Sunday, March 8, 2026
Saturday, March 7, 2026
TIME TO DECIDE: The Will of God in Our Lives - A Better Way? 3-8-26
TIME TO DECIDE: The Will of God in Our Lives - A Better Way? 3-8-26
INTRODUCTION
Renewal 2026
Time to Decide
The seduction of freedom
The satisfaction of searching for “God’s will”
The significance of living the will of God
God’s will of decree
God’s will of desire
God’s will of direction (tricky)
Timidity
Awaiting perfection
Too many choices
Cowardice
Conventional approach to God's will
1.
Corn maze - focus on the end
2.
Target - focus on how far off
3.
Magic 8-Ball = focus on subjective response
Elisabeth Elliot (the wife of Jim Elliot, the martyred
missionary) said:
“The will of God is not something you ADD to your life.
It’s a course you choose. You either line yourself up with the Word of
God…...or you capitulate to the principle which governs the rest of the world.”
Dr. Larry
Petton, Sermon Central, August 12, 2019.
Don't Worry; Seek His Kingdom
I. JESUS’ TEACHING
A. Don't
Worry about Tomorrow
Christian author and speaker Jill Briscoe said:
“We can worry or we can worship. Strangely enough, busy
people find it a whole lot easier to worry than to worship.”
Jill
Briscoe, "Heart to Heart," Today’s Christian Woman.
Matthew 6:25-34 NIV
““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? 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? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your
life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field
grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all
his splendor was dressed like one of these. 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? So do not worry, saying,
‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the
pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need
them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will
be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow
will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6:25-34 NIV
1.
God's Provision
Matthew 6:30 NIV
“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?”
Matthew 6:30 NIV
2.
God's Continuing Mercy
Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for
his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your
faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV
B. Live
for God Today
1.
Seek His kingdom and righteousness
Matthew 6:33 NIV
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all
these things will be given to you as well.”
Matthew 6:33 NIV
2.
Love
Luke 10:27 NIV
“He answered, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and,
‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
Luke 10:27 NIV
II. APOSTLE PAUL’S TEACHING
A. First,
God's Will is that we live holy, set-apart lives
1 Thessalonians 4:3a NIV
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified"
1
Thessalonians 4:3a NIV
1 Thessalonians 4:3b-8 NIV
“That you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you
should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not
in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this
matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord
will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you
before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this
instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you
his Holy Spirit.”
1 Thessalonians 4:3b-8 NIV
B. Second,
we are to always rejoice, pray, and give thanks.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1
Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
C. Third, we are to know God's
will so we can bear fruit and know Him better.
Colossians 1:9 NIV
“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,”
Colossians 1:9 NIV
Colossians 1:10-12 NIV
“so that 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, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that
you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the
Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in
the kingdom of light.”
Colossians 1:10-12 NIV
D. Fourth, the will of
God is to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 5:17 NIV
“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the
Lord’s will is.”
Ephesians 5:17 NIV
Ephesians 5:18-21 NIV
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.
Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns,
and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Ephesians 5:18-21 NIV
Gerald Sittser, The Will of God as a Way of Life:
"And what is that will [of God]? Is it some
specific, secret plan God has for us and wants us to spend days, weeks, even
years discovering? Not at all. Rather, it consists of a sober life,
living in the power of the Holy Spirit, and offering praise and gratitude to
God for His goodness. Paul's main concern is about how believers conduct
themselves in ordinary life."
CONCLUSION
God's will is your growth in Christlikeness.
