Chapter 4

GOD’S WILL

So FAR WE HAVE SEEN what rebellion is, where it began, who started it all, and how it invaded this world. We have learned that rebellion is sin because it is the act of being independent of God. This independence is seen not only in the non believing world, but in the heart of every Christian. It is the natural state of the human heart. It is also the constant attitude of what the Bible calls “the flesh.” Here we need to be
reminded what “the flesh” really is. We know it includes all the wicked and sinful practices of the heart, but it is more. A good definition of “the flesh” is this: “All that a person is without Christ.” We need to remember that the flesh can also be gracious and charming. Some non-Christians have a sweetness and loveliness of character that outshine that of many Christians. This is part of their psychological makeup, just as some people are naturally physically beautiful; it is no special indication of the indwelling Spirit.

The end product is always the same: the flesh, attractive or unattractive, is in rebellion against God. Romans 8:7-8 puts it this way: “The carnal mind [the flesh] is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed an be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” It is in this area of the flesh that the power of sin finds its full activity.

En our last chapter we saw how God, and God alone, found the answer to the penalty of sin. He gave His Son to be the lamb of God. In this chapter we are specially concerned with the other terrible product arising from the initial act of rebellion, the power of sin. This is where there is great ignorance in Christian experience, yet there is need for victory over the power of sin.

Every true Christian is saved. He knows his sins are forgiven. He rejoices in the finished work of Christ. He realizes he is born again. In other words, he is fully conscious of God’s answer to the penalty of sin. A great tragedy in the church is that this is all many Christians know. Thank God
for every precious soul who has come to the cross and found redemption in Christ; but, oh that all. believers might know God’s answer to the power of sin day by day.

Practically all my counselling sessions are with Christians who are truly saved but whose lives are bound up in failure, fear, frustration, and a total inability to live the Christian life. They have had a true experience of the initial step of salvation, but they know nothing of the day by day activity of salvation. This is the number one problem in the church today. If this could be corrected right in the place where all the problems start, the human heart, then most of the other issues and problems arising would all be taken care of.

In considering the wonderful way by which God has provided the answer to the power of sin in human experience, we must direct our attention to the first chapter of Ephesians. This epistle is full of teaching concerning conduct and behavior in the church. It has much to say in the context of the home and the relationships therein. But before it ever directs the believer’s mind to his personal walk, it focuses his attention on the will of God for daily witness. It is this will of God that needs to be understood and obeyed.

Every believer, if questioned, would admit his desire to do the will of God. No one would ever deny the importance of the will of God. So let us test our sincerity by seeing what that will is, and how far we have responded to it.

If you were to read the first fourteen verses of chapter 1, you would find three references to the will of God: verse 5 speaks of “the good pleasure of his will”; verse 9 says “Having made known unto us the mystery of his will”; verse 11 tells of “him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.’’

Understanding these three references will go a long way toward solving the failure in many Christian lives. To get a better grasp of the layout of the will of God, I suggest you make these three verses into a simple diagram. Make a heading at the top of your diagram and put there these words: “the counsel of his own will.” Then, below this one heading place the two subheadings, side by side: “the good pleasure of his will” and “the mystery of his will.”

We can see first that “the counsel of God’s will” for each believer is a twofold thrust in the life. These two together, “the good pleasure of his will” and “the mystery of his will,” make up the actual total counsel of God’s will. If only one part of the will has been obeyed, then one part has been left unfulfilled. This actually happens in many lives—a partial
fulfillment of the will of God. This involvement with only half the will of God is what leads to so much failure in meeting the power of sin.

We will see this now as we continue with our diagram. Let us take each section separately. See what is “the good pleasure of his will” in verses 6 and 7: “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.”

The purpose of our study in chapter 3 was to see how God met the penalty of sin by sending the Lamb of God. We have no need to deal with that subject again, except to note in passing that the purpose of “the good pleasure of God’s will” was to save us from the penalty of sin. Every true believer understands the necessity for the cross. We have all accepted
Christ as our Savior, therefore being obedient to “the good pleasure of his will.”

But, how about being involved with “the mystery of his will” - have you given equal obedience in this area of Christian living? There are many Christians who would be unable to give a sure answer to this challenge. Unable, not because they have chosen to disregard the will of God, but because, in many cases, they are completely ignorant as to what is the
mystery of God’s will.

Some folk when pressed to give an answer would say, “Well, it’s a mystery, so how can you be expected to under stand it!” They see the word “mystery” and almost automatically pass over the statement. They find the ordinary Word of God a big enough problem without going into such
areas which are specifically called mysteries.

