The Will of God (Part 2)

IV. The permissive will of God. 1. There are some things in our lives that God doesn't decree but permits. A. Permit v.- I. To allow, suffer, give leave; not to prevent. B. God may or may not permit our travel to go as we have planned (1Co 16:7). C. Even the teaching the pastor intends to do is subject to the permissive will of God (Heb 6:1-3). D. God has allowed His ministers to be put in trust with the gospel (1Th 2:4). E. This is why we should always preface our plans with, "If the Lord will..." (Jam 4:15; 1Co 4:19). 2. God does NOT sovereignly will all actions in men's lives, especially sin. A. If all actions of men were caused by the sovereign will of God, then that would necessarily mean that God causes men to sin. B. God doesn't cause men to sin. i. People who sin and say that they were predestined to do so are liars (Jer 7:8-10). ii. God has never commanded people to sin, nor has the thought of it ever come into His heart (Jer 7:31), nor has it come into His mind (Jer 19:5; Jer 32:35). C. Though God doesn't cause men to sin, He does suffer men to sin. i. Suffer - II. To tolerate, allow. 12. trans. To endure the existence, presence, or activity of (a person); to bear with, put up with, tolerate. ii. For example: you tell your toddler to not touch the stove and after stopping him from doing so several times, you finally allow him to touch it and to suffer the natural consequences. a. You didn't desire (declared will) for him to touch the stove. b. You didn't make him (sovereign will) touch the stove. c. You allowed or permitted him (permissive will) to touch the stove. d. So in a sense, it was your will that he touched the stove. iii. God suffers the sins of His own people. a. God suffered Israel's sin and complaining in the wilderness for 40 years (Act 13:18). b. God will suffer His people to be tempted, but not above that they are able to bear (1Co 10:13). c. God is longsuffering and forbears with His people who break His laws (Rom 2:4). d. Longsuffering - Patient endurance of provocation or trial; longanimity. e. God was longsuffering with the apostle Paul while he was a chief sinner (1Ti 1:13-16). f. God is longsuffering with us His children and allows us time to repent, not willing (desiring) that any of us should perish (2Pe 3:9; 2Pe 3:15). iv. God suffered the sins of the nations prior to the coming of Christ. a. For thousands of years before the coming of Christ, God turned a blind eye to the idolatry of the Gentiles (Act 17:30). b. Wink - 1. a. intr. To close one's eyes. c. God suffered them to walk in their own ways (Act 14:16). v. God suffers and endures (to last; suffer continuously) the reprobate before judging them (Rom 9:22). a. God was longsuffering in the days of Noah while men were disobedient and waited to judge them until the ark was finished (1Pe 3:20). b. Think of how longsuffering God has been with our wicked nation. D. God allows lying spirits to put lying words in the mouths of false prophets to deceive people who want to believe a lie or do something foolish. i. The Lord did this to king Ahab when he wanted to go to war with Ramoth-gilead. ii. Ahab had already determined to go to war against Ramoth-gilead (2Ch 18:3). iii. In order to appease king Jehoshaphat, Ahab went to the prophets to get a rubberstamp on what he already decided to do (2Ch 18:4-5,11). iv. Ahab didn't want to hear contrary advice (2Ch 18:12-17). v. Micaiah revealed to Ahab why all the prophets prophesied that he should go up against Ramoth-gilead -- because God had permitted a spirit to be a lying spirit in the mouth of the false prophets to entice Ahab (2Ch 18:18-21). vi. Notice though how God permitting the lying spirit to deceive Ahab and the prophets was said to be the Lord putting a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets (2Ch 18:22). vii. This is an example of God's permissive will causing something to happen by allowing it to happen. 3. God permits Satan to tempt and torment us, but He only allows Him to go so far. A. God permitted Satan to take all of Job's possessions, but He restrained him from touching Job (Job 1:9-12). i. Though it was Satan's doing, Job recognized that it was the LORD that had taken away (Job 1:21). ii. It could rightly be said that the LORD had taken away because it was God's permissive will which allowed Satan to do it. B. God once again allowed Satan to torment Job, but this time only his body; He restrained him from killing him (Job 2:4-6). II. The declared will of God. 1. God's declared will is His written word (Deu 4:13 c/w Psa 40:8; Heb 10:7). A. Declared - Openly or formally made known by words or something equivalent; openly avowed, professed. B. Men are commanded to do it. C. This how God wants men to live. D. It can be known (Rom 2:17-18). E. We are commanded to understand what the will of the Lord is (Eph 5:17). F. Jesus came to do God's will (Joh 5:30). G. There is a promise of reward for those who do God's will (Heb 10:35-36; 1Jo 2:17). 2. Certain things are declared in scripture to be patently "the will of God" including: A. Jesus saving all that the Father gave Him (Joh 6:38-40; Gal 1:4). B. Abstaining from fornication (1Th 4:3). C. Giving thanks in everything (1Th 5:18). D. Submitting to the lawful ordinances of civil government (1Pe 2:13-15). E. Suffering for well doing (at least sometimes) (1Pe 3:17). F. Suffering as a Christian and being reproached for the name of Christ (1Pe 4:12-19). G. Servants obeying masters (Eph 6:5-7). H. Not living in the lusts of men in riotous and lascivious living (1Pe 4:1-4). 3. Men can choose whether they will do God's declared will (Mar 3:35; Eph 6:6; Heb 10:36).