1. - Whatever the Lord pleases He does, in heaven and in earth..." Psalm 135:6

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1 The Will of God Part 2 Review: Sovereign Will of God This facet of God s will comes out of the recognition of God s sovereignty and focuses on the fact that God sovereignly ordains everything that comes to pass There is nothing that happens that is outside of God s sovereign will. Ephesians 1:10 11 (NKJV) 11 In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, We learn that God is the one who works all things according to the counsel of His will, and Job 42:2, "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. This view of God s will is based on the fact that, because God is sovereign, His will can never be frustrated. Nothing happens that is beyond His control Whatever the Lord pleases He does, in heaven and in earth..." Psalm 135:6 2. "He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom...when He utters His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens:he causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth..." Jeremiah 51: "And the land will tremble and sorrow; for every purpose of the Lord shall be performed..." Jeremiah 51:29 4. "...My word... shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please." Isaiah 55:11 Revealed Will of God - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Ps. 119:105). The revealed will of God is that which God has declared for us in His Word. And everything that He has revealed is profitable for instruction and correction that the man of God might be adequately equipped for every good work. 1 Corinthians 2:9 10 (NKJV) 9 But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him. 10 But God has revealed them

2 to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. Colossians 1:26 27 (NKJV) 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Romans 8:18 (NKJV) From Suffering to Glory 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Lesson 2 Scripture: Luke 11:2 (NKJV) So He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Introduction: The Four Forms of God's Will Careful study of the Bible shows that the will of God takes four forms as follows: 1) Design Will -- this is God's will as expressed in the ways He ordained that the universe and its life forms will function. a. It is by God's Will that the earth orbits the sun, stars stay in place, wind blows, clouds form, rain falls, plants grow, birds fly, your heart beats, and so forth. Genesis 1:26 28 (NKJV) Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. It is God s Designed Will for man to:

3 o Have dominion over the earth o Be fruitful and multiply o Fill the Earth and subdue it Because of God's Design Will, people and angels can choose to lie or not, kill or not, steal or not, hate or love, and so forth. Moral Will -- this is God's will for human conduct, as expressed in the Bible. God's Moral Will God's Moral Will as expressed in the Bible tells us the moral choices that God desires us to make. o Negatively, God wills us not to lie, cheat, steal, hate, murder. o Positively, God wills us to tell the truth, be honest in all dealings, love one another, be gentle and kind, and so forth. In essence, God's Moral Will tells us to be exactly like Him because He created us in His own image. Thus, the definition of sin is to "come short of the Glory of God" -- that is, to NOT be in God's image. Accordingly, God's goal for His children is that they become conformed to the image of His Son, who is the express image of God. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God Rom 3.23 For whom God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Rom 8.29 God designed you with the ability and freedom to make moral choices, whether good or evil. On the other hand, God's holiness, as expressed in His Moral Will, does NOT want you to make sinful choices. o It was NOT God's will that Adam disbelieve and disobey Him. o At the same time, it was by God's will that Adam was ABLE to disbelieve and disobey Him. (choice) Genesis 2:16 17 (NKJV) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

4 1 Thessalonians 4:3 5 (NKJV) For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; 3- Permissive Will -- this is God's will whereby He usually permits humans and angels to make moral choices, even when such choices run contrary to His moral will. He also allows *consequences* to result from those choices, whether good or evil. Because of His Design Will, God permits us to live sinful lives as we wish, rather than holy lives as He wishes. Because of His Design Will, God permits us to foul the earth as we wish, rather than keep and replenish the earth as He wishes. Furthermore, God USUALLY permits the sad and evil consequences of our deeds. If I decide to murder someone with a knife, the knife doesn't suddenly turn to rubber. Neither does my victim suddenly grow a steel-covered skin. God permits the consequence of my evil decision. The person dies. Deuteronomy 30:19 (NKJV) I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 4- Plan of the Ages -- this is God's will for the ultimate destiny of the universe, angels, and people A primary and ultimate goal of God's Plan of the Ages is stated in o Ephesians 1:9 10 (NKJV) having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth in Him. A few more examples of the components of God's Plan are as follows: Jesus Christ would be virgin-born, a direct descendent of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and King David. Jesus Christ would be crucified as an atonement for our sin, be buried, and be resurrected on the third day.

5 Through Jesus Christ, God would redeem a people for His name. Those people would reside in an eternal heavenly kingdom. Israel would have an eternal earthly kingdom, with Jesus Christ as its King. In the fullness of time, God would make a new heavens and earth, devoid of sin, sinners, death, and suffering. Nothing will prevent God's Plan of the Ages. Not Satan, not humankind, NOT ANYTHING!