To Know God's Will and Do It — William MacDonald

Just saying those words Silently now I wait for you. Ready my God your will to do. Open my heart. Illumine me. Spirit Divine. I had planned and hope to speak on the subject to know God's will and to do it to know God's will and And to do it, and I'd like to take it my text Ephesians 2 10.

We were talking about Ephesians 2 8 and 9 last night in the gospel. So I'll read those again, and then go on to verse 10 Ephesians 2 8 for by grace you have been saved through faith and That not of yourselves it is the gift of God.

Not of works lest anyone should boast. For we are his workmanship. Created in Christ Jesus for good works. Which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Now I just like to take that last expression and make an application of it.

The good works that God wants us to perform have been prepared in advance. I believe God has a plan for your life and my life. I don't have to make the plan. God already has the plan. My responsibility is to find it and To do it and to me that's success in the Christian life finding the will of God and doing it and I'd like to suggest some steps that we can take in that direction and the first is if I must desire intensely to know God's will.

I Mean if I just go casually through life sipping Cokes and just expecting some great Revelation of God's will in my life. I probably won't get it. I Must really be serious with God. I Intensely desire to know his will about about everything else.

Not with a thought that I'll see whether I like it or not, but with a thought whatever it is. I'm going to do it. Secondly, I Must trust the Lord fully in this matter. Trust the Lord fully in this matter.

Proverbs chapter 3 verse 5 thrust in the Lord with all your heart and Lean not unto your own understanding. That's it. You put your trust completely in the Lord and you don't trust your own good judgment in the matter.

Jeremiah said Oh Lord, I Know that the way of man is not in him. It is not in man that walketh to direct his steps. And I really think we have to come to that position where we get before the Lord and say Lord.

I don't know what's best for my life. If you just leave me to work it out according to my own great wisdom I'll be mistaken. So I just want to trust you completely in this matter of guidance. The humble He guides Injustice and the humble He teaches his way and in that connection.

I'd like to suggest to you this morning that God has something Better for you than you could ever think or imagine. I believe that God has something better for you than you could ever think or imagine.

He knows options. That you don't know anything about He were to appear to me and say okay bill just map it out. Now. What would you like? I my knowledge is very very limited and God could have a wonderful life for me that I have no thought.

In fact that at the moment I might not even think was that great. And yet looking back you can think what a wonderful way it has been. Jesus led me all the way. The third step I would suggest is that commit yourself to the Lord without any Reservations.

Commit yourself to the Lord without it. This is where the trouble comes in right here. Number three is the tuffy Romans chapter 12 verses 1 2. I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice of the God.

That that's what's tough, you know, it's amazing that we can trust God For the eternal salvation of our souls and We can't trust him to direct our lives here on earth. That's contradictory, isn't it? We can and we do most of the people in the audience today Absolutely have trusted Jesus Christ for the eternal salvation of their souls.

But have we really yielded our lives according to Romans 12 1 2 to direct our lives down here on earth. If I'm going to obey Romans 12 wanted to it means anytime any place any task Anything that the Lord would have me to do it means no reserve.

No retreats. Praise God. It means no regrets, too. I think that was part of the theme of William Borden's life. No reserve. No retreat. No regrets. That's the third thing. I would suggest you commit yourself without any reservation to the Lord.

I Ideas of what they want to do with their lives now, I don't say that critically I I Trusted the Lord Jesus Christ for my salvation of my soul salvation. When I was 18, but I want to be honest with you I didn't turn my life over to the Lord for service For probably eight years.

I mean we talk about lordship. And they're great words and that but are they real in our lives. I had such glowing ideas as to what I wanted to do with my life and what it really was was having been brought up during the depression days and Seeing my parents struggle to keep a house from being foreclosed.

I Wanted to go into the stock market make a quick kill retire at 35. And I presumed that became an investment analyst in the First National Bank of Boston and then in great mercy God Brought me into the Navy where I had a chance to teach the Word of God.

