Ian Kerr 31 Jan 2010 Guidance - Knowing God's Will
Introduction
Last week we looked at the topic of Dealing with Temptation. And if I had to summarise what I said in one sentence it would probably be: “Stay away from the tree!” – based on the principle “If you can’t reach it, you can’t eat it”. This week we are going to think about a different topic and as we commence I would like you to think about this question:
How many decisions do you think you have made in the past week? – 50, 100, 1000? Some decisions are easy aren’t they? Should I have two scoops of ice-cream for my dessert, or three? - The answer of course is 3 – I need lots of ice-cream! Some decisions are a bit harder. Should I buy a blue shirt, or a green shirt? – That’s not too difficult – but what if I am buying a car – Should I buy a Holden or a Ford – or a second hand Daewoo? Some of these decisions are not all that important – but what about decisions like “Should we stay in our present home, or move to another home or situation?’ – “Should I get involved in a particular situation involving my wider family?” – “Should I be going on a short term mission?” Sometimes the decisions are not personal ones – for example they may relate to our church. Should we build a building? Should we call a particular person as our pastor? etc
Guidance defined
If we had to put a label on this kind of decision making we would probably call it “seeking guidance”. At one level it sounds easy – just pray and God will show you the way to go! That is true isn’t it – we can pray and know that God will guide us. But if it is that simple, why then do so many Christians find guidance so difficult? And they do! In my work with Alongside Ministries I spend a lot of time mentoring pastors. The men I work with generally have a good knowledge of the Scriptures – they are accustomed to people coming to them seeking advice about decisions they need to make. But when it comes to making big decisions themselves, the don’t find it so easy e.g. Should they make themselves available for a call to another church? Should they confront a person in the church who is causing a lot of trouble? What should they do about their teenager who is refusing to go to church?
God’s plan for our life
Most Christians I talk to believe that God has a plan for their life – and they are keen to follow that plan. The Bible tells makes it plain that God has planned “good works” for us to do. We read this in verses like Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We want to do these “good works” and guidance is all about determining just what they are? So how do we go about it? – that is what I am planning to talk about this morning. God’s promises to guide us. As we begin to think about the topic of guidance – it is good to focus on a number of promises that God has clearly given us.
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
In both these passages – and in many others in the Bible, God promises to give us guidance. That’s very reassuring isn’t it? Our Heavenly Father loves us as his children – and he wants to guide us in the direction he wants us to go. So one thing we can know for sure: GOD PROMISES TO GUIDE US! That promise is clear in Scripture – so that will be our starting point – We can begin to discover how God guides us, knowing that he has promised to guide us.
How God guides us through the Bible
If you ask most mature Christians how God guides us, you will get the answer “Well obviously he guides us through the Bible. In fact some Christians say “If you want to know God’s will for your life just pray and read the Bible and that’s all you have to do”. In fact there are some Bible Colleges which won’t let you in unless you can show them through which verse God led you to go to college”. I am totally convinced that God guides us through the Bible – but I also think there is a lot of fuzzy thinking about how God guides us in this way - so let me begin with a diagram.
One of the great things about the Bible is that it tells us what is right and what is wrong. Some things are clearly sinful – for example if I suddenly think it would be a good idea to kill the person who cuts me off on a roundabout - I know for sure that this would be outside God’s will for the bible clearly states “You shall not murder”. Such actions – which the Bible calls sin – are clearly outside God’s moral will.
Then there are actions, which are clearly within God’s moral will – for example “Should I pray for my father to become a Christian?” That’s not a very difficult question to answer – getting guidance on this one is easy – of course it is within God’s moral will for me to pray for my father. Without going into detail, it is obvious that many things are within God’s moral will – and things which are not – the Bible is very clear about most things – and that’s a big help in seeking the Lord’s guidance.
You will notice in the diagram that I have put some grey areas – that isn’t a mistake although some Christians want to argue that there aren’t any. Take for example the rare situation where a pregnant woman has had an accident and medical experts say “We can save either the mother or the baby – what do you want us to do?”. God makes it clear in his word that life is precious in his sight – but whose life should take precedence – the mother’s or the child’s? What about the question of playing sport on Sundays – some Christians think it is okay – people like Eric Lidell (Chariots of Fire) thought it wasn’t. I could come up with lots of other illustrations – but I just want to make the point that knowing what is within God’s moral will and what isn’t is mostly fairly obvious – but there are some grey areas and these can sometimes make life difficult.
Decisions within God’s moral will
It can sometimes be difficult to know what is within God’s moral will and what isn’t – but let me say that when it comes to guidance – that isn’t the biggest issue for Christians. I’m not saying that Christians don’t go outside God’s moral will and fall into sin –obviously we do – but when we do, we usually know that we are doing it – then it becomes a matter of obedience not guidance. For example if I say that I am seeking God’s guidance about whether or not I should cheat on my tax return, I am really kidding myself. I already know that God doesn’t want me to cheat on my tax return – so the issue I am facing is one of obedience, not guidance. The big question for Christians is not “What is wrong and what is right?” but rather : “How do I know what God wants me to do within his moral will?”
