This evening, as we dive into our question, I want us to have a little think over our lives.
And I'm sure that each of us will remember a time where we've asked that question,
God, what is your will for my life?
You know, those excruciating times where you have no idea what to do.
You're looking for direction, you have no idea and you feel lost at sea.
You've got questions, you've got decisions, all these factors running through your mind at 100 miles an hour.
Should I make that radical career change?
Should I quit my job and go to Bible college?
Which university should I apply to?
Which course should I go on?
Is that person really the one that God wants me to marry?
And with all of these questions racing through our minds,
you're running through all the potential outcomes and you feel as if you're going crazy.
You're pulling at your hair and in absolute desperation, you crash to the floor
and you cry out at the top of your lungs,
God, what is your will for my life?
And yet there's no answer.
And so you keep on asking.
And you wait for some kind of peaceful feeling that never really comes.
You search scripture day and night and with every single prayer,
you're asking God, what is your will for my life?
Help me decide, lead me in the right direction.
Now I know that I'm not the only one who's been there before.
This is a question that many people want to know the answer to.
What is the will of God for my life?
And this is a massive question.
And so in the 25 to 30 minutes we have together,
we will only be able to skim the surface of it.
So please do ask questions later on.
We'll have a Q&A session together.
But also please speak to the people next to you and pray together.
So to answer that question, what is God's or how do I know God's will for my life?
We need to ask two questions.
What is the will of God?
And then how do I live it out?
So the first question we need to ask is what is the will of God?
And the Bible speaks of two wills of God.
We have his sovereign will and his moral will.
So God's sovereign will.
And we see this in many different passages in the Bible.
But tonight we're going to focus on two verses from Ephesians chapter 1.
They're on the screen behind me.
But if you have a Bible, please do turn to them.
And God's sovereign will basically means that God is in control.
So look at Ephesians 1 verses 11 and 12.
It says,
In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.
In order that we who were the first to put our hope in Christ might be for the praise of his glory.
God's sovereign will can be defined as God's eternal decree set out before the foundation of the world.
And that is what Paul is explaining to the Christians in Ephesus.
That they were chosen before the creation of the world.
Called to be holy.
Set apart before they were even born.
God's sovereign will means that he knows who his people are.
That he has called them to repentance and to belief in the gospel.
And they have responded in accordance with the will of God.
So God's sovereign will stretches right from Genesis chapter 1.
And goes all the way through to Revelation 22.
Which is the future that awaits us that has not yet come to pass.
God is sovereign.
His plan will happen.
People will repent and put their trust in Jesus.
There will be a day where God will judge the world.
And those who follow him.
He will take to an eternal glory in his presence in the new creation.
And those who reject him.
He will send to an eternal punishment.
Amen.
Those are a few of the elements of this grand sovereign plan of God that we know.
But maybe you're like many others in the world.
And you're outraged.
At this thought that God can be in control of all things.
And you're thinking, well, if God is in control, why did he let that happen?
Why did he let this happen to me and my family?
And those are good, good questions that we will be thinking about in this series.
We think that no sovereign God would allow suffering.
But just imagine for a moment what the disciples felt as their promised Messiah and friend Jesus Christ nailed to a cross in the most brutal form of murder and execution that exists.
You can imagine them asking the same question, can't you?
God, why is this happening?
How can this really be part of your good plan?
God, why is this?
Now they didn't know it at the time.
But because of our point in history, we can know that the cross, which was the greatest event of suffering that this earth has ever seen,
brought about the greatest event of forgiveness that this earth has ever seen.
That sinners like you and me can be called, can be forgiven,
can be set free from the punishment of sin that we rightfully deserve.
God's sovereign will isn't always apparent,
but scripture tells us that the God behind that sovereign will is good
and he is in control.
Now I personally find this to be one of the most comforting truths
because regardless of what is happening in my life
or how difficult it is,
God is using it to serve his sovereign will.
And the alternative to this, friends, is that God is not in control
and that both good and bad things happen to us by coincidence.
That everything is just random and that there is no justice in the end
because who is God?
That is not what God has promised.
God is in control.
He knows all things.
He sees all things.
And there will be a day when every wrong will be made right in his presence.
God's sovereign will means that we can have absolute assurance
that he is working out our good, as Romans 8, 28 tells us,
and that nothing, absolutely nothing in this world can thwart his plan.
And it means that our suffering is not meaningless.
