Seeking God's Will: The Path to Christ's Glory

Why did God call us through the gospel you know there are different answers to that some people say to go to heaven to escape hell forgiveness of sins but here it says to 14 it was for this he called you please take it personally it was for this that he called you and make that you personal that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ now that's a worse worth meditating on for quite some time to think that I can gain the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ not the glory that he manifested by turning water into wine but the other Glory which is mentioned in John 1:14 that the glory of God was manifested in Jesus full of grace and truth so that's the balance grace and truth that was in Christ and God has called each of us to gain that that's not a gift forgiveness of sins is a gift because we can never pay for it uh gaining something when you you see the word gain that's not a gift it's something you work and Achieve and get so there's a price to be paid not for forgiveness of sins that price is already paid so there are Christians in the world who are quite happy with forgiveness of sins and that's all they want it's all they live for I'm not here to judge them but my guess is that they'll be terribly disappointed when Christ comes back and they discover what they missed in their one life on Earth and they never get that chance to live the life again and that is to gain the glory of Jesus Christ here on this Earth anyway that's the thing that gripped me [00:00:14]

Jesus summed up everything in one sentence these are his own words I came from Heaven John 6:38 for one purpose only one it was not to die for the sins of the world it was not to take people to Heaven it was never to do my own will listen to this I have come from down from heaven these are his own words you can't make it better than this don't try and change it I came from Heaven to do one thing never to do my own will but always the will of him who sent me that is how he manifested his glory even in the turning the water into wine which he did first time first miracle that he did he never went there with the intention to do that Miracle not at all he didn't know that wine would run short he lived like us his knowledge was limited but because this was father what do you want me to do you want me to do something and his mother comes and says do something says no it's not of my business it's not of my business because the father's not told me anything [00:03:50]

The closer you are to Christ the more you will say in your life I never want to do what pleases me but what pleases my father you know it says that about Jesus in I think it's Romans 15 where verse three have you meditated on this statement Christ never pleased himself now you can read that vers and go on or you can meditate on it and say what does it mean for me to follow Jesus never to do my own will you know we can hear so many profound things in the church and get overwhelmed but some of these things that Jesus says are so simple in some situation where I'm tempted to either please myself or the Lord says no don't do that okay I won't please myself I will not say what I want to say even though I feel like saying it it's so so important for husbands and wives in their relationships you may feel like saying something but you got to wait does God want you to say it so so many fights arise because somebody says something just one word that's how often is in a home one careless word can create so many problems [00:06:10]

To take up the cross means I never do my own will that means what pleases me what I feel like saying what I feel like doing if only we will pause a little and say Lord do you want me to say that we'll be protected from saying so many foolish stupid things and losing our testimony and losing our reputation it's like that when for example a lot of brothers are sitting together and everybody's saying whatever comes into their mind do you think any of them are thinking does Jesus want me to say this no no no no this is what I feel like saying so I'll say it ahuh when will you ever follow Jesus if if you had paused and said no I don't let me think does the Lord want me to say it you would not have ruined your testimony you can't do anything about the past except ask God to forgive us but in the future I recommend before you feel like saying something in when everybody else maybe in your office or a home or even in the church and you also want to add your word think a little because that is how we make progress and if we don't do that we're not taking up the cross then I cannot follow Jesus [00:07:48]

Paul said in 2 Corinthians in chapter four he makes this amazing statement which has challenged me for so many years have you noticed this that Paul said he was becoming more like Christ not once a year but every day imag imagine a man becoming more Christlike every day I mean if we become a little more Christlike once in a year that' be great but Paul says 2 Corinthians 4:16 we do not get discouraged great word we do not lose heart that even though the outer man is that means there's a lot of problems in the outer man health is wearing out and there's a lot of persecution he faced but the inner man is being renewed every single day I don't think there's another verse in the New Testament that tells me that Paul made progress every single day of his life every day was a little more Christlike it's like running the marathon Race the Christian life is like a marathon Race he run the race looking unto Jesus how he denied himself he never did his own will he never said what he wanted to say he think does the father want me to say it otherwise he wouldn't say it and walking in those footsteps Paul made progress every single day it's amazing that is how he gain the glory of Christ more and more and that's how we and I can gain [00:09:25]

Always always means 24/7 carrying in our body the dying of Jesus here is a verse which is almost never preached in other churches because nobody knows what it means what does it mean to carry in my body the dying of Jesus it's exactly what we've been hearing all along I die to my own will how often always always means 24/7 we won't get there overnight but if you work towards it you can come to the place where you feel like saying something and you don't say it because the spirit of God within says no keep your mouth shut even though others may be expressing their opinions and you don't do it and it could be in some other situation also where everybody wants to do some particular thing and in your office or somewhere else and you don't feel like going along with that and you say no always carrying in our body the dying of Jesus and if I do that here is a promise from God the life of Jesus will be manifested in my body that's what we want right not my own improved life for many people their Christianity is improving their own life my life is pretty bad let me try and improve it I mean the world is full of selfimprovement proof programs God's not not trying to improve our life at all he's trying to give us another life and if I want that other life I must learn this habit of thinking does the Lord want me to do that I don't want to do my own will I don't want to say what I want to say I want to hear what God wants me to say I want to do what God wants me to do I want to respond to this situation in the way the Lord wants me to respond not the way my clever mind wants to respond or how worldly people will respond that is the dying of Jesus I die to the way I want to do it and then the promises if I consistently do that the life of Jesus will be manifested more and more in me [00:11:18]

This is the real meaning of humility it says in verse six he gives greater Grace God is opposed to the proud but he gives grace to the humble and my definition of pride has changed through the years and uh you know pride is somebody who thinks he's very important and for but I've come to see pride is for me anyway that I want to do my own will I want to say what I want to say I want to give my opinion on this I don't want to wait to say does the Lord want me to say it does the Lord even in a husband by conversation lot of conflicts arise between husband and wife just because they don't stop to think does a lord want me to say this or does he just want me to forget it what a lot of strife would have not occurred in our homes Even in our dealing with children Jesus Jesus in 30 years he developed the sensitivity to hear the voice of his father and I want to encourage all of you to develop that that is the meaning of humility God gives his grace to the humble means the one who's willing to say Lord I don't know what to do what to say but I wait on you I want you to help me [00:13:49]

You remember that old testament story in second chronicles 20 of a king who had a great Army coming against him Jehoshaphat and he stood before the Lord and said Lord I don't have any power in this situation I don't have any wisdom but I want you you to tell me what to do and the lord gave him a great victory that is a secret if we if that becomes a habit in our life I believe we'll make tremendous progress [00:15:25]