But notice what happens if this is your attitude. First, you have only been obedient to half of the will of God. Second, besides this disobedience, you leave untouched and unexplored the vast new area of tremendous potential for Christian living. It is this last deficiency that is at the root of so much ineffective and flabby Christian witnessing.

Let us search deeper into God’s Word and find more information about this great area of the will of God.

There are two other places in the New Testament where we can discover additional information concerning the mystery of God’s will. Turn your attention first to Romans 16: 25-26. Paul, under the leading of the Holy Spirit, has finished his letter and added the benediction. Then he proceeds to write these words of penetrating truth: “Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made
known to all nations for the obedience of faith.”

There are three points here of importance. Notice first the information about the mystery itself. It was kept secret since the world began, but now it is made manifest. It is a secret no longer, nor a mystery. The curtain has been pulled aside and the mystery has been revealed. See what this means to every believer. We can no longer dismiss “the mystery of God’s will” by saying we cannot be expected to understand it. We may use such words and follow this line of action, but we do so in contradiction to the revelation of God. If we want to insist on a noninvolvement in this area, then we have to find some other reason or promote some other excuse.

The second point to realize is the purpose of the revelation of this mystery. We can see this in the beginning of verse 25: “Now to him that is of power to establish you . . . according to the revelation of the mystery.” This mystery is linked with the preaching of the gospel. It is a vital part of the gospel because through this wonderful mystery the believer can be
established, the greatest need in the church today. To be established means to have roots that go down deep so that in the time of testing the believer can stand.

I am writing these words in the Philippines, in the city of Manila. Two months ago this city was hit by a typhoon, the severest in living memory. Winds up to 150 m.p.h. swept through this area and the damage resulting would have to be seen to he believed. There was much structural damage to buildings and light and power poles. But I was interested to see the casualties in the tree population. Rows of great trees were pushed over, and many more were broken and deformed. The interesting thing was to see trees standing where others around them had fallen. There are many reasons for such selective destruction, but practically all the trees that
were down had root systems close to the surface. The roots had not gone down deep but had found their sustenance near the surface.

I find this is true of many Christians. They believe in having roots; they know that a Christian is like a plant and cannot grow without roots. But so many are like the trees that fell in Manila; their roots are near the surface. They, too, are content to draw on surface experiences for their spiritual growth. The roots that hold are the roots that go deep and entwine themselves in the rock and solid area far below the surface of life. It is quieter there also, and the temperature remains even with no damage from extreme heat or bitter frost and cold. There is also a better chance of finding water deep down, and water means life.

Verse 25 of Romans 16 tells us that the understanding of the mystery of God’s will is one of the means of establishing the Christian. It will enable him to have roots that go deep and will hold him up in the times of testing.

The end of verse 26 gives us the third point in this passage dealing with the mystery of God’s will. It was kept secret, but now it is made known to all nations, “for the obedience of faith.” There is the challenge; it is made known so that we may be obedient to what God wills.

All believers have responded to “the good pleasure of God’s will.” Most gladly have we obeyed the call to come to the cross and receive forgiveness of sins; but how about the equally important mystery of God’s will? Have we been obedient in that area, or have we dismissed the whole thought
and given it no further consideration? If the latter has been our response, then we have been going against the known and revealed will of God.

It is this ignorance, or indifference, that is the root cause of so much feeble Christian living. Wherever I go, I see churches with members who are truly “born again,” but their capacity to experience the living, vital faith is nil. No amount of programs or techniques or gimmicks will ever make a
Christian stable and strong in times of stress within or with out. Hanging decorations on a tree, tying fruit to its branches, or nailing notices to its trunk are no substitutes for roots. Only the tree can grow the roots and they must go down wards, unseen, unknown, not admired or praised, but there to provide comfort in the time of storm.

There is a second scripture passage speaking about the mystery. I am looking in Colossians, chapter one, and reading verses 25 through 29.

As we begin to read these verses, we get a sense of some thing very special coming up. Paul, led by the Holy Spirit, writes words that seem to be boasting. He says he is made a minister of God “to fulfil the word of God,” to complete the Word of God and make it fully known. Something has not
yet been told, and God has anointed him to tell this special truth which will then complete the Word of God.

So we read on to find what this great truth really is: “Even the mystery which bath been hid from ages and generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.” Here we are meeting the same teaching we saw in Romans 16:25-26. It is a mystery no longer, it is now revealed to all believers. At this point we should be careful to remember the words of our Lord in
Mathew 18:16: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” Here are the two witnesses, written under the leading of the Holy Spirit, each saying the same thing—it is a mystery no longer.

