Key Theme: Believers are to seek God’s will for their lives continually.
Good morning everyone. Today we continue our study titled “Know His Will.”
Two weeks ago, we learned from the Scriptures that
- It is the will of God that all be saved [2 Peter 3:9].
- It is the will of God that every Christian be sanctified [1 Thessalonians 4:1-7].
One of the goals for believers is to find out what God would like him or her to achieve in their lives and then to be able to accomplish it.
For believers, success is measured by doing what God wants them to do.
Let us read our key verse for this lesson in [Romans 12:2] aloud all together.
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
It is the will of God that you thank Him in everything.
Let us go to [1 Thessalonians 5:18].
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
You hear the Scripture correctly. We are to thank God in everything.
Oftentimes, we find it is easy to thank God in a happy moment especially when the prayer is answered.
When things get tougher, we stop thanking God. All of a sudden, we forget all the things we have learned in Sunday School!
We become stressful and anxious. We end up losing the joy in our lives.
This Biblical truth of giving thanks to God in everything is opposite to the world value and logic.
The world has the logic that only good things that happened in our lives deserve all the praise and thanksgiving. Getting a new job. Having a baby. Marrying. We all praise the Lord for this!
Then people found out that they got cancer at the age of 30. Later they learned that the company would lay-off staff. They got a call that their loved one got a car accident.
They stopped thanking God.
They just forgot all the goodness and faithfulness that God has done in their lives.
Let us go to [Romans 8:28]. I hope it will be of encouragement for you.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
This verse is a beautiful promise of God. It is written targeting saved believers.
It talks to Christians!
The verse said
…all things work together for good.
All things?
Even having cancer?
Even losing a job?
Even losing a loved one?
Yes.
…all things work together for good.
It is the word of God.
Now pay attention to the next phrase.
It said
…to them that love God.
Do you love God?
We have been misled by the wrong concept in modern day and age.
There is no guarantee that after you are saved, everything will be all perfect.
I invite you to look at what the Lord Jesus Christ told us.
Let us go to [John 16:33].
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
…in the world ye shall have tribulation.
Tribulation here means “pressure” or “trouble.”
The Lord Himself guaranteed us.
When things get tough in your lives, you always have a choice.
Either to turn to God or to turn away from Him.
Please read the very next phrase.
The Lord said
…but be of good cheer.
The Lord told us to be of good cheer when we are in troubles.
We can be of good cheer when we have our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ and focus on our eternal home in heaven.
If you are saved, your place in heaven is now secure.
You are not going to hell! Nothing else in this world should trouble you.
The Lord told us not to worry about anything. He even told us to cast all our care to Him.
Let us read [1 Peter 5:7].
1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
While I was preparing this class, I was reminded of the story when the Lord Jesus Christ cleansed ten lepers.
It was the story recorded in [Luke 17: 11-19].
Before we go to the story, we need to have some basic understanding of leprosy in the Bible.
Back in the Old Testament time, leprosy is a severe skin infection and disease.
Anyone suspected of having this disease had to go to a priest for examination.
If found to be infected, they will be pronounced “unclean” [Leviticus 13:2-3].
People with leprosy is called “lepers.”
They are unclean. They need to live alone outside the camp. No one would like to be close to them.
Though you are rich, with leprosy, your life will change overnight.
Abandoned. No one wants to come near you anymore. You are socially outcasted.
If you were infected with leprosy in those days, your life was doomed.
Everything was gone. No more hope.
Now let us read [Luke 17: 11-19].
Luke 17:11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
Luke 17:12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
Luke 17:13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
Luke 17:14 And when he saw them,he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
Luke 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
Luke 17:16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
Luke 17:17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
Luke 17:18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
Luke 17:19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
The story goes like this. I will paraphrase it.
Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem. On the way there, He passed through Samaria and Galilee. He went into a village.
At that village, there were ten lepers. Those lepers saw Jesus from a far distance. They said to Him “Jesus, please help us.”
Jesus saw them and told them to go show themselves to the priest. They obeyed Jesus and did as what He said. They all then were healed.
Now please pay attention to verse 15 and 16.
Out of ten lepers that were healed, only one came back to the Lord, fell down on his face at Jesus’s feet and gave Him thanks.
Because of leprosy, that man met the Lord.
Because of leprosy, that man saw the miracle work of God.
Because of leprosy, that man learned to be thankful to the Lord.
Because of leprosy, the Lord was glorified through that man.
For saved believers, if you are in troubles and have problems in lives, be anticipated that the Lord is now working in you. He probably is approaching you.
Remember what the ten lepers did.
They called Him and cried out for His help. Then they obeyed what the Lord told them to do.
Oftentimes, when you have troubles and hardship, it is time you meet the Lord.
It is time you get closer to Him.
Troubles and problems keep us humble. They keep us to depend on God.
If your lives have no troubles coming up yet, then praise the Lord and thank Him.
Soon or later, troubles will hit your lives.
When troubles come, remember to “thank” Him.
Full teaching script is adapted from King James Bible Study Correspondence Course. “The Will of God”, An Outreach of Highway Evangelistic Ministries, http://www.kjvbiblestudy.com/pdf/english/Lesson_07_The_Will_of_GOD.pdf.
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