ways. You know, reach up to the sky, brethren, God's ways are higher than our ways. And if we're going to come to see the mind of Christ and the mind of our Father in heaven, we have to surrender to Christ again, surrender to God, and depart from our own ways so that we can see the truth. We've got to be willing to do that as God's people, brethren. So God wants us to be approved as workers, rightly dividing this word of truth here. Next, brethren, God wants us to see through spiritual eyes. That's His will. He wants us to see through spiritual eyes. Like I said, you can't read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and come to understand God's plan. You know, you can't do that to see the truth, even. I don't know, some of you may have read the Bible through dozens of times before you even came to the church. And I'm sure you discovered that there's some things you just could never see.

Now, I know I've talked to people that have been in churches for years and years. I had one man that I explained the truth about the resurrection to. And by the way, he was a Sabbath keeper. He was a Sabbath keeper. And as I began to explain about the first resurrection and God's mercy with the second resurrection, tears started streaming down from his eyes. That he said, you know, I have read this passage in Revelation. Dozens and dozens of times, he said, I never, ever saw it! And, brethren, that is the way it is. You can't understand it without looking through spiritual eyes. You know, when somebody has to guide you, it's like the Ethiopian eunuch. And this case is able to help him. And I know others in the ministry have done that and seen the joy of people when they come to understand the truth. Let's go to Isaiah 28. And you know, the Bible is written the way it is so that only those that God opens their eyes can see.

It's just written that way. In Isaiah 28 and verse 9, the context, by the way, is God is talking about Israel, Judah, you know, that they are intoxicated. It talks about, in fact, how the priests are intoxicated, and everybody's sort of intoxicated. And, you know, it's hard to teach somebody who's intoxicated anything. You know, you try to say, you know, you're drunk. I'm not drunk. You know, that's what basically happens. Or alcoholics, you know, you can't teach them anything. Well, this is sort of the context here. It says in verse 9, though of Isaiah 28, it says, whom will he teach knowledge and whom will he make to understand the message?

Those just weaned from milk. Those just drawn from the breasts. It's like it's those that, you might say, are ill-equipped are going to be able to... those are the ones that are really going to see. You know, when I was called, I didn't know anything. And I imagine you're probably pretty close to that yourself when you were called. Just didn't know anything. And if you'd ask me that I... if I'd be preaching in Sacramento today, if you told me this just, you know, probably 42 years ago, I told you we're just absolutely crazy. The last thing I wanted to be was a minister. That was on my list. If I had a list, you know, I'd have been a kamikaze would be above that, by the way, a pilot. But it says who we're going to teach. Well, not people that necessarily that have all this understanding. But in verse 10, for precept must be upon precept. Precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, hear a little and their little. The Bible's written in that way. A little there and a little here. Then you put it together. You put it together. In other words, the truth doesn't come from one scripture. The truth comes from many scriptures. You go from cover to cover in the Bible to find out what the truth is and you put it all together.

You know, we should know again the understanding of the truth comes that way. And down in verse 13, verse 13, but the Word of God was to them precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, hear a little and their little, that they might go and fall backward and be broken and snared and caught. That's the way it is today. People read the scriptures without spiritual eyes and they fall backward. They do not see the truth and they fall short, unable to see what the truth is. It's because they are spiritually drunk today. You can read in the scripture about that, how that when people are in this world, they are spiritually drunk or intoxicated. And a lot of that is called the false ideas that are in this world. How we're, brethren, we need to be sober and we are sobered by the Holy Spirit. It allows us to see hear little, their little precept upon precept, and we can put the truth together and we can see through spiritual eyes. You remember Paul, what Paul said? You know, in the book of Acts, it talks about how he killed God's people, threw them in prison, and how, in fact, he had signed on to people being put to death. You can read that in Acts 26 in verse 9 through 10. But in other words, what Paul was trying to say is that according to what he saw in the book here, he thought what he was doing was according to the will of God. And the reason was because he was looking through physical eyes and not spiritual eyes. And so, brethren, we make sure that when we do something that's according to God's will. And let me tell you, love is a very big part of God's will and what God wants us to do.