I had never thought of myself as teaching the Word of God and all that time. I was doing it the Lord was saying to me Bill this is better than developing ulcers over other people's money, isn't it? And One one day a sailor came to me out there in Honolulu.

He said to me have you ever read the book CT stud and I said no. He said would you like to and I couldn't think of any good reasons why I'd like to read a book with such a dull title CT stud. And he I said why do you think I should read it he said I think you should read it.

I was okay. I'll read it. He gave it to me in a Saturday morning when I got off duty I threw myself on the grass outside the BOQ and I started reading CT stud cricketer. I didn't stop for supper. Finished the book at midnight.

I closed the book and I knew I'd never go back to the bank. You know why? CT studs life motto. He said if Jesus Christ be God and died for me then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for God and that slew me.

I Could not answer the logic of that. If Jesus Christ be God and died for me Then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for God and that night I got down and for the first time in My life I turned my life over to Jesus Christ for service.

I Said here it is Whatever you want me to do and I want to testify to you and especially to you young people here today. I've had a wonderful life if God had given to me my choice. I couldn't have chosen as well as he's chosen.

It's been really great. But I can only praise his name for it commit yourself to the Lord without any reservation then number four stay current as far as Confession of sin is concerned. Stay current as far as confession of sin is concerned first.

John Chapter 1 verse 9 We confess our sins. He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I'm not going to dwell on this because we're going to speak about confession later on in the week Lord willing.

But this is very important. Let me say it this way the previous one was commit yourself without reservation. If you commit yourself without reservation You're available to the Lord if you keep current as far as confession of sin is concerned.

You're clean and if you're available and you're clean God can show his will to you. Just as easy as that Romans 12 1 and 2 makes you available. First John 1 9 makes you clean if you're clean and available.

It's God's responsibility to show you the next thing number five is to pray Continually for a revelation of his will for you. One of the lessons God has to teach us in this whole area is how to wait and I confess to you.

It's one of the hardest lessons for me to learn how to be patient and wait for God to act. I pray and I want the answer right now, but God doesn't work that way. He has other lessons to teach us and one of those lessons is Patience.

Teach me your ways Oh Lord and lead me in a smooth path because of my enemies and incidentally when I pray For a revelation of God's will in my life. I ask the Lord to confirm the guidance in the mouths of two or three witnesses.

I'm a very simple believer as you found out by now. And I say Lord if you only give me one indication of your will I might miss it. But if you give me two or three indications of your will I won't miss it.

This happened in a very vivid way in 1965 I had been praying as a crisis in my life. It was obviously a change in career. I had asked the Lord for two or three evidences of his will. February 9th came the first.

I got down on my knees. I said Lord I believe you've spoken. February 10th came the second that's as clear as it could be. I said Lord I asked you for two or three you've given me to. I accept you with February 11th the third team and I tell you the guidance was so clear if I had refused it would have been positive disobedience and God is willing to work with you like that.

God is willing to show you his will in such a clear way that if you refuse to act it would be positive Disobedience. So pray Continually for a revelation of his will to you and ask him to make it so clear that you won't Miss it next.

Put yourself in a position to hear his voice. By spending much time in the Word of God. Put yourself in a position to receive this revelation by spending much time in the Word. I Don't think it's right to be really Sincerely asking God for a revelation of his will and then have the Bible a closed book in your life.

So your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. That gives you the direction for the day the day ahead. Then if it's a great decision in your life that you're facing I would say number seven try to get as much Information as you can.

I find that the more information I get about any particular Situation the easier it is for God to guide me. If I had any idea for instance of the Lord was going Indicating Zaire to me as a possible mission field.

I'd go down to the local library, and I try to get as much information about Zaire as I could. I would write to some Of the missionaries out there try to get some insight on the work. And as I got this information It seems to me that things would come more and more into focus.

