Finding Gods Will

for your Life

UNITY OUTING 2017
(ALL WORLD MISSION, CHURCH OF LOVE, GRACE MISSION CHURCH, CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST)
MAY 18-20, 2017
NAAWAN, MISAMIS ORIENTAL
If God has a wonderful plan for my life,
then why doesnt He tell what it is?
The will of God is one of the most confusing phrases in the Christian
vocabulary

Sometimes we speak of all things happening according to Gods

will
Other times we talk about being obedient to the will of God
Still other times we talk about finding the will of God
Gods Will in 3 ways

1. GODS WILL OF DECREE

It is what God has ordained.

Everything that comes to pass is according to Gods sovereign
decree. And that his decrees will ultimately come to pass.
It cannot be thwarted, it is immutable, it is fixed.
God is sovereign over all things.
God works out everything, according to his own good and
sovereign purpose.
1. GODS WILL OF DECREE

Ephesians 1:11
In him we were also chosen,[a] having been predestined according to the plan of
him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will
1. GODS WILL OF DECREE

God micromanages our lives. You are not an accident.

Matthew 10:29-30
29 Arenot two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground
outside your Fathers care.[a] 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all
numbered.
1. GODS WILL OF DECREE

Even the most heinous act of evil and injustice ever perpetrated on earth the
murder of the Son of God took place according to Gods gracious and
predetermined will.

Acts 4:27-28
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of
Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you
anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should
happen.

Question: So does God allow evil and injustice to happen?

1. GODS WILL OF DECREE
Our lives unfold, open and close, according to Gods providence

Psalm 139:16
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Isaiah 46:9-10
9 Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.
10 I make known the end from the beginning,

from ancient times, what is still to come.

I say, My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.
1. GODS WILL OF DECREE

God knows all things and sovereignly superintends all things.

Gods will of decree is absolute. Its from before the creation of the world. It is the
ultimate determination over all things and it cannot be overturned.
Gods Will in 3 ways

2. GODS WILL OF DESIRE

It is what God commanded what he desires from his creation.

If the Will of Decree is how things are the Will of Desire is what
things ought to be.
2. GODS WILL OF DESIRE
It is the way God commands us to live

1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the
world, love for the Father[a] is not in them. 16 For everything in the
worldthe lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life
comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its
desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

For the Apostle John, walking in the will of God is the opposite of
worldliness. Doing the will of God saying no to the desires of flesh,
desires of the eyes, and our pride in possessions.
2. GODS WILL OF DESIRE
Gods will of desire means that we do what is pleasing in his sight,
obedience to his commands and walking in his ways.

Hebrews 13:20-21
20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal
covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his
will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Matthew 7:21
Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in
heaven.
Gods will in 3 ways

Gods Will of Decree and Gods Will of Desire are the two sides of Gods Will in
the Scriptures. It is side by side.

Deuteronomy 29:29
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong
to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

God has secret things only known to Him (Gods purpose and sovereign will),
but he also has revealed things that we are meant to know and obey (His
commands and His will)
Gods will in 3 ways

3. Gods Will of Direction

What does God want me to do with my life?

Does God have a secret will of direction that He expects us to figure out before we
do anything?
NO

But God has a specific plan for our lives. He works for our good in Christ Jesus.
Looking back we will be able to trace Gods hand in bringing us to where we are.

Are we willing to go further with God?

3. Gods Will of Direction

While we are free to ask God for wisdom, He does not burden us with the task of
divining(supernatural or magical insight) his will of direction for our lives ahead of
time.
Expecting God to reveal some hidden will of direction is an invitation to
disappointment and indecision.
Trusting Gods will of decree is good. Following His will of desire id obedient. Waiting
for Gods will of direction is a mess.
It is bad for your life, harmful to your sanctification and allows many Christians to be
passive tinkerers who strangely feel more spiritual the less they actually do.
5 Reasons why We seek the Will of God
(The challenge of finding Gods Will of
Direction)
1. WE WANT TO PLEASE GOD

