The Four W's 02 the Will of God — Stan Ford

With us tonight. Thank you for coming. I want, if I may, to read two portions of the Word of God in the 40th Psalm, and then in the 12th chapter of the Epistles of the Romans. The Old Testament, first of all, the 40th Psalm.

Now, those of you that have been with us in past evenings know that for the four evenings of this week, we are considering together four subjects. Last night, we dealt with the Word of God and how to read it.

Now, I don't know whether that's the correct expression. I don't know whether I ought to say we dealt with it. We touched it anyway. The Word of God and how to read it. Tonight, we're going to look at the Will of God and how to know it.

The Will of God as the Theme of the Sermon

The Will of God and how to know it. As the Lord will help us tomorrow night, we'll be dealing with the worship of God and how to present it. And then on Thursday, if the Lord helps us, we'll be dealing with the work of God and how to do it.

And then, of course, Friday night is the special night. It's the young folks night. Now, please, they've invited me. So you can come, however old you are, because I'm older than most of you. So don't say Amen as loud as that.

Now, hear me. But the only time I get them to say Amen, there we are. But on Friday night, if you please, on Friday night, it's the youth night, but it simply means that. Now let's clear up something about this youth night.

It simply means that on Friday night, I'll be speaking the help of the Lord in a special way for a message that will reach young people. Now, sheep and lambs feed together. All of us be here on Friday night.

All of us be here. And I believe, I don't know, they haven't told me yet. They haven't told me yet, but I believe some of the young folks are going to do something. I don't know what they're going to do.

Stand on their head, maybe, I don't know. But Friday night, let's be here and bring all the young folk along you possibly can for Friday. But this evening, the will of God and how to know it. The fortieth psalm, if we may.

I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto me and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the mire clay, set my feet upon a rock, and established my going. He hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God.

Many shall see it in fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works, which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us warned.

They cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Sacrifice and offering, thou didst not desire. Mine ears hast thou opened. Burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required.

Romans 12 and the Renewing of the Mind

Then said I, Lo, I come in the volume of the book it is written of me. I delight to do thy will, O my God. Yea, thy law is within my heart. Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 12, as we may be. What tremendous verses are these?

This chapter that is the commencement of the last section of this wonderful event. Romans chapter 12. I beseech you, therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service, and be not conformed to this world.

Says J. B. Phillips, don't let the world crush you into its mould. 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.

May the Lord just add his blessing to the reading of his own precious word. Now you were given a chorus, and a chorus sheet, and we couldn't gather tonight without singing the chorus of it. If you were not given a sheet, please raise your hand and someone will bring you one.

Oh, I can see the folks that came in on the sign. None? Do you mean they've all gone? They've all gone? Would you kindly bring them back when you come tomorrow night? You remember what I said the first evening, you are permitted to take them with you, but no further than the door.

Now please, they're always there. They need the gospel here if they're not late. There we are. Well, it's one between two, or one between three, or something, or something. Let's start off, if we may please, with the little one that we sang the last time I was with you, number one, and I feel that maybe tonight the Lord's got something to say more than the little one.

Number one, let me be a little kinder, let me be a little blinder to the thoughts of those around me. Let me pray a little more. Are we ready? Thank you. Let me be a blinder, let me be a little one. I say, drop everyone who couldn't have sung a bit better if you'd tried.

Put your hands up now. You couldn't have sung a bit better if you'd tried. My wife's got her hand up anyway. I believe I saw a good one. Would you like to come up and sing it with me, sir? No? Oh, there we are.

Well, now that's your confession, but two people all confess you could have sung better. Did you put your hand up, did you? I didn't think so, did I? You were bad at the piano. Are we ready? Come on, let's try the second verse.

Thank you. Let me be a little kinder, let me be a little one. We say it every time we sing it, but I want to say it again. Oh, how I long that this may be true in my own life, that I might be a little kinder, a little blinder to the faults of those around me, that I might praise a little more.

Praise God for those words, may they be true in our experience. Now we're going to sing a chorus that's an English one, a children's one, and we all know it. If you're black, or if you're white, or if you're fat, or lean, God loves you.