Get as much information as you can about whatever the particular Situation is that seems to be the burden on your heart. And also number eight I list the pros and cons. I take a sheet, and I make the big T on it.

Here's the pros, and here's the cons. It's not decisive. It's just a way that the Lord brings things together in a person's life and usually in any Situation there are pros and cons. It isn't always crystal clear.

Only one direction. Number nine I would say seek the advice of godly Christian elders. You're in a church of fellowship and assembly. You've got godly elders men who know God Through the Word of God and in practical everyday experience they can see things you can't see.

And a tremendous safety and security in Seeking the counsel of others be careful. Whom you go to? Sometimes you know when we're seeking counsel we go to someone who might give us the counsel that we want.

That's not the idea you want somebody will be impartial and someone who has a spiritual insight. Who will be able to bring things out that you did not know. And then number ten? I would say this resist the temptation to manufacture your own guidance.

Resist it. Isaiah Chapter 50. I don't know if you've noticed this passage. But it's one of the great passages in the Word of God on the whole subject of guidance. And I wish you'd all turn to it with me.

Isaiah chapter 50 and I'll read verses 10 and 11. Who among you fears the Lord? Who obey who obeys the voice of his servant who walks in darkness and has no light. Let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God.

Look all you who kindle a fire who encircle yourselves with sparks. Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled this you shall have from my hand. You shall lie down in torment. Now as I read that you probably realize that number 10 verse 10 is the right way to get guidance and Verse 11 is the wrong way to get guidance.

Look at verse 10 the right way to get guidance you fear the Lord. I Think fearing the Lord is more than just a reverential trust. I think it's an actual fear of doing what would displease him of walking in isolation from him.

Obeys the voice of us or us an obedient heart to the Lord Who walks in darkness and has no light? That's what we already said. I admit. I don't know. What's best Lord left to myself. It's all darkness.

It's no light. I need your guidance in this matter. How do I get it let him trust in the name of the Lord and rely upon his God? But the wrong way to get guidance is to kindle a fire. Encircle yourself with sparks walk in the light of your fire.

That's your own manufactured guidance. And in the sparks you have kindled, but what's the result this you shall have from my hand you shall lie down in torment. The torment of having walked in disobedience to the Lord walked outside the circle of his will.

So number 10 is resist the temptation to manufacture your own Guidance and number 11. We've already mentioned be willing to wait be willing to wait. Psalm 32 says don't be like the horse or the mule and We're thinking especially here of the horse.

The horse is always champing at the bit. Anxious to get ahead, you know anxious to get moving to go forward the mule is always lagging behind those are the two extremes and the whole realm of guidance.

I Would say in this connection wait till the guidance is so clear That if you are if you were to refuse you would know you were Disobedient and if you're a young person and you think look there's a world perishing I've got to know I've got to do just remember the 30 silent years in Nazareth.

The Lord Jesus could have taught he could have been impatient I suppose during those 30 years many of which were spent in the carpenter's shop. So they were all part of God's Training school for him if I can use that expression.

What a wonderful Thing it was and then 30 years he's led forth upon his public ministry and three three and a half years. It's all finished and provision has been made for the redemption of the world.

God knows what he's doing. God has his timetable and I have to be patient in waiting for him. Isaiah said whoever believes in him will not act hastily. Haste is seldom used of God in a good way in the Bible.

Do you know that? Haste is seldom used of God in a good way in the Bible. I Suppose in the parable of the prodigal son where the father runs out to meet him. Hey, that's good the taste in meeting the repentant Prodigal.

Coming home. See I Schofield said faith rests upon the confidence assurance. That God can speak loudly enough to make a waiting child here. Our part is to wait Quietly until we are sure God will honor you in that waiting time.

Number 12 if you're praying for guidance and No guidance comes. God's guidance is for you to stay where you are. The good rule to follow in this whole realm of Christian guy. A Christian guy if you're waiting for guidance and No guidance comes God's guidance for you is to wait.

