Lesson 9: Is The Will Of God A Gps Or A Pre-Drawn Blueprint?

A. INTRODUCTION

1. Looking from God’s perspective.

 God knows everything actual and possible (Rom. 4:17).

 God has expectations for us.

 God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

2. Looking from our perspective.

 We have the power of choosing to obey God.

 We mess up by making bad choices.

 We can come back into God’s perfect will.

3. Is God’s will a pre-drawn blueprint or a GPS? Is God’s will a noun (an object accomplished), or a GPS (a decision to be followed)?

Two Conflicting Options

1. God has one specific woman for each man.

2. God wants us to use Bible principles and a yielded mind to find the best mate for us.

4. Is God’s will guidance or a finished product?

B. GOD HAS A WONDERFUL BLUEPRINT FOR YOUR LIFE

1. The will of God is perfect and we must find and do it. “I plead with you brethren to give your bodies to God . . . be a different person who is transformed by God, then you will be able to know the perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2, ELT).

2. The will of God is found in the Word of God.

3. The will of God is something we search for to know and do. “If anyone wants to do God’s will, he will know” (Jn. 7:17, Phillips). “We ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will” (Col. 1:9, TEV).

4. The will of God includes both His guidance to do right, and the end product that God has for us. “You thought evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen. 50:20). “Oh what a wonderful God we have! How great are His wisdom and knowledge . . . how impossible it is to understand his decisions and His methods” (Rom. 11:33, LB).

5. OPPOSITE

 There is no such thing as the permissive will of God.

 How can a God who knows all and can do all, not have a perfect will for each of His creatures?

C. GOD’S WILL IS GUIDANCE, i.e., GPS

1. We must learn what God wants us to do, and do it. “Understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Eph. 5:17).

2. The will of God has to do with our testimony. “That you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (Col. 4:12).

3. The will of God has to do with separation from sin. “This is the will of God . . . that you abstain from fornication” (1 Thess. 4:3). “No longer live . . . in the flesh to the lust of men, but to the will of God” (1 Peter 4:2).

4. The will of God is to pray and give thanks. “In everything give thanks for this is the will of God” (1 Thess. 5:18).

5. God is concerned how we obey His commands, rather than His telling us how, when, and where we must obey.

6. OPPOSITE

a. If we miss God’s perfect will, are we relegated only to His permissive will?

b. If we miss His perfect will, must we go back to the place of our disobedience to get back into His perfect will?

 Go to mission field as old person

 Go back to marry the one we rejected

c. A pre-drawn blueprint takes away our freedom, creativity and responsibility.

d. Fatalism – a pre-determined plan makes us robots.

D. CORRELATION

1. There is truth in both sides of the issue. God is powerful enough to control the end product and the means.

2. People look at their life from their perspective, and they miss what God could have done, and what God actually has done. “He calleth those things which are not, as though they were” (Rom. 4:17).

3. We should live totally for God as though we have responsibility for our destiny, and trust God to work His will in our life.

If you have never really accepted Jesus as your personal Savior, would you do it right now? Do not delay or put it off. If you would like to receive Christ by faith, pray this simple prayer in your heart:

Dear Lord,

I acknowledge that I am a sinner. I believe Jesus died for my sins on the cross, and rose again the third day. I repent of my sins. By faith I receive the Lord Jesus as my Savior. You promised to save me, and I believe You, because You are God and cannot lie. I believe right now that the Lord Jesus is my personal Savior, and that all my sins are forgiven through His precious blood. I thank You, dear Lord, for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, God heard you and saved you. I personally want to welcome you to the family of God and rejoice with you.

For more information on the TRBC Pastor’s Bible Class, log on to the Internet for TRBC Home page at www.trbc.org/pbc.