How to Discern God's Will
Acts (To Be Continued...) • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Please turn to Acts 16:6-10. Acts 16:6-10.
I remember when I was a kid—maybe 10 or 11…I was going down a store—maybe Walmart don’t remember and the toy aisle.
and I stumbled upon something called the Magic 8 ball.
This toy was invented in 1946...
and what it does—is it looks like a magic 8 ball---bigger, and you ask the magic 8 ball and question about your life.
Now I don’t remember at 10 years old what I should buy as as kid but it was probably something like:
“Magic 8 ball should I buy a new game for my super nintendo...”
and as you turn the magic 8 ball over—you noticed a little message floating in there—and there are like 20 different responses:
Answers like:
“It is certain...”
or “It is decidedly so...”
or negatively… “Don’t count on it…” or “My sources say “no”
to somewhere in between...
“better not tell you now…or concentrate and ask again...”
Now, this was my 10 year old self trying to make sense of a toy…and my future...
but the questions most of us ask are often much bigger:
Should I take this job or not?
What career should I do? What should I dedicate my life to? where should i go to school:
should i make this big change in my life—house, or job, finances, go back to school...
should I date or even marry this particular person...
and all this gets at the incredible subject of God’s will.
which this theme is introduced in our passage...
Please stand as I read—the Apostle Paul is on his 2nd missionary journey with Timothy and look where they go...
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.
7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
look at a map—it says:
vs. 6 - traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia—but the Holy Spirit kept them from going here into Asia
vs. 7 - they came to the border of Mysia, and tried to enter Bithynia…but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to...
vs. 8 - so they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas....
Paul gets a vision from God—from a man from Macedonia—and concludes God has called us to preach the Gospel to them.
this passage brings up this subject—b/c Paul tries to go one way—HS stops him..tries to go another way—Spirit of Jesus stops them (by the way—I think those terms HS and S of J are interchangeable—all referring to our God—who exists as one but three persons within the Trinity.
and God leads another way through a dramatic vision of a man of Macedonia and makes it very clear what to do...
So how do we discern and discover God’s will? do we need a vision like this?
Let me talk briefly about what does the Bible say when it uses the term or concept of God’s Will.
3 ways the Bible uses it—and they all start with D— (BTW—shout out to this book)
God’s will of...
Decree
Desire
Direction
God’s will of Decree is the idea that God is king. He is sits on his throne—He is sovereign and in control—and everything that happens He ordains.
Look at Ephesians 1:11
11 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,
He works out everything....
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.
30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
God’s will of decree is His sovereign plan. His plan will come to pass—it cannot be stopped.
So that is one sense when the Bible uses God’s Will—it is His will of decree. God’s will will come to pass in this sense.
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.’
The 2nd way is God’s will of Desire.
His will of Desire refers to His revealed will—what He desires us to do and obey—His law, Love God, Love others.
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
16 For everything in the world—the 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.
Doing the will of God here is the opposite of what the world wants.
Jesus says in Matthew 7:21 (sermon on the mount)
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.
We must follow Jesus commands and walk in His ways—that’s what doing the will of God is.
He has revealed what He wants us to do—love God and love others—glorify Him—make disciples.
so if we making a choice between a sinful thing and something that glorifies God—the choice is obvious. God’s will of desire is that we obey and honor him.
2 Peter 3:9 (doesn’t use the term will, but we see the concept):
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
He desires all to be saved-his will of desire.
So these are the first 2 senses—God’s will of Decree and Desire that are the most common ways for the Bible to use God’s will.
Now, this brings up lots of questions...
if God’s will of Decree is the way things are—and God’s will of Desire is what He wants us to do...
question #1: Why is that it God’s Decree and His Desire sometimes conflict? Why does God decree things in this fallen, broken world that conflict with His will of Desire—that’s a big question—and I don’t always know.
Deuteronomy 29:29 (NIV)
29 The secret things belong to the Lord our God (Will of Decree), but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law (Will of Desire).
we don’t know...
in addition—another question...
Question #2: How can God decree everything according to His will and yet hold us responsible and accountable for our decisions? This gets at the whole God’s sovereign power vs. our freedom or free will.
I don’t have time to address all these right now...
but look at one example from Acts that brings both sides together:
Acts 2:23 (NIV)
23 This man (Jesus) was handed over to you by God’s deliberate pln and foreknowledge (Will of Decree—God’s sovereignty); and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross (Will of Desire—they went against it).
God’s divine sovereignty and our free will are coming together both!