We just don't see the whole picture as he does.
One of the reasons that many people don't like this teaching
is because it leaves us in the passenger seat
and it leaves God behind the wheel.
And whilst we know the destination of an eternity with him,
we don't know all the stops on the way.
We don't know the details of his plan.
And if we're honest, I think that scares us
because we like to be in control.
We like to know what is happening.
We don't know God's sovereign will until we look back over our lives
and we might still look back and not understand any of it.
But the freedom is that we don't need to understand.
Because our creator, our sustainer, our heavenly father,
he knows the plan.
And his wisdom is far greater than mine.
His power and his plan are far greater
than we can even begin to comprehend.
Scripture calls us to trust God
because only he is all-knowing and sovereign.
And if we don't or can't believe this,
then I think we need to question ourselves
whether we have a problem in our own hearts
because we're not willing to acknowledge God as Lord of our lives
and acknowledge that he has control of all things
because he is all-powerful.
God's sovereignty doesn't mean that we are mindless robots,
but it means that we are beloved children
who've been called and adopted into his family.
Part of God's sovereign will
is that we have been made disciples of Jesus Christ,
that we have been forgiven,
but it also means that we have to play our part
in what we read in Matthew 28,
the Great Commission,
that we are to be disciples that make disciples.
We are to extend that same call to the world
to repent and believe the gospel.
That is the call to every single human being that is alive.
And we are to be ambassadors of Christ wherever we go.
That is God's sovereign will.
But the Bible also speaks about God's moral will.
God's moral will can be defined
as the way God wants or wills his people to live.
God's moral will is revealed to us in Scripture.
And part of that is Matthew 28,
that we as Christians have been called
from darkness, death, to light and life.
And we have responded to the gospel
and now we are to take that message to the world.
But we still want to know God's specific will
for our individual lives, don't we?
That's the desire of every heart.
But do we really?
Or do we actually just pick and choose
where we think God can have a say?
We say we want to know God's will.
Yet all too often we act like hypocrites
because we only want to know God's will
and involve him in situations that
we find ourselves at a loss in.
We don't know what to do.
Then we cry out for God's will.
How many of us ask God
if we should accept a promotion at work?
Or which school to send our kids to?
Or when and where to go on holiday?
Or which model of a car we should buy?
More often than not, we exclude God
and we are very selective in where we want
a specific will for our lives and where we don't.
When it comes to grasping the will of God,
we can often have some misconceptions
that go beyond what Scripture teaches us.
For example, there's the idea
that God has a specific marriage partner
out there for you
and you must be careful not to marry the wrong person.
But the Bible doesn't teach us that.
Maybe God won't tell you to go and marry
Harry or Sally or Joe
or any of these other names that come to mind.
But do you know what God does tell you to do?
He makes it crystal clear
that as a Christian,
you are to marry someone of the opposite sex.
That you are to marry someone who is godly.
But God also says that singleness is good.
And that is God's moral will
for marriage and singleness.
God probably won't tell you
the address of the new house you should buy
or necessarily the neighborhood
that you should move to.
But what he does tell us in his word
is that we are called to be a community
that worships God.
And so if you're thinking of moving house,
you need to think about
how far away am I from a Bible-believing church?
That is God's revealed moral will.
Or we need to make a conscious effort
to make the trip in on a Sunday
to gather with our church family.
God probably won't tell you
which job to apply for.
But he does tell you
to be the best employee
you can be for his glory.
And to honor your boss.
Now maybe you're sitting there thinking
what on earth has gotten into Alistair?
Why is he telling us all of this
as if it is good news?
Well friends, because it is.
It means that we're not constantly
having to worry or question ourselves
if we're in the will of God.
And it means that we follow
or it means that we have God's moral will
revealed to us in Scripture.
We need to be obedient to it.
So how do we know God's moral will?
Well we turn to Scripture.
As Psalm 19 says in verses 7 to 9.
The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is pure
and enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm
and all of them are righteous.
So if you want to know God's will,
turn to his word.
Because it is right there
in black and white for us.
We're not left guessing.
But God's commandments
give light to our eyes,
meaning that we know where we're going.
God's sovereign will
might be a mystery to us
and we only see it as we look back.
But God's moral will
is revealed in the pages of Scripture.
It is clear and we cannot ignore it.
Even if it makes us feel uncomfortable.
Christians aren't called to comfort.
