Скачать или смотреть Discerning Gods Will for us

This sermon focuses on the question of how we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in making important life decisions. Kyle uses the example of the Apostle Paul's journey to Jerusalem from Acts 19-23 to illustrate principles for discerning God's will.

The passage shows some ambiguity around whether Paul was simply feeling compelled by his own desires or truly being led by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. Different Bible translations phrase it differently. However, Paul seems to gain increasing clarity and resolve that he must go to Jerusalem, even though it will bring suffering, in order to preach the gospel.

Yet when Paul arrives in Tyre, the believers there prophesy through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not go to Jerusalem. This creates tension, as you have two groups of believers seemingly being led in opposite directions by the Spirit on this matter. Even a prophet named Agabus acts out a prophecy warning Paul that he will be bound and handed over if he goes to Jerusalem.

Kyle suggests we should not try to determine who was "right" between Paul and the church, but see it as a messy example of how discernment can play out. Paul ultimately decides to go to Jerusalem, and later a vision affirms he will preach in Rome as well. So Paul's actions are affirmed, even though the believers in Tyre seemed correctly led to caution him against going.

From this example, principles for discerning God's will include:

Having a clear, kingdom-minded life purpose to filter decisions through
Not mistaking adversity for a sign you are on the wrong path
Being part of a praying, caring spiritual community that speaks into decisions
Showing a pattern of obeying the Spirit's restraints in the past
Trusting in God's sovereignty over the unknowns
The preacher challenges the idea of simply asking God to rubber-stamp a decision we already want to make. Instead, we should pray for an attitude of indifference to our own desires, asking for true discernment. We need to invite other believers to ask hard questions, not just affirm our likely choice.

Ultimately, God may lead us towards an illogical decision that requires faith, as he did with Paul going to Jerusalem. But we can have peace knowing God's in control and working out his purposes, even when the path isn't clear.

This passage shows the complexity of discernment, but gives a model of how we can be practically led by the Spirit in these key decisions through clear purpose, openness to God's plan over our own, allowing community input, and a willingness to obey and trust God's voice.




Date: 4.21.24

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