You know, the Bible also says, remember in 1 John 2, verse 4?

You know, it says that if he that says he knows God and keeps not the commandments, what does it say?

He's a liar and the truth is not in him. And so, the law of God, brethren, is what also tells us what the will of God is. And we see the law of God from a spiritual perspective, brethren, not only in the physical letter of the law, but the spirit of the law.

And love means that we do not do ill toward our brother, ever. We never do ill toward our brother to harm him in any way, shape, or form, brethren. You know, it says in 1 John 5, verse 3, you can read that later, but it says that the commandments of God, the law of God, is not grievous. It's not burdensome for us. And so, God wants us to realize that he wants us to keep his law because the law of God, the Ten Commandments, the law of God is an expression to us of the will of God. You know, when I ask you, should you even be here today?

What is the answer to that? Absolutely. Absolutely. You know, sometimes I hear people say, I don't know if it's God's will for me to be healed. You know, brethren, it's always God's will for us to be healed. With God, of course, we know it's when we're going to be healed.

Will we be healed now, or will we be healed in the resurrection? You know, it's always God's will. You know, what would a parent, what would you think of a parent, you know, if a father says, well, it's not my will that my son get better? You know, you'd think, well, you're a horrible father.

It's always God's will that we be healed, brethren. But of course, God thinks of our spiritual, you know, potential before the physical potential. And, you know, so God's divine character is expressed in the will. And the will is reflected in the law of God. It's revealed through His laws. And we know the Bible says that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. Obey Him.

Remember that memory scripture in Act 32? God gives His Spirit to those who obey Him. Must obey the law of God. Well, why did the disciples understand, brethren? You know, some people think that Christ, when He spoke in parables, He spoke in parables so that people would understand. You know, they'd be able to use those analogies to understand. But, of course, that was not just the case. Let's go to Matthew 13. Matthew 13. And down in verse 10. Matthew 13 and verse 10.

And the disciples came to Him and said to Him, Why do you speak to them in parables?

And He answered and said to them, Because it is given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to them it is not been given. For whoever has to Him more will be given, and He will have abundance. But whoever does not have, even what He has will be taken from Him.

So we better utilize what God has revealed to us, or God may very well take away from us what we have been given. God's people must be always growing. Because if we're not growing, then that's a bad thing. You've got a tree in the backyard that's not growing.

Something wrong with that tree, and it's going to die eventually. In verse 13, Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see. And hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. In other words, they're looking at it through physical eyes.

So they see it. Have you ever tried somebody the Sabbath, and say, this is what it says in the scriptures. And you understand it completely, but they don't get it. They don't get it. And it says, For in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive.

For the hearts of this people are grown dull, their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed. Lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts, and turn, so that I should heal them. But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears for they hear. For surely I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

So again, the reason we understand, brethren, is because of the Spirit of God that gives us the spiritual eyes that we need to see through. You remember when Jesus asked His disciples, who do men say that I am? And some said, well, some say you're John the Baptist, some Elijah, or one of the other prophets. And Jesus said, well, who do you say I am? And Peter immediately said, you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus said, blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. Flesh and blood has not revealed that to you, but my Father in heaven. All of a sudden, Peter's eyes were open, and he saw, and he understood. And brethren, we need to see as God wants us above all people upon the face to see with spiritual eyes, and to hear with spiritual ears as we see in what Christ Jesus said. Another will of God, brethren, that is also very important here is God wants us to learn agape love. I think some of the trials that we're going through right now can help teach us that. Some of the things that we're going through.

You know, God's ways, again, are so much higher than ours because of his agape love.

The love of humans is much more shallow, quite frankly, than God's love. Men and women normally love each other, but you know, because it benefits them, right?