Where you are? Darkness about going is light about staying. You had that with the pillar cloud the pillar of fire in the Old Testament the children of Israel were not to move until the cloud moved. And that's true of us today until the guidance of the Holy Spirit comes.

We're not to move and then. Finally number 13 while you are waiting for guidance. Do the things that your hands find to do? While you are waiting for guidance do the things that your hands find to do.

Ecclesiastes 910 whatever your hands find to do do it with all your might. Don't just kick back in a lazy boy and wait for God to show you. You can only guide a ship in motion and God guides his people when they're in motion for him.

Isn't it a marvelous thing to think of a great God in heaven and we? Little nobody's down here on earth and yet. He's so intimately concerned with every one of us. He will show every one of us exactly what he wants us to do.

And he can make it so crystal clear. How will God guide me well? I think first and foremost by the Word of God. By the Word of God there are several ways in which he will guide. But he will guide by the Word of God.

Remember. We said put your self in the position to receive his guidance by spending much time in in the Word. God guides through the word in a general way you have the general outline of the will of God in the Bible.

And you know an awful lot about what the Lord wants you to do just by reading the Bible. But there are specific instances where you need specific guidance, and this is how God can do it in a very Wonderful way in our prayer meeting this morning.

One of our brothers prayed for Steve Richards. I Think Steve's life was revolutionized here years ago at this Yosemite conference and Steve went out and and worked in Turkey and I Forget 10 or 12 years and Turkey's a tough country to work in.

I don't mind telling you. And he his family was raised out there in Turkey and and then he began to want to does the Lord want me to leave. Maybe go to West Germany where I can talk to Turks and not be arrested and thrown into jail.

And he was waiting upon the Lord. He was praying and he was reading the Word of God. What does God want me to do. And one morning in his daily devotion he read some 37 verse 3 and in the Turkish Bible it said this Dwell in the land and feed on the faithfulness of the Lord.

And that was God's voice Speaking to Steve Richards and on the basis of that plus his own exercise of soul. They stayed in Turkey to continue their ministry there. Now if you read that verse this morning, it probably wouldn't say too much to you.

Why. Because you weren't seeking God at that particular juncture in a way that that verse would end. But it was God's voice speaking to Steve Richards dwell in the land and feed upon the faithfulness of the Lord.

We have a missionary in Madrid, Spain, his name is Dick Clark. And One Christmas and one New Year's Eve they were watching TV and the tube went out. And that night before they went to bed they talked dick at his wife.

Should we Should we replace the tube or should we get rid of it? Yeah, there was exercise of soul about it. And so they prayed about it. They went to sleep in the morning. They had their usual Bible reading and time of prayer and That morning the reading was in Psalm 101 and this is what they read.

I will walk within my house. With an a put with a perfect heart. I will set nothing wicked before my eyes and they got rid of the tube. Not bad you didn't know television was in the Bible did you? There are two verses actually that two other verses that deal with with television in the Bible.

And Says the Word of the Lord Was precious in those days. There was no television. Well, it doesn't say that they said there was no open vision. But just let me paraphrase that the Word of the Lord was precious in those days.

There was no television. Said something do you know that this generation is biblically illiterate? Because people know more about the late night show than they do about Ezekiel. Absolutely true. I must go on.

Can God guide you through the Word of God? He can last year We had a young fella in the DITP his name was Scott Nordstrom from Omaha, Nebraska. And his father runs a Christmas tree farm in Omaha and every year before Christmas he hires about 15 people to work there in the Christmas tree farm but he depends on Scott and Debbie to to be there and.

And Scott was wanting Scott wanted to come to the discipleship intern training program but he thought about his father and he thought about the land there that Needed work at that particular time of year and those two words were in his mind a lot the land and My father at one Friday morning when he was helping his father the Lord gave him mark 1029 it said assuredly I say to you There's no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother a wife or children or land father or land for my sake.