Do you know this one, you brethren in the front? Don't you? Your education has been neglected. Oh, I tell you, we'll have to sing this one now. If you're black, or if you're white, or if you're fat, or lean, God loves you.

If you're short, or if you're tall, or if you're in between, God loves you. You come up and sit with me right up here. Doesn't matter about that, I know you've got laryngitis. Right up. You develop laryngitis very quickly.

If you refuse, I'll come down and sit you up. Just you listen, it goes something like this. It's just a children's chorus, but it goes like, thank you. If you're black, or if you're white, or if you're fat, or lean, God loves you.

Do you know what it is, Martha? You have a chance of listening to good singing like this. Is that right? Right. Yes, that's right. Now, there we are. We'll try it again. Thank you. If you're black, or if you're white, or if you're fat, or lean, God loves you.

If you're short, or if you're tall, or if you're in between, God loves you. He loves you when you're happy. He loves you when you're sad. He loves you when you're feeling good. He loves you when you're mad.

No matter what you look like, no matter what you be, God loves you. God, believe it. What they'd have done if we'd have been in the Salvation Army, they'd have given them a clap. That was good. Are you ready?

Come on, everyone now. Please, please. It's just the children's chorus that we sing with the boys and girls. And I want to tell you it's true. God loves you, whoever we are. So, away we go. Thank you.

If you're black, or if you're white, or if you're fat, or lean. I say, isn't it good to go back to Sunday school again? Just to remind ourselves of the basic truths of the Christian faith. You know, some of us, we get so occupied with deep theology, we forget that God loves us.

But He does. Now, we've time for just one more chorus. Which one would you love? Number six. Let the Lord have His way in your life every day. You, let the Lord, you, let the Lord. So many times, but I remember when we first introduced this.

I was reading the Bible readings among the young folks away yonder in Lawrence. We're a crowd of young people from all over Scotland have gathered for that weekend. And the Lord was helping. And we introduced this little chorus, and I know not who it was.

But every time that we started a Bible session, as this crowd of young folks, someone would start the little chorus. Let the Lord have His way in your life every day. I trust, as we were teaching the Epistle to the Romans, I trust what we said influenced many of those young folks.

But I heard from all over the world of people in those Bible readings who were influenced by God through that chorus. And as you know, our friends with the Child Evangelization Fellowship have now printed it and got it in one of their corners.

But tonight, let me say this. If the Lord has His way in my life, and for others as well. I pray that might be the result of our little chorus here. Well, God and Father, we do bless thee together for the opportunity of being here.

And every evening we thank thee for the wonder of being able to sing together and smile together. But this evening, as we come to thy word, we have to confess that we're going to deal with a subject that sometimes is so difficult for thy people, by the Holy Spirit be our teacher tonight.

And grant that each one of us may go on this place saying of the truth, not my will, but thine be done. For Jesus' sake, amen. I am certain, because we have read from the twelfth chapter of Romans and from the fortieth psalm, that most of you have gathered what is on my heart tonight.

Christ as the Model of Doing God's Will

For no one could read the fortieth psalm without coming to this absolute conclusion that the man that's spoken of in the fortieth psalm is none other than the Lord himself. What glorious words! Lo, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me.

I delight to do thy will, O my God. If ever words were spoken of Jesus Christ, those words were spoken. And yet in the twelfth chapter of Romans, we were reminded of this tremendous fact, that we are called, as those who know and love the Lord Jesus, we are called to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service.

We are told that we must not be conformed to this world, but transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we might be able to prove what is that good and perfect will of God. There was one who did the will of God.

He is our savior and our example. You and I are exalted to follow in his footsteps, and be the doers of the will of God as well. So, I'm going to liken the Lord Jesus, and turn to him again and again, if I may use the expression, to draw lessons from his life as to what it means to do the will of God, and then seek to apply it in your own life and mind.

Living With Christ to Know God's Will

As I think indeed of what God's word has to say, I am utterly amazed that men and women are always looking for difficult things when it comes to the understanding of the will of God. At peace. If I can manage to struggle on till October.

