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Understanding the Growth of the Kingdom of God (Luke 13:18-30)
2 Plays3 seconds ago
Sunday Message recorded 07 June 2026
by Senior Pastor Victor Morrison
First Baptist Church - Columbus, TX, USA
1700 Milam St.
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to 'Growing in Grace'
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Welcome to Growing in Grace with Pastor Victor Morrison. This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas. We are praying that God will bless you as you listen to this message.
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If you would like additional information on worship times and ministries at FBC Columbus, you can find out more at our website, fbccolumbustx.org. And now, take your copy of God's timeless Word as Pastor Victor gives today's message.
Understanding God's Will
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Welcome to Growing in Grace. Do you ever struggle in reaching a conclusion on knowing the will of God? Several years ago now, the Lord showed me a neat verse where a biblical character actually said, we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Spiritual Markers and Guidance
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That's found in Acts 16, verse 10. As I studied the context surrounding that one verse, I discovered seven spiritual markers which clarified for Paul which direction God wanted him to go.
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Later, as I read a book by Dr. Charles Stanley entitled The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life, I was reminded of the principles that I had written in my journal.
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Dr. Stanley wrote, of visiting the Caribbean island of Aruba and learning about the exporting of salt that used to be the primary source of the economy back in the 16, 1700s when the Dutch began to control the salt industry there.
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Dr. Stanley spoke of the simple way they directed the large salt ships into the port. Since the only waterway deep enough for the ships was a narrow channel, they aligned several posts, several wooden posts on the land and directed the sea captains to move ahead once they maneuvered their vessel in perfect alignment with the angle of those posts.
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Paul highlights seven spiritual markers that align to help him and others on his mission team to know which way the Lord was guiding them to go.
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Why don't we see what we can learn from Acts 16 verses 1 through 10.
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Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek.
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He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him, and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
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As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.
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So the churches were strengthened in the faith. and they increased in numbers daily. And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
Paul's Missionary Journey and Spiritual Direction
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And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas,
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And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia was standing there urging him and saying, come over to Macedonia and help us.
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And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
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You know, the Bible actually has a lot to say about the will of God. For example, you know, Epaphras in Colossians 4.12, he made the will of God his prayer.
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He said, I pray that you might know the will of God, that you would be assured of the will of God. If you look at Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane in Luke 22, verse 42, not only was the will of God Jesus's prayer, but also it was his preference.
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He said, not my will, but your will be done. The Lord also said in John 6, 38, that his whole purpose for coming was to do the will of the Father.
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Paul said in Romans 12, 2, that the will of God was, well, let's just say his plan. He said, I know that your will is that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
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So that's what he wanted to do. Is that what you want to do? Philippians 2, 13 talks about the will of God being one's passion, that God is at work in us to will and to work for his good pleasure.
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Hebrews 13, 21 talks about how it is God's that we are strengthened in order to achieve. So as God strengthens us, we're able to do His will.
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There's just so much that could be said about God's will. So why don't we just look at this passage and sort of see what kind of spiritual markers guided them in biblical days, but also what would God use to guide us in our day?
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So let me say that I think one for sure spiritual marker that we should take seriously is time in the word of God. David wrote long before this, your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
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He wrote that in Psalm 119, verse in work
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the people god uses in his work are the people who are devoted to spending an extended time in his word. And they're convinced, I need to share these principles from scripture with other people that God has placed in my life.
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And so it's no wonder that leading into this chapter 16 of Acts, we could see in the previous chapter various references to God's word in the lives of these people. For example, Silas was with ah Paul.
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Listen to what it says and Acts 15, 32, and Judas and silas who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.
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I wonder what their words were. I wonder if they included any scripture references there. I'm sure they did. A little bit later in verses 35 and 36, it says, but Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch teaching and preaching the word of the Lord with many others also.
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And so they were definitely involved in teaching God's word. I think that's why God, when he was looking for a servant that he could send on a mission trip, he picked God.
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Paul, he wanted him to go because he was a man who believed in time in the word, and he believed I should share God's word with other people.
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You know, it's interesting, too, that the next verse, verse 36, whenever... They had completed their first mission trip. They began to consider going on a second mission trip. And here's how they came to that that idea. And after some days, Paul said to Barnabas, let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are.
