Series: Accessing God
Sermon #1 - Accessing God through His Word
*Sermon #2 - Accessing God's Will
Sermon #3 - Accessing God's Wisdom
Sermon #2 - Accessing God's Will
Scripture: Ephesians 5:15 - 17 Proverbs 3:5-6
Title: Maze Running? God's Will
Grace and Peace from God our Father and from Jesus Christ who came to take away the sin of the world!
On September 19, 2014 the movie, Maze Runner hit the movies screens. It was a science fiction thriller film that was based on James Dashner's 2009 novel by the same name. It ended up bringing in nearly 350 million dollars worldwide and finished in the top 30 movies for that year. That was pretty good consider that its production budget was only around 34 million dollars. That's not a bad return on your money. It also had to compete that year against such heavy hitters as American Sniper, the Hunger Games, Mocking Jay Vol. 1, Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain American: the Winter Soldier and the Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
The story plot of the Maze Runner was based on this group of young people trying to find their way to freedom through a series of mazes. None of them could remember how they got trapped behind these huge walls in the first place. All they know is that they are being held captive and that these series of mazes are their only way out. They know that they have to escape if they are to survive.
So, each morning they would send out two of their strongest and fittest runners into the maze in hopes that they would find a find an escape route. Every night the doors to the maze close and these hideous creatures known as the "grievers" would kill anyone who got stuck inside. At the beginning of the movie we are told that no one has ever escaped or survived a night in the maze, but everyone knows that there just has to be a way out. Until it is found the key to survive is to keep running.
Have you ever been in a maze? Perhaps a corn maze during October or just a maze at a park? Mazes can be both exciting and a little frightening. You know that there must be a way out and it should be easy to find but after a few minutes of being unsuccessful you begin to wonder if you are ever going to find your way out.
Have you ever felt that knowing God's Will at times is like running through a bunch of mazes? You know that there has to be an answer. You know that there has to be a way to find the right path that leads to real life but at times you feel like you are being surrounded by these series of twists and turns and more often than not you feel lost, confused and frustrated?
And in the midst of all of that you know that the best place in the world for any person to be is in the center of God's Will. You know that if you can find the center of God's Will then not only will God be pleased but you will hit the sweet spot of human life. You will experience the most genuine human existence that any of us can enjoy on this side of everlasting life.
But is it possible? Is it possible to discover God's Will? Or are we condemned to spend our life going through a series of life mazes never quite sure where the right path is that will lead to abundant life?
Some people believe that is humanities' fate. They are convinced that God's will begins and ends as a mystery. They believe that the Will of God is unknowable. They believe that a life with God is at best a series of twists and turns that will only make you wonder if there is any plan for your life at all.
However, the Bible is full of passages that speak not only about the reality that God has a plan for our lives but that we can know that plan as well.
+Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.
+Romans 12:1-2 - NRSV
12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual[b] worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.[d]
Jeremiah 29:11-13 NRSV
11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. 12 Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13 When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart.
And we know that beginning in the book of Genesis and going throughout the rest of the Old Testament that a number of different people testified that they discovered God's Will for their lives. People like Noah, Abraham, Rebekah, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Deborah, Gideon, Ruth, Hannah, Samuel, David and the list could go on and on and on. Each of those individuals and others faced all the mazes of Life and yet, they discovered God's Will for their lives. The same could be said for those in the New Testament like Mary, Peter, James, John, Paul and many others.
So, what can we know about God's Will for our lives?
Well, there are some things that the Bible tells us that God Wills for All of Our Lives. There are some things that God wants to happen in each and every one of our lives. Those things are:
1. God wills for everyone to be rescued and redeemed - to be Born Again and Filled with His Holy Spirit
- John 3:16-17 NRSV
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
- Luke 19:10 NRSV
10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”
- 2 Peter 3:9 NRSV
The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.
2. God Wills for His Kingdom to Come to Earth
-Matthew 6:9-10 NRSV
9 “Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
This is the main focus in such passages as Genesis 1 - 2 in the way God created the Earth to be the Paradise of Heaven. We see this in such passages as Acts 2 with the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit and in the Great Commission passage of Matthew 28. And we see this in such passages as Rev. 21 - 22 when God tells us that one day He make his Home on the New Heaven and Earth. It is God's Will that our earth - it's inhabitants - all of creation be like Heaven.
