Transcript Document

Discerning the Will of God (pt. 2)
11:1-30
Acts 11:1-18
Now the apostles and the brothers who were
throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had
received the word of God. So when Peter went up
to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him,
saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate
with them.” But Peter began and explained it to
them in order: “I was in the city of Joppa praying,
and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a
great sheet descending, being let down from
heaven by its four corners, and it came down to
me. Looking at it closely, I observed animals and
beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air…
Acts 11:1-18
And I heard a voice saying to me, ‘Rise, Peter; kill
and eat.’ But I said, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing
common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’
But the voice answered a second time from
heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call
common.’ This happened three times, and all was
drawn up again into heaven. 11 And behold, at
that very moment three men arrived at the house
in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. And
the Spirit told me to go with them, making no
distinction. These six brothers also accompanied
me, and we entered the man’s house…
Acts 11:1-18
And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in
his house and say, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon
who is called Peter; he will declare to you a
message by which you will be saved, you and all
your household.’ As I began to speak, the Holy
Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.
And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he
said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be
baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave the
same gift to them as he gave to us when we
believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I
could stand in God’s way?”…
Acts 11:1-18
When they heard these things they fell silent. And
they glorified God, saying, “Then to the Gentiles
also God has granted repentance that leads to
life.”
Acts 11:19-30
Now those who were scattered because of the
persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as
far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking
the word to no one except Jews. 20 But there were
some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on
coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also,
preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the
Lord was with them, and a great number who
believed turned to the Lord. 22 The report of this
came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and
they sent Barnabas to Antioch…
Acts 11:19-30
When he came and saw the grace of God, he was
glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful
to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a
good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a
great many people were added to the Lord. 25 So
Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and
when he had found him, he brought him to
Antioch. For a whole year they met with the
church and taught a great many people. And in
Antioch the disciples were first called
Christians. Now in these days prophets came
down from Jerusalem to Antioch…
Acts 11:19-30
And one of them named Agabus stood up and
foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great
famine over all the world (this took place in the
days of Claudius). 29 So the disciples determined,
every one according to his ability, to send relief to
the brothers living in Judea. 30 And they did so,
sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas
and Saul.
Lenses Through Which
We Discern God’s Will
Misconception #1
God’s Will as a Treasure Map
J I Packer
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit shape our
circumstances, overrule our advisers, and
sustain our overall sense of spiritual realities
and theological truths, as well as prompting
the brainwork that processes the factors that
yield the discernments needed for decisions.
The idea that at some point in the decisionmaking we are left to fend for ourselves is a
mistake, and a troublesome one…
Misconception #2
God’s Will as a Tight Rope
J I Packer
That his intention, once you become a Christian, is
comparable to an itinerary drawn up for you by a
travel agent, where everything depends on you
being in the right place at the right time to board
the plane or train or bus or boat or whatever and
where the itinerary is ruined once you miss one of
the preplanned connections, is, by contrast, a sad
misconception. It is, however, a common view, and
has bitter implications. If, on this view, your
discernment fails and you get your guidance wrong
on some key matter, a substandard, second-best
spiritual life is all that is open to you…
J I Packer
Though not perhaps on the scrap heap, you are
certainly on the shelf, having lost forever much of
your usefulness to God. Your mistake sentences you
to live and serve your Lord as a second-rate
Christian.
Misconception #3
God’s Will as a Fortune to Be Told
Bruce Waltke
God is not a magic genie. The use of promise
boxes, or flipping open your Bible and pointing
your finger, or relying on the first thought to enter
your mind after a prayer are unwarranted forms of
Christian divination... The reliance on special signs
from God is the mark of an immature person –
someone who cannot simply believe the truth as
presented, but must have a special, miraculous
sign as the symbol of authority from God … I think
“laying out the fleece” is generally a lazy man’s
way to discern the will of God…
Bruce Waltke
It requires no work, little discipline, and almost no
character development.
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the
will of God, what is good and acceptable and
perfect.