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I believe they wanted to see how they were growing. They had given the word of God to them. They shared it on the first mission trip. But now as they prepare to make a second mission trip, I think that they were saying, let's go back and see if those that we've already won to Christ, those that we've already discipled, let's see if they are continuing in God's word.
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I know personally in my life, God has consistently used his word to guide me in each major major decision in my life. For example, when I responded to God's call to ministry, it was confirmed by time in God's word.
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When I chose Jody to ask her, would she marry me? When I was looking for the right person to marry, it was God's word that convinced me. When my wife and i were trying to have children and we could not, we prayed about adoption and God gave us the green light.
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When we were praying about going into international missions, how did we know for sure that was what God wanted? Well, we found confirmation in his word.
Seeking Guidance through Prayer and Scripture
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I've been here at First Baptist Church in Columbus, Texas for almost 19 years. And you know what? How did I know that I was supposed to come and be the pastor of this church?
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This pastorate was confirmed to me that at least I should attempt, at least I should try and place my resume in here when they were looking for a pastor because of certain things that I read in God's word.
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places of ministry, all of these kinds of things, they always were confirmed for me by time in the word. So if you wanna know God's will, for sure make make certain that you're spending time in his word.
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Another thing, just reaching back into the context surrounding chapter 16, I want you to understand there's a second spiritual marker, not only just time in God's written word, but also do you sense peace as you're moving in a certain direction or Do you suddenly have a lack of peace?
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Somehow you feel like you shouldn't do this, or maybe you feel you should do it. This is the other spiritual marker. The one would do well to heed, namely, whenever we sense a persistent sense of peace or oughtness.
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By oughtness, what I mean is we feel like I must do this. It's a moral obligation. It's like my duty that I have to do this. I have to at least try to do this.
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You know, the passage just prior to our text gives us some examples of this duty, this moral obligation, this sense of peace or oughtness that confirms this is indeed God's will.
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How did Silas know to stay in Antioch? Well, in chapter 15, verse 28, it says, "...for it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us." The phrase, it seemed good to us, is mentioned in chapter 15, verse 22, verse 25, verse 28, verse 34.
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Over and over again, the council that was meeting to seek God's will, the way they knew it was whenever it seemed good to them, to the Holy Spirit, to the church, to the brothers that were gathered there together.
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You see, the presence of God's peace assures us that we're moving in the right direction. But the sudden absence of God's peace should cause us to stop and to seek God a little further before going forward.
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That's just something I've learned in my life, to be very attentive to either that peace or the withdrawal, the removal of the peace. So let me just encourage you to take those two things seriously.
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But there is a third spiritual marker that I think helps us to stay on the right track, and that is a commitment to prayer. Before Paul and Silas left on their mission trip, listen to what chapter 15, verse 40 says took place.
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But Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. What did that mean? I believe it meant that the Antioch church prayed over them just like they did whenever they sent them on the first missionary journey back in Acts chapter 13, verses and three.
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So what I want you to see is there's a pattern here. These people knew they were moving in the right direction because they had been spending time in prayer asking God, God, is this your direction? Is this what you want us to do?
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And they felt the answer to that was yes. So I encourage you for sure to say, okay, God, I want to pray and ask you for your will. You know, in Colossians chapter four, verse 12, Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you always struggling on your behalf in his prayers.
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Now, what would he have been praying for the people of Colossae? That you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
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I love that. You know, if you were to go to Colossians chapter one, verses nine through 12, you would see that this same biblical character, Paul, he's writing about how he prays for those who are in his life.
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And what was he praying? Well, Colossians one, verses nine through 12, give us some example of how he prayed. He said, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
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so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light." So you understand what I'm saying is that prayer was a very important component in Paul's daily life.
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And that's why God was able to guide him to to the right paths. Even our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, he spent time in prayer before making major decisions in his life.
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He spent time in prayer before launching out into ministry. He spent time in prayer before selecting the 12 disciples, the 12 apostles. He spent time in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane before facing the cross.
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But he also spent time regularly with the Father in Luke 4, verses 42 and 43, and says of Jesus that he would spend time it often says of jesus
Community and Spiritual Discernment
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that he would spend time often going into the wilderness and praying for those that were on his heart.