It is October, Mary, isn't it? Yes. If I can manage to struggle on till October, I've been married 40 years. Mary's difficult. But there we are. Now I'll let him work it out. When we were first met, oh, there were many things about her I didn't know.

Of course, there are a lot of things I don't know about her now. I won't tell you what happened today when we were out to lunch. I won't do this. I only know this. I only know. Now we've been together, I can always tell you what she's going to do, and tell you what she's going to say.

I can always tell you in certain circumstances what her mind is. Because I suggest to you the very first thing for any of us knowing the will of God is that we live with her. We live with her. Then we are not continually saying, what's the will of the Lord in this circumstance?

Or what's the will of the Lord in that circumstance? We have read his words, and having read his words and lived with him, his wondrous grace unfolds. And sometimes I want to make a confession. Sometimes I couldn't open my Bible and say, look, I know this is the will of God, because here it is right here.

You see, there are so many things in my daily actions, the Bible doesn't speak of actions. If I needed to buy a new car, I could look my Bible and tell you what one to buy could have. Of course, what I would do is I'd say my name's Paul, and I'd rather like to have my name right on the front.

As a matter of fact, I have a dear brother here who has been extremely kind to Mary in the past. He's loaned us a truck so we can get about, and I've been glory to him. Just right on the front is great big letters, F-O-R-G.

And I can dodge all you queer people who ride on the wrong side of the road. Of course I can with a truck like that. But you see what I'm getting at? There are many things in life. There are many things in life that I can't open my Bible and say, look I've got a passion in a verse that's telling me what I've got to do in this particular circumstance.

But when I live with Jesus Christ, my life then is lived for his law. And the first thing I say is, what would you have to say? What would you have to say? I want, if I may please, to speak of a number of things this evening.

The Will of God for Motivation, Morality, Marriage, and Church Membership

I want to speak of the will of God as to our motivation, as to our movement, our motivation. I want to speak of the will of God as to our morality. Need to say something about that in the days in which we live.

I want to say something about the will of God, not only as to our morality and our motivation. I want to say something about the will of God as to our marriage. And I know there are some young folks here who maybe are contemplating marriage but have not yet reached that stage.

But I've got something to say to you. And I want to say something about the will of God, if the Lord may help me, as to my church membership. Now there are many other things, of course, that I will be making records.

But it is around these four headings that I want mainly to pass my remarks on. First, the will of God as to my motivation. As I start to live out my life, what is the will of God? Well, the first thing about the will of God for my life is this, that I should be saying, now that's the first thing, wherever we may be, never let us forget this, that the Word of God leaves us in no doubt whatsoever that it is his purpose, it is his will, that I shall be saved.

That I shall yield myself to him and know the forgiveness of sin that comes to his shed blood on Calvary's rock. The first chapter of John contains one of the loveliest verses in the Bible. You remember the glorious words of verse 12, when you and I are informed of the tremendous fact that each one of us must receive him.

To as many as received him, for then gave he the right to become the sons of God, even to those that believe on his name. And then it goes on and says this, who were born, who were born, not according to the flesh or the will of man, but the will of God.

And I want to start this evening by asking a very obvious question. I trust it does not sound discourteous, because sir above everything else, madam above everything else, I would be courteous. But may I ask you, have you received Jesus Christ?

Have you received him? The tragedy is that we are living in a day when there are men and women who imagine that salvation is by human descent. There are men and women who imagine that salvation is by human desire.

There are men and women who imagine that salvation is by human design. So remember there was a verse in the Bible that completely answers that. It's John 1 and 12. Who were born, not of flesh, I know very little really of your country.

And so I refuse, as it were, my lessons from my own. One of the tragedies in my land is that very frequently when asking someone if they know the Lord, if they're a Christian, if they've been born again, they look at me and say, well what do you think I am, a hottentot?

I was born in England. Yes, but being born in the stable doesn't make you a horse. And I won't say this my friend, my Bible says, I didn't say it, my Bible says, who were born, not of flesh. Young woman, your mother may love you so.

