Some Things You Need To Know…

1. There is no clean-cut method to determining God’s will

2. Every individuals “will” is unique to themselves

3. You were created with purpose and intent

What is God’s Will?

Ephesians 5:17 “Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

Eastern View of God’s Will• Origins: found in Hinduism &

Buddhism

• Afterlife: If the final reality is an impersonal ground of being, what is the purpose of life? The answer in brief is, “Forget it!” (Os Guinness, The Call)

• View of God’s Will: Seeking a “Call” on your life only masks you from the knowledge that one day you will cease to exist and mean nothing

• Scripture Teaches: that there is a Heaven (John 14) and we will exist in heavenly bodies (Phil. 3:21)

Secular View of God’s Will• Origins: Atheism,agnosticism,

naturalism & humanism

• Afterlife: If the final reality is chance and there is no God (or any supernatural) to consider, then purpose is up to each of us to decide. (Os Guinness, The Call)

• View of God’s Will: We don’t discover our life’s purpose – we decide it

• Scripture Teaches: that there is one God (Mark 12:32, Eph.4:5-6, 1 Tim. 2:15, James 2:19) and He has a will for each of us (Eph. 5:1-20, I Peter 2:15, Romans 12:1-21)

Biblical View of God’s Will• Origins: Roots in Judaism and

Christianity

• Afterlife: From this perspective, the final reality is neither chance nor an impersonal ground of being but an infinite personal God who has created us in His image and calls us into relationship to Himself (OS Guinness, The Call)

• View of God’s Will: – Who was I created to be?– What am I called to be?

DiscussionWhat traces of these views

can we see being lived out in our lives?

What is the difference between being ‘created’ &

‘called?’

Misconceptions

• Dot Theory: – Called: “God’s

personalized will for you”– Teaches that God has a

specific person your to marry, a specific school to attend, a specific car to buy etc.

– Problem: Free Will?

God’s Will

• God’s will is made up of two parts:

1. Who was I created to be? (God’s Moral Will)

2. What am I called to be? (God’s Sovereign Will)

Schedule

• Nov. 22: God’s Moral Will• Nov. 29/Dec. 6: God’s

Sovereign Will• Dec. 13: Survey of Knowledge