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So I would say another marker that'll keep you focused on the right direction from God is to say, whatever I jettison out of my life, I'm not going to throw out prayer.
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I'm going to keep that commitment to prayer. I'm also going to maintain this sensitivity. I'm going to pay attention to either the peace that guards my heart or to the sudden removal of peace.
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So either I'll have peace about this decision or it'll be removed from me. But then as you're reading God's word, you're not looking for something. You're just reading God's word and learning many things. But as you're learning,
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God will use his word to maybe confirm something that you're praying about in your life. So those are three that we've observed already. Let's add to those three a fourth one.
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How did Silas know that it was God's will for him to ah go on the mission trip? Well, Acts 15, 40 says, Paul chose Silas and departed.
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Well, a little later in chapter 16 that I read earlier, it says that Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
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And so you you get to looking at this and you're thinking, how come God used Paul? I believe God will use others who are seasoned in their walk with God.
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So the fourth one would be, sometimes i need to listen to the counsel of godly friends, people that are mature, that are growing and walking with the Lord.
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What are they recommending that I do? Are they saying, that is you, that that open door right there, walk through that door? Or are they saying, I wouldn't go that way.
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i i haven't seen that in your life. You know, I think that's why that he says here in Acts 16 verses 1 through 3 that where did he find Timothy?
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Well, it says, Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek.
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He was well spoken of by the brothers the at Lystra and Iconium. Do you see the role of godly friends? you see the role of a local church?
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See, a local church can write a recommendation. They can affirm that, yes, we've seen God's hand on this man in his preaching, in his teaching, in his music ability or whatever ability that he has.
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But of course, one of the people we should really listen to would be our parents. You know, it talks about how ah Timothy's mother and his grandmother lived for the Lord. You can read more about them in 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. But they instilled within Timothy this desire to live according to God's ways.
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So not only was his lifestyle correct, but I'm sure that also he had calibrated his attitude. I mean, I don't know about you but I believe that a person's attitude will move us either toward God's will or it will block or take away God's will from from opening to
Holy Spirit's Role in Life's Mission
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us.
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if we don't have the right kind of attitude, because I'm telling you, a person's attitude stands out. And who would best help somebody with that other than those closest to you, who have heard your words, who have seen your attitude, who have watched your actions?
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This is why i believe that seeking wise counsel, it's biblical. If you were to go to Proverbs 15, 22, it is through wise counsel from counselors that we succeed or we fail.
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Proverbs 20, verse 18 says that our plans are exchanged and our plans are successful through biblical counseling.
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Proverbs 24, 6 says that it's through counselors that we will find the way to not only have success, but even victory. That's the role of godly friends in our lives. So I want to encourage you, if you're praying about something and you can't seem to discern God's will about it, why don't you ask someone you deeply respect, someone that loves the Lord and is trying to walk with Him, knows His Word, and see what that friend would say to you in terms of counsel.
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I would say that another biblical marker, another spiritual marker that we see in this passage and in others would be the Spirit's interpretation of our circumstances, the Spirit's interpretation of circumstances.
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You know, most Bible scholars refer to the book of Acts as the Acts of the Apostles, right? Well, some call it the Acts of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is mentioned several times throughout the book of Acts.
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And so pay close attention to the references to the Holy Spirit in our text for today, Acts 16. For example, let's read about Acts 16, verses 6 and 7.
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And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden, by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. Now, a little later, all of Asia is gonna turn to God. They're gonna be open to God's word, but not yet.
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The time is not right. And so the Holy Spirit said, nope, don't go into Asia to share the word. Verse seven, and when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
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You know, it's hard to follow a guide. I remember when ah a guide, a friend of mine, helped me in Canada to kill a bear. It was hard just following him. He knew where he was going.
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I didn't know where I was going, but I had to trust him. That's why we need to trust the Holy Spirit. Be careful that you do not quench the Holy Spirit, as is mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5, verse that also be aware that Ephesians 4.30 says that we can actually grieve the Holy Spirit.
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But what I want you to get from this passage is the Holy Spirit actually guides us if we will keep a close relationship with Him and say, okay, if you tell me don't go that way, I'm not going that way. Even if the door is open, I'm not gonna go that way.
