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.