We're called to be uncomfortable
for our great God.
God's moral will tells us
how we are to live,
why we are to live that way,
but it doesn't always give us
the answer of what.
And by that I mean
that God's moral will
doesn't tell us to choose
a specific job,
but it tells us to be good employees.
It doesn't give us
the exact details of our lives,
but it tells us
how God wants his people to live.
Now I'm the kind of person
where I like to know the rules.
I like to know the boundaries,
the do's and don'ts of life
or a given task or whatever.
But God's moral will
cannot be reduced to things like
do not murder,
do not steal,
do not lie.
It is much more than that
because it is about
a whole heart attitude.
Because following rules is easy.
Having clear black and white boundaries
is simple and requires no effort.
But the moral will of God
is about our hearts.
It's described in 1 Thessalonians 4, 3
where it says this,
it is God's will,
God's moral will,
that you should be sanctified.
And Paul goes on
in the following verses
to give examples
of what that would look like
in a person's life.
Sanctification means
that a Christian
is being constantly changed
and transformed
by the power of the Holy Spirit
into the likeness
of Jesus Christ.
So God's moral will
means that we take our cues
from Scripture,
that we seek to live
in a way that glorifies God
and it boils down
to godly decision making.
The Bible enables us
to do that.
God has given us brains
and common sense
to make decisions.
But we always need
to make sure
that our motivations
are pure
and that the end goal
is always God's glory.
Now God has gifted
each and every one of us
here this evening
with skills,
with talents,
with passions,
and with abilities
that we can use
for His glory.
The Bible doesn't tell us
to try and find out
some kind of grand
master plan
of God's
for our individual lives.
But it tells us
to recognize the gifts
that He has given us
and to put them to use
for His kingdom.
To search His word
and make godly decisions.
Now I am more than happy
to focus on that
general plan of God
and live obediently
than to demand
a specific will
for my life.
because we are still
nowhere near
finishing the great commission
that Jesus gave us
in Matthew 28.
So why should we worry
about anything else?
The call on your life
is to go into the world
and to share the gospel.
To be ambassadors
for Christ.
And the way we live
out that calling
will be very different
for different people.
For some,
it will mean living it out
in the workplace.
For some,
it will mean living it out
at home
as you look after
the kids full time.
For some,
it will mean
in retirement
meeting up with people
for coffee.
And for some of us,
it will mean
full time ministry.
But the truth is
that Matthew 28
is God's will.
And the question is,
are you living it out?
some people want
to have a Damascus road,
a burning bush,
a Mount Sinai experience
where God miraculously
intervenes and calls people.
But those things happen
to very specific people
for very specific tasks
at a very specific time
in history for God's people.
The task that we've been
called to is to live
holy lives
that are built
on the foundation
of Scripture.
To live intentionally
as we put the Bible
into practice
and live lives
which glorify God.
Practically,
this means
asking yourself,
am I loving God
with all of my heart
with this decision?
Am I loving
or hurting others
with this decision?
Am I standing up
for God's truth
if I take this
or that action?
Friends,
if you want to know
God's will for your life,
turn to the wonderful
word of the Lord
because that is where
you find the radiant light
which gives light
to our eyes.
Once we understand that,
then every single decision
we make in our life
will be weighed
by asking the following
two questions.
does this decision
glorify God?
And is it me
being faithful
to God's
revealed moral
will in Scripture?
So that is what
the Bible says
about the will
of God.
But the question
remains,
how do we live it out?
We see God's
sovereign will,
we see God's
moral will,
but what does it
mean for us?
How do we live it out?
And this boils down
to godly decision making.
How do we make decisions
that consciously
glorify God
and live according
to his revealed will?
Well, the first thing
is that we pray.
Prayer is an expression
of dependence on God
and so we need to pray
for wisdom.
Pray for the Holy Spirit
to help us have strength
to make the decision
that is in line
with Scripture.
And that is for the good
of God's kingdom.
Numerous times
in the Bible
we're told to bring
our prayers
before the Lord.
And God
in his wisdom
has given us
countless examples
of what biblical
prayer looks like.
And yet,
doesn't it still seem
to be the last thing
that comes to mind
when we have a decision
to make?
We jump to our
own resources
before we turn
to the eternal God
who knows and gives
us all things.
But our first response
when it comes to
making a decision
should be to pray.
And maybe you're
thinking,
well,
if God is sovereign,
what difference
do my prayers make?
