We live in a four-dimensional world. There are three dimensions of space, and the fourth dimension is time. But imagine if we discovered a two-dimensional world with two-dimensional people.
In this two-dimensional world, things would be impossible for them but stupidly easy for us. Two-dimensional people couldn’t get inside of this box. Could we get inside the box? [Placing my finger inside the box] Easy.
Theoretical physics suggests there are 10, maybe even 11 dimensions. It should not surprise us that things that appear impossible to us are ridiculously easy for God.
Being restricted to four dimensions means that if there is God who is outside the box in which we live, we need him to step into our four-dimensional constraints and make himself knowable.
That’s exactly what Jesus did. God stepped into our world so that we could be brought into his. Being with us in this way comes with advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is that very few people could ever get close enough to honestly know him or experience being with him. So it shouldn’t surprise us that his plan all along was never to limit our relational experience to this [Pointing to screen].
JOHN 16:7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
Because we trust him we want his version of better. So, each week this has been our theme.
SERIES THESIS: The Holy Spirit in you is BETTER than Jesus with you.
The exact moment that you trust in Jesus, that you humbly turn to him in repentance, the Holy Spirit comes to be with you and in you—PERMANENTLY. Because of him, we can know Jesus and truly be with him. That’s why it’s better to have the Holy Spirit in you than Jesus with you.
There is so much that the Holy Spirit does for us as our Advocate. The Holy Spirit:
- Convicts of sin
- Convinces us of the trustworthiness of Jesus
- Comforts us
- Gifts us for ministry
- Prays for us
- Produces Jesus-like virtues in us
- Illuminates Scripture
- Reminds us of Scripture
- In critical moments, he will even give us the right words to say
There just isn’t enough in this series to address everything. Today, in the last installment, I want to discuss what some of you have asked me about.
QUESTION: How do I know God’s will for my life?
How many of us feel at least a little confused when it comes to knowing that the Holy Spirit is talking to us? Yeah. How great is it that we can be honest about that? If God has a will for my life and a will for your life—there are countless questions and decision points that are never going to be answered in Scripture.
- Should I go to college?
- What should my career be?
- Where should I go to college?
- Where should I apply for residency?
- Should I change jobs?
- Who should I date?
- Should I get married or stay single?
- Who should I marry?
- Should I have kids?
- How many kids should I have?
- Who should I vote for?
- Should I rent or buy?
- What church should I go to?
- Where should I serve?
- What car should I buy?
- Where should I invest?
- When/where should I retire
- Who should I draft for my fantasy football team?
How do we know the answer to these questions? Is there a spiritual frequency that we should be tuned into so that we hear the Holy Spirit tell us the answer to these questions?
Is this last one a joke or am I being serious? I want to draft Justin Jefferson, but the Vikings don’t have a QB. Your view on this being a joke or serious hinges on how you answer this question. Does God have a plan for literally everything in my life, or are there areas in which he doesn’t have a strong opinion? How would I know the difference between what he does and what he doesn’t feel strongly about?
- Does God have a will for a specific person you should date or marry?
- Does God have a specific place where he wants you to go to school or work?
- Does God’s will include what country you live in? What about the state? What about the town? What about the neighborhood? How granular does this go?
Good-hearted, intelligent people disagree on the answer. There are people in this room who disagree. You and I may disagree. Whatever your answer is, and my answer is, all the answers can be plotted somewhere on this spectrum.
I recently learned a Scottish proverb that I’ve fallen in love with: “For every mile of road, there’s two miles of ditch.” I think the extreme ends of this spectrum are both ditches. This end [You decide everthing] can’t be right from a biblical perspective. God has commands that are non-negotiables. Before creation, God planned for Jesus to go to the cross for us. Back in week one, we saw that the Holy Spirit wanted Philip to share the gospel with a specific person at a specific time and place. I could go on and on. I don’t think you can take the Bible seriously and land here.
But the other end might be a ditch, too. And for some of you, that might feel unsettling. Some people find this view comforting. I don’t want to be dismissive of that or take it lightly. Instead, let’s take it seriously. This view treats God’s will like a blueprint, with all the decisions mapped out beforehand.
GOD’S WILL IS LIKE A BLUEPRINT:
- Like the plans for a building, God has a detailed and personalized design for all aspects of your life, intended to produce exact outcomes. We are responsible for making choices that align with those specific parameters.
There are good-hearted, intelligent people who advocate for this view. I do have questions. If that’s the case, if God has decided beforehand all the moves we should make in life, what do you do when:
- Someone else married the person you were supposed to marry?
- Someone else got the job you were supposed to get?
- Someone else took the last residency slot that you were supposed to take?
- Someone else rented the apartment you were supposed rent?
We could do this all day. If you take those questions seriously, this turns into a mess in a hurry. The blueprint view typically leads people to two types of answers.
Answer 1: Yes, those things happen. Which means that God’s will becomes a series of compromises. The best you can do is choose the least bad option. If this is the case, no one ever gets to live in God’s will.
Answer 2: God would never let that happen. This requires the belief that God is ultimately deciding all outcomes, like a puppet master behind the curtain of the universe. All our desires and all the choices we make are ultimately pre-decided by God. He is the one who determines all things. If that’s the case, you never have to worry about knowing God’s will because everything is always God's will. Any other option is impossible.
