Understanding the Will of God

Series: Beginning Again – Part 3 of 4

Ephesians 5:15-17; Various Texts
Eddie Byun

Ephesians 5:17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

Prerequisites for Following the Will of God:

Three Spheres of God’s Will:

God’s
________ ____________ ___________ Will
Isaiah 14:24 The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,
and as I have purposed, so it will stand.

God’s
________ ____________ ___________ Will
1 Thessalonians 4:3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should
avoid sexual immorality;

Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

God’s
________ ____________ ___________ Will
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer 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.

Understanding the Will of God:

1
God’s will is not
________ ____________ _______
Proverbs 20:5 The purposes of a man's heart are deep waters
Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?
Proverbs 21:2 All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.

God’s will is not

________ ____________ _______
Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that
prevails.

God’s will is
________ ____________ __________
John 15:15 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.

“Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for
is to know God, most of I life’s problems fall into place of their own
accord.”
J.I. Packer

Barriers to Knowing God’s Will:

2
 “If disappointment, trouble, frustration, or failure have influenced our
decision,
we should be doubly careful before acting on it.”
J. Oswald Sanders

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Next Week: “Discovering the Will of God”

2009 Eddie Byun