"GOD'S WILL FOR YOU" Making God's Will Priority One by Mark Copeland

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"GOD'S WILL FOR YOU"

Making God's Will Priority One

INTRODUCTION

1. We have been examining what is God's will for you in this series of lessons...
1. But it is not enough to simply know what is God's will
2. We must also make doing His will our number one priority
2. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus talks about the importance of priority...
1. In overcoming anxiety - Mt 6:25-27
2. In experiencing the providential care of God - Mt 6:28-32
3. By seeking first the kingdom of God - Mt 6:33-34

[Beginning with Mt 6:33, let's first look at what is involved in...]

1. SEEKING THE WILL OF GOD
1. INVOLVES THE REIGN OF GOD...
1. Jesus said to "seek first the kingdom of God" - Mt 6:33
2. Broadly defined, the kingdom of God is the rule or reign of God via His will
3. Thus Jesus could use "kingdom" and "will" in synonymous parallelism - cf. Mt 6:10
4. Thus we must seek out what is God's will for us, live it out in our lives - e.g., Jn 4:34; 6:38
-- Seeking the will of God means looking to Him reigning over our lives
2. INVOLVES THE DUTY OF DISCIPLESHIP...
1. It is God's will that we listen to His Son - Mt 17:5; 28:18
2. Jesus has all authority, and He desires that we become His disciples - Mt 28:18-20
3. Whereby we learn from Him, finding rest for our souls - Mt 11:28-30
-- Seeking the will of God means becoming disciples of Jesus Christ
3. INVOLVES THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH...
1. Jesus came to establish His church - Mt 16:18
2. The church is that community of disciples who obey Him - Ac 2:41,47
3. Such obedience involves fellowship, assembling together - Ac 2:42; He 10:24-25
-- Seeking the will of God means participation in the local congregation

[But it is not sufficient to simply give the will of God a place in our lives, the will of God which involves God's reign, discipleship and the church must be "priority one" in our lives...!]

2. PRIORITIZING THE WILL OF GOD
1. OVER SELF...
1. Jesus taught this in regards to discipleship - Lk 9:23
2. We must deny self, making the will of God number one
3. As Jesus prayed, "not as I will, but as You will" - Mt 26:39
4. This actually makes us better persons, as it undoubtedly did for Timothy - cf. 1Ti 4:12-16
-- The will of God must take priority over personal interests
2. OVER FAMILY...
1. Jesus taught this in regards to discipleship - Mt 10:34-37; Lk 14:26
2. Thus we must put God's will before family
3. As Jesus demonstrated with His physical family - Mt 12:46-50
4. This actually creates better families, where love and respect abides - cf. Ep 5:22-33
-- The will of God must take priority over familial interests
3. OVER BUSINESS...
1. The apostles demonstrated this in answering the call to discipleship - Mt 4:18-20; 9:9
2. Thus we must put God's will before business affairs
3. How will we provide for family? With God's providential help! - Mt 6:30-34
4. This can actually lead to greater success in our business ventures - cf. Gen 39:2-3; Dan 1:9
-- The will of God must take priority over occupational interests
4. OVER EVERYTHING...
1. Jesus taught this in regards to discipleship - Lk 14:33
2. Thus we must put God's will over everything else
3. As Paul demonstrated in his own life - Php 3:4-11
-- The will of God must take priority over everything!

CONCLUSION

1. We need to understand what is really important in life...
1. It is easy to be preoccupied with many things in this life - cf. Lk 10:40-41
2. We must chose the good part, that which is truly important - cf. Lk 10:42
2. We have seen that the "good part" regarding the will of God involves...
1. Seeking the rule of Christ in our lives
2. Serving as disciples of Jesus Christ
3. Involvement in the church of Christ
3. In the parable of the great supper, Jesus illustrated...
1. The danger of making excuses - Lk 14:16-18
2. How many will use family or business duties to keep them away - Lk 14:18-20
3. The displeasure of God when people do not put His will first - Lk 14:21-24

But when we truly understand what is God's will for us, the blessings experienced by doing His will, then making God's will "priority one" will not be a problem for us.

Have you made God's will "priority one" in your life, by submitting to the reign of Christ, becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ, and giving His church the proper place in your life?

May we all be willing to say to God as Jesus Himself did...

"Not as I will, but as You will" - Mt 26:39

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