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John 7:14-17
Introduction: (background: read john 7:1-9 then 14-17).
I believe every true Christian wants to know God’s will for them. Today, I will share with you, briefly, a few things, from God’s Word that may be a help to you.
Remember, God will not hide His will for you.
I. John 7:17: God Never Leads Contrary To His Word = The Bible
A. His Will = Choice, purpose, desire, pleasure
1. Psalms 119:105 (Word a lamp, light)
a. Not only does the Word of God inform us of His will, but, as a light on a
path in darkness, it shows us how to follow the right and avoid the wrong
way.
b. The lamp is fed with the oil of the Spirit.
c. We walk, in our daily lives, through our part of this world.
d. We often go out into its darkness = come into contact with the sinfulness,
temptations, & wickedness of society.
e. Make sure you never venture there without the light giving Word, it will
keep us from slipping with our feet
2. Romans 15:20-21 & 32
a. After all that Paul’s desired and all of their prayers, it still depended on the
will of God
b. Paul was willing to submit to God’s will = whatever God desired.
B. Doing God’s will is doing what God wants us to do
II. God’s Will Is Found In Prayer
A. Luke 6:12-13
1. Jesus spent hours in prayer before making a decision
2. How much time do you spend in prayer before making
a decision that will affect your life?
Your future? Your family?
B. Luke 11:1: Jesus taught us to pray for God’s will to be done.
III. God’s Will Is Found Through The Holy Spirit: John 14:16-17 – John 16:7
A. The Holy Spirit will guide us, IF you are willing to listen and to obey.
1. He is Spirit of Truth: John 17:17; God’s Word is Truth
He will never lead us into error or false hood
2. John 14:26 – He will teach us
3. John 14:26 – He will remind us
IV. God’s Will Can Be Shown To You Through Your Conscience: I Corinthians 8:8-13
A. If it violates your conscience – DON’T do it
B. Being out of God’s will, will affect others – vs 12
1. “wound” = it will hurt them
2. Vs 11 – “perish” = it will “mar” or destroy them. Why? Because they are
young Christians,
They are spiritually weak. They can easily be affected by watching other
Christians.
V. God’s Will Can Be Shown To You Through Godly Council – Proverbs 24:6
A. God’s will is not for consideration – BUT for obedience
B. God can use Godly men to show you God’s will = your pastor
C. God can use your Godly wife to help you and show you God’s will
Conclusion: There are many things, in God’s Word, that God has revealed to us that are His will.
II Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
God’s will is for folks to receive God’s Gift of Salvation
God’s will is for Christians to live for the Lord – to obey Him in all things.
Are you obeying God is ALL things?
Are you 100% sure of Heaven?
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The Opened Heart
Acts 16:14-15 & Proverbs 4:23
Introduction: Here is an interesting story of a woman, named Lydia, who was not saved, but when she heard about the way to heaven, salvation: she gladly received Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour.
This woman worshipped God; but she was not saved. I believe that she was a sincere woman; she was a religious woman.
She was a seller of purple: Purple was a most valuable color, obtained usually from shell-fish. It was chiefly worn by princes, and by the rich; and it was a very profitable business.
I. Her Heart Was Opened vs 14
A. How Lydia responded to the Word of God determined her
spiritual condition
1. she would either be saved
2. or she would remain unsaved
B. The Lord opened her heart
1. God did not force His way in
2. She either had to open it or leave it closed
3. the Holy Spirit of God spoke to her heart, in
that still small voice, compelling her to listen
to God’s Word being preached; compelling her to
be saved. The choice was hers.
C. Two people can hear the same salvation message in the
same service
1. One walks the isle and gets saved
2. The other refuses the Word and does not get saved
3. one responds by opening their heart to the Word of
God
4. The other does not open their heart to the Word of
God and remains unsaved.
II. Keep An Open Heart To God’s Word
A. After you are saved, keep your heart open to the
Truth of the Word of God
1. open to what you are to do and what you are not
to do
2. have a spiritual appetite - to grow and to learn
B. Church members, saved folks, one can hear the
message and respond.
1. Open their heart to God’s Word and does something
about it
2. Another will hear the same message with “nobody’s
gonna tell me what to do”
a. they do not open their heart to the Word of
God
b. they do not let God have His way in their life
c. they become callous to the Word or they know
everything so it seems
d. many refuse to obey what the Bible says
e. their heart’s are not opened; that’s sad
III. She Attended vs 14
A. Lydia was obedient, she had an obedient heart
B. An obedient heart aims to please
1. II Cor. 2:8-9: obedient in all things
2. Vs 15: she was baptized. This is the first act
of obedience that a person can do right after
they receive Christ as Saviour.