Your father may love you so. Young man, you may have been raised in a godly home, but you'll never find yourself in glory just because your mother or father was born. When I look at my own children, when I look at my grandchildren, how simple it would have been for me to have said, I'll choose Christ for them.

Let us choose Christ, you are not born. Some of those Jews could look into the face of the Saviour and say, we have Abraham for our father. Do them a bit of good. Jesus said to the right reverend Nicodemus D .D. and all the rest of the letters after his name, he must be born again.

A person is not born of human descent, nor is he born of human desire. Who were born, not of flesh, nor of the will of man. Nor of the will of man. You know I meet some people who have a desire to be a Christian.

They desire to be right with God. But the tragedy is this, they don't receive Jesus Christ. They don't receive Jesus Christ. Now you may have the greatest desires in your life. You may desire to live a holy life.

You may desire, in the words of our little chorus, to be a little kinder, to be a little blinder to the thoughts of those around you. But you'll never, never, never be a Christian. Until Christ comes in to as many as receive.

It is not by human descent. It is not by human desire. It is not by human desire. Nor of the will of the flesh. We may set, as it were, an example. We may paint a picture. We may try and run for that vision.

And please, please, please, all of you who know me, know that I don't stand up and speak about it. I think there are enough religious creeds in America. I must confess sometimes I wish you'd keep them here too.

There are enough religious creeds here in America. There is no doubt that men make designs when it comes even to religious things. You're not saved by design. You can have all the fancy religions in the world.

My Bible says, to as many as, to those that believe on it. You know I've got God wondering. That any of us might be in a moment's doubt as to what it means to receive. God says, I'll tell you what it means to receive him.

To those that believe on his end. Do you receive him? There's been a time in your life that this is the will of God for you. This is the will of God, that you shall receive Jesus Christ into your life.

That you shall believe on him. And the motivation of our life is the fact that we come to know him as our savior. You know there's a lovely verse away there in the epistle of John. It's the 23rd verse of the third chapter of John's first epistle.

And this is what it says, this is the commandment. Now we know the will of God now, don't we? When God gives us a commandment, we know his will. This is the commandment that you should believe on the name of his son Jesus Christ and love one another.

Can I repeat that? Believe on the name of Jesus Christ and love one another as he gave us this commandment. Or better than this, if you perceive Jesus Christ, the proof that you have received Jesus Christ will be that you love one another.

May I repeat that? May I repeat that? If you have perceived Jesus Christ, the proof that you love one another, this is the will of God. I passed a little comment at the conference down at Ben Liven at York.

I can't remember the context in which I said it but we just were going through a little of this. The Gospel of John and I was pointing out that, do you know what time it is again? I've never been in time to be old but yeah, the Gospel of John.

I don't know, it was terrible when you would forget things like that. But there it is, but I passed this comment. We were going through the Gospel of John, pointing out how every gospel deals with a different, we started in the Gospel of the tenth chapter because we didn't have time to go right through it.

Chapter 10, the good shepherds give us this life. The 11th chapter, not the sacrifice of love. The 11th chapter, Lazarus is dead. The shortest verse in the Bible, Jesus wept. The comment of the people, see how you love one another.

Are you prepared to sacrifice for one another? Or do you just say, oh I love them, I love them. It costs us something if we love one another, won't it? I tell you, the sacrifice of love, the sympathy of love.

Chapter 12, come on let me ask you, what's chapter 12? Shall I begin? The story of Mary with her alabaster box. The story of anointing the saviour. The story of Judas and some of the disciples saying, What?

How much is it worth? Words of Jesus, he turned on those people. Let her alone. Sacrifice of love, the sympathy of love, the, what is it? Yes, well that doesn't begin with an S. You're not very good at spelling, are you?

No, there we are, I say, the, let her alone. Oh no, we've got the sacrifice of hands, the, very good, not quite right, let her alone. How about you boys and ladies? I thought we'd have all got that, the support of love.

Here they turn the criticizer and Jesus looks at them and says, let her alone. Oh I wish there were a few Christians like that, don't you? When someone comes along and is critical of another who loves the saviour, mostly faith will tell them off, tell them off.