Finally, we come to the telling forth of the mystery. Before spelling it out word by word, Paul uses extravagant words to try to capture the pinnacle position of this great truth: “the riches of the glory of this mystery.” The mystery itself is supreme, as if it were a priceless piece of intricate jewelry. But then he points to the precious stone that lies at the center
of the golden frame and there it is—God’s greatest masterpiece - "Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

This then, in simplicity, is the mystery of the will of God - “Christ in you.” When we take this truth and place it in the simple diagrams we were using earlier in this chapter, we can see the buildup of blessing. First we had the overall heading, “the counsel of his own will,” then the two sub
headings. The first one was “the good pleasure of his will,” which was Jesus dying for me on the cross, in other words, “Christ for me.” The mystery we have just seen is “Christ in me.” Thus the twofold will of God becomes a realization first of “Christ for me,” then of “Christ in me.”

Remember why this will of God was so ordained. God was finding and supplying the answer to man’s rebellion and sin. We saw that sin had a double result, the penalty of sin and then the power of sin. We can begin to understand now that the twofold will of God takes care of the twofold result of sin. Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.

To the penalty of sin, which is the death of man the sinner, comes the answer: the death of Christ the Saviour, Christ for me!

To the power of sin, which is the constant downward pull exerted through a fallen human nature, comes the experience of participating in the divine nature with its constantly available power and victory, Christ in me!

Notice now another thought. Colossians 1:27 gave the mystery as, “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Realize that this is intended to be a present tense experience. This glory is not something we get only when we die and go to heaven, but is a hope of glory here and now. There will undoubtedly
be great glory when we get to heaven, but we also have a promise of glory in this present rebellious world. See how this can become true in your own experience. Every true Christian believes in heaven as a place, but the exact geographical location is hard to determine - is it up, or down, or
where? Perplexity is aggravated when you stand in New Zealand or Australia—is it still up, or down, or where?

We can be sure that where Jesus is, is heaven. He is the center of all the praise and glory of heaven. Now, if Christ really and truly indwells me, and heaven is where Jesus is, then, in some new and wonderful way, I can enjoy heaven on the way to heaven. This indwelling glory is the joyous birthright of every born-again believer. Regardless of circumstances or pressures or fears or any thing that this world may bring, we may know and experience a sweet, blessed, peaceful glory, day by day, as we recognize the Christ who indwells each of us in the person of His Holy Spirit.

There is another rich thought that follows directly. Only in this world do we have this experience of “Christ in me.” When we get to heaven, we shall see Him as He is, and we shall be like Him—but He will not be the indwelling Christ. Only now is this our special blessing. Consider, how long have you left in your life: days, weeks, months, or years? For that time only has God given you this unique experience.

God has invested a rich deposit of blessing in the bank of your daily life. It is to last only while you are on earth. You can never overdraw your account because the power of Christ is limitless, but you can live your life without making a single withdrawal from the bank of blessing, and this is what many Christians do. They struggle to live for Jesus and make their
own deposits in the bank of blessing, when all the time the will of God is that Christ should live in them and for them and through them. It is not a deposit account but a withdrawal account. It sounds totally impossible, but this is the will of God.

It is good at this time to compare this will of God, as detailed in our present chapter, with the will of Satan as we saw it in Isaiah 14 and in Genesis 3. Do you remember the five times that Satan said, “I will,” culminating in the final blasphemous cry “I will be like God”? Then do you remember the second part of his gospel in Genesis 3:5, “You will be like gods”? Both statements show clearly the will of Satan, “I will be like God.” Now consider the first part of the counsel of God’s will, the good pleasure of His will. This divine desire we read of in Philippians 2:6-7: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man.” There it is, can you see it? God said, “I will be like man.” What a fantastic contrast to the will of Satan!

But that isn’t all. The second part of the counsel of God’s will was the mystery of His will, and this, as we have seen, was that Christ should be in us, that we should be partakers of the divine nature. In other words, God said, “Man will be like me.” What a deeply moving thought—’ ‘I will be like man,” then “Man will be like me.”

O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things:
to whom be glory for ever. Amen (Ro 11:33-36).

How much do you know in your personal life of this will of God? Certainly you know salvation by the death of Christ; this is the starting place for every true believer. But have you gone any further? Do you know the reality of Christ in you?

I find with many earnest Christians an honest realization of their present failure, a growing interest in the unfolding possibilities of a Christ-filled life, but an absolute barrenness when it comes to putting the truth to work. “If only I knew how to live this kind of life” is their cry.

This is the purpose of our next chapter—to study the mechanics of living the Christ-filled life.