"He was the smallest delivery ever recorded in the history of Gravestown Memorial Hospital.  Born with an undersized heart, no one thought that little Simon Birch would last through the night, but he did.  The doctor warned the parents that he might not last through the week but he did."

So the movie entitled "Simon Birch" begins to tell the story of a very small 12 year old boy.  The people of Gravestown don't know what to make of Simon Birch - he is a peculiar boy.  There is his obvious small size, but he speaks with a hoarse voice, wears horn-rimmed glasses and a hearing aid and walks with a distinct limp.  If that's not enough, little Simon Birch has this peculiar idea that God will do something special with his life.  He's not shy about telling people that he believes that God has a specific destiny for him.   

At one point in the movie, little Simon Birch has a chance to have a heart-to-heart talk with his pastor.  Simon asks him, "Does God have a plan for us?" The pastor is clearly caught off guard with the question and answers half heartedly and uncertainly, "I like to think he does."

"Me too," says Simon.   "I think God made me the way I am for a reason."

"Well," replies the surprised pastor, "I'm glad your faith helps you deal with your condition."

"That's not what I mean," persists Simon, "I think I'm God's instrument and He is going to use me to carry out his plan."

The pastor is astounded at Simon's belief and ends the conversation by saying, "It's wonderful to have faith, Simon, but let's not overdo it?!"

Does God have a purpose for my life?  Are we overdoing it when we ask the question, or when we think that God has called us to fulfill a specific task, goal, or plan?  Are we going over the top, being fanatic and all that, when we ask the question?

No!  It is rather a question that comes from the lips of sincere Christians, yes, mature Christians who have a desire to know and obey God's will for their lives.  It is a question that comes from the realization that only God is a good guide and help.  So Jeremiah writes,

"I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps ...  The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?  (Jeremiah 10:23) (NIV)

Does God have a plan for my life?  It's a mature question; it is a question that realizes that we should not "lean on our own understanding", but "trust in the Lord with all one's heart".  (Proverbs 3:5).   

Now, when people ask that question, they are usually asking, "Does God have a specific plan for me? Does God want me to go to the mission field or into Veterinary Science?"  Usually when we ask this question, we are looking for a map from God that will show us where to turn, where to go and what to do.

Does God have a plan for my life?  And then from that question springs a long list of other questions - If God does have a plan for my life how do I find out what it is?  Can I ask God to show it to me?  What signs should I look for?  Are there any dangers in this line of thinking?  

All of these I hope to address in this sermon series entitled, "Knowing God's Will".  This week we will examine the foundational questions, next week we will study how God's will is made known to us, and on February 3rd I want us to think of some of the myths surrounding God's will.  

Let's begin by laying a foundation, and asking two questions of our text. The first is, "Does God have a plan for my life?" and the second is, "Does God have an individual plan for my life?"  These questions may appear to be the same, but they are not, as we shall see.  

Let's read the our scripture for today:

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.  For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.  For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen?  But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.  Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.  And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family.  And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:18-30) (NRSV)

The first question is "Does God have a plan for my life?" and the answer to that question is simply, "Yes."

Look at the text.  Now the context of this passage is prayer and how the Spirit helps us in our weakness in prayer.  However, the text introduces the idea of God's will, and while this text primarily teaches us about prayer, the truth of God's will is woven in the fabric of this text.  

We read in Verse 27 :

"And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:27) (NRSV)

Here, the idea of God's will is introduced; then again in verse 28:

"We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28) (NRSV)

"According to his purpose."  Does God have a plan for your life?  Yes He does.  Can it be known?  Yes it can.

Look at the text again.  No sooner does Paul speak of God's purpose in verse 28 than he goes on in verse 29 to tell us what that purpose is:

"For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn within a large family." (Romans 8:29) (NRSV)

God's will for your life is clear; God's will for my life is clear.  It is that we be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that you and I might become like Jesus Christ.   

This is a fundamental truth which we must grasp before we go any further in the discussion.  The will of God for you and for me is to become more like Jesus Christ.  You don't need to search for God's will - it is right here in Scripture in black and white.   

Principle #1: God's will for me is that I become more and more like His Son.

