God’s Will. God’s Way.
John M. Wallace, Jr., PhD
February 8, 2026
Sermon in a Sentence
Whose Will? Whose Way? God’s Will! God’s Way!
Matthew 6:31-33 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or
‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father
knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom [His Will] and his righteousness [His
Way], and all these things will be given to you as well.
The Three Temptations (Root Causes) That Pull Us Away from God’s Will, God’s Way
1 John 2:15-16 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world,
love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust
of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
- The World (kosmos)—The ordered system of values, desires, priorities, and power structures that operate in rebellion against the Kingdom God (i.e., the kingdom of darkness)
- Lust of the flesh (Craving)—excessive desire for sensual pleasures (e.g., food, sex, substances)
- Lust of the eye (Coveting)—the desire to acquire, covetousness, greed, materialism
- Pride of life (Self-Confidence)—boastful confidence in position, possessions, power, and achievements
How We Respond to Temptation Brings Blessings and Life, Or Sin and Death
James 1:12-15 12 God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. 13 And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. 14 Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. 15 These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
Case Studies
Adam and Eve—My Will. My Way.
Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh] and pleasing to the eye [lust of the eye], and also desirable for gaining wisdom [pride of life], she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Abraham—God’s Will. My Way.
Genesis 12:1-5 1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2 “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.
Genesis 13:1-2, XX 1 So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold. 5 Now Lot, who was moving about with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents. 6 But the land could not support them while they stayed together, for their possessions were so great that they were not able to stay together. 7 And quarreling arose between Abram’s herders and Lot’s. The Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land at that time.
Genesis 14:11-12, 14-16 11 The four kings seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah and all their food; then they went away. 12 They also carried off Abram’s nephew Lot and his possessions, since he was living in Sodom. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.
Genesis 16:1-5 1Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”
Jesus—God’s Will. God’s Way.
Luke 4:1-12 1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” 9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
3 Tools That Enable Us To Live God’s Will God’s Way
1. The Holy Spirit—see Jesus being full of- led by- the Spirit
2. The Word of God—Jesus said it is written
3. The Fear of the Lord—beginning of wisdom, beginning of knowledge scriptures
Psalm 25:12-14 12 Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will show him the way he should choose. 13 He will live a good life, and his descendants will inherit the land. 14 The secret counsel of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He reveals His covenant to them.
God’s Will. God’s Way.
Cost of My Will. My Way
John M. Wallace, Jr., PhD
February 1, 2026
Matthew 6:31-33 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom [His Will] and his righteousness [His Way], and all these things will be given to you as well.
Sermon in a Sentence
God Word gives us direction for our provision and protection
Alternate Ways to Attain Abundant Life
The Word’s Way (God’s Will, God’s Way)
John 10:10 (AMP) 10 The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].
The World’s Way (My Will, My Way)
1 John 2:15-16 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
- The World (kosmos)—The ordered system of values, desires, priorities, and power structures that operate in rebellion against the Kingdom God (i.e., the kingdom of darkness)
- Lust of the flesh—excessive desire for sensual pleasures (e.g., food, sex, substances)
- Lust of the eye—the desire to acquire, covetousness, greed, materialism
- Pride of life—boastful confidence in position, possessions, power, and achievements
Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh] and pleasing to the eye [lust of the eye], and also desirable for gaining wisdom [pride of life], she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
The Math Problem of My Will, My Way The World’s Math
Perceived Benefit – Expected Cost = “Worth It!”
The problem is the formula underestimates the Total Cost
The Word’s Math
Total Cost = Expected Cost + Hidden Cost (i.e., consequences)
Only God knows the Hidden Cost!
Two Key Truths
1. The Hidden Cost (i.e., consequences) of My Will, My Way = Death
Genesis 2:16-17 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Shame
Genesis 3:7-19 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Avoided Intimacy with God
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Fear of God
9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Blame
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Curse of the serpent
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Pain and anxiety in childbirth
16 To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Relational imbalance and conflict in spousal relationships
Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
Work became “work”
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
Physical death
19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
2. The Hidden Cost (i.e., consequences) of God’s Will, God’s Way = Abundant Life Now and
Eternal Life Later
Romans 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Disclaimer: Everyone is entitled to their opinion. We believe and teach that the Bible is God’s Word — His opinion — and provides His instruction for how to live life under His rule (i.e., the Kingdom of God).
