Sermon Outline: Seeking God’s Will with Joy and Anticipation!

Read 1 Samuel 23:1-14

1. (v.2) David had a personal relationship with God. God is a Relational God.
1. God was involved in his daily life (note the Psalms of David, Ps 23)
2. God was involved in his daily activities (this verse, chapter will show)
3. He was in constant communion and communication with God.

He was a shepherd reading under the moonlit night. He was a busy king. He was a busy husband and father.

·         You have to know Him to trust Him. Jeremiah 9:23,24.

·         He relates to man in pretty much the same way as man relates to other men.

2. (v.3) Sometimes events do not necessarily confirm God’s will.
1. David’s source of 2^nd opinion
2. Recall Joseph’s experience
3. (v.4) David seeks confirmation.
1. Note that this was long after David slew Goliath!
2. God’s answer was MORE qualified.
4. (v.5) God works with David to confirm and complete His will.
5. (v.11-13) God’s will in the light of God’s Omniscience.

Ephod - girdle

Umim – Hebrew root word is “light”

Thummim – Hebrew root word means Integrity, completeness and pureness of mind. (tom, root word) Occurrence, random happening as if by chance.

·         God has not Pre-determined much of our future, even if He has the power to do so.

o       Omniscience does not include the future in its scope

·         God designed Bible reading and Prayer to be our two-way communication with Him

o       Reading the word enables us to see God and His heart and mind clearer.

o       Prayer is where we request God to change the outcome of events via divine intervention.

6. (v.13,14) God continues to protect David, as David continues to obey God’s leading.

·         God designed co-agency with man in His continuing creative project.

o       Most of the time, if we do nothing, God does nothing.

o       God works WITH us, not WITHOUT us.

o       God gave us the privilege of determining outcomes based on our actions. We act based on His leading, but the outcome is dependent on our action.

o       God changes outcomes when we ask Him to, but that is divine intervention which is the object of true prayer.

·         Being certain of God’s will is no different from being assured of Eternal Life.

o       Analogy of the Vine and Branches.

Motivation:

• Continue from opening up ourselves to receive God’s blessings this year
• Continue from “New Beginnings”
• God’s will is not a process of predicting the wining numbers of lotto.  God’s will is more of finding the best direction and course of action under real circumstances, but with the knowledge that the Creator created you for a purpose.
• There is joy and excitement when we know how to work with God to get to His will for our lives.

Ending:

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