For March 22

News

1. Attendance 3/15/09 -- We had 590 in Sunday School Sunday!! 308 at 8:30 and 282 at 9:45!

2. CARE Ministry -- Every Tuesday night -- supper at 5:30, activities at 6:00 p.m.

3. Project Care: Mission Possible -- Sign up for volunteers begins Sunday March 29. Event date is Saturday, April 25!

Lesson Supplement for March 22

Explore the Bible
"Follow the Lord's Will"
Isaiah 29:13-16; 30:1-3,15-18

Intro. -- Remember that the topic for the current unit is, "Maintain Spiritual Health." The title of each lesson for the month then answers the question, "How can I maintain spiritual health?" The lesson for this Sunday would have us to understand that we can maintain our spiritual health by following the Lord's will. It is spiritually unhealthy to be out of God's will. We might say, "That's obvious." We say it's obvious, but why do we struggle to do God's will? One reason is that we seem to struggle to know what His will is. Have you ever made a statement similar to "I just wish I knew what God's will is." The first three focal passages we will look at introduce three ways we can know God's will. The fourth focal passage tells us how to live it.

Isaiah 29:13-14 -- The place to begin the search for discerning God's will is in worship. What if you are faithful to attend church for every worship service opportunity and yet you still struggle to know what God's will is for you? Attending worship services and doing any other rituals are not worship. Jesus says in John 4:24 that God desires for people to worship Him in spirit and in truth. It's not about the rituals or the things we do. Worship is about the God we encounter through our praising and honoring. You know that you have experienced worship in truth and in spirit when you completely give of yourself openly and honestly to honor and praise Him, and He then in turn "speaks" to you through the experience. You cannot truly enter into the presence of God and leave the same person that you were before you came into His presence. If you are the same person, you failed to worship in truth and in spirit. If you want to know what God's will is and if you want to maintain spiritual health, then truly worship Him with your whole being.

Isaiah 29:15-16 -- I am not much of a craftsman, but with the few things I have made, I have never heard any one of them speak back to me in anger and disappointment with the way I made them. And believe me, if they could, they had a right to. Neither did they make plans on their own for how they would be used. As ridiculous as this line of thinking may sound, it is just as ridiculous if not more so for us to speak back to our Creator in anger and disappointment or for us to make our own plans about how we will live life and be used. Who's in charge? Give up control of your life and give in to His control. If you want to know what God's will is and if you want to maintain spiritual health then acknowledge the one in charge -- it ain't you and it ain't me.

Isaiah 30:1-3 -- I had a friend say one time, "Be persistent until you are consistent." If there is something that you want to be or do in life, then make that something a habit until it becomes a way of life. If you want to know God's will for your life, don't wait until something "big" comes along before you go searching for His will. If you do, you put yourself under so much stress to try to determine what God's will is in the situation. The stress is compounded because you have not been in the habit of hearing God speak. Everyday we should be in the habit of listening for God's voice to direct us in all things. When we are persistent in this then hearing God speak and knowing His will will be as natural to us as breathing. God knows best about everything in our lives. Why not seek His guidance in everything? If you want to know God's will and if you want to maintain spiritual health, then make it a habit to seek His will daily even in the "small" things.

Isaiah 30:15-18 -- The first three sections of this lesson were about how to know God's will. This last section deals with how to live it. We should follow God's will patiently, consistently, and confidently trusting Him to show us the way. We stumble at this step when we try to "get ahead of" God. Maybe we have worshiped in spirit and in truth. Maybe we have given up control of our lives and given in to His control. Maybe we have developed the habit of seeking His guidance in all things such that we recognize His voice of direction in our lives. But we can still miss the mark if we get impatient with God's movement on a matter. If things don't move fast enough, we may be tempted to move forward in directions that seem good to us, but are never what God intended. Patience requires trust. Wait patiently for Him. If we do, we can know it will be done right. If you want to know and live God's will, and if you want to maintain spiritual health, then wait patiently upon His guidance and work to bring to pass the fulfillment of His will. Getting "ahead of" God only puts us way behind.

Conclusion -- In order to maintain spiritual health, we must follow the Lord's will. It is harmful to your spiritual health if you do not.

For Further Help with this Week's Lesson Visit http://www.lifeway.com/articleclick/?id=166474 and read Dan Kassis' weekly article

Comments Welcome -- Any ideas for illustrations, other scripture, or class activities to enhance the lesson?