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Even if the door is shut, if the Holy Spirit is saying, go, go, I'm telling you, go. Even if the door is shut, I will go forward knowing that God will open the door.
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Well, let's move to another spiritual marker. How about marker number six? The desperate cries of people in need. When you get to verses nine and 10, the apostle Paul, he had a vision.
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And in the vision, he sees this man of Macedonia saying, come over and help us. Well, I think it's rare for us to hear voices, see visions like Paul did, but it's not rare for the Lord to show us a need and to say, I want you to help them with that need.
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You know, in the parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10, verses 25 to 37, I think it's an example of this sixth marker because there was a man that said, I can't walk by this man who has been beaten and left on the side of the road.
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Sometimes that's going to be us. And so we have to also accept the fact that even though there are a lot of needs in our world, We personally cannot meet every need that's out there.
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So need alone is not enough. We have to pray and ask God, confirm it in your word. We have to say, I'm gonna talk to my friends about meeting this need.
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I'm gonna listen closely to the Holy Spirit. But just know that God does use the cries of people in need. It was that cry, the world's cry, that first called me to missions in general.
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a former missionary to China and a missions professor that Jody and I both studied under, Baker James Cawthon. He preached an unforgettable message from Isaiah 58, verses six through 14, where he described the world crying out.
Obeying and Aligning with God's Plan
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Can you hear the world's cry, was what he said. So I would say that to you. Do you hear the cries of a lost world? Well, one last thing, I would say a final marker is careful obedience to the light.
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And what I mean by that is obeying what we already know to be God's will. You see, if I'm living in obedience to what God has already shown me, I mean, every single day, then I will wind up in the right place in the future.
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I will be in the center of his will because I'm trying every day to do that. You know, in Paul's case, the Lord revealed to him that God was calling him to go to Macedonia in Greece.
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And so our church has sent out Tanner and Katie Coleman, Pat and Meg Preston, and those two families now are serving in Greece. Why? Why? because the Lord had showed them, I'm calling you to Greece now. And I know what these two did before going to Greece. And they were highly effective, very fruitful servants of the Lord. And so it's just amazing how they were willing to obey God.
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Well, if they didn't want to obey God, let's say they didn't feel like they wanted to go and spend their lives in Greece. Well, could they seek God for God's direction?
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I wonder if God would say, I've already shown you. I want you to do what I've said. That's why in chapter 16, verse 10, we read this incredible verse where it says, And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called to us to preach the gospel to them.
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Wow, there were several observations that I had about their obedience. Did you notice that Paul's obedience was prompt? Yep, it says immediately we sought to go into Macedonia.
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But did you also know that it was specific? The man was from Macedonia, so he said, you know what? We don't have to pray about where to go. God's already shown us. We're supposed to go to Macedonia.
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But also, did you notice that it's it's influential? Whenever we choose to obey the light that we've been given and we're careful to do what God has told us to do, guess what happens?
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Other people are influenced to follow God's will. Perhaps I need to read this in slow motion. And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
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Who was meant by we? Who was meant by We. You know what? A lot of Bible scholars say it was Luke. That's where Luke joined the mission team. And if he hadn't joined the mission team, would he ever have written the gospel of Luke?
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We just simply don't know. So I just thought, isn't it incredible that he influenced Luke, but also know that his obedience was purposeful.
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So what was Paul going to do when he went over there to Macedonia? Well, he was a tent maker by trade, so he could have just set up a tent making business and said, I'm going to sell the Greeks all these tents.
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but he didn't. He knew God's calling me to go over there and to preach the gospel to them. His purpose was to share the gospel.
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You know, God will often give us platforms over which he wants us to do something than just be there. He wants us to share the gospel.
Conclusion and Encouragement
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I hope that these seven spiritual markers have helped you in discerning God's will.
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spending time in the word, having that sense of peace and oughtness, maintaining a commitment to prayer, seeking the counsel of godly friends, letting the Holy Spirit interpret circumstances, listening for the desperate cries of people in need, being careful to obey the light that God has already shown us.
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Friend, I want to pray for you that same thing that Epaphras was praying for others. Let's close in prayer today. God, I want to pray for the friends that are listening today, that you would help them to stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
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In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Thanks for listening today. God bless you. Amen.
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This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.