1117-How to Follow God's Will#
1117-How to Follow God's Will
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
Loving Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for your grace. Thank you for leading us here to receive your words. We are willing to understand God's will and apply it in our lives. Please guide and renew our thoughts and intentions through the Holy Spirit. May we gain more revelations from your words. We dedicate the time below to you, lead us, and we pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
The topic we are sharing today is: How to Follow God's Will
Let’s first look at the scripture for today: Matthew 7:21-23
21 Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
The Bible is given to us by God, but not every word is directed at us. Today I will share with you the word-for-word interpretation method and the interpretation method of interpreting scripture with scripture. The word-for-word interpretation method is a way of explaining one word at a time, one character at a time.
Earlier, Jesus spoke about the narrow gate and the wide gate, the small road and the broad road, as well as two types of fruit trees. Immediately following, He mentioned that only those who do the will of the Lord can enter the kingdom of heaven, which is actually a conclusion He provided. If we do not understand God's will, we will be worried and afraid. Many people may fear because of such scriptures, worrying that they belong to God, but if one day the Lord says He does not know them, how terrifying that would be.
What kind of person does the Lord say He does not know? That group of people is not ordinary; not only does Jesus say He does not know them, but He also calls them evildoers.
The first point I want to share is, God wants us to choose life.
This is found in Deuteronomy 30:19-20, let’s read the scripture:
19 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him, for the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
From this scripture, we see that God especially wants us to choose life. God does not want us to perish. God created this world not for people to sin and die. He wants each of us to live in His provision, peace, joy, and health. But God does not impose His will upon us because our Holy Spirit is different from evil spirits.
When a person is possessed by an evil spirit, they may lose their own will and be completely controlled by the evil spirit. Just like the Bible records some people who, after being possessed by demons, would throw stones at themselves and live in tombs; such people are controlled by evil spirits and have no freedom.
But the Holy Spirit is different; the Holy Spirit is the spirit of freedom and does not force people. When you are willing to be led by the Holy Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you, the Holy Spirit will work in you. He respects our choices.
Matthew 7:13-14
Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Jesus first spoke of the narrow gate, which leads to eternal life. What is the corresponding gate? The wide gate, which leads to destruction.
There is also a corresponding small road and broad road, followed by good trees and bad trees. My question is: what kind of gate is called the narrow gate? Is it that the gate is so narrow that slightly overweight people cannot enter?
Jesus said that the gate leading to eternal life is narrow, the road is small, and few find it. What is the narrow gate? What is the small road? Do not think that the gate is very narrow, so you need to lose weight to enter, nor should you think that the small road is filled with thorns and difficult to walk. If taken literally, it would be hard to understand.
John 10:7, Therefore Jesus said again, 'Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.'
Why is it called the narrow gate? It is not because the gate is narrow, so one must lose weight to enter, but it tells us; because Jesus is the gate. Brothers and sisters, do you know why it is called the narrow gate? Because Jesus is the only gate; you cannot find a second gate in the whole world that leads to the kingdom of heaven. Because He is the only gate, it is called the narrow gate.
Then why is it called the small road? Because He is the only way; only through this road can you reach eternal life. There are many other roads, which are wide, but all those roads lead to destruction. Only this road—Jesus Christ—can lead us to eternal life. Thank the Lord!
Brothers and sisters, God especially wants us to choose life. How do you choose this life? How do you obtain eternal life? The premise is; believe in Jesus Christ! Therefore, God especially wants us to draw near to His Son, Jesus Christ.
In John 14:6, Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'
Brothers and sisters, do you know that He is the only way? Therefore, He is the small road; apart from Him, there is no other salvation. Now, let’s look at another term; good tree. In today’s scripture, Jesus mentions two types of trees. Can grapes come from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
There are two types of trees. So before this, it introduces a phrase; Watch out for false prophets. What is the characteristic of these false prophets? They are dressed like sheep on the outside but are actually ravenous wolves on the inside. Here, two types of trees are used as a metaphor, but we find it strange that we know there are only true trees in the Bible when there are also false trees. Jesus mentioned a very important term, which is in
John 15:1, I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
Jesus first said, I am the gate for the sheep, then said I am the truth, I am the way, I am the life. But when it comes to the tree, Jesus used a term called the true vine. Since He mentioned the true vine, there must be false ones. This means that Jesus is the true vine, and all other trees apart from Him are false.
