Answers to Our Confusion About God’s Will
Matthew 18
Pastor Terry Wilcox
Parable of the lost sheep – Matthew 18:14
The Will of God by Pastor Leslie D. Weatherhead
1. The will of God.
2. The will of God.
3. The will of God.
Part of the confusion about God’s will comes from not knowing the character of God. Knowing about God – knowing his attributes – is vital to understanding the will of God.
Attributes of God (5 of 10)
- God is – meaning chief, highest, supreme.
I Chronicles 29:10-13
- God is – He has no beginning and no end.
Revelation 1:8
Isaiah 44:6
- God is – He possesses all knowledge.
Romans 8:29
- God is – God is infinite and everywhere.
Jeremiah 23:23-24
- God is – He is all-powerful.
Philippians 3:20-21
The Intentional Will of God
Genesis 1:26-31
Genesis 3:17-19
Not everything that happens is the intentional will of God, but nothing can happen which finally defeats God’s will.
There are circumstances in life resulting from sin, foolishness, and ignorance that cause us pain, misery, heartbreak, and suffering. These are not the intentional will of God.
We must come to terms with the truth that the intentional will of God can be defeated by the will of man for the time being. -Dr. Weatherhead
Lack of understanding the will of God results in a casual acceptance of the circumstances around us.
As ironic as it might sound – the erroneous idea that everything that happens is the will of God – gives some people comfort.
He who hides in an idea about God which is not true, will in the hour of real need, be left as comfortless as atheism… – Dr. Weatherhead
Some would argue that the greatest qualities in people are produced by suffering, therefore suffering is God’s will.
The Twentieth Anniversary of 9/11 –
- The attack did not produce courage, it courage. Evil does not .
- Evil does not make good qualities. It reveals them and gives opportunities to exercise good qualities, but they are the product or fruit of the Holy Spirit in us.
Matthew 6:9-13
Personal Notes