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Teaching Us To Think (Part Three): Proving God's Will
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod does not disregard the testing stage in His plan. He is a manufacturer of righteous character, training Christian soldiers to lead His Kingdom alongside Him. He produces sons and daughters in the image of Jesus Christ, testing every person He chooses to check and improve their quality. He wants to know when they will break, how well they endure, and how they function in both adverse and good situations. He seeks to understand everything about them, putting them through numerous tests to give them the opportunity to demonstrate they are His. He upholds His high standards of righteousness, ensuring nothing slipshod or substandard passes, maintaining His reputation as God. His work with us aims to help us think as He and His Son do, enabling us to react properly to situations and make sound, wise decisions based on what we have learned and experienced. He desires us to develop likemindedness with Him so we can rule with Him in His Kingdom. Through the proving grounds of human life, He tests us to transform our minds into reflections of Christ's own, proving what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. By refusing to conform to this world and diligently transforming our minds, we learn and prove His will by rejecting worldly ways and living according to His way of life. God's will is accessible through His Word, an instruction manual of over 31,000 verses inspired by Him. We have the mental task of reading, studying, meditating on, and accepting these instructions to understand what He is doing and what He wants us to do. With the help of His Spirit, we gain an advantage in comprehending His will, as it brings things to mind and aids in understanding. His will is evident in clear declarations such as the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, and the fruit of the Spirit, guiding us to act in ways that align with His desires. However, God does not want us merely to learn and accept these declarations. He desires us to prove them, to test His will so we are convinced of its wisdom and goodness at all times. He puts us through specific situations where we must employ His will, often under pressure or discomfort, to demonstrate that His way is the best. By experiencing and proving His will, it becomes deeply set in our character, confirming that His way is right, good, acceptable, and perfect. The process of proving God's will is not always quick or easy. It often requires time, deep thought, and discernment to evaluate outcomes and determine if something conforms to His will. God provides the data through experiences and trials, teaching us over time to distinguish good from evil. As children of light, proving what is acceptable to the Lord is integral to our Christian walk, producing fruits of goodness, righteousness, and truth in our character. We must be circumspect, wise in how we live, and prioritize this proving process, understanding that time is precious and should not be wasted on distractions. Living according to His will glorifies and praises God, shining as a light in the world through the production of righteous fruit. By consistently proving His will through obedience and experience, as exemplified by Abraham's journey of faith and trials, we grow into the image of His Son. God expects us to be alert, evaluate ourselves and our situations, and think vigorously to discern good from evil, honing our minds to understand His good, acceptable, and perfect will.
Seeking God's Will (Part One): Holiness
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughAs children of light, we are called to walk in a manner that reflects our transformation from darkness to light, proving what is acceptable to the Lord. This process of proving involves finding out what pleases Him through our conduct and obedience. By walking as children of light, we gain understanding of what He expects from us, as our actions align with His commands and reveal His will over time. In situations where we are uncertain of God's will, we may find ourselves without clear guidance from specific examples or instructions. Yet, we can still determine His will by knowing His character. The more we understand His traits and how they manifest, the better equipped we are to make decisions that align with His nature. By applying the mind of Christ to our choices, we grow into that mind, making decisions that reflect His character despite our human limitations. God's will becomes clearer as we imitate Him and follow the example of Jesus Christ, walking as He walked. This principle of mirroring His behavior helps us navigate complex situations where direct answers may not be evident. By focusing on His character, we can eliminate options that do not align with His nature, narrowing our choices to those that honor Him. Ultimately, knowing the Lord intimately allows us to solve many problems and make sound decisions. As we grow in understanding His attributes and how they apply to practical living, we reach a point where His will becomes evident through our transformed hearts and minds. This deep relationship with Him equips us to act in ways that reflect His holiness and other characteristics, guiding us in every situation.
The Model Prayer (Part Five): Your Will Be Done
Bible Study by Richard T. RitenbaughIn the Model Prayer taught by Jesus Christ, one of the key petitions is for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. This request highlights the desire for His instructions to be followed with the same obedience shown by His heavenly servants, in stark contrast to the disobedience often seen among humanity. It seeks a profound change in human attitude toward God, looking forward to the day when all will bow and confess to Him, while urging the believer to emulate the devotion of angelic servants in carrying out His will. God's will encompasses what He desires to occur, both in His overarching purpose for the universe and in individual lives. It is described as good, acceptable, and perfect, and a believer's life is dedicated to discerning and conforming to it through a transformation of the mind from carnal to godly. As Jesus Christ states, those who are willing to do His will shall know whether the doctrine is from God. Knowing God's will comes through revelation, which includes the supernatural disclosure of His purposes and instructions found within the sixty-six canonical books of the Bible. These revelations are considered the complete testimony of His will, providing all that is needed for salvation. Understanding God's will, however, requires more than mere reading of His Word. It necessitates the engagement of His Holy Spirit, without which the deeper meanings remain veiled in mystery. With the anointing of His Spirit, an individual can possess the mind of Christ and comprehend the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, placing believers under the obligation to seek His will in all things and practice it with diligence and understanding.
Assurance That We Know Him!
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsIf we know God, we no longer have the feeling that God is against us; we have no dread of God, but instead have awe and respect; we know that God loves us.