People can have a lot of love for each other in marriage. A mother can love a child, and they say that that's the purest kind of love that can ever be shown in the human realm. But it's a selfish love because she doesn't love other children the way that she loves her own child, that have the same degree of love. And to think about this, brethren, God's love is totally different.

The Bible says that God loved us while we were yet sinners. We were not even called. Our minds had not been open, and God loved us, and we know he gave his Son for us. And so all that God does is agape, love. That's all he does. You know, he has agape love. And let's go to 1 John chapter 3, 1 John chapter 3, that demonstrates this kind of love that God wants us to have, brethren.

It should knit us together as God's people. If we have this kind of love, it's a a kind of love that binds people together as families. But here in 1 John chapter 3 and verse 13, let's notice here, John says, Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.

You know, it's my belief that those that praise you today will curse you tomorrow in this world that we live in, just the way it is. And I'm sure you probably have come to that conclusion in your life as well. So that's why he says, Don't marvel, brethren, if the world hates you. I mean, people who even say that they love you in the world, you know, John is saying, Don't marvel if they hate you. It says, We know that we have passed from death to life because we love, that's that agape love, we love the brethren. And it says, He who does not love his brother abides in death. Whoever hates his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer, he says, has eternal life abiding in him, or the potential of eternal life. And it says, By this, brethren, we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. This is what love, how it's demonstrated, brethren. But whoever has this world's goods and sees his brother in need and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

And it says, My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And so God wants us to, again, love each other in truth. And in verse 19, And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. So having that agape love, which this world doesn't have, it sets us apart from the rest of the world. That we be good friends, that we love those who are our friends, that we be good parents, that we love our children, and have that agape love for them as well, and demonstrate that love always. And that love will show that we are God's people. The next important will of God, brethren, in your life, in my life, is that we learn to endure and persevere. In Hebrews, let's go over to the book of Hebrews in chapter 10. Hebrews chapter 10, just one verse over here that expresses this part of the sermon. But God wants this part of it to be really a part of us, brethren.

In Hebrews 10 over here in verse 36. Here it says, For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

So no one will again receive that promise, even by doing the will of God, unless they endure. That's why, you know, if you look at David's particular length of his reign, you know, and some of the other kings of Israel, it's like they most of them had about 40 years or so, some of the good kings, you know. I think it was a part of their training, particularly David in his life. And I think that we may find that with God's people, that God wants us to put in about 40 years, there's not going to be any Johnny-come-late-lies in the kingdom, that we have to again prove ourselves. And usually when you've been around and been practicing God's way of life for several decades, then you know it's nothing fake there. It's real within us. So that endurance, brethren, has to be a part of us, and not a short-term act on our part. Let's go to Philippians chapter 3 again, that God, to show that God's will is that we learn to endure and persevere. The book of Philippians.

Chapter 3 and down to verse 11. One of the things Paul wanted to do that is expressed in verse 11 is he wanted to be a part of the resurrection of the dead. He says, not that I've already attained or am already perfected, but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid also hold of me. And he said, brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching toward or forward to those things which are ahead. I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. And so one of the key things, brethren, we must come to realize if we're going to endure and persevere is we have to leave things behind sometimes and move forward. And I think, brethren, a perfect time for us to think right now, you know, during this trial that we've gone through, that we do need to move forward as God's people. I don't know about you, but I don't like to rehash the past all the time. I think it's good that we, if something is behind us in our rearview mirror, that we need to again leave it there and look toward the kingdom, look toward that high calling that God has given to us. You know, God's calling is very important for us, brethren, and the resurrection is very important. And if you read what the Apostle Paul is saying here, he didn't want anything to keep him from that resurrection. He didn't want anything.

