God In A Box

26, February 2006

Dakota Community Church

God in a Box

Introduction:

This week I want to expose the formulas, steps, keys, secrets; and other fallacies, about the plan of God for our lives.

This is a topic that inspires fear and hopelessness for many. We tend to want to produce formulas and short cuts when things get confusing.

How many times have you taken a short cut only to discover that it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be?

- Almost out of gas at Pembina Bible Camp

Why aren’t we more suspicious of short cuts to the will of God?

It seems like everyone has a simple cliché answer to this problem. God is always telling them one thing or another and there is no room for discussion.

Matthew 6:7-8 (Message)

"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need.

A Problem:

When I hear TV preachers or even local Christians declare boldly that they are doing something because; “It is will of God” (often it is something that seems a little whacky), i.e. asking for 8 million dollars or quitting a job to go witnessing for the summer.

I usually am not inspired with fresh confidence about the outcome.

Here is my issue with this line of thinking; even Paul was not that sure.

1 Corinthians 13:12

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Paul gives a long discourse on marriage , sex, divorce, widowhood and wraps it by saying this is my opinion:

1Corinthians 7:40

And also I think I have the Spirit of God.

Look at how the early apostles spoke when they were deciding an issue that was setting the course of all Church history:

Acts 15:28-29

It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

Jesus indicates that there is more to the will of God than finding it and doing it in Luke 10:

Luke 10:38-42

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

There are many of us in the Church that just want to be told what to do and left to do it.

Jesus is saying that is not what the will of God is.

What I want to share this morning is a couple of truths I have learned about the will of God that will be liberating to everyone:

God’s will is:

1. Less about a destination, more about the journey.

God’s will is more about the journey and how much of it you share with Him. It is not that there is no destination, just that the journey is more important.

- If the destination is marriage then you single is the important part to God.

- If it is children then you as a husband is the important part.

- If it is career then your study and work balance is the thing.

When we make the mistake of thinking that the destination is the will of God we wind up disillusioned like the children of Israel when they reached the Promised Land.

There are battles to be fought in the perfect will of God.

There are enemies to be faced.

The will of God is not the path of least resistance.

It is amazing how many Christians raise a fist at God because a door he guided them through turned out to be full of disappointment, struggle, and opposition.

Jesus wants to be in it with us.

John 6:35-36

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.