Let’s think for the moment about a question, which a student at the end of year 12 might face “Should I become a teacher, or should I become a Speech Therapist?” Both of these careers are obviously within God’s moral will – God uses teachers to serve him – God uses speech therapists to serve him. So it’s not a matter of “Is it right or is it wrong to go one way or the other”. The real question is “What does God want me to do?” - or the question might be “Does God really mind which way I choose?”
Now for some Christians to say that God doesn’t really mind which way we choose is like a red rag to a bull. They say “Of course God has a specific will for your life – and if you don’t find out what it is and do it you have fallen into sin”. In other words they are saying “Of course God wants you to be a speech therapist – or he wants you to be a teacher – one is the right way, and one is the wrong way to go”. Let’s think about that for a moment
Suppose you are in the supermarket buying oranges – in fact you would like to buy a dozen oranges. But in the big bin before you are 356 oranges – all very healthy with no obvious defects - and you have to choose just 12. Has the Lord picked out the 12 he wants you to choose – and to choose any of the others would be wrong – and if so, how can you be sure which ones he wants you to choose? Or maybe the Lord created all oranges equal and he gives you the freedom to choose. In fact this is the way we usually operate in situations like this isn’t it. In practice we behave as if there are some things in which God gives us freedom to choose.
But the big questions is “In what situations are we free to choose – and in what situations do we need to seek the Lord’s specific guidance?”
In the diagram you will see that I have allowed for both. Most of us would agree that choosing oranges falls into the category of that in which we have freedom to choose. But when it comes to questions like “Should I study to be a teacher – or should I study to be a speech therapist” – many, if not most would want to put this in the category of “specific guidance”. What I want to say to you this morning is that God gives us the freedom to choose most things – but there are also some things about which he wants to give us specific guidance.
The problem with always looking for specific guidance
The big problem which many Christians have with guidance is that they want to put every one of life’s choices into the category of “specific guidance” – and until they receive this “specific guidance” they won’t do anything. Consider the situation where the leaders in the church might observe somebody for a period of time and come to the conclusion “That person would make an excellent Sunday School teacher” – and so they invite them to become one. So the person responds by saying “I’ll pray and seek the Lord’s guidance, and get back to you”. And when we come back to them in two weeks for an answer they say “I’m not sure – the Lord hasn’t shown me either way yet” – and after 3 months they say he still hasn’t shown them – and meanwhile the Sunday School remains short of teachers.
Why don’t we ask God to show us if he doesn’t want us to do something?
Isn’t it fascinating that when people pray for guidance in this kind of situation they usually pray something like “Lord would you please show me if I should become a Sunday School teacher”. What would happen if someone was to pray “Lord please show me if I shouldn’t become a Sunday School teacher” ? Would they then come back to the church leaders in three weeks saying “Well the Lord hasn’t shown me why I shouldn’t become a Sunday School teacher so I will take on the job”. I just throw that thought in for interest but I want us to think about what it is that people are looking for in answer to their prayer when they are praying for guidance. From my observation, in situations like this, people are looking to God to provide some kind of supernatural guidance. Now I know that in one sense everything God does is supernatural. But what people are looking for is guidance in a supernatural way such as dreams, audible voices, visions, writing on the wall etc. People look for this kind of supernatural guidance based on passages such as:
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."
During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
In these passages we see that God guided Philip and Paul in supernatural ways. Philip was guided by an angel - Paul had a vision. So when people read these passages they come to the conclusion “This is how God guides his people – through angels, visions, writing on the wall etc – all the kind of supernatural ways in which God has guided his people over the years. Now it is true that God can guide this way – and he does guide this way – I have had it happen to me. But it is also true that there is no where in scripture where God promises to guide us in this way. Not only that, it is also true that there are only 5 or 6 major incidences of supernatural guidance mentioned in the entire New Testament. In other words I am saying that while God can guide us in this way, it is not the normal way – it’s the exception rather than the rule. And because God never promises to guide us this way, we can’t claim any such promises when we are seeking guidance. God may graciously guide us in this way – but he doesn’t have to – certainly he has never promised that he will.
And the reason I am labouring this point is because many Christians are wasting their time – and wasting the Lord’s time – because they are waiting around for a specific kind of “supernatural” guidance which may never come.