This corresponds perfectly with the scripture we are discussing today, which is called interpreting scripture with scripture. Of course, if you do not understand, I will provide you with other scriptures for a clearer explanation, so today we will list many scriptures for you. You see, in Matthew 7:15, Jesus said, "Watch out for false prophets," and then Jesus immediately follows up with how to recognize these trees, how to know which are true trees and which are false trees? Jesus said; I am the true vine. So once again, our focus is directed toward Jesus Himself.
Brothers and sisters, only Jesus is the true tree, the good tree. He is the only tree of life. Brothers and sisters, what are we? We are the branches, right? The Bible says; we are His branches.
Brothers and sisters, no matter how many people around the world believe in Jesus, you ultimately must be connected to this vine, this tree of life, to receive life.
Let’s move on, Watch out for false prophets.
False prophets do not come from revelations from God. Since they are false, they will have their own characteristics. We can recognize them through their characteristics.
Matthew 7:15-16
Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit, you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
They appear to be the same as true prophets on the outside, all looking like sheep, but inside they are ferocious wolves. They really disguise themselves well, but they are still wolves. When wolves are with sheep, their intention is to eat them.
This means that their inner life is different from that of true believers. A Christian's outer life is connected to Jesus, and eventually, they will live out the likeness of Christ. The fruit of the Holy Spirit includes gentleness, goodness, joy, peace... When the time comes, these will naturally come out.
No matter how well a wolf disguises itself, its inner life is different from that of a sheep. Sooner or later, it will show. We can judge their life by their fruit. Just like this wolf wearing sheep's clothing, what is its characteristic? It absolutely will not eat grass because sheep eat grass, and if you make a wolf eat grass, it will go crazy.
John 10:11-15
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
A prophet sent by God will care for the flock like Jesus, rather than abandon the sheep when danger arises. Through these fruits, we can see the true and false prophets.
The second point I want to share is, Entering the kingdom of heaven is not based on our actions, but on believing in what Jesus Christ has done for you.
Jesus concluded that only those who do the will of my Father can enter. So what is the Father’s will? We briefly mentioned earlier; the Father’s will is to hope that we choose the narrow gate, hope that we receive blessings, and hope that all good things happen to us.
Many people think that the Father’s will is for us to strive to live out good behavior. But here, the Father’s will is for us to believe correctly to be saved. Only when you understand God’s will can you follow it.
God’s will has several characteristics:
First, God’s will is unchanging. From creation until today, God’s will has not changed. When God blessed Adam and Eve, He is also willing to bless you today. God created such a large earth for them and placed them in the middle, supplying everything for them. Today, God is also willing to supply you.
Second, God’s will is for your benefit. If the Bible records many of God’s wills that are unchanging but have nothing to do with you, it would lose its meaning for us. However, everything Jesus did is related to you; He hopes for your benefit. All things work together for the good of those who love God.
Brothers and sisters, if you know that God is for your good, you will be willing to obey Him and live. Even if there are some things we do not understand, and at times may not feel comfortable, we still believe that God is good to us! Ultimately, it will benefit us.
The Bible says, Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father.
Why does Jesus use such a term here, only those who do the will of my Father? If you understand this doing as behavior, that would be a terrifying thing. Because God especially does not want you to be saved by your good behavior, because no matter how you do it, you cannot remove your sins, and no matter how you try, you cannot meet the requirements of the law because you cannot do it.
Isaiah 30:15 tells us; This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: 'In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.'
At the beginning of the world, when God created the heavens and the earth, and then created Adam, we know what happened next; Adam entered into rest with God. Brothers and sisters, what is the way to be saved? It is to enter into rest with Him. There is no behavior involved. You just need to say; Lord, I am willing to enter into your rest. When you accept the rest that God gives you, you are following the Father’s will.
