Finding God's Will? Pt 3
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Three False Methods, and a True One
Three False Methods, and a True One
Three wrong ways:
Seeking God’s will through signs and “fleeces”
Seeking God’s will through signs and “fleeces”
Where do we get the idea of “fleeces” from? Gideon
We say that people are “setting out a fleece” when they challenge God to reveal His will through some uncommon event or through some apparently chance occurrence. Such as? flipping a coin or casting a lot.
Illustration: Missionary as interim pastor, wanted to become full pastor. Pulpit committee didn’t agree. Missionary wanted the church body to cast lots to determine who was right.
Why is this a bad approach? What Scripture can we turn to and say- this isn’t biblical?
Did God in the past use some of these ways to reveal His will to people?
1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
Is there anything in the Bible that indicates God still intends for us to use these methods? What does the Bible teach?
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
How does God speak to us right now? In these last days? He has (already) spoken to us by His Son! Where do we have access to the teachings of Jesus? Only in the Bible!
So when we turn to lots or fleeces to determine God’s will what are we doing to the Bible? We are neglecting the Bible as God’s final revelation to us. Any activity that neglects the Bible is never the right way for us to find God’s leading.
Wrong method #2:
Expecting God to Speak Directly to Us
Expecting God to Speak Directly to Us
How? Audible Voice, Dreams, Visions, Or even an Inner Voice.
Why is this a wrong method? To expect these experiences is exactly to seek additional revelation, which we must never do.
Nobody today has a right to claim, “God told me,” unless she or he can point to a verse of Scripture that is addressed to Church saints.
Even if people do hear a voice, that voice is not God’s. How do we know? Heb. 1:2 “In these last days He has spoken (aor. tense) to us by His Son”
Wrong Method #3:
“Bibliomancy”
“Bibliomancy”
What is the practice of bibliomancy? It involves opening the Bible, reading a verse (perhaps at random), and expecting that verse to reveal the will of God in answer to our question.
Illustration: One day a preacher was trying to decide if he should make a move to a new ministry. He told his people he had been reading his Bible and came to Acts 22 16.
16 And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
How does this verse begin? Why do you wait? This preacher stated that he knew God was speaking to him through these words, and that God’s will was for him to move rather than “waiting.” That is bibliomancy.
But, doesn’t God speak through the Scriptures? What is the problem with bibliomancy?
The meaning and relevance of any verse must be determined by that verse’s context.
Can anyone think of another common example?
Every part of the Bible gains its significance from its place within the overall argument of the whole. CONTEXT!!!
To tear a text out of the whole, and to seek answers to questions that are foreign to the biblical context, is worse that superstition. It amounts to spiritualized horoscopes, or reading tea leaves, or sheep entrails.
So how should Christians seek to discern God’s will for their lives?
A right approach:
God’s Will Always Accords with Scripture Rightly Understood
God’s Will Always Accords with Scripture Rightly Understood
Whatever other methods you use to discern God’s direction, the Bible always has the final word. God will never lead contrary to His revealed will in the Bible.
The key phrase is “rightly understood.”
God’s will is different for different individuals at different times and in different places. Example? God’s will for OT Israel is not identical with God’s will for people in the Church. Knowing God’ revealed will requires careful reading of the Bible and skillful interpretation.
That being said certain aspects of God’s will are pretty clear. Examples? Never rob a gas station, murder an enemy, abandon a spouse. God’s will never includes envy, greed, bitterness, deceit, pride, or malice. God never wills His children to neglect their duties. God’s will entails holiness, justice, faith, hope, and love.
Nobody who contradicts the teaching of Scripture can ever plead that they are doing God’s will.
Summary:
God has a specific will for each believer.
God is willing to provide direction or guidance to His children who seek it.
Following God’s leading is not a matter of additional revelation.
God’s will for our lives is not complicated or mysterious.
Our following studies will outline how we can discern God’s leading.
Start With What You Know
Start With What You Know
If God is not granting further revelation beyond Scripture, then how can believers know His will for their lives?
Specifically, how can they receive direction for their decisions without asking for additional revelation and consequently sacrificing the finality and sufficiency of Scripture?
First component: God’s will always accords with Scripture rightly understood.
God never leads any of His children contrary to what the Bible teaches.
Second component: Believers who want to know God’s will must be prepared to do God’s will.
In other words, submission precedes knowledge.
We find this biblical principle in the book of Proverbs.
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Submission precedes knowledge. The starting place to receive knowledge is the fear of the Lord. What is the fear of the Lord? Reverence and awe / awesome respect. This is the starting place, then comes knowledge.
28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. 29 Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
In verse 28 what is God unwilling to do? Will not answer, will not allow Himself to be found.
How would you describe the attempts of people to call and seek God in v. 28? Calling and seeking diligently! And yet God will not respond. Why?