C. Every Christian needs an obedient heart: our heart
needs to be opened to the Word of God
1. It is NOT: I have to go to church
It is: I get to go to church
2. I get to witness to someone
3. I get to serve the Lord
4. I get to tithe
5. I get to give to missions
6. I get to get baptized etc.
IV. Lydia Had A Servant’s Heart
A. Vs 15: Come into my house: she constrained us; she
insisted they stay awhile
1. She had a willing heart, she wanted to serve the
Lord in whatever way was possible
2. She treated God’s servants with respect and was
hospitable to them
3. She wanted Christian fellowship
4. She wanted to learn more about God’s Word
B. An open and obedient servant’s heart brings revival
1. First, to the individual who has and opened and
obedient servants heart
2. Then, to those around who will be reached by the
person with the open heart
Conclusion: Let the Holy Spirit work in your heart and life.
Open your heart to the Word of God. Receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour: you can be 100% sure of Heaven.
Don’t fight it; give in to the Lord. Why remain unsaved and bound for hell? It just don’t make sense to do that.
After your saved, follow the Lord in Scriptural, Bible baptism, that’s the 1st act of obedience.
Open your heart to the Word of God, after you are saved, to walk in Christian obedience.
Do what the Bible commands us to do, don’t fight it ... God always wins.
Have a servants heart.
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John 8:1-11
Note: Vs 6: tempting Christ; looking for something to accuse Him of.
Vs 6: Wrote on the ground: What?
Vs 8: What, did He write?
Whatever it was, Vs 9: they were convicted of their sin.
Vs 7: Only those who had not committed the same kind or similar kind of sin.
Four questions on this passage:
1. “Where was the man?”
Lev. 20:10 “And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.”
De 22:22 If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
John 8:4: takes two
2. What did Jesus write on the ground?
A. Maybe He wrote the 1st Q? I asked?
B. Perhaps He wrote the man or men’s names?
C. Perhaps they were not a part of this crime, but wrote their inward thoughts / sins.
a. Vs 6: they were tempting Jesus
b. Vs 6: They wanted to accuse Him of this sinful act
c. Vs 4: Again, where was the male perpetrator?
d. They showed no compassion for this woman.
Vs 4: “Taken” = Gr. = seize, possess, apprehend, attain, come upon she was raped.
e. Vs 7: These men were guilty of some sins.
James 2:10-11 “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of
all.
11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery,
yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
Q 3. Where was the concern for their own spiritual lives?
A. a preacher once said: “If I could flash on a screen before us right now, all of your thoughts of this past week, you would have to leave town.” II. Corinthians 7:1 “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
a. It’s possible to curb the natural appetites of the body outwardly and yet be filled with all manner of inward defilement.
b. Your thoughts determine your character: Prov. 23:7 “For
as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he
to thee; but his heart is not with thee.”
c. Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
NOTE: Vs 6 & 8: Jesus wrote on the ground. In the Temple, where the Scriptures were taught, the ground was stone.
Therefore, those men’s sins were etched in stone for all to see, he exposed them for what they were.
B. Scribes & Pharisees of John 8, were most likely, outwardly pure, but if they neglected their inner thoughts, then envy, pride, becoming critical & unforgiving would control them.
C. EXAMPLE: Luke 15:25 The parodical son’s brother is a classic example of this.
a. Vs 29: he had an exemplary outward life.
b. Vs 28-30: His inward life was defiled.
d. He had envy, self-righteousness, unforgiveness, anger, sinful pride.
D. Luke 18:11-12: Pharisee & Publican
a. Pharisee had good outward deeds
b. Vs 11: “I’m not like other men.” = Inner defilement; sin.
c. He saw the faults of others but not his own faults.
d. This is the same as in our text today.
e. many people today, think they are O.K. because they see
people worse than themselves.
f. They see themselves as “better” than others = spiritual blindness.
Q 4? “What happened to the woman?
A. Vs 10-11: She didn’t gloat in her accuser’s retreat.
B. She was not condemned, nor acquitted. In effect, she was forgiven.
1. Christ didn’t condone her sin, He showed grace.
2. Vs 4, a word of instruction: “Go & sin no more.”
3. John 3:17: Jesus did not come to condemn (read).
He came to forgive & save Luke 19:10.
4. Vs 11: “Go and sin no more.”
This expression implies forgiveness on the part of Jesus
In other words, don’t keep living in the sin God saved you out of.
Luke 9:56: For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.
Conclusion: sad to say, there are Christians in this world like the Pharisees of John 8. They condemn the unsaved rather than pointing them to Christ.
FAITH - HOPE - FORGIVENESS by Growing Older 