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven. This proves that indeed there are some people who also call on the Lord but cannot enter. Brothers and sisters, who does this refer to? It is directed at false prophets, not believers.
I tell you the truth... When you read these scriptures, it is what God has given you, isn’t it? Thank the Lord! The Bible is indeed written for you, but not all words are directed at you. For example, Genesis 3:14, the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life."
This is what God said to the serpent recorded in the Bible; you do not have to follow this will. This was said to the serpent. But it is also for us to see.
The Bible also records many other contents, including how the Israelites failed, how difficult it was for them under the law. Those are written for you to understand why they encountered such things; these things should serve as our reference.
The Bible says, if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. Simply put; today, when you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, then you can enter the kingdom of heaven without adding any other conditions; this is already enough.
Romans 10:9, If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
False prophets add other things on top of God’s promise. They make people feel that entering the kingdom of heaven is not easy; many conditions must be added. These do not conform to biblical teachings. We do not have to believe them. Our standard of faith is the Bible.
The message of false prophets is different from God’s intention. In the Old Testament, many false prophets were mentioned; clearly, the people were going to suffer, but the false prophets said, "It’s okay, peace, peace..." However, in the New Testament, it is exactly the opposite. God says, "Peace..." but the false prophets say, "No, no, no, you do not have peace."
Many people are confused about God’s words, so they are easily misled by others' words.
In the past, I asked some people, "Do you think you can enter the kingdom of heaven?" Immediately, everyone raised their hands. Then I asked, "Do you think you still have sins?" Everyone raised their hands again. Then I asked a third question, "Is it true that those with sins cannot enter the kingdom of heaven?" Everyone raised their hands again. So, do you think you can still enter? No one raised their hands.
Brothers and sisters, do you see? Four questions confused people. At first, they were quite certain that they could enter, but after a few questions, they said, "Indeed, I still have many sins that have not been washed away." I said, "You see, those with sins cannot enter the kingdom of heaven." They said, "Yes!" Then I asked, "Do you think you can enter?" They said, "Well, now that you mention it, I really feel like I need to study for another two years."
Brothers and sisters, some laughed ^_^ There are many confused believers like this. Just these simple four questions made them hesitate to say whether they could enter or not. I asked, "Are you sure you can enter?" They said, "Now that you mention it, I feel a bit dangerous." Haha! You have believed for more than ten years, how can you still have such thoughts, feeling that you are in danger? This is not understanding God’s will. They are still trying to follow the law to enter the kingdom of heaven based on their actions. If salvation is based on following the law, how many people can be saved? Not one.
The summary of the law is Christ. What does summary mean? It means He has fulfilled all the requirements of the law and has completed it. The conclusion has already been reached. Because of faith in Jesus, we are no longer under the law but under grace.
False prophets lead people away from the truth. God’s servants lead people to Jesus, guiding them into all truth. Brothers and sisters, false prophets also call on the Lord and speak of Jesus. But they do not believe in Jesus; they only use Jesus. They do not believe that Jesus rose from the dead or in miracles. They use preaching as a means to gain profit.
1 Timothy 6:3-8
If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions, and constant friction between people of corrupt mind who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
I have encountered such situations before; a sister was deceived. That night, the pastor said to her, "Well, you see, I have preached to you these days, and you have received grace." The sister said, "Yes! I have received it." He said, "Then you should show some expression; store some in your heavenly account."
The sister said, "My husband has already divorced me, and I have a child. I do not have a formal job, and I do not have much money." Do you know what that "pastor" said? "No problem, just borrow some from those around you and store it in heaven; later, when you have money, you can pay them back."
Brothers and sisters, if you encounter such preachers, you really need to discern that their purpose is not for your benefit. The Bible mentions that the Pharisees devoured widows' houses. Although the reasons are different, the purpose is the same; Jesus never did such things. Anyone who actively asks you for donations has a problem. These false prophets indeed preach in the name of the Lord and cast out demons in His name. They are very gifted, but their motives are impure, and we should still stay away from them to avoid being harmed.