And that is a great
question and I'm not
dodging it,
but please come back
on the 17th of November
and we'll be thinking
about that question
and leave all your
hard questions
to them.
But in prayer,
we offer our lives
to God
and we acknowledge
him as King
and Lord.
God.
So we need to pray
for our decisions
and stop ourselves
from being sucked
into the rampant
individualism that
society pushes
and remember
that we are called
to gather with
the Lord's people,
that we are new
creations called
to glorify God
in every area
of our lives.
So the first thing
we do
when we think
of making a decision
is we pray.
Secondly,
we seek
godly counsel.
God has not
called us
and saved us
to live in isolation.
We are called
to gather
with other believers
and thankfully
God has given us
a spiritual family
in the church
that has a wealth
of real life experience
and a place
that is full
of spiritually
mature believers
that we can go
and learn from.
So younger people,
seek the wisdom
and experience
of older,
more mature believers.
But if you're older,
learn from the experience
of the younger generation
as well.
We can all learn
something from each other.
We are not called
to struggle alone.
God has given us
community for a reason.
Let's use it.
Let's be disciples
that help fellow disciples
live according
to God's moral will.
So here's a challenge
for you.
Why don't you speak
to someone
of a different generation
and commit to
every few months
meeting up
for a coffee together,
praying and reading
the Bible together?
I've hugely benefited
from these times
in my life
with people
who are younger,
older,
and the same age
as myself.
seeking God's will
doesn't mean
that the other person,
seeking godly counsel
doesn't mean
that the other person
will have the answer
that you're looking for.
But it means
that you have
a fellow Christian
who comes alongside you,
supports you,
and upholds you
in prayer
as you both
seek to live
faithfully
for our great God.
Thirdly,
how do I live out
God's will?
Well,
we obey Scripture.
Living according
to the will of God
is by obeying Scripture,
and that should go
without saying,
but sadly,
because of our sinful
and selfish desires,
it isn't a given.
As Christians,
we should be known
as people
who love the Lord,
who love His Word,
and who build our lives
upon the truths
of Scripture,
and people
who obey it,
even though
that will mean
we deny ourselves
certain things.
In this book,
we have God's
revealed will.
We're not left guessing.
We're not left
in the dark,
stumbling about blind,
but we have been given
God's moral will
that we need to follow.
And if the Bible
speaks about
our situation,
then we need
to submit to it.
We need to obey it,
even if it's difficult.
And the wonderful news
is that we have not
been left to do
this task by ourselves,
but as Romans 5
tells us,
please go away
and read
that wonderful chapter.
In it,
we see that God
has given us
the Holy Spirit
who is within us
and who gives us
strength to live
according to the Bible.
the Holy Spirit
is at work
in the lives
of Christians
and he helps us
become more and more
like Jesus
every single day.
The process
that 1 Thessalonians 4
calls
sanctification.
And lastly,
how do I live out
God's will?
Well,
we need to act.
we can and should
do everything
that we can do
to live according
to God's revealed will,
but there will come
a time where we have
prayed,
where we have sought
godly counsel,
where we have scoured
through Scripture
and we're living
obediently.
And sometimes
we just need to make
a decision
and do it.
And the motivation
for our action
should always be
to see God glorified,
to see His church
built up
and to see the gospel
spread across the world
as we are disciples
who go into the world
and make disciples.
And all of that
should be done
for God's glory,
not for our own.
So God's moral will
has been revealed
to us in Scripture
and we should seek
to live according to it.
God's sovereign will
has not been revealed
to us in all of its detail,
but it is unfolding
as we speak.
And praise the Lord
that we don't need
to know His sovereign will,
but our task
is to live obedient lives
and to glorify Him
in everything.
Let's pray together.
Heavenly Father,
we thank You
that You have not
left us alone
in this world
guessing.
that we don't have
to worry about
what Your will
for our lives is,
but that we can
turn to Your Word
and see that You
have revealed it to us.
You've called us
to be holy
because You are holy.
You've called us
to be perfect
because You are perfect.
And Holy Spirit,
we pray that You
would help us
do that.
Help us make
godly decisions
which bring
God all of the glory
which are for
our own spiritual benefit
and for the spiritual benefit
of the church
that You have gathered us in.
Father,
we thank You
that You have not
left us alone.
In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.
that You have happened and
need to feel love and
exciting.
Thank you.
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