We may have the best intentions in trying to discern Gods will, but we should really
stop putting ourselves through the misery of overspiritualising every decision. Our
misdirected religiosity makes following God more mysterious than it was meant to
be.
5 Reasons why We seek the Will of God
(The challenge of finding Gods Will of
Direction)
2. WE LACK COURAGE OR CONFIDENCE, WE ARE EASILY FRIEGHTENED

Some Christians refuse to make decisions without all the facts and an almost
complete assurance that everything will turn out fine.
Sometimes they quit at something because they think they might not be the best at
what they are currently doing.
5 Reasons why We seek the Will of God
(The challenge of finding Gods Will of
Direction)
3. WE WANT PERFECT FULFILLMENT

Faith in Jesus does not guarantee everything will go your way.

Hebrews 11 considered 3 persons with great faith, Abel had faith and he died,
Enoch had faith and he did not die, Noah had faith and everyone else died!
Life isnt always fun and we shouldnt expect it to be.
Millenials expect much and always ended up feeling disappointed if plans doesnt
go the way they planned it.
5 Reasons why We seek the Will of God
(The challenge of finding Gods Will of
Direction)
4. WE HAVE TOO MANY CHOICES

Too many choices sometimes leads to indecisiveness and eventually leads to

overspiritualising decision making.

Our choices should be indicative of a heart that desperately wants to obey God.
5 Reasons why We seek the Will of God
(The challenge of finding Gods Will of
Direction)
5. WE ARE COWARDS

Sometimes we pray to know the will of God, we are praying a re cowards prayer.
We want to know everything is going to be fine for us or for those we love.
But thats not how God spoke to Esther. (Esther 2:2-17)
Esther would learn that Gods plans can include risk and an opportunity to show
courage.
Obsessing over the future is not how God wants us to live,
because showing the future is not Gods way.

His way is not a crystal ball, His way is wisdom

We should start looking to God His character and His

promises and thereby have confidence to take risks for
his names sake.
Conventional approach to the will
of God

It is treating Gods will like a corn maze with lots of dead

ends and only one way out, a bulls-eye with the center of
Gods will in the middle and second best anywhere else, or
like a Magic 8-Ball that we are supposed to shake around
until some generic answer floats to the top.
Problems with the Conventional
Approach
1. We focus our decision to non-moral decisions
2. We see God as playing hide and seek
3. It encourages preoccupation with the future treating God like a
horoscope.
James 4:13-15
Now listen, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city,
spend a year there, carry on business and make money. 14 Why, you do not
even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that
appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, If it is
the Lords will, we will live and do this or that.
Problems with the Conventional
Approach
4. It undermines personal, responsibility, accountability and initiative.
- using God as an excuse
5. It leads us to hopeless subjectivism
- we never take risks because we never feel peace about them, or
we second-guess our decisions because we feel uneasy about
them.
- subjective divining of Gods will should not be your decision making
process.
Is there a better way to walk in the will of
God?

YES.

The old way.

The biblical way.
The way of Jesus.
Is there a better way to walk in the will of
God?
Matthew 6:25-34
25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about
your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than
clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than
they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?
28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They
do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was
dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is
here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you
you of little faith? 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 and his
righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not
worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough
trouble of its own.
DO NOT WORRY; SEEK HIS KINGDOM

Paul echoes Jesus message

1. Gods will is that we live holy, set-apart lives
1 Thessalonians 4:3
It is Gods will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid
sexual immorality;

2. We are to always rejoice, pray and give thanks.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus.
DO NOT WORRY; SEEK HIS KINGDOM

Paul echoes Jesus message

3. We are to know Gods will so we can bear fruit and know him better
Colossians 1:9-12
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped
praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his
will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[a]
10 sothat you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way:
bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being
strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may
have great endurance and patience,12 and giving joyful thanks to the
Father, who has qualified you[b] to share in the inheritance of his holy people
in the kingdom of light.
DO NOT WORRY; SEEK HIS KINGDOM

Paul echoes Jesus message

4. The will of God is to be filled with the Holy Spirit
Ephesians 5:17-20
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lords will
is.18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be
filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and
songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the
Lord,20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Gods will is your growth in Christlikeness
Romans 8:28-29

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who
love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose. 29 For
those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the
image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers
and sisters.