Here it mentions; I prophesied in your name, I drove out demons in your name, I performed many miracles in your name.
What is the problem? They indeed did these things, but their inner life was not connected to Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, pursuing gifts and miracles without truth is very dangerous. Judas followed Jesus for more than three years. Although the Bible does not specifically mention whether Judas performed miracles, it particularly mentions that Jesus sent His disciples out two by two, and they drove out demons.
From these words, you can think that Jesus did not say, "Judas, you just stay with me; let the others go out." Why? Because I know you cannot perform any miracles, so you should not go. The Bible does not say these things, so we should also think that Judas was sent out at that time; he might have also performed some exorcisms and preached in Jesus' name. But what happened? He did not truly believe in Jesus.
One day, Jesus will say to them; I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.' Brothers and sisters, this is the third person—them. It is not you! It refers to those false prophets.
Jesus said; I never knew you.
False prophets do not believe in what Jesus did on the cross. They still boast about these so-called actions. But we are not saved by actions; we are saved by the blood of Jesus. His precious blood has already been shed. We are saved by faith. Salvation has nothing to do with actions; it is related to the belief in the heart.
John 10:27-28,
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.
Every person who accepts Jesus Christ, Jesus knows them. And Jesus said, they will never perish. The devil cannot snatch us out of the Lord's hand!
But for false prophets, Jesus said, I never knew you. It does not mean that at first, I knew you, but later because of your bad behavior, I no longer recognize you! The meaning of "never" is that it has always been this way. The hearts of false prophets do not have Jesus at all.
Today, we have talked a lot about the narrow gate, the small road, and the good tree, all of which ultimately point to our Savior, Jesus Christ! God’s will is for us to believe that Jesus Christ has accomplished everything for us on the cross; believing is receiving.
If you do not believe in what Jesus has done for you, in God's eyes, it is all evil.
Saul in the book of Acts later became Paul. At first, Saul was very zealous for the Lord; he also called on the Lord and was zealous for Him. What happened? When he was on the road to Damascus and the great light from God shone upon him, Saul said a very important sentence; you can find this scripture yourself.
Acts 9:3-5
As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.
Saul said; Lord, who are you? Do you find this situation very contradictory? At that time, Saul did not know who the Lord was; he did not acknowledge Jesus, did not accept Jesus, persecuted Christians, and thought he was zealous for God. At that moment, the light of God shone on him. He said, Lord, who are you? Jesus personally said to him; I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. At that moment, what happened? Paul finally understood that the Lord is Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, when you believe that Jesus is Lord, the ability to follow comes from God and connects within you, and your outer life can change. Previously, you were a very weak person. Brothers and sisters, when you understand how much God loves you, this person becomes very strong.
After Jesus died, the disciples became very weak, very weak; they hid in a room with the doors tightly closed, praying earnestly inside. On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended, this group of weak children was filled with the Holy Spirit, their inner life connected with God, and then they bravely came down from the upper room to start preaching the gospel outside.
From that day on, the disciples underwent a tremendous change. Three thousand people repented, Philip could preach in Samaria, and Paul could preach to the Gentiles; they were transformed by the Holy Spirit. Their inner life connected with God, and thus they bore the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Some were gentle, some joyful, some self-controlled, and some good.
To accept Jesus and what He accomplished on the cross is to follow the Father’s will. Your life is already connected with God, and the Holy Spirit is already within you, then you are the one who enters the kingdom of heaven. When you understand this will, you can live out the life of Christ.
Let us pray together:
Loving Heavenly Father, we thank and praise you for your grace. Thank you for renewing me through such words, allowing me to understand that your will is for us to have life, to believe in Jesus to gain life. I know you will never forsake me; in Christ, I am your beloved. I will never perish. No one can snatch me away. With the strength you give me, I can live out the likeness of Christ and be a blessing to those around me. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!