Pursuing Gods Will Series

TITLE:Pursuing Gods Will:

TEXT: Genesis 11:27-12:9

Theme: Gods will

P.S. You and I have a responsibility to pursue the will of God everyday of our lives, wherever we are in lifes journey. (Hayford p.12)

Introduction:

In my message last week, I concluded by quoting John Stott, “Nothing is more important in life than to discover and do the will of God.(Stott p.203).

Stott describes the two types of Christians and how they apporaoch the will of God.

First there are the Christians who spend their lives “discovering the will of God.” These could be described as the Marys of the church. Forever sitting at the feet of Jesus They attend every seminar, buy evry book, and pepper every prayer with the hope of discovering Gods will for thier lives.

Tragically, these believers often end up frustrated and exhausted after a while as they discover their lives not getting any better and the world has passed them by.

Then there are the “Do the will of God Christians.” These are the ‘Marthas”f the church. They are constantly working and doing. They often are found teachng SS, on committees, when the church doors are open, they are not just their, they are cleanig the doors, washing the floors, cooking the meanls.

Thier frustration is with those Christians who they perceive to not be as ‘committed’ to the work of the Lord as they are.

Sadly, many tumes these well meaning, workers for the Lord end up on the ash-heap of speitiual burn-out where they lose their energy, passion, and effectiveness for serving God.

What we often forget is that little connecting word, “AND”. The will of God is not exclusively activity nor is it exclusively waiting. It is both working in tandem together.

Illustration: (From SERMONCENTRAL Online)Chuck Swindoll has written a marvelous book entitled, "The Mystery of God’s Will: What Does He Want For Me?"

In the introduction to this book, Swindoll writes, "In the past, I often viewed the Christian life, or even life in general, as a matter of getting from here to there . . . from Point A to Point B. I now believe that God’s will for us in this life is not some black-and-white objective equation designed to take us to an appointed destination here on earth as much as it is about the journey itself. It is not so much about our own well-thought-through ’mission’ for our lives as it is about what matters to Him in our lives.

Our human tendency is to focus solely on our calling-on where we should go, how we should get there, and what exactly we should do about it. God’s concern is the process that He is taking us through to mature us and ready us, making us more like His Son. In other words, all of us-including you-are works in process."

You and I have a responsibility to pursue the will of God everyday of our lives, wherever we are in lifes journey. (Hayford p.12)

Over the next several weeks I invite you to join me on a journey of discovery as we follow the life of Abraham, and the lessons he teaches us in PURSUING THE WILL OF GOD for our lives.

Read Genesis 11:27-12:9

I. There’s a place in Gods Will For You No Matter What Your Age or Past: (12:1-4)

One of the common misbeliefs concerning Gods will is that God only uses the young. After all it is the young people who possess all the energy, and resources and creativity. God could not use someone who is over 40 or fifty or sixty.

Yet, the Bible syas, that David was called by God as a shepherd bot of 15. Mary the Mother of Jesus was prbably about 14 when the angel Gabriel announced to her that she would be the mother of the Saviour.

Among Jesus disciples there were young men in their late teens and early twenties.

David’s son Solomon, concluded at the end of his life, after ammassing wealth, education, power anf influence, the most important thing is to serve God starting when you are young.

Remember the Lord in the days of Your youth...” (Ecclesiastees 10:1)

Conversly, some mistakenly believe that God could never use a person who is old and out of touch.

Yet when God wanted a person who would model faith for generations to come, he chose Abraham at the age of 75. God could have called him when he was a young business man living in power and influence in his thrities. But He didn’t. In His wisdom, God reached out and touched Abrahams shoulder and spoke vision into his heart at a time of life, when Abe should have been thinking of fishing on the Euphrates, not starting life over in a new country.

Others mistakenly believe that God cannot call a person who has an undesirable past. Yet it was when Moses was a washed up, has been prince of 80 that that God said, “Go to Egypt, I have a job for you to do...”