All our lives God works on us, chiseling away those parts
of our life that hinder us from fitting into His eternal temple. Our Christian
life is a work in progress. Jesus Christ is changing us from a useless stone to
a useful one. Before Michelangelo created the masterpiece we know simply as
“David,” Agostino d’ Antonio had worked diligently but unsuccessfully on a
large piece of marble. He gave up his effort and said, “I can do nothing with
it.” Some others tried after him but failed. This piece of marble was laid in a
rubbish heap for 40 years. Out strolling one day Michelangelo saw the stone and
believed that it had great possibilities. We know what happened. From that
seemingly worthless stone was carved one of the world’s masterpieces of
sculpture- David. For Michelangelo, the job of the sculptor was to free the
forms that were already inside the stone. He believed every stone had a
sculpture within it, and the work of sculpting was simply a matter of chipping
away all that was not a part of the statue.
When Jesus looks at us, He sees not a rough piece of rock
but He sees inside of us the potential to be a beautiful dressed stone useful
in his temple. As the Master Sculptor He is able to chip away all that is not a
part of what He wants us to be. This work of transformation is accomplished
only by the One referred to as “The Living Stone.” F. B. Meyer says, “Stones
touch the Stone and become jewels.” Stones useful in building God’s house.
Davon
Huss, Sermon Central, October 9, 2015.
Matthew 7:9-11 NIV
“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a
stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though
you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will
your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
Matthew 7:9-11 NIV
Romans 8:28-29 NIV
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 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.”
Romans 8:28-29 NIV
INVITATION
It is our custom to offer an "invitation"
following the preaching of the Word. You may want to follow Jesus.
You may want to proclaim your faith. You may want to repent (stop doing
ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you want to be
baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in
these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church. If you
have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can
come forward now. If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you
following the service about what God is doing in your life.
Sunday, March 1, 2026
Saturday, February 28, 2026
TIME TO DECIDE: The Will of God in Our Lives - Our Magic 8-Ball God 3-1-26
TIME TO DECIDE: The Will of God in Our Lives - Our Magic 8-Ball God 3-1-26
INTRODUCTION
Renewal 2026
Time to Decide
The seduction of freedom
The satisfaction of searching for “God’s will”
The significance of living the will of God
God’s will of decree
God’s will of desire
God’s will of direction (tricky)
Timidity
Awaiting perfection
Too many choices
Cowardice
The conventional approach to the will of God
a. A corn maze with only one way out
b. A bullseye with the center of God's will in the middle and everything else not
c. A Magic 8-Ball with generic answers
Why is this conventional approach to the will of God wrong?
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:1-2 NIV
5 Problems with the Conventional Approach
I. WE TEND TO FOCUS ON NONMORAL PROBLEMS
A. First, the conventional approach to discovering God's will focuses almost all of our attention on nonmoral decisions.
Does God care about which shampoo you use?
This doesn't mean we shouldn't be thoughtful or consider how God has wire us or the command to do all for the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV
B. God has more concern about our moral lives.
Micah 6:8 NIV
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8 NIV
II. DO WE HAVE A SNEAKY GOD?
A. Second, the conventional approach implies that we have a sneaky God.
In the conventional approach
God knows what we should do.
He has the perfect plan for our lives.
He'll hold us accountable if we don't follow His will.
He won't show us what that will is.
God is sneaky!!
B. We do not usually know what is going to happen, but God is not trying to trick us.
III. WE NEED TO KNOW THE FUTURE
A. Third, the conventional approach encourages a preoccupation with the future.
We don't just want to know that God is with us; we want to know the end from the beginning.
B. We obsess about the future. We get anxious.
James 4:13-15 NIV
“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.” 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. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.””
James 4:13-15 NIV
Corrie Ten Boom in The Hiding Place relates an incident which taught her this principle. She and her sister, Betsy, had just been transferred to the worst German prison camp they had seen yet, Ravensbruck. Upon entering the barracks, they found them extremely overcrowded and flea-infested. Their Scripture reading that morning in 1 Thessalonians had reminded them to rejoice always, pray constantly, and give thanks in all circumstances. Betsy told Corrie to stop and thank the Lord for every detail of their new living quarters. Corrie at first flatly refused to give thanks for the fleas, but Betsy persisted. She finally succumbed. During the months spent at that camp, they were surprised to find how openly they could hold Bible study and prayer meetings without guard interference. It was several months later when they learned that the guards would not enter the barracks because of the fleas.
Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place.
IV. DON'T BLAME ME!
A. Fourth, the conventional approach undermines personal responsibility, accountability, and initiative.
When Paula and I left Ohio almost over 30 years ago, we told the congregation that we felt God wanted me to go to seminary. There were people who were upset, angry, looking for other reasons, etc. The truth is that we chose to leave. We were RESPONSIBLE for the decision as we followed God’s leading.
A guy told a nice Christian girl he wanted to ask her out. She told him the Holy Spirit said, "No." The 3rd person of the Trinity took time out to tell this young man "no". She was not accountable.
Haddon Robinson explains how the conventional approach undermines personal initiative. "If we ask, "How can I know the will of God? We may be asking the wrong question. The Scriptures do not command us to find God's will for most of life's choices nor do we have any passages instructing on how it can be determined. Equally significant, the Christian community has never agreed on how God provides us with such special revelation. Yet we persist in searching for God's will because decisions require thought and sap energy. We seek relief from thee responsibility of decision-making and we feel less threatened by being passive rather than active when making important choices."
B. Sometimes we pass off passivity as patience and waiting as watchfulness. Sometimes we pick doing nothing over doing something.
V. IT'S SUBJECTIVE
A. Fifth, the conventional approach enslaves us in the chains of hopeless subjectivism.
Open door v. Temptation
Closed door is the answer v. Testing our steadfastness and resolve
Not wrong to make decisions with "our gut." We need a better plan.
Author of a Christian book told the story of an accident he had while horseback riding and the regret he lived with when he realized he asked God if he should ride the horse but did not ask where he should ride the horse.
We certainly should pray for safety. What response should we wait for?
This highlights the real point. If there really is a perfect will of God we are meant to discover, in which we will find tremendous freedom and fulfillment, why does it seem that everyone looking for God's will is in such bondage and confusion?
That doesn't sound like freedom to me.
B. God gives us the ability to choose.
CONCLUSION
Anne S. Alexander in her book, Power, wrote:
Back in the depression days of the early 1930’s, my husband pastored a small country church. We then had three little children. Many times our weekly income was less than $10.00. One day, we found ourselves out of bread and with only some rancid bacon grease for shortening. I used it, however, in making hot biscuits and we managed to eat some of them for lunch. Later, as we put the remaining biscuits on the supper table, our five-year-old daughter prayed very earnestly, “Dear Jesus, help us to eat these biscuits or else send us some better ones. Amen!” Later that evening, the doorbell rang. There, at the door, stood a member of our church who had a bakery route. Before we could tell him our story he began un-loading his large bakery basket with all kinds of tempting sweet rolls, buns, biscuits, besides dark and white bread. “You know,” he said rather apologetically, “I was tired tonight and seven miles out here in the pouring rain seemed so far. I was tempted to wait until tomorrow evening and bring these bakery things on my way to prayer meeting as I usually do.” Then he added, “But I was strongly constrained to come tonight! Hope you can use these things!”
Anne S. Alexander, Power, n.d.
The will of God impacts more than non-moral issues. Our God is not a sneaky God. We do not have to know the future to live in the will of God. We have responsibility in living the will of God. The will of God is more than subjective uncertainty. We can live the will of God by following His Word and discovering His will as we live a holy and righteous life.
INVITATION
It is our custom to offer an "invitation" following the preaching of the Word. You may want to follow Jesus. You may want to proclaim your faith. You may want to repent (stop doing ungodly things and start doing Godly things). Perhaps you want to be baptized for the forgiveness of your sins and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Possibly, if you have already responded to God’s call in these ways, you would like to become a member of Kenwood Church. If you have been moved by the Holy Spirit to make a decision in your life, you can come forward now. If you would like, I would be honored to speak with you following the service about what God is doing in your life.
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