God’s decree cannot be thwarted but God’s desire can be resisted, disobeyed…It is a mystery!
let’s look at the third way:
God’s Will of Direction:
this is the practical, street-level way we think about God’s will, and what you and I most often mean when we use this term. “Is it God’s will that I should take this job, buy this house, move to this new place, be a missionary overseas, buy a cat (probably not a cat).
We want to know the specifics of our lives.
The Bible doesn’t really use it in this way…it gets close.
13 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 Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
It seems like in our passage in Acts 16—we see the concept of open doors and closed doors. Paul tries to go one way—and the door is shut. He tries to go another way, it is shut, until God confirms to go a specific way and the door is open.
but the overwhelming majority of the time…God’s will—in Scripture refers more to His:
Will of Decree
and will of Desire
more than Will of Direction...
so let’s get very practical—we still ask the question—and I think it is appropriate to ask— “How do I discern God’s Will...” it is very appropriate, especially as we seek to lead a life of worship with God and the cross at the center...
God’s Will Do’s and Don’t’s
A Few Don’t’s...
Don’t Over-complicate or over-spiritualize this topic
Paul in choosing where to go…look at this map...
didn’t have a lot of options
verse 6 - tried to go to Asia—door closed
tried to go to Bithynia in verse 7 door closed--
and he had already been south on his last missionary journey—really only had 2 options...
go back home to Antioch
or go west—and venture onward to expand the Good News of Jesus.
and he doesn’t even ask for a vision
instead, it seems like God gives him this vision—not just to open a door—but mainly to encourage him. Paul and his team were probably discouraged and thought, “God, I thought you called us to go and preach the Gospel…what are you doing?” God confirms that, “Yes—keep going. I am opening and closing the right door.”
I think Paul would have kept going whether he got the vision or not—that was the only option left really—but God in His grace wanted to show him how much He cared.
I say all this to say, “Don’t overcomplicate the will of God...” or over-spiritualize it---or even feel like you have to wait for a Macedonian vision from God. God can do that—but He doesn’t have to do that nor mainly do that.
I have counseled a few over the years looking for a job—and sometimes they are waiting for the perfect job to materialize, and are struggling to pay bills, and as a job opens, they turn it down saying “God doesn’t want that for me.” Meanwhile they are struggling the pay the bills. I think at this point— “Don’t over-think it. Take the job, and God will lead.”
this is why I love Paul’s example here in Acts 16--he is not passive. He is active in choosing, deciding, making decisions...
I think this challenge of over-complicating, over-thinking, over=spiritualizing shows up in generations differently...
Kevin Deyoung says this: By and large, my grandparents’ generation expected much less out of family life, a career, recreation, and marriage. Granted, this sometimes made them unreflective and allowed for quietly dismal marriages. But my generation is on the opposite end of the spectrum. When we marry, we expect great sex, an amazing family life, recreational adventure, cultural experiences, and personal fulfillment at work. It would be a good exercise to ask your grandparents sometimes if they felt fulfilled in their careers. They’ll probably look at you as if you’re speaking a different language, because you are. Fulfillment was not their goal. Food was, and faithfulness too. Most older folks would probably say something like, “I never thought about fulfillment. I had a job. I ate. I lived. I raised my family. I went to church. I was thankful.” (page 29)
Don’t Over-emphasize your feelings
feelings are important—God has given us emotions for a reason—God is displayed as having emotions—Jesus certainly got angry, was distressed, had joy, grieved. emotions are God given insights into our soul, helping us show what is going on in our heart. The Psalms are filled with incredible displays of emotion—before God.
so you could say “don’t under-emphasize them.”
at the same don’t make a decision based only or even primarily on emotion.
One of the terms we often use when making a major decision is “I had so much peace about it...” and that’s important. In fact—Philippians 4 says not to be anxious about anything but pray about everything. and the peace of God—which transcends all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
but at the same time, sometimes God is calling us to do something that involves some risk, some faith, it’s scary—it’s a hard decision because we have to count the cost. While you may have objective peace and certainty, you may not have subjective or feelings peace—and that’s ok.
don’t only let your feelings…dictate what the final outcome will be...
Don’t Make the decision alone (Proverbs 15:22)
22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.
don’t make major decisions alone. Seek our wise counsel from godly mentors and people you respect. take them out for coffee, get guidance from them.
talk to friends, your spouse, and mentor.
if you are married, make sure you and your spouse are on the same page. Often, when God calls a person married to do something, he will confirm it through and with the spouse TOGETHER. If your spouse is not ready, don’t force it; be patient.