Wouldn't it be nice if some of us would have said, let her alone. That's what it means for love. I say, sacrifice hands, the sacrifice, chapter 11, chapter 12, the support, chapter 13. The service of life, top of the class, top of the class.

Not only a good singer, nice, I say, he takes a towel and guards himself, the service of life. Brethren and sisters, it's no good saying we love one another, it's no good saying it. We've got to show it.

That's the will of God, knowing the will of God. I'll tell you how to know the will of God, to know it is to do it. To read his word, know in the volume of the book, if ever anyone did the will of God, I'd delight to do thy will, oh my God.

What support, what service, made this church a known church, where you love one another. So that's the will of God. That's our motivation. The motivation of every action is that we love him, and having loved him, we seek to love one another.

Sanctification and the Will of God for Christian Morality

I say, the will of God as to our motivation, the will of God as to our morality. I don't often have people come to me and say, Mr. Forrest, I'm having difficulty about moral things, I'm not sure of the will of God.

Or I have them come to me sometimes and say, Mr. Forrest, I wonder if you'd pray for us, I'm having difficulty about my business, I'm not quite sure of the will of the Lord. I'm having difficulty, I'm not quite sure of the will of the Lord.

But I don't often hear them talk about morality, and yet I wish sometimes they would. For this is what the word of God says, 1 Thessalonians 4 and 3, this is the will of God, even your sanctification.

Even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. All around us today, isn't it awful? All around us today, young and older people, and don't you young people imagine older folks don't have to face the pressures, maybe they have to face them more than you.

But all around us there are pressures that are unclean, and vile, and wicked. You walk down the street, you can hardly see a hoarding without some picture on the hoarding of some half-dressed woman, or some, all around.

I don't know about you, but I'm often saying this, I don't know why, but I'm often saying it. Do you know I love them really, some of those old-fashioned adverts we use. I spent, you had them here in America, we did in our country.

We used to have a wonderful one, you know. Hail pork sausages, you wouldn't know anything about them, but they're real fun. Hail pork sausages, a great big pig, in a harness, pulling a cart, with a pound of sausages on the cart, and underneath, drawing his hoes and coots.

I say, that's the sort of advert I own. You know, something's going to happen. But today, all around us there are pressures, immoral pressures. Young people, oh please let me talk to you like an old uncle, let me talk to you like an old aunt.

Let me talk to you as I speak to my own children, and my own grandchildren. So, keep yourself pure, pure, this is the will of the Lord. This is the will of God, even our sanctification. Oh, we love to talk about salvation, but don't you forget Romans 7 and 8, as well as Romans 5 and 6.

But you know there's something more in there, that the Lord Jesus is our wonderful example of it. I delight to do thy will, oh my God. And as I said, was it last evening, that the Lord Jesus is the only one who began his life where he finished it, and finished his life where he began it.

Never you forget that. Let that be drilled into your being. The only one who began his life where he finished it, finished his life where he began it. I reminded you, and I dare say it again, that holy thing that shall be born of thee, it's easy to say of a little babe, that holy thing.

What shall you say when all the forces of hell have attacked that babe, offered himself without thought to God. Oh, what a thing. And as I think of him, one alone will set apart the will of God in our motivation, the will of God in our morality, the will of God in our marriage.

Marriage, Mutual Love, and Christian Family Life

Now the bible leaves us no doubt about that. The 22nd verse of the fifth chapter of Ephesians has something to say to men and to women. It starts off and it says, Wives, submit yourselves unto your husbands as unto the Lord.

And husbands, love your wives. May I repeat that? Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave him. It tells us, and will you please note that it has more to say to the husband than it does to the wife.

Would you please remember this, that it's speaking to the husband, says so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. For he that loveth his wife loveth himself. This is the will of God. My friend, you don't need to go away to a bible college to understand that.

You don't need some revelation from heaven, some voice coming out of the sky. This is the plainest truth of the word of God. You know this is, I can't take you through the epistle to the Ephesians tonight, although it would be good, but this is the wonder about the epistle to the Ephesians.