The Holy Spirit tells us here that God has taken certain steps to make this happen.  Verse 29 speaks of foreknowledge, and predestination, and verse 30 speaks of calling, justification and glorification.  All of these are steps God has taken to fulfill his plan in your life.   

Once you have grasped the idea that he wants you to become more like His Son, it answers a whole lot of questions, doesn't it?  Sometimes we face difficult decisions and we just aren't sure what God wants us to do.  Does God want me to do this or that?  And we are unclear in ourselves.  But I think if we remembered that God's will for us is to become more like Jesus Christ, we'd be able to decide pretty quickly most of the time what God wants us to do.  

J. Oswald Sanders suggests several helpful questions that we need to ask ourselves.  They are designed to help us discover if an action will help us become more like Christ:  

1.  First, is the thing that I want to do beneficial?

Paul said in I Corinthians 10:23 that everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial.  Ask yourself, will this thing help me to be more like Christ-like in my character and more effective in my witness and service?

2.  Is it constructive?

Paul says, "Everything is permissible - but not everything is constructive."  (I Corinthians 10:23) (NIV).  Is it for the good of others as well as of myself?  Is it calculated to build up Christians in their faith and inspire them to build up others?  

3.  Will it enslave me?

I Corinthians 6:12 says everything is permissible for me, but we must not be mastered by anything.  We must be careful, because even the best things in life can enslave us.  Our time, abilities and attention can be so captured that more important duties are neglected and overlooked.  In our society much of the work we do has the tendency to enslave us so that we have no time for God or family.  

4.  Will it hinder us in our journey toward Christ-likeness?

Hebrews 12:1 exhorts us to throw off everything that hinders, that impedes us in our progress toward heaven.  

5.  Will it strengthen me against temptation?  

It is pretty silly to ask God to "lead us not into temptation" (Matthew 6:13) and then follow a course we know will bring us face to face with temptation.  

6.  Is the thing I want to do characteristic of the world, or of the Father?

"Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in Him." ( I John 2:15)

7.  Could my decision do harm to others?  

Paul writes about eating meat that has been offered to idols.  Paul did not have a problem with it, but some Christians did, saying that it reminded them of their idol-worshipping days, so Paul said, "If what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall" (I Corinthians 8:13).  ¹

Once we have grasped the fact that God's will for you and for me is to become more like Christ, it rules out a whole host of options for us, and it makes the way we should go pretty clear.   

Now some may complain that the first principle that God wants us to be more like his Son is too broad, and that may not be specific enough for you.  Admittedly, that can be seen as a pretty broad plan for your life.   

So this brings us to the second question - Does God have an individual plan for my life?  Do you see?  We are narrowing the focus; we are coming down the mouth of the funnel.   

So again, the question is, "Is there such a thing as God's special call?"  And the answer to that is, "Yes".  Martin Luther was right when he said, "You can't milk cows without a call from God." (He thought it was "udderly" impossible…!! ) 

Jesus teaches us saying,

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of the Father...  so don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31) (NIV)

The conclusion we can make from this teaching is that if the insignificant sparrow is included in God's plan, then surely God has an individual plan and purpose for each man and woman, who are made in His image.   

Now the question, "Can we know this plan?"  And the answer to this is, "Sometimes"; and even then it is only partially.   

I am going to speak at length on this next week, but this week I want us to stick to our text and glean from it the rest of its gold.   

Look at verse 26 and 27.  The context of this verse is on how the Spirit helps us when we do not know how to pray. Now what does this refer to?  Is it speaking of our conformity to the person of Jesus Christ in verse 29?  No, that can't be it because we already know this and should have no confusion about this.  We do not need help from the Holy Spirit in praying for the revealed will of God because it has already been revealed to us in Scripture.  

Where we do need the Spirit's help is in the area of things not revealed and for which we do not know what to pray for and how to pray.  Notice in verse 27 the Spirit prays in accordance with God's will - so God must have a will for us and that will must be in the areas of life that we know nothing about.   

Principle #2: God does not give us a detailed plan for all of life.

