Discerning the Will of God - Part 4

References:

(1) The Greek word [dokimazo] for “prove” signifies to APPROVE after a CAREFUL EXAMINATION, to arrange and execute a TEST, and to ACCEPT and HEED the results of a test.

(2) To be able to discern the will of God rests on 2 FUNDAMENTAL FACTS: first, the REALITY that God has a PLAN for His children ; second, the ABILITY of God to COMMUNICATE that plan to us.

(3) In their book “Decision Making and the Will of God” Garry Friesen with J. Robin Maxson list 3 different aspects of God’s will: His SOVEREIGN will, His MORAL will, and His INDIVIDUAL will.

(4) The web site gotquestions.org sees 3 different aspects of God’s will: His SOVEREIGN (decretive) will, His REVEALED (perceptive) will, and His DISPOSITIONAL will which is His ATTITUDE.

(5) In my discussion of God’s sovereign will and His revealed will we will see that the revealed will encompasses Garry Friesen’s moral will and individual will. So Friesen’s list of 3 are encompassed by the first 2 aspects from the gotquestion.org list.

(6) Friesen defines God’s moral will as determined by God’s moral COMMANDS that are revealed in the Bible teaching men how they ought to believe and live. God’s individual will Friesen defines as that IDEAL, DETAILED LIFE-PLAN which God has uniquely designed for each believer.

(7) God’s sovereign will is revealed in His unchangeable decrees. Theologians call this His DECRETIVE will or His “hidden” will. It is “decretive” because it involves God’s decrees. It is “hidden” because humans are usually unaware of this aspect of God’s sovereign will until what He has decreed takes place.

(8) God’s REVEALED (prescriptive) will includes that which God has chosen to reveal to us in the Bible. God’s revealed will is contained in His precepts, given to individuals in order that we may walk in holiness and develop godly character.

(9) God’s precepts are plainly stated. “He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).

(10) How do Christians find the revealed will of God? I list several KEYS for finding God’s revealed will for individuals, the first key informs all the rest.

(11) I list several KEYS for finding God’s revealed will for individuals, the first key informs all the rest.

(12) First, search the Scriptures. If you want to know the WILL of God, it starts with the WORD of God.

(13) Nothing flourishes and grows without NOURISHMENT. And today in order to grow spiritually into a mature person of strength, you must have nourishment. And the SOURCE of that nourishment is the word of God.

(14) Nothing flourishes and grows without NOURISHMENT. And today in order to grow spiritually into a mature person of strength, you must have nourishment. And the SOURCE of that nourishment is the word of God.

(15) Second key: PRAY to know God’s revealed will. The biblical idea of prayer is that it is INSEPARABLE from the scriptures. This is communion with God the Father who has revealed Himself in the Bible and in the persons of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

This is episode 152.