John Piper
There is a world of difference between praying and
laboring for a renewed mind that discerns how to
apply God’s Word, on the one hand, and the habit
of asking God to give you new revelation of what
to do, on the other hand. Divination does not
require transformation. God’s aim is a new mind, a
new way of thinking and judging, not just new
information. His aim is that we be transformed,
sanctified, freed by the truth of his revealed Word
Misconception #4
God’s Will as a Pleasure Cruise
Isaiah 53:10
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
Lenses Through Which
We Discern God’s Will
Discerning God’s Will
1. Evidence of Providence
2. Evidence of Present Work of Spirit
3. Witness of the Word
4. Confirmation In The Body
How Does The Holy Spirit
Generally Lead Us?
1. Through our Desires
2. Through other People
3. Through Illumining our Minds to
the Word of God
Philippians 2:12-13
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always
obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but
much more in my absence, work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who
works in you, both to will and to work for his good
pleasure.
Acts 11:12
And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no
distinction. These six brothers also accompanied
me, and we entered the man's house
John 14:26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my name, he will teach
you all things and bring to your
remembrance all that I have said to you.
Acts 11:16
And I remembered the word of the Lord,
how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but
you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
Isaiah 49:6
he says: "It is too light a thing that you
should be my servant to raise up the tribes of
Jacob and to bring back the preserved of
Israel; I will make you as a light for the
nations, that my salvation may reach to the
end of the earth."
John 10:14-16
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and
my own know me, just as the Father knows
me and I know the Father; and I lay down my
life for the sheep. And I have other sheep
that are not of this fold. I must bring them
also, and they will listen to my voice. So there
will be one flock, one shepherd
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be complete,
equipped for every good work
Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a
light to my path.
How Does Scripture
Guide Us Into His Will?
1. Precepts (Direct Commands)
2. Principles (General Guidelines)
3. Prophecy (Future Fulfillment)
4. Wisdom (Is it Wise?)
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Or do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom
you have from God? You are not your own,
for you were bought with a price. So glorify
God in your body
1 Corinthians 8:8-9
Food will not commend us to God. We are no
worse off if we do not eat, and no better off
if we do. But take care that this right of yours
does not somehow become a stumbling
block to the weak
1 Corinthians 10:32-33
Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to
the church of God, just as I try to please
everyone in everything I do, not seeking my
own advantage, but that of many, that they
may be saved
1 Corinthians 10:31
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever
you do, do all to the glory of God.
Hebrews 1:1-2
Long ago, at many times and in many ways,
God spoke to our fathers by the
prophets, but in these last days he has
spoken to us by his Son,
Ephesians 5:15-17
Look carefully then how you walk, not as
unwise but as wise, making the best use of
the time, because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand
what the will of the Lord is.
1 Thessalonians 4:3
For this is the will of God, your
sanctification: that you abstain from sexual
immorality
1 Thessalonians 5:18
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is
the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is
the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Acts 11:12
And the Spirit told me to go with them,
making no distinction. These six brothers
also accompanied me, and we entered the
man's house
Acts 11:22-23
The report of this came to the ears of the
church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas
to Antioch. When he came and saw the
grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted
them all to remain faithful to the Lord with
steadfast purpose
JI Packer
Third, we must be willing to take advice. It is
a sign of conceit and immaturity to dispense
with taking advice in major decisions. There
are always people who know the Bible,
human nature, and our own gifts and
limitations better than we do, and even if we
cannot finally accept their advice, nothing
but good will come to us from carefully
weighing what they say
JI Packer
What we think of as our godly desires, which may
indeed have their roots in the prompting of the
Holy Spirit, can nonetheless be self-centered, selfserving, and self-indulgent to a far greater extent
than in our naïve self-ignorance we suspect…
Awareness of the reality of these pitfalls burns into
the mind the need to distrust emotionally-charged
impressions and to take advice from those we
recognize as wise, tough-minded, and godly, and
most importantly from persons who know us well.
The Holy Spirit regularly guides us in discernment
for decision-making via the judgments of others.
Acts 11:18
When they heard these things they fell silent.
And they glorified God, saying, “Then to the
Gentiles also God has granted repentance
that leads to life.”
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that by testing you may discern what is the
will of God, what is good and acceptable and
perfect