3. It is God's Will that We live an Abundant Life here on This Earth
-John 10:7 - 10 NRSV
7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
-2 Corinthians 5:17 - NRSV
17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
- Psalm 16:11 NRSV
11 You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
So, to sum up all of these passages - We can definitely say that it is God's Will for every one of us to be:
a. Free from the Penalty of Sin - Sin, Death and Hell
b. Free from the Power of Sin - to be able to live above a life of sin
c. Experience and Enjoy a Sanctified Life - a Life that is Progressively growing more and more like Him - becoming more and more a genuine human being who reflects God's Image and Glory.
But how do we get there? I mean all those things are wonderful. We all want to be rescued and redeemed by the Lord. We all want to know what it means to be Born from Above. We all want to see our Earth be more and more like Heaven. And we all want to live an abundant life. We all want to be the best human begins that we can possible be and enjoy the best life that God has for us on this earth. But in very practical and sensible ways
- HOW DO WE GET THERE?
I. We Surrender Ourselves Over to the LORD
Romans 12:1-2 - NRSV
12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual[b] worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.[d]
Romans 12:1-2 shows us the way. It is the way of surrender.
There are so many times we say that we are doing our best to find God's Will and do God's Will. And yet we have to be honest there are many times what we are actually saying is something along these lines -
"Ok, God, here is what I am planning to do. Now, I really need you to help me or at least agree with me and if you can't would you at least protect me and have my back."
The truth is that method is not really effective in find and walking in God's Will. That method is really asking God to surrender to your will. The truth is if we want to find God's Will for our individual lives then we must start from a position of complete consecration, submission and worship. We must be committed to allowing God to do whatever He wills in our hearts, minds and lives. After all, do we really believe that God would want to reveal His plan for our lives if we are not likely to follow that plan. God is full of love, grace and mercy but God is not foolish, stupid or naive.
If we really want to experience a true change in our lives and to know God's Will then it will only come through surrendering our hearts, minds and souls to the LORD. The first step to finding God's Will is to make God the Lord and ruler of our lives. The first step is relinquishing control of our lives and placing ourselves in God's Hands.
Remember all those names earlier - Noah, Abraham, Rebekah, Jacob and the rest. If you go back and look at their lives you will find a single common denominator - each person in order to find God's Will for their lives knelt down and gave their heart, mind and soul to the LORD. They surrendered their will and their way for the will and way of the LORD. They acknowledge their own limited power and ability and placed themselves in God's total and ultimate control.
Surrendering to the LORD is similar to what we do almost every day of our lives. In some way or the other we surrender ourselves into the control of someone else. For example:
+ We surrender ourselves when we fly in a plane - we are at the mercy of the airplane, those who fly it and those who are in charge in the control tower. We sit down and for the next few hours there is nothing we can do but enjoy the experience.
+ We surrender ourselves in the hands of those who operate on us. In the middle of an operation we don't begin to negotiate with the surgeons or the nurses. In fact, we are usually asleep, totally unaware of all the procedures that are being done. We have placed ourselves in their care, knowing that they will do the best to help us find full and total health. We put our trust in their knowledge, wisdom and gentle care. We know in our hearts that they have taken an oath to do us no harm and to do everything that they can to make us better.
+ We surrender ourselves each time we go to a restaurant. Someone leads us to the area where we are suppose to sit. We obediently follow them and sit down. We drink the beverages that they bring to us with full trust that they are not full of poison. We pick up the utensils that they provide trusting that they are clean. We eat the food that they bring out to us trusting that the chef/cooks have washed their hands and have done the best job they could in preparing our meal.
