Narnia: The Searchers

NARNIA: THE SEARCHERS

Act 22:6-11

AMONG THE MANY THEMES found in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, there is one that generates excitement, intrigue, and suspense. C.S. Lewis does a masterful job as he includes the timeless motif of quest.

Like knights in search of the holy grail, three of the four children, who find themselves in Narnia, are also on a mission–a mission to find Mr. Tumnus (a missing faun), a passion to find Edmund who has been seduced by the White Witch, and a longing to meet Aslan, the majestic lion of whom they heard so much about. They have to overcome numerous obstacles, chief of which is fear. But they persist because they are driven by love, a sense of duty, and even a bit of curiosity.

This theme is also addressed in the Bible as the noblest of all endeavors–the search for truth and fulfillment. It is universal in its appeal. The happiest and most contented are those who have undertaken this journey.

A few years ago, a poll was taken by the pastor of a large church to determine the topics people wanted their pastor to address from the pulpit. Over 5,000 people responded and the computer came up with ten topics that people most wanted to hear about. Number one was, “Where Are We in Prophecy?” This is not surprising, given the current state of affairs in our world.

Right behind it was, “How Can I Find the Will of God for My Life?” It may not tickle the itching ears of many, but I believe it is life’s greatest question. In fact, there’s no more important question that one can ask. Jesus addressed this subject often. He said that earnest seekers after truth would certainly find it. In our scripture passage we read about Paul’s “Damascus Road Experience.” In this account he asks two profound questions:

1. “Who are you, Lord?” (Verse 8)

2. “What shall I do, Lord?” (Verse 10)

Please notice that they are in the right order. To know the will of God, we must first know God personally. And we can only know Him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why is knowing the will of God life’s greatest quest? Perhaps Henry Drummond can help us at this point:

Inside the will of God there is no failure;

Outside the will of God there is no success.

What is the end of life? The end of life is

not to do good, although many of us think so.

It is not to win souls, although I once

thought so. The end of life is to do the

will of God.

George Truett, the great Baptist preacher said, “To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge; to find the will of God is the greatest discovery; to do the will of God is the greatest achievement.”

It is upon God’s will that all of life pivots. As someone has said, “Faith includes being so convinced of God’s plan that you waive all of your personal rights in favor of pursuing His will.”

David Livingston: “I had rather be in the heart of Africa in the will of God than on the throne of England out of the will of God.”

I. FALSE IDEAS ABOUT FINDING GOD’S WILL

A. Its Hard to Know the Will of God. But God wants us to know His will. He takes no pleasure in our confusion. He dos not withhold it as if it was a great secret. The truth is, we often don’t have the desire of patience to discover it.

Let me give you a head start on God’s will for your life.

1. It is the will of God that you receive His salvation (II Peter 3:9).

2. It is the will of God that you be sanctified (I Thess.4:3)

3. It is the will of God that you help carry out the great commission (Matthew 28:19,20).

4. It is the will of God that you avail yourself of every means of grace in order to grow in grace, such as worship, study of His Word, prayer, and service.

The second false idea about finding God’s will is...

B. God’s Will is a traumatic experience. To be sure, there are those rare occasions when this takes place–such as a vision, a visitation, an audible voice from above, an emotional experience. In Bible times, God did reveal His will in supernatural ways. Moses heard God’s voice from a burning bush. Abraham heard from an angel. Samuel heard an audible voice, and Paul was struck down, heard a voice, saw a light.

But for the most part, our path is clearly spelled out in the Word of God. It is the “lamp to our feet and light to our path.” Consider the call of Matthew as an example. Jesus just said, “Matt, follow me.” And he did. We make the discovery of the will of God so complicated, so much more difficult than it needs to be. In the third place, a false idea bout God’s will is that...