This morning, we’re continuing to learn about God’s will for our lives.
Last week, we were reminded that to God, little things are the big things. When we are faithfully obedient in small things, God does the big, miraculous things through them. It may seem small and insignificant and irrelevant to us, but if God is leading us to do it, it is the most critically important thing that we could possibly do!
Work was not the result of sin, our work being opposed was the curse of sin. God created work, then created and purposed the worker; us! Painful, sweaty toil producing thorns and thistles were the result of the ground being cursed because of sin.
Since that moment, creation has been waiting in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed to liberate it from its bondage.
The work that we do for the Lord is only important because of our identity. It is who we are and why we do good works that release Heaven on earth. It is our heart of obedience and our desire to see God’s kingdom come and His will be done here on the earth even as it is in Heaven.
Our identity is more important than our purpose. We must find fulfillment and satisfaction in exploring our identity as a child of God and not just in the work that we do.
All of the spiritual works that we do, all of the gifts of the Spirit, will become irrelevant in Heaven.
1 Corinthians 13:8-10
8 …where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
What will never pass away is who we are and our relationship with God! In fact, Jesus said:
Revelation 2:17
Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it.
We are not equipped and empowered to live this life as victims, but victors! Sure, we will face troubles and difficulties. Sure, it may look like we lose at times from a worldly perspective. Take a look at the One whom we are following, Jesus. It sure did look like He lost as He was scourged, hung on the cross, died, and laid in a tomb.
You can’t possible lose any worse than that, right? Oh, but we know that this wasn’t the end of Jesus’ account! He defeated sin, defeated death AND defeated the grave! The gates of hell cannot prevail!
I don’t know about you, but I want to taste some of that hidden manna! I want a revelation of Kingdom secrets! I want to know what my new name is that only Holy Spirit and I know! Victory in life is gained through submission to our Heavenly Father’s will.
It is through trust in Him and Him alone. Jesus prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done.” and then He lived it out even through death. The Heavenly Father had the final word and the Holy Spirit had the final act raising Jesus back to life forever more and giving Him the name above every name!
Our identity is more important than our purpose, who we are is more important than what we do. However, our identity is revealed through our purpose, who we are is shown by what we do.
Just because there is opposition and hardship and bullies ahead, that does not mean that it is not God’s will for your life! We like to say Christian cliches like, “If it is God’s will, He will make a way.” or “If it’s meant to be, then it will be.” There are partial truths contained within statements like this.
Sometimes a door is closed because we’ve been empowered and equipped to kick it down, drive out the thief occupying it, and take possession of the place that God promised us!
Let’s turn to history and gain insight for our lives today. After all, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever!
God made a promise to Abram to give him a large plot of land and heirs as numerous as the stars in the sky and grains of sand on the seashore; to make him into a great nation. God did that, but his descendants were quite content in Egypt and not in the land promised to Abraham.
Long story short, God began moving them out of Egypt and into that promised land. God may be in the process of doing that for many of us here today. We’ve gotten far too comfortable and it’s time to start walking by faith again. It’s time to stop settling for lesser things and time to rise up and start pressing into our inheritance and what has been promised again!
God tells His people:
Exodus 23:20-33
20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.
What are angels?
Hebrews 1:14
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.
OK. Who is going to wipe them out? God! That’s right, God will make a way where there is no other way!
How does He make this way? How does He wipe them out? Well, we’ll get there.
24 Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces. 25 Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, 26 and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.
27 “I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. 28 I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.
If it was never part of God’s will for these people groups to possess the land of Israel promised to Abraham, then why did He ever allow them to move in and settle down during the centuries between the promise and the entry of Abraham’s descendants into the land?
God explains that.
29 But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.
These enemies of God’s people dwelling in this land was never His end plan or will. However, there was a purpose for them living them. They were allowed to dwell there to tend and care for the land so that it would be a blessing to God’s people. A land flowing with milk and honey!
They were placeholders until God’s people grew enough, not only in numbers, but more so in faith and trust and courage enough to be able to possess the promise.
Here is a phrase that we hear of often in the news today just like the Gaza strip last week.
31 “I will establish your borders from the desert to the Euphrates River and from to the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.
Yes, from the river to the sea. This promise and this literal land is still being fought over to this very day!
I will give into your hands the people who live in the land, and you will drive them out before you. 32 Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods. 33 Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you.”
God promised to oppose those who opposed His people and to be an enemy to their enemies. God promised to give all of those dwelling in the land He promised into their hands? How could they possibly lose?
Well, God fulfilled His promise in powerful and miraculous ways!
If you’ve read the Old Testament, you’ll likely recall some of the ways in which God made a way. As mentioned last week, it was always in cooperation with His people. His miracles through their faith expressed in simple acts of radical obedience.
The battle plans to gain the victory over their enemies?
Keeping one guy’s hands lifted.
Digging holes.
Breaking a jar and blowing a shofar while holding a torch.
Marching into battle, but just with a song of praise.
Marching around the city for six days and then shouting on the seventh.
One of my favorites is when Elisha keeps getting words of knowledge of when and where the Arameans were planning to attack the king of Israel so that he could warn him. Finally, the king of Aram was so infuriated that he sent a huge force with horses and chariots and surround Elisha.
Elisha asks God to strike them blind, so He does. Elisha then walks right up to them and explains to them that they were in the wrong place. They allow Elisha, himself, to lead them right to Jehoram, the king of Israel, in Samaria where they were then the ones surrounded.
Elisha then removes their blindness.