Would you young people please remember this, there is not an epistle that lifts us higher than the epistle to the Ephesians. In heaven that place is in Christ Jesus, and there is not an epistle that brings us down to earth more than that one.

It may put our head in heaven, but it keeps our feet down on the ground. It doesn't say love your wife in heaven, love her where your body is, down here. Lord have I ever known the need of the day in which we live that the Christian church should take its stand again for family life.

If ever there was a need, it's the day in which we live when we ought to be saying to our young folks, listen, the loveliest thing next to being sad is to be united with someone you love. The luckiest thing, I'm not ashamed to say this and she's here tonight, I love that girl when I married her, and I love her more now than I loved her when I married her.

Oh that doesn't mean to say that we never had a cross word, you know, she's here so I dare to say that. Whoa, if you'd seen what she did at lunch you'd understand as well. I'm not going to tell you, I'm not going to tell you.

There you are, I only know this, I only know this, that this is the will of God. Could I, could I just take a minute there, just to preach, not what will I do, but my favorite wedding sermon, my favorite wedding sermon for my family.

Please be seated. Aquila, answer them. Now may I ask you good Bible loving folks, how many times have you answered in your life, what is it, how many times have you answered Aquila, what's wrong with you?

You're worse than him. Who? You're 100 times more Bible loving, oh there's someone in the back there. Are you all right? You're all right. Well I can't hear you. I thought you would have known. I did really.

That they're mentioned six times in the Aquila sermon. And now you're wrong. Three times they are called Aquila, three times the man's name is mentioned. And three times the lady's name is mentioned. You know why?

Because God looks upon a family as a unit for him. A poet needed to be taught the word of God more perfectly. The scripture says that Aquila and Priscilla took him into their home and gave him the word of God more perfectly.

I believe that this is right and the church is a quiet place, an important place. I don't believe that this is a position in the home, the quiet one. No of course I don't. There they talk. This is among the women.

Church Membership as Participation in Christ's Body

The will of God in our marriage, the will of God in our motivation, the will of God in our violence, the will of God in our church marriage. There's little doubt, isn't there? There is little doubt. But Acts chapter 2 is addressed to everyone.

They that gladly received the word of God were baptized. They continued steadfast in the apostles doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. This is the will of God. It is the will of God for our church membership.

For church membership means church partnership. And I want to say this to every one of you. My brother, my sister, you all are important in the local church. There is not one person more important than another.

We are members of his body. Now I know this sounds strange, but I think you will understand it when I finish what I have to say. The Lord has three bodies. Now I know that sounds strange, but please. He had a material body, the body in which you live before now.

He has a memorial body. This is my body, which was broken in years. But he had a material body, he had a memorial body, he has a mystical body. Not mythical body, that body which is, and we are members of one body.

You are my brothers, you are my sister, we are in the body of Christ. The church as you know is likened to three things in the Bible. It's likened to a building, it's likened to a bride, it's likened, is it remarkable?

You see that wall there? It's pretty strong, at least I hope it is. But I tell you why it's strong, because every one of those columns is locked. The bricklayer would put that up if he had made every joint a straight joint.

The roof would have skewed out, yes. But the strength is, because every one of them is necessary to the other. We are in a building, we are in a body. Each one of us. Every part of our body is important.

You couldn't take a knife and cut any part of my body out, without the rest of the body known, when it comes to a bride. As I said the other evening when speaking about the Holy Spirit as a person, I reminded the Pope that you don't receive a person in bits and pieces.

When I married Mary 40 years ago, we stood before the good gentleman and he said, wilt thou and I wilt in three ways. But you know, when we stood together, do you know what happened? I got her in her entirety, I didn't get an arm today and a leg tomorrow and a knee the next day, and a toe the following day.

Of course I didn't know what I was getting, but I got them all. And if the Holy Spirit's a person, remember this, you don't get the Holy Spirit in bits and pieces. Remember that. And if Christ has a body in the church, never you forget that every part of us belongs in it.

And it is necessary that we shall be working together at his body. Suppose I ought to take just three minutes, that will undertake. Talking about knowing the will of God and those difficult areas, like the problem of business sometimes, and the problem of media education and so on.