For the Gospels who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time and the age to come eternal life and the words father and land jumped out of the verse Adam. And then the Lord gave him mark 1 19 and 20 and they left their father in the boat with the hired servants and went after him.

And God guided him through those two verses two passages to come to the discipleship intern training program. And he spent the year with us. There was another young fellow at the same time praying Dave Reed was his name Frank.

And he had applied a year before and he didn't have peace about coming a year before he said no. I think God has lessons for me to learn in my work in my secular occupation. And so he delayed and then a year later He asked the Lord to confirm the guidance if he wanted him to come to the discipleship Intern training program a day later.

He was reading in Isaiah 30 and he came to verse 20 and This is what it says. And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction yet Your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore, but your eyes shall see your teachers.

Now if I had read that this morning, it wouldn't have said too much to me. But he read that that verse and that was God's guidance and he came to the program and God has greatly used. That young man can God guide through his word.

I'll say he can years ago, there was a lady serving in the Lord up in Alaska, but there was. Because of her faithfulness to the Lord she lost employment up there in the school System and she came back to the lower 448 in weakness from a recent surgery, but the Lord Began to speak to her about Alaska again.

And she got a letter asking her to come in a helping a certain Christian work there in Alaska. And she said there's no use. I'm too old. What can God do with? 58 year old woman in Alaska at one day the Lord spoke to her through Psalm 39 verse 5 My age is as nothing before you.

And she went to Alaska and served and she just went on to be with the Lord a short time ago. I think she was a hundred years of age when she went home to be with the Lord. My age is as nothing before you.

Some of you older folks have been sitting here thinking was good for young people to hear what he's saying. Listen, you're never too old to be obedient. She was obedient at 58 years of age. Some of you might be thinking at this point.

Yeah, but that's a problem here McDonald. What about here's a here's a couple and the husband has contracted cancer and it seems that he's going to die and They read in the Bible This sickness is not unto death but for the glory of God and they claim it as a promise for God and he dies.

You know, that's a problem, isn't it? Now that has happened. We had a young man who went through the program and that's exactly what happened to him and they were reading one day and it said I shall not die but live.

But they claimed that as a promise for property died. You say well, how do you get around that one? Well, I'll tell you how I I get around. Daniel chapter 3 17 you remember those men said our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the Burning fiery furnace and he will deliver us from your hand O King but if not.

But if not and when I claim these promises from the Lord, I say but if not I believe you've spoken to me Lord through your word. I claim the promise through your word. But if you have something else for me, that's okay, too as for God his way is Perfect.

Secondly God speaks to us through the counsel and advice of other believers. Preferably spiritual mature believers. Sometimes God can even speak to you with it through an unsaved person. I've had that experience in my life.

I Was praying about going overseas and I wrote to an unsaved friend of mine been with me in the service and I said all I'm waiting for is a green light from the Lord and He wrote back and he said your letter came to me at a time.

We were preparing a Brochure for the European Travel Commission, and he said if all you're looking for is a green light from the Lord. He said why don't you adopt the slogan on our brochure and out of the envelope fell the brochure?

And it said why wait till sometime? It's so easy to go to Europe now. And he's still unsaved. But God spoke that was one that was only one indication of God's will at that time but God spoke through that an Unsafe fellow don't limit God as brother Taylor said let God be God and I certainly agree with what he said about the sovereignty of God.

Don't try to box him in he can use such wonderful methods and so diverse. But let me warn you that when the call of God comes to a person. Almost invariably. Escape routes open up. So if you don't want to take the call of God you can take it when CT stud.

Who was incidentally raised in a very wealthy family? Cricket champion in England and when the call of God came to him his friends said you're crazy. Let me just read you what it said you're mad leaving your cricket and going to be a missionary.