If we can surrender ourselves to the airlines, to the doctors and nurses and to our local restaurants then should it be that hard for us to surrender ourselves to the LORD? I mean after all how many of us know everyone at the airport before we fly and we still get on the plane? Normally we don't know the pilot, the people who prepare the plane(s) or those who work in the control tower. Normally, we don't know personally everyone that will be on the surgical team either. And from week to week we don't know all the people who work in the restaurant. We trust. We believe. We place ourselves in their hands. We surrender ourselves into their care, under their wisdom and knowledge.
In the same way we are to approach the LORD. We place our hearts, minds and soul into His care. We begin by saying a prayer of surrender - something like this:
"Heavenly Father, I surrender to You today all of my heart and soul. Please come into my life in a deeper and richer way. I open all the secret places in my life and invite you to "Come on in." Jesus - I want you to be Lord of all my life. I believe in you as My Savior and My Lord. I hold nothing back - I place everything into your hands. Holy Spirit, infill me and lead me in the life that I am suppose to live. I bow to your leadership in all areas of my life - Health, family, finances, resources, occupation, skills, relationships, time management, past, future, success and even failures. I surrender all to you O Lord - even my weaknesses, strengths, emotions, fears and insecurities. I place everything in your hands and now enable me to follow you in a path of obedience, trust and love. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen."
Complete and Absolute Surrender is the first step. Which is quickly followed by the Second Step
II. Living Out a Life of Surrender
It is of course one thing to surrender our lives to the LORD and it is quite another one to stay surrendered on a day to day basis.
It's easy to be surrendered to the LORD when for example we are in trouble - when the storms of life come upon us. We surrender to the LORD because we know we can't fix it and so we depend on God to fix all of our messes. When everything all around you is in a state of confusion and on the verge of total destruction who doesn't want to surrender to God so that He can fix everything?
But day to day? Especially, when things are going well. It's during those times we find ourselves in the same shoes as the Rich Young Ruler. If you remember, he wanted to surrender to the LORD but it had to be a structured surrender. It had to be a surrender within certain boundaries and terms. When Jesus started messing around in his everyday life well, that was too much. Surrendering to God is okay when we find ourselves in the fox holes of life or when we find ourselves having to face surgery or when life around us falls apart.
But, when we get a big raise or a big promotion or when life is sailing smoothly and everything is going well around us? I mean when we are already doing well why should we surrender everything to God? I mean what if the LORD wants us to take up a cross and follow Him? What if He wants us to begin to share our resources, to take our promotion and use it to help others or what if He wants us to spend some more time in fasting and prayer rather than spending our time on the golf course, shopping or going to our favorite game(s)?
The truth is this is the area we struggle. This day to day surrender. What could be called the "Daniel Life". If you remember, the Prophet Daniel lived this amazing life of constant and consistent surrender. He did so by following just a few principles:
+Daniel filled His day with constant communication with the LORD. Daniel prayed at least three times a day, every day to be in constant communion with the LORD. He knew that the best way to live a surrendered life was to live as close as possible with the LORD. And the best way to live close to the LORD was to keep in constant communication with the LORD.
+Daniel made sure that each day he experienced some quiet time with the LORD. Prayer time for Daniel, meant spending sacred time with the LORD and it meant listening to the LORD. Real prayer always includes quiet time. "Be still and know that I am God" time. Each one of us needs to take a few moments throughout our day to be quiet - to allow our thoughts to gather themselves and allow God to guide them so that we can live the best life possible.
Living on the run and living a life of Helter Skelter is one of the quickest ways for us to get off balance and outside of God's Will. And once we are outside of God's Will then that is when life's worst storms can arise. Not because God is punishing us but because in our own wisdom we will end up causing all kinds of chaos, destruction and death. Left to our own wisdom, knowledge and desires we can pretty much mess up our lives 24/7/365.
+Daniel made sure he keep an opened heart of confession. Daniel was not afraid to bring anything to the LORD - His mistakes, his sins, his failures and his frailties. He knew that God was big enough to handle it all and big enough to forgive him and grant him healing and grace. Daniel knew what "messy" was and he knew God could handle "messy".
+Daniel kept on trusting, obeying and believing. He trusted when things were going well under Nebuchadnezzar and when things were not going so well under King Darius. Daniel trusted when his life was sky rocketing as the 3rd main person in power and also when he heard the soft roaring sounds coming from the mouths of the lions. Daniel knew that trusting, obeying and believing were long term requirements for discovering God's Will.