What reasons are given in v. 29? They hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord. The idea here is that the fact that they do not fear the Lord shows that they really hate knowledge.
Who are the ones who truly find knowledge then?
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
A person who understands the fear of the Lord is the one who finds knowledge.
Fear of the Lord:
The fear of the Lord involves what? hating pride, arrogance, and the evil way.
13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of what? Wisdom
And the knowledge of the Holy One? Insight
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
What does the fear of the Lord give people? strong confidence, it is the fountain of life
26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and his children will have a refuge. 27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may turn away from the snares of death.
The fear of the Lord precedes instruction in wisdom, just as humility precedes true honor.
33 The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
It leads people to depart from evil.
6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.
It tends toward life, results in settle satisfaction, and spares one from calamity.
23 The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be visited by harm.
These and similar verses imply that God’s will is not something that we can know in the abstract. We do not have the privilege of placing God’s will under scrutiny! or of sitting in judgement over it.
What do we mean?
Fear the Lord first, and then comes knowledge. We are not permitted to know Gods’ will for our lives ahead of time so we can mull it over. And after we have examined it in detail decide if we are going to follow God’s will or not.
If we are not genuinely interested in doing God’s will, then God has no reason to help us discover His will. God directs those who are willing to obey.
OK then, that leads to a follow up question: Who are the ones willing to obey? Are you willing to obey? It is easy to answer the question, “Ooh, me I’m willing.” Sometimes it is much harder to actually do what God says.
Let’s think about this parable:
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’
29 And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went.
30 And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go.
31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.
32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.
What is the point of the parable? Not everyone who professes to be willing really is. It also implies that not everyone who initially resists obedience is ultimately unwilling.
Jesus taught something similar in John 7.
Jesus was teaching in the temple and the Jewish leadership raised the question about the legitimacy of what Jesus taught.
15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?”
How does Jesus respond?
16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.
What is his answer? His teaching, and therefore his legitimacy was from God.
But, notice his follow up statement!
17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority.
Who are the only ones that would actually recognize the divine origin of His teaching? By those who wanted to do God’s will! Jesus was saying that you have to be interested in doing God’s will before God will help us discover His will.
In what way were the Jewish leaders unwilling to do God’s will?
19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?”
What is Jesus telling the religious leaders about God’s will? Jesus pointed out that His critics had received God’s law from Moses, but they did not obey it. He was saying that their unwillingness to obey God disqualified them from recognizing the divine origin of His teaching. Only those who are willing to obey God can know God’s will.
If this is the case, then how do we judge whether we ourselves are really willing to obey God’s will? Remember the answer Jesus gave us in Matthew 21 and John 7?
The person who is willing is not the one who professes to obey, but the one who actually obeys.
God’s will becomes evident only when we actually do it. We are willing to do God’s will if and only if we are presently obeying God’s will.
How can we obey God’s will before He makes it know? Obvious! God has already disclosed His will, or most of it, in a clear and objective manner.
The Scriptures were written to make God’s will known. God has surely made His will in general clear enough for any believer to follow.
Obviously, the Bible does not give us direct, personal guidance for every possible decision.
We cannot claim that we want God’s leading in our unique circumstances if we are presently disobeying His revealed will in Scripture.
That kind of conduct shows that we are merely pretending. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge!
If we know that we are disobeying God’s revealed will while we are pretending to agonize over His individual leading, then we are guilty of flat hypocrisy.
Illustration: marriage counseling- last ditch effort- she basically wanted my permission to divorce. Come to find out they had been out of church for years, no meaningful spiritual walk. Clearly laid out the different views of divorce and remarriage, and tried to help her make wise biblical choices- even walked through I Peter on how a wife should respond to an unbelieving husband (or a husband acting like an unbeliever). Flat out unwilling to listen- really to even understand- it was like talking to a brick wall. Example: Your tower is collapsing and you want me to fix the 10th floor, but you have no foundation!
9 And when his disciples asked him what this parable meant,
10 he said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that ‘seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’
17 For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light.
18 Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”
God is only interested in leading those who want to do His will. We demonstrate our intention to do God’s will by obeying the part of His will that we already know. The part that we know is revealed in the text of Scripture.
If we refuse to obey what we know the Bible teaches, then all our talk about doing God’s will rings false.
On the other hand, habitual obedience will clear up an amazing number of problems in our lives. If we are committed to doing God’s will, and if we are actually obeying that part of His will that we already know (because it is revealed in Scripture), then we do not have to worry about what we ought to do under most circumstances.
We can simply entrust our paths to the God who providentially oversees our lives.
The principle here is quite simple:
If you want to know God’will, then you must begin by doing God’s will. Your obedience to what you already know is the outward exhibition of a heart that genuinely wishes to follow God’s leading.