Don’t Misunderstand God...
One writer says it like this: that we often think of life as a series of pathways in front of us, and if we are following God, we must figure out which of the hundreds of pathways before us—God wants us to follow. That’s on us. If we make the right choice, God will bless us and we will get His divine favor, but if we choose wrongly, we will miss God’s will for our lives, and be in an incomprehensible maze.
and I think that’s wrong. He is not a confusing God, trying to hide something from us. He is a God who loves to reveal Himself to us.
Kevin DeYoung says, “Trusting in God’s will of decree is good. Following his Will of Desire is obedient. Waiting for God’s will of direction (or trying to solve it like a big puzzle, is a mess. It can be bad for your life, bad for your growth in Christ, and allows too many of us to be passive tinkerer who strangely feel more spiritual the less we do.” (Just Do Something)”
DeYoung: “God is not a Magic 8-Ball we shake up and peer into whenever we have a decision to make. He is a good God who gives us brains, shows us the way of obedience, and invites us to take risks for Him. We know God has a plan for our lives. That’s wonderful. The problem is we think He’s going to tell us the wonderful plan before it unfolds. We feel like we can know—and need to know—what God wants every step of the way. But such preoccupation with finding God’s will, as well-intentioned as the desire may be, is more folly than freedom. The better way is the biblical way: Seek first the kingdom of God, and then trust that He will take care of our needs, even before we know what they are and where we’re going. (DeYoung, Kevin. Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will (p. 24). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.)
One more Do:
Do...
Pray…
this one may seem so obvious—of course I pray—but in praying do we actually take the time to pray, to listen, maybe even to fast if it is a major, major, major decision?
Do we pray according to his will of Decree (knowing He is in control, and surrendering to Him.
Jesus famously prayed like this:
42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”
Do we pray according to His Will of desire
Jesus, gave us a model prayer—of this at the beginning:
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
but maybe the first step for us is do we pray…
(this is for the logical people, the pro’s and con’s list people…those are important, but sometimes God may call you to do something that may not fit the pros and cons logic.) God wants us to seek him in prayer. By ourselves, and with others-not just for this decision but everyday.
Spend regular time in God’s Word...
why? so first of all that you know God—and what His will of decree are, what He wants in His will of desire…soak in it..and so you can pray according to His Word...
be intentional about this…try to find a regular time, place, method daily that you can do this.
some of you need to take a baby step in this—even 5 minutes a day, makes a difference.
some need to really challenge yourself—maybe you have been a Christian for years and never read or listened to the whole Bible-it’s time. What are you waiting for?
some of us need to read the Bible with our families—it doesn’t have to be complicated either-take a step.
If you are not sure where to begin—read the book of Mark. If you want something meaty and challenging, read Romans or Hebrews in the New Testament.
or just start at the beginning and plow through—not over-obsessing about every detail but trying to get the big picture that the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.
just as you might meet with a doctor for an annual check-up or a financial planner, consider meeting with someone on staff or an elder to see how you can grow this year.
as you are soaked in God’s Word—you will not
Check out this resource: (picture of Just do Something)
Do live a life of wisdom…or Let His Spirit, His Word form you into a person of wisdom like Jesus.
what do I mean? so many times we want wisdom in the specific moment—a very specific “Do this…go that way or not...” we want the Macedonian vision. but that is rare.
instead, God asks us this:
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
He calls us to love Him and others. to make disciples, to be His Witnesses.
to pursue Him and enjoy Him.
as we are in prayer, in the Word, in community, we are constantly being formed into the kind of people who are wise? why? because in Jesus are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
so if we are soaked in Jesus—when the complexities of life happen—instead of only seeking the “right path..” God by His Spirit will lead us in that moment b/c He has formed us into wise people day by day. We will be like Jesus because we have spent so much time with Jesus.
so do you want to discern God’s will—be the kind of person who spends time with Jesus daily to be formed by Jesus into people of wisdom.
build your house upon His rock everyday—and you will have the stability of wisdom.
(pray - firm foundation)
Final plugs:
Divinity Trio plus 1
this Wednesday Missions Encounter - Josh Hawkins - food!! pizza and wings; interview with hot wings—and game time. This night really reflects what Josh and his family do to reach people in their country in Bulgaria.
Bring:
favorite game, card game, board game
a dessert or salad to share; we will provide pizza and wings and water
please sign-up so we know how much to prepare
Closing verse:
1 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.
2 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.