Instead of killing the army, the king of Israel hosts a huge feast for his enemies and then sends them on their way. The Arameans never raided the promised land again.
When we are faithful in the little things, we can be trusted in the big things. Elisha lived a Spirit-lead life of obedience of worship in God’s Presence. He grew such a close relationship with God living in surrender and cooperation with Him that I would propose that God began to follow Elisha’s plans in fulfilling His will.
How much fun would this be? Hey God! How about you blind them, then let me walk them right up to Jehoram and then let them see again? God fulfills Elisha’s request.
Joshua was fighting the Amorites and asked the Lord for the sun and moon to stand still until they were able to gain triumph. God fulfilled Joshua’s request and the sun and moon stood still for about a full day’s time.
Miracles begin with knowing God through an intimate and personal relationship. God wants us to go beyond just memorizing His written word for the purpose of doing what He wants. Yes, this is good and important, but there is so much more!
We are servants of the Lord and we want to be faithful servants. However, we should move beyond just mere servanthood in our identity. We are also children of God and friends of God!
We should move beyond just caring about what God wants us to do to into a desire and passion to understand why He wants us to do those things. From just knowing God’s will to understanding God’s heart and His ways. Jesus said:
John 15:15-16
15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last – and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
Do you see the change that happens here?
A hired hand, a servant. They care only to do the job that they are told to do. They don’t really know why they are doing what they are doing and they don’t really want to know that most of the time. They just want to clock in, do a job, and clock out.
We are purposed for more than mere hired hands or servants of the Lord! Jesus wants to reveal to us all of God’s kingdom business! Paul said:
2 Corinthians 5:20
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
A United States ambassador lives in a nation outside of the US. They represent, speak, and act, on behalf of the United States. The president doesn’t give them a script of what they are allowed to say and a daily schedule of what to do and when.
No! Instead the president builds a relationship with the ambassador so that they get to know the intent and goals and heart of the president. The ambassador learns from the president why they were chosen to represent the US in the nation to which they are assigned. The relationship is built on trust and transparency.
If the ambassador needs something from the president in order to have their will fulfilled in that nation, they ask for it and that request is fulfilled.
We are to be Christ’s ambassadors! Citizens of Heaven dwelling here in this world. In the world, but not of it. Access to the King and His rich resources in order to represent Him here and fulfill His will here in this place.
God’s will – the work He is calling us to – all existed before us.
We are the executers of His will.
We were purposed to fulfill it.
We are equipped to fulfill it.
We are empowered to fulfill it.
We are entrusted to fulfill it.
Fulfilling His will fulfills us!
Think about a will for a moment. As in the legal document called a will. The intent of drawing up a will is to write down and express what you desire to happen with your property and assets after you die. It is to ensure in a legally binding way that your desires are fulfilled when you pass away in death and are no longer able to make them happen on your own.
A critical aspect of a will is defining what is called an executor. The person defined as the executor will be responsible to fulfill the wishes of the deceased defined in the will. They are legally empowered and given the authority to act on the deceased behalf and are entrusted with the assets of the deceased. It is as if the deceased is still acting through the executor.
Hebrews 9:16-17
16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.
Jesus died. The soldier made sure that this was the case. Of course, we know that He was physically resurrected and is alive right now, but legally, He died. He was given all power and all authority over all things. He then defined His disciples as the executors of His will.
Today, we are His disciples. Today, we are the body of Christ. We are His ambassadors. We are the executors of His will.
It is still the will of Jesus to seek and save the lost.
It is still the will of Jesus to loose chains and to set captives free.
It is still the will of Jesus to destroy the work of the devil.
It is still the will of Jesus heal the sick, crippled, and diseased.
It is still the will of Jesus to give hope to the disheartened.
It is still the will of Jesus to drive out demons.
It is still the will of Jesus to pour out revelation.
It is still the will of Jesus to bring understanding.
It is still the will of Jesus to share good news.
It is still the will of Jesus to comfort those who mourn.
It is still the will of Jesus to replace despair with praise.
It is still the will of Jesus to raise the dead.
It is still the will of Jesus to bring beauty from ashes.
It is still the will of Jesus to bind up the broken hearted.
It is still the will of Jesus to welcome prodigals home.
It is still the will of Jesus to feed the hungry.
It is still the will of Jesus to quench the thirsty.
It is still the will of Jesus to befriend sinners.
It is still the will of Jesus to make all things new.
Oh and so much more!
How does Jesus’ will come to pass?
How does any will come to pass after one passes?
The responsibility for the deceased’s will to be fulfilled falls one the executor. If the executor does not act, everything that the deceased person wrote and requested doesn’t happen.
The beneficiaries would need to petition the court to take action to replace the named executor with someone who will bring the deceased will to pass. In Pennsylvania, there is no timeframe or statute of limitations on an executor completes the desires called out in the will and close the estate.
There’s no statute of limitations in the Kingdom of God, either. God’s will will be fulfilled! God’s word will come to pass! In the meantime, the intended beneficiaries are waiting for the executors to act.
Romans 8:19-21
19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
Just like a will in the natural world, the executor is not just handed a document and expected to do it all on their own. No, the one who wrote up the will also passes along to the executor the authority, the access, and the resources needed to bring that will to pass.
The executor of the will is taking the place of the deceased to accomplish their will. So it is with us spiritually. It’s not really us doing anything, it is more so us cooperating with God to bring about His will.
John 14:12
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
So how does this work? How do we fulfill God’s will as His chosen executors?
Join us next week as we continue!