God never assures us of health success or ease. But he promises to

make us loving, pure and humble like Christ.

Gods will is that You and I get happy and holy in Jesus.
How does God guide us?

It is a bad idea to expect God to tell us what to do whenever we are

perplexed.

Gods guidance in Hebrews 1:1-2

1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many
times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us
by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through
whomalso he made the universe.
How does God guide us?

1. God guides us by His invisible providence at all times

Ephesians 1:11
11 Inhim we were also chosen,[a] having been predestined according
to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the
purpose of his will,

God has you where you are for a reason.

How does God guide us?

2. God can speak to his people in many different ways, guiding them
with their conscious cooperation.

Hebrews 1:1
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many
times and in various ways,
How does God guide us?

3. In the last days, God has spoken to us by His Son.

Hebrews 1:3
The Son is the radiance of Gods glory and the exact representation of
his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had
provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty in heaven.
How does God guide us?

4. God continues to speak to us by His Son through His Spirit in the

Scriptures.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-
edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and
marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
How does God guide us?

5. Apart from the spirit working through the Scripture, God does not
promise to use any means to guide us, nor we should expect Him to.

When we read the Bible, we know we are hearing from God. We are
not only reading what God has inspired by the Spirit, but what He
continues to say by the same Spirit. By contrast, hearing God outside
thee Bible in these last days is always more tenuous, less clear, and less
authoritative. We have no promise in Scripture that God will speak to us
apart from the Spirit speaking through His Word.
How does God guide us?

5. Apart from the spirit working through the Scripture, God does not
promise to use any means to guide us, nor we should expect Him to.

Make your own decisions in non-moral matters.

The numerous visions in the Book of Acts are not meant to be a normal
pattern for our lives, these events are special revelations from God.
Special revelations came at a time when God wanted to lead them
apart from the normal ways in which His people make choices.
Seeking Wisdom to find the Will of God

Taking the God centered approach

Proverbs 2:1-6
My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
2 turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding
3 indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
4 and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
Seeking Wisdom to find the Will of God

Walking the way of Wisdom: Scripture

Gods word is living and active. When we read the Bible, we hear from
God with a confidence we find in no other book and form no other
voice.

2 Timothy 3:15
and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are
able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Seeking Wisdom to find the Will of God
Walking the way of Wisdom: Counsel

If we want to make wise decisions, we must seek advice and counsel from
others

Proverbs
let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance(1:5)
The way of fools seems right to them,
but the wise listen to advice.(12:15)
Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.(15:22)
Listen to advice and accept discipline,
and at the end you will be counted among the wise.(19:20)
Seeking Wisdom to find the Will of God
Walking the way of Wisdom: Prayer

Pray for understanding of the Scriptures and its application to our lives
Pray for wisdom
Pray for things that you already know are Gods will
Pray for good motives in your decision making
Pray for an attitude of trust and faith and obedience
Pray for humility and teachability
Pray for His gospel to spread
Pray for them
Seek first His Kingdom and His Righteousness
Just do something

Gods will for our life is simpler, harder and easier.

Simpler, because there are no secrets we must discover.
Harder, because denying ourselves, living for others, and obeying God
is more difficult than taking a new job or career.
Easier, because God commands what He wills and grants what He
commands

God gives His children the will to walk in His ways not by revealing a
series of next steps cloaked in shadows, but by giving us a heart to
delight in His law.
End of the Matter

Live for God.

Obey the Scriptures.
Think of others before yourself.
Be holy.
Love Jesus.

And as you do these things, do whatever else you like, with whomever
you like, wherever you like, and youll be walking in the Will of God.
Conclusion

Ecclesiastes 12:13

Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
for this is the duty of all mankind.

If your going to be anxious about one thing, be anxious to keep His

commandments.
If we must fear something and we all do fear God, not the future.