SermonLiving in God’s Heavenly Will
An all-creatures Bible Message

Living in God’s Heavenly Will
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
20 October 2013
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Psalm 19:1-14
Jeremiah 31:27-34
Luke 18:1-8
Romans 1:20

Relatively few people seem to be living in God’s heavenly will.
 
We hear from people all the time who see the almost unbelievable and seemingly unending cruelty inflicted upon animals in the world, and question why God isn’t doing anything to end it.
 
And many of them are losing their faith in God because of it, but at the same time they continue to do everything in their power to end the cruelty.
 
The odd fact is that this is exactly what God commanded us to do when He gave us rule and dominion over the animals in the world in the last paragraph of Genesis 1:26-31.
 
This is our command to protect the animals from all evil and harm.
 
This is living in God’s heavenly will.
 
The other side of the coin is that most of the Christians, who claim to have a strong belief and faith in God, are the ones who are also major contributors of the infliction of the pain, suffering and death upon the animals, which in turn is turning others away from the church and God.
 
In Psalm 19:1-14, we are given a look at God’s creation in the way that we should see it from His creation intent, which is also God’s heavenly will.

1. The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
 
2. Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

Our space telescopes and scientists have shown us that the extent of God’s creation is seemingly endless, for every time they think they know the size of the universe, they find something even farther away.
 
This is just one of the ways that God shows us that there is no end of His magnificence and glory.
 
God has no limits.

3. There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

If we are not open to hearing God’s heavenly will and creation intent, God’s voice will not be heard, even though it is streaming out all around us, just like radio and television signals are all around us.
 
Unless we are willing to turn our receivers on to hear God’s voice, instead of our fellow human beings who lead us astray, we will not hear Him any more than we can hear the radio or watch television, if we don’t turn them on. 

4. Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens He has pitched a tent for the sun,
 
5. which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
 
6. It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

The movement of the earth around its axis and the sun is just as easy to understand as God’s voice, but we have to be willing to listen.

7. The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

The psalmist is telling us that our understanding of God’s heavenly will and creation intent is not too difficult to comprehend.

8. The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
 
9. The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

In other words, we really don’t have an excuse for not understanding these things for they are all around us and right in front of our eyes.

10. They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

The psalmist isn’t telling us to harm bees by eating their honey; he is just using the sweetest thing in his day to describe the preciousness of God’s words.
 
And with this understanding, the psalmist looks inwardly at himself.

11. By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
 
12. Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
 
13. Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.
 
14. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
NIV

This should be a constant prayer of our heart, mind and soul all the days of our lives.
 
This is living in God’s heavenly will.
 
Paul picks up on this psalmist’s theme, and summarizes it in one verse: Romans 1:20.

20. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
NASB

Yes, we are without excuse if we don’t understand these things, and continue to turn away from God, or corrupt His beautiful creation, or intentionally harm any of His created beings.
 
In Jeremiah 31:27-34, Jeremiah writes about God’s eternal desire for His people, if we will listen.

27. "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast.
 
28. "And it will come about that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to overthrow, to destroy, and to bring disaster, so I will watch over them to build and to plant," declares the LORD.
 
29. "In those days they will not say again,
'The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
And the children's teeth are set on edge.'

Jeremiah wrote this about 2,500 years ago, and this message of God’s heavenly will, His desire for us, was not new then, and it is still true today.
 
Since the very beginning of creation, God has always wanted to do good things for us and the rest of creation.
 
This is God’s heavenly will.
 
We need to constantly remember that after God had created everything, He looked back upon everything He had made and declared it to be very good.
 
This has never changed.
 
Human beings have changed by turning away from God’s heavenly will and creation intent.

30. "But everyone will die for his own iniquity; each man who eats the sour grapes, his teeth will be set on edge.

This is also the state of the world today, and explains why there is so much evil in the world around us.

31. "Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
 
32. not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the LORD.
 
33. "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
 
34. "And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
NASB

This has always been God’s heavenly will for our lives, but the vast majority of people keep turning away from the Lord and following the ways of the world.
 
Let’s continue our discussion of living in God’s heavenly will as we look at Luke 18:1-8.

1. Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,

This is exactly what is happening to many of the people who see all the evil in this world, particularly the atrocities committed upon animals, which we talked about in the beginning of this study.

2. saying, "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God, and did not respect man.
 
3. "And there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.'

This is very much what it’s like to convince politicians to pass legislation to protect all animals from human indifference and outright cruelty.

4. "And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man,
 
5. yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, lest by continually coming she wear me out.' "

This is why we need to keep the pressure on in our efforts to end the cruelty in the world around us, but at the same time we also need to pray.

6. And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said;
 
7. now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?
 
8. "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"
NASB

This is God’s heavenly will for us and the whole of His creation.
 
Even we stumble over the word “speedily” when we think about the horrible suffering of the animals and how long it has been going on, or of the warring madness that always seems to plague our society.
 
But we continue to pray and work to free creation from its present corruption, for we know that God’s time is not our time.
 
And, we also pray fervently for Jesus to return and usher in His peaceable Kingdom forever and ever, for this is also a part of living in God’s heavenly will.
 
Amen.

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