Putting out fleeces
While I am on the topic of methods of guidance which God doesn’t promise, let me talk about putting out fleeces. I’d love to have the time to talk about putting out fleeces by looking at the passage in Judges 6, but we don’t. At the end of the service there will be a handout available which goes into a little more detail, and you can read it for yourself. What I want to say briefly about putting out fleeces is that throughout history there are examples of Christians following this practice and God has graciously guided them in this way – sometimes! But I want to also make it clear that nowhere in Scripture does God promise to guide us in this manner – we can’t demand it – and so we ought not to make it an important part of our method of seeking guidance.
The ways God does promise to guide us
So far we have concentrated on ways in which God may guide us, but never promises to do so. Now let’s look at some positive ways in which he does promise to guide us – these are the bread and butter means of guidance which I believe God wants us to use.
Wisdom
Let me read you two passages from James
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with do doubting.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
Did you pick up the promise in the first passage? “If anyone lacks wisdom, let him ask God – and it will be given him”. This is a very clear promise – if we ask for wisdom,, God promises to give it to us. Certainly it is a promise with a condition – we need to ask in faith without doubting – but if we do so, God will give us the wisdom we ask for. So for me, this is the starting point in the process of guidance - praying for wisdom – knowing that God has promised to give it to us – and not doubting that he will.
Advice
Seeking wisdom is one of the bread and butter ways of gaining guidance – but not the only one. Let me read some verses about another.
The way of a fool is right in his own eyes but a wise man listens to advice.
Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom for the future.
The giving and receiving of advice is not very popular in our society – and that kind of worldly thinking has crept into Christian thinking. But there are many places in Scripture where we are encouraged to seek advice – There are not many which encourage us to give advice. Mind you – we have to be very careful about who we seek advice from. For example, if a student wanted advice about what kind of dress to wear to the school formal – you would be crazy to ask me. On the other hand, if you wanted some advice on what kind of microphone to buy – I could probably help you out. When I seek advice from people – which I often do – particularly in regard to “big” decisions - I ask myself two questions:
- Do they have some expertise or experience in this area?
- Are they spiritually mature
And sometimes I ask more than one person – c/f asking three people about selling the Sigma and buying the Hi-Ace. So in my view, asking people for advice is a smart way to go – God encourages us to do it – and provided we ask the right kind of people – it can be very helpful. These then are the “bread and butter” methods of gaining guidance – see what the Bible says about God’s moral will – pray for wisdom – seek advice – and then step out in faith allowing God to open and close doors.
Guidance Handout
If you are anything like me – when you hear a message like the one this morning, you tend to think “That’s a lot to remember!”. So as an aid to putting these principles of guidance into practice, I have produced a flowchart
Challenge
I wonder if there is anything you are seeking the Lord’s guidance about right now? Perhaps you have a sense that God is calling you to do something, but you are not quite sure. Or perhaps you have made a choice which you believe is right – but the going has got tough – and you are not sure if you have done the right thing. Or perhaps you are being tempted to make a choice which you know is outside God’s moral will – and its’ not really a question of guidance – it’s really a question of obedience. Whatever your situation, know this – the God who gave you life – is the God who will guide you through life. It isn’t always easy – but God has given us all the resources we need to be able to carry out the good works which he has prepared in advance for us to do. Do you believe that? The God who created you in His image, and recreated you through the finished work of Christ – is the God who has sent his Holy Spirit to live in you as your Comforter and Counsellor. And he says to you, and he says to me this morning.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Handout “Guidance – Seeking God’s will for us as an individual”
Gods Moral Will
In most cases the Bible makes it clear what is right and what is wrong – it reveals God’s moral will.
Provided we are intent on avoiding sin, guidance is about making choices within God’s moral will. In many situations we have freedom to choose. Sometimes God will give us specific guidance because he has particular tasks for us to do.
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God has planned for us to do good works for him - Ephesians 2:10
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God promises to guide us - Psalm 32:8 Proverbs 3: 5,6
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God promises to give us wisdom when we ask without doubting - James 1:5,6 Proverbs 3:17
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God encourages us to seek advice - Proverbs 12:15 Proverbs 19:20
Supernatural Guidance
There are only a small number of recorded incidences of supernatural guidance in the New Testament (e.g. Acts 8:26; Acts 16:9). God may guide us in this way if he so chooses but he never promises to do so.
Putting out a Fleece
It is worth reading all of Judges 6 to understand the context of Gideon putting out a fleece. Note that God had already guided Gideon (supernaturally in fact) – verse 36 makes it plain that Gideon knew God had promised to give him victory. Gideon didn’t need guidance, he had already received it. He put out a fleece because he didn’t fully believe what God had told him and he wanted confirmation. God graciously gave it to him, but he didn’t have to. The Bible neither encourages us to put out fleeces nor promises to guide us through this method. God has done it, and he may graciously do it again – but he doesn’t promise that he will.
A Flowchart for seeking Guidance
See above
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
© Alongside Ministries 2004 – Used by permission. May be used without permission if not for profit.