You know, if we got something that we need to overcome or to change, you know, to Paul, that was like a drag coefficient, you know, on an airplane, you know, maybe something that's holding you back from attaining more speed, you want to jettison. It doesn't belong, you know, on, say, that airplane or that vehicle or whatever motive or method. It's the same thing with us. We can have something that's holding us back. Sometimes we just need to leave it behind and move forward. And don't look back. Look through the kingdom of God. We all certainly need to realize that God wants us to be able to be in the kingdom. And, you know, how important is your salvation? How important is it? What's more important than anything you have? You know, it's more important than any suffering that we may have for that matter. Let's notice in Hebrews chapter 6. Hebrews chapter 6. Down in verse 9, Here Paul says here, but, beloved, we are confident of better things concerning you. It's things that accomplish the company salvation, though we speak in this manner. For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints and do minister. And it says, We desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end. So we can't, brethren, serve God with diligence at the beginning and sort of let down.

In other words, sort of act on our laurels. Sometimes that is what happens within the church. Sometimes the church languishes because people are sort of kicking back. Maybe they served a long time before. Well, brethren, we need to keep up our service, our diligent service, until the end, as much as we humanly can. I know a man, by the way, who is close to 80.

And if I were to ask him to do anything for the church, he would do it. That was just his attitude.

And I know his health, though, right now is so bad. He can't do anything. But you know what? If I asked him to do it, he would go and do it. And really, at this point, I wouldn't even ask him to do it because I know that he would do it, and I feel guilty if something happened to him, physically speaking. But that's the kind of attitude I'm talking about, as God's people. And it says in verse 12 that, "...you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." So again, here we see the word patience. So God wants, brethren, us to endure.

He wants us to persevere to the very end. And Christ said himself, he that endures at the end, the same is going to be saved. So God wants us to learn that character quality, brethren.

And a final promise, and a final part of God's will, brethren, that God desires out of you and me, it's God's will, brethren, that we abide forever. Forever. Think about it again. It's God's will.

He doesn't want you to be around just for a hundred years or a thousand years, or a hundred thousand years. He wants, brethren, you to be around forever more.

This world out here that we see is an illusion, brethren. It's ephemeral. It's short-lived, and it's going to pass away. And it's only a bleep in time by comparison to eternity.

And yet, you know, there are so many people that are willing to sacrifice everything for the temporary pleasures of this life. You know, the Bible tells us that this world is going to pass away. You know, over in 1 John chapter 2, 1 John chapter 2, and verse 15, it says, Do not love the world, for the things are in the world. It says, If anyone loves the world, and the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father, but his other world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it, but he who does the will of God abides forever.

See, God wants us to abide forever, brethren. And the one who's going to be there and abide forever is that individual that does the will of God in their life. And God desires us, brethren. To do his will. To live by his will. You want to know God's will, you look at the law of God. You live by that. You know, you study in the Bible about the talked about here in the message today.

And we look at the example of Jesus Christ, and we try to glean from that the will of God expressed in the life of Christ and by the things that he said. Christ said that he was the resurrection and the life. And it says, if we abide in him, that we will live forever. He really means that. He really means... You know, in the film that are on the roof, Tevye is depicted as having a very negative view of life. I think that if you remember the play in the movie, you know, the way he was.

But on the other hand, brethren, we ought to be the most thankful, the most happy people on the face of the earth because of what God has offered to us and is giving to us. You know, there are so many, brethren, very positive reasons why we need to know what the will of God is for us in our life.

One great truth, which is the most encouraging part of God's will for us, is that we will be in God's family forevermore. I want to close with one scripture that to me has always been very inspiring.

I didn't fully know when I read this and felt it was inspiring years ago, but I do know when we add to it, if we do the will of God, this is what's going to happen for us in our personal lives day by day as we seek the kingdom of God. It's Romans 8 in verse 28. It says, We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. And, brethren, if we are living by God's will, we can know that is absolutely true. So, brethren, let's live by the will of God. Let's seek the will of God. Let's see the reason why we need to live our life according to the will of God, and we will be in God's kingdom forevermore.