Couldn't you wait until you finish your cricketing day? Couldn't you make more of an impact for God as a cricketer? Why go as a missionary to a place where they've never heard of cricket? That you're mad.

And it's really often happens when God is really dealing with our souls. Our friends can come along and say whatever. You do don't do that. Just expect it if you're going to walk in the will of God. You're going to have the opportunity to take an escape route to go out a back door.

If you wanted it will prove the reality of your sincerity. And then God guides by the marvelous converging of circumstances too. By the marvelous converging of circumstances. You know some years ago George Verver Came and spent a night or two it on my little place.

And he said Billy said I'm going to Toronto to have a meeting and he said I'll be back Tuesday. Well, it was a fellow in Buffalo, New York who was praying about going overseas as a garage mechanic with Operation Mobilization Frank Buss and George had heard about him so George wrote to Frank Buss and said look I'm going to be in Toronto for a meeting.

Why don't you come over and let's meet? So George went there and had the meeting at the end. Frank and Betty Buss went up to him at the end. And he said look we're going to have a prayer meeting. We're gonna have a night night of prayer.

He said why don't you come to the house with us? So they went to somebody's house for the night of prayer and George had been. I'd be. Frank had been praying. Does God want me. I got five kids. Does he want me to pack up and go to Belgium and serve as a garage mechanic?

But anyway the night of prayer is going on and at two o 'clock Betty says Frank. Don't you think we should go home? You've got to get to work in the morning. You know and frankly I think we should go home right.

Then George came and said look if I could drive to Buffalo with you. He said I could get a cheaper flight back to Chicago. So they said well fine. Why don't you come well? They got back to Buffalo, but it was too early for the flight so They said well you just come into the house.

Frank had been praying, and this is so remote. It's incredible Frank. It's a Lord if you want me To go overseas you arrange it so that George Verver comes inside my house. They did. So they get back to Buffalo and George Verver is in the house.

Well Let's see husband wife five kids. George Verver they had to rearrange all the beds in the house. And the way it finally ended up was George Verver and Frank Buss were sleeping in the same bed. And George is that kind of a guy.

He just puts his head back in the pillow and goes off to sleep and Frank is there. Left to his own thoughts and the Lord is saying to him okay Frank. He's right beside you there in the bed. What else would you like me to do?

And he packed up and went to Belgium to serve the Lord there the marvelous converging of Circumstances. I tell you God's ways are really wonderful and then I believe God does guide you by the subjective witness of the spirit by the witness of the spirit and I have to be careful here when I speak of that because I Believe that primarily the Spirit of God witnesses through the Word of God.

But I also believe that God can give you peace that the peace of Christ can umpire in Your heart when you're moving in the direction that God wants you. To move in. I call that the subjective witness of the Spirit of God.

Colossians 3 verse 15 says let the peace of Christ Umpire in your heart, and I really believe that when you're moving with God you have peace about it. You really do you have peace about it sometimes guidance is very clear sometimes.

It's not so clear at all. Usually God only leads one step at a time. He doesn't show the complete picture. But let me I believe that No one who's fearless wants to know the will of God and do it ever misses the way.

And finally You know a lot of people they think about the will of God and all they can think of is snakes scorpions and spiders. But that isn't what I read in Romans 12 to double Effect and I want to tell you that's true.

God's will is good and Acceptable and perfect if you want to have a good life and a life of fulfillment. You you'll find it in a life poured out in service for the Lord Jesus and accomplishment of his will.

Shall we pray. Blessed Father we pray that you will forgive us for making our own fire. Kindling our own fire and walking in the sparks of it. Thinking that we know better than you and allowing our own Desires and prejudices to have precedence over your will.

Oh Father. We pray that young and old here in this conference might supremely desire to know your will even if it means a change in career. Even if it means a complete upsetting of all our previous plans.

Even if increase it means mobility. Not being anchored down. Father we pray that we might sincerely want to do your will make it real in our lives. We pray Jesus name Amen.