+Daniel believed that God would work through his mind, his heart and his soul. He knew that God would direct his thoughts, provide him with the needed wisdom and would grant him peace in the midst of both storms and clear weather.
Daniel knew that if he did his part - live a surrendered life, live a life doing his best to follow God's Word and Will - that God would do the rest. That God would by way of direct communication, by way of nature or through others would let Daniel know what he needed to do next. Daniel trusted in God and depended on the inner testimony of God's Holy Spirit. Daniel knew that God would open some doors while closing others. Daniel knew that not every "God's Will Direction" in his life would lead to "green pastures" and/or "still waters". He knew that sometimes God leads up and down mountains and through valleys. He knew that sometimes it is God's Will that we face difficult days, painful events and even illogical paths. But he also knew in the midst of those paths that God would not only be with him but God would grant Him peace.
Jesus shows us this fact. Jesus goes to the Cross - facing the most horrible of human and spiritual situations but he does so in peace. That peace did not take away the shame, the pain or the suffering. But that peace enabled Jesus to face the worst that Satan and humankind could throw at him and come out the other side victorious. Remember, Jesus' first words when He saw His disciples was - "Peace". That is one of the greatest gifts of being in God's Will - possessing a Spirit of Peace.
Now, does God really care about whether or not you buy this car or that car, go to this school or that school or even get this job or that job? Does God really care who you marry? Does God really care about both the big and little things in our lives? Well, do you care? If you care, then you can be sure that God cares. And you can be sure that God wants you to have the best family, car, job and home.
God's will and our ever day to day decisions go hand in hand. While at times there will be certain passages of scripture that will help us make those decision at other times there may not be that verse or passage that just jumps out of the pages of the Bible. But we can count on God's Inner Testimony - the inner testimony of His Holy Spirit. We can count on God giving us Wisdom and Knowledge, Discernment and Peace. If we don't sense God's peace or we know that by doing this or that it is against God's Word and Reason then we already know that we should not do that thing or buy that thing or participate in that event.
However, if we surrender to God, to His authority and allow God to speak to us through His Word, through Wisdom, Knowledge and Wisely counsel then we can be assured that we are going the right direction. So many times the Bible can help us but only if we read the Bible and apply its words in our lives.
The truth is there are not some magical words or quick formula when it comes to this life or making decisions. That is what the ancients wanted with all their pagan gods. They wanted to attend their various temples, to give a little praise, put down an offering and leave knowing that whatever they choose the god or goddesses would approve and bless. If they really wanted something bad enough they would give an extra big offering or attend temple one or two days in a row to appease the god/goddess. It was all about appeasing or manipulating this god or that goddess.
That is not the way the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY - THE GOOD GOD OF CREATION - God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That is not the way that the LORD wants us to walk. Instead, God's Will is Open for all of us if we will do just a few simple things:
+Take some time to walk with God - take a God time out and open your heart, mind and soul to the LORD - tune into His Voice
+Surrender everything over to the LORD - each and every day
+Saturate yourself in God's Word through reading, meditating and contemplating
+Be obedient to what you already know and commit to learning and obeying even more
+Seek Wisdom - Divine and human
+Listen, listen and listen some more - open up your heart, mind and soul
+ Finally, Filter everything through your God meter -
+Will this choice or decision lead to a life that brings more honor and glory to God or to myself
+Will this enable me to experience more peace or will I find myself becoming enslaved and addicted?
It is possible to know God's Will for our lives?
It is possible to live a life led by His Holy Spirit. It is possible to know that God will help you make big decisions and small decisions. It possible if we:
+Surrender everything over to the LORD
+Stay surrendered and life a life of daily surrender
This morning, as we close let's sing a song that radiates that mentality and spirit - a Song of Surrender
Here's My Heart - Chris Tomlin, Jason Ingram and Louie Giglio
I SURRENDER ALL - Traditional Hymn
Open Altar - Benediction/Blessing