Listen carefully, for this is where people fall into a snare when it comes to God's will in their lives.  They often search for complete details from God - like a getting a travel itinerary from CAA.  It had one when I first travelled to Boston.  It gave me a complete guide - telling me where construction was, how long I should stay on the road, all the place names and arterial highways along the way - even calculating how long the trip would take.   

You will not receive such information from God.  He will not dictate His will to you to the letter.  He has given us freedom of choice and He will not violate that gift.   

So you should not feel robbed or cheated about this truth.  God in His grace has chosen to keep from us certain details of life - and thank God for that - for who of us could adequately handle a detailed plan?  Who of us could be trusted to carry on given such knowledge?  No, thanks; I'd rather not have the details, I'll leave them up to God.   

There is, then, an element of mystery in God's will for you and me.  When Moses was delivering his farewell message to the nation of Israel, he made this statement,

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of His law. (Deuteronomy 29:29) (NIV)

So here we have the truth that God has indeed revealed in Scriptures everything necessary to enable us to live godly and joyous lives, but there are areas of life, which are hidden from us but known to God.  There are secret things that belong to God alone and we'll have to wait until these things happen or until we enter eternity to find them out.  

Well here's the last principle -

Principle #3: God does not always explain Himself.  He loves to be trusted.

Verse 27 really is a word of encouragement to us.  "The Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."  God has a perfect will for us and often it is unknown to us but the Holy Spirit is praying for us in accordance to that will - thanks be to God for His awesome grace - He has provided for our every need.  His will can be done in our lives because the Holy Spirit is praying for it to occur.   

What must we do?  Simply trust.  Our Lord loves to be trusted.   

I find Abraham to be a great example to us for this principle.  At 75 years of age God calls Abraham to leave his comfortable home in Ur of Chaldees and embark on the life of a nomad and Hebrews 11:8 says that he "Obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going."

I once heard the English preacher and commentator John Phillips vividly describe the picture of Abram on the morning after he received that vision going to the first national bank of Ur.  And you know what happens when the riches man in town comes into a bank, don't you?  The bank manager comes out.  

"Oh, good morning, Mr. Abram.  So good to see you.  How are you?  Sit down, Mr. Abram - Jeeves, coffee for Mr. Abram.  How's the sheep market today, Mr. Abram?  What can we do for you?  Have some nice fat deposits for us, Mr. Abram?  

"Well, as a matter of fact, I'd like to close my account."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I want to close my account."

"You want to close your account, Mr. Abram?"  

"Yes, I just made it as clear as I possibly could.  I want to close my account.  All of it.  I've got ten camels out there - I'll take it all in gold.  You can start loading them right away."   

Mr. Abram, but.. but...  Why do you want to close your account?  Aren't you being treated properly?  Aren't you getting enough interest on your money, Mr. Abram?  Surely you don't want to close your account?"  

"Yes, I want to close my account.  I'll take it all in gold and you can start loading up my camels right away.  I'm leaving town."   

"Oh, I never heard that.  You're leaving town?"  

"That's right I'm leaving town."   

"Where are you going?"  

"I haven't any idea."  

"You don't know where you are going?"   

"No, I don't have any idea where I'm going."   

"Oh, if you are just leaving town, Mr. Abram, we have branches all across the fertile crescent.  We have branches in Egypt - we could just transfer your money there.  You'll be a lot safer, Mr. Abram.  You don't want to just go jaunting the fertile crescent with ten camels filled with solid gold, do you?  Surely you don't want to close your account, Mr.  Abram."  

"Yes, I want to close my account.  You see, Mr. Bank Manager, the other day God spoke to me.  The true God, the living God, the creating God.  He spoke to me and he showed me another country - I'm not sure where it is - But I know I must do what the living God has told me to do, trusting that he will lead me in the way that I should go to get to the place where he wants me to be.   By the way Mr. Bank Manager, would you like to come with me?"   

My friends how do you respond?  God's will for us is made plain for us in Scripture - that we become more like His Son, but what about the particulars?  Those things that are hidden, for which the Holy Spirit prays.  Will you respond in faith?  Will you respond by trusting that His will for you is good, pleasing and perfect?  May it be so.

Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - January 2002

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Footnote:

1.	J. Oswald Sanders, Every Life is a Plan of God, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Discovery House Publishers, 1992), p. 133-135.