Sermon preached on Sunday, January 26, 2014 at Garden Valley Chapel during our morning worship service based on 1 Pet 2:13-15; 3:17.

In the ancient world kings and generals consulted oracles to gain guidance from the gods for their plans.

The oracles provided them with vague and illusive counsel only to leave the worshippers with hunches, feelings, and inclinations already at work within them.

Convinced that their plans had the stamp of approval of the gods, generals would then lead their troops into battle.

Not surprisingly, these pagan oracles led their devotees to defeat rather victory and by 300 B.C., oracles were a thing of the past.

Athanasius, that great theologian and church father (c. 295-373), would later attribute the cessation of pagan oracles to the coming of Christ -

“…since the Saviour has come among us, idolatry not only has no longer increased, but what there was is diminishing and gradually coming to an end: and not only does the wisdom of the Greeks no longer advance, but what there is is now fading away: and demons, so far from cheating any more by illusions and prophecies and magic arts, if they so much as dare to make the attempt, are put to shame by the sign of the Cross…

now that the divine Appearing of the Word of God is come, the darkness of the idols prevails no more, and all parts of the world in every direction are illumined by His teaching…

but when the Word of God appeared in a body, and made known to us His own Father, then at length the deceit of the evil spirits is done away and stopped, while men, turning their eyes to the true God, Word of the Father, are deserting the idols, and now coming to know the true God.

Now this is a proof that Christ is God the Word, and the Power of God. For whereas human things cease, and the Word of Christ abides, it is clear to all eyes that what ceases is temporary, but that He Who abides is God, and the true Son of God, His only-begotten Word.”

Whatever ceases is temporary, but thanks be to God, who has given us His living and enduring word, so that we prove what the will of the Lord is.

We need not ask oracles of old but turn to the prophetic word, the Word of God for it is innerrant, infallible, and the all-sufficient source of truth.

So when we ask, “what is the will of God for my life,” we ultimately need to look to the Scriptures for His revealed will.

You see my beloved, God’s will is not lost. It is found in the pages of Scripture and to this end we dedicate ourselves to knowing God’s will for our lives - looking/searching the Scriptures to know God’s will.

In our ongoing study on this topic, we are highlighting six principles to know God’s Will for your life.