Those are the two types of answers in the blueprint view. Some people like to blend those two answers together. But there is another view. Do you know why playgrounds often have a fence around them? The presence of the fence gives children confidence and a sense of security. We thrive inside of clearly defined boundaries. Let’s call the other view of God’s will the playground view.
GOD’S WILL IS LIKE A PLAYGROUND:
- God’s will is like a well-defined territory with inflexible boundaries in which we are to live. Though there will be occasions when he directs us to something specific, we are responsible for making choices with wisdom and happy submission to his commands.
Whichever view you and I like best is interesting, but it’s irrelevant to the question of truth. One of our guiding values is: Take truth seriously. That means we even before we know the answer, we have pre-decided to go with the view that best represents what biblical writers intended to teach. Do you agree with that? Do you agree with that, even if it means investing time and effort into study? Great. Do you agree with that, even if it means changing your mind? Awesome.
Let’s start with one of the more beloved passages that people associate with discovering God’s will.
PROVERBS 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Which one does that sound like? It sounds more like the blueprint view. But if we slow down and zoom in, we may see it differently. Reading this in English, plus the way we use the metaphor make your path straight, it’s understandable to think it’s about guidance and direction toward specific choices.
But this was originally written in Hebrew, in a very different culture. How did they use these words and this metaphor? I want to introduce you to Garry Friesen. He’s a biblical scholar who has something important to say.
I recall the astonishment of one of the committee members assigned to translate the Book of Proverbs for the New International Version when he discovered that Proverbs 3:5–6 had nothing to say about guidance... [W]hen confronted with the linguistic data he had to admit reluctantly that the verse more properly read “and He will make your path smooth...When the verb “make straight, make smooth” is connected with “paths,” the meaning of the statement is, “He shall make the course of your life successful.” This meaning is clearly indicated in Proverbs 11:5: “The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way, but the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.” This verse contrasts the righteous man who experiences true success in life with the wicked man who brings trouble upon himself by his devious behavior. This is a common theme in Proverbs. –Garry Friesen
Proverbs 3:5-6 affirms a concept that is repeated from cover to cover in your Bible.
When you’re walking in God’s WAYS, you’re walking in God’s WILL.
If God’s will isn’t a blueprint as much as it’s a well-defined territory, the same for all people, then we should expect to find that God’s will is talked about that way consistently, all throughout Scripture. We don’t have time to read the whole Bible together. But I am going to highlight a bunch of verses to see if this holds true. Because of our time constraints, I’m going put all the verses on the screen today.
2 PETER 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
God wants every single human being to humbly repent and give their allegiance to Jesus. This is why Jesus commanded us to take the gospel message to all people, in all places. That’s why our mission is to lead people to be fully devoted followers of Jesus.
You might be asking, but doesn’t God have a will for each of us after we trust in Jesus? Yeah, he does.
MATTHEW 22:37-41 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Every command in Scripture can be reduced to the question, “What does love require of me?” God’s will is for you to love him and all other people, in the way that he defines love. Understandably, some people are going to recoil because that feels too simple. Hear what the Apostle Paul said.
GALATIANS 5:6 The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.
Just a few sentences later, he reiterated what Jesus said.
GALATIANS 5:14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
Do you want to know God’s will for your life? The answer is the same for everybody. Do this. Love him and love people in the way that he defines love.
When you’re walking in God’s WAYS, you’re walking in God’s WILL.
Everywhere you turn in the New Testament, it presents God’s will as though it were obvious. That’s the case because God’s will is never treated like a blueprint. It’s always addressed as a way of being, a well-defined territory with fixed boundaries in which we are to live.
1 THESSALONIANS 4:3-4 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable.
Being sanctified means growing into the status of holy that we were given when we trusted in Jesus. We could use the word maturity. As Jesus already said, all the commands of God are expressions of what it means to love him and others. His commands are like boundary markers, or a fence, that show us how to stay inside of his way of love. That’s God’s will for you, for me, for everyone.
1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Again, this is just clarifying what love requires. It’s a boundary marker for staying within God's ways. When you walk in his ways, you are walking in his will. You don’t have to tune into a spiritual frequency to hear the Holy Spirit speaking to you in order to know what God’s will is for you.
Knowing God’s will doesn’t require WHISPERS from the Holy Spirit. It requires knowing His WORD and WISDOM.
As you process that, look at what the Apostle Paul wrote.
EPHESIANS 5:15-17 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
How can the Apostle Paul say, “Don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” How is that not dismissive? We’ve all already admitted to each other that we are confused about knowing what the Holy Spirit is saying to us. Could it be that maybe we’re making God’s will too complicated? Could it be that perhaps we’ve been trying to operate from a view that’s not quite right?
Here’s why it’s not dismissive for the Apostle Paul to say this.
God’s will is for us to OBEY the commands and APPLY the wisdom found in His Word.
We can understand God’s will because it’s not a mystery. It’s knowable and easily accessible all the time. There’s not one verse, passage, or story that even hints at the idea that you need to decode what God’s specific, personalized will is for all the decision moments of your life.
So, where does the Holy Spirit come in?
- As you read God’s word, he’s helping you see it clearly.
- As you pray, he reminds you of what you’ve read and helps you see your sins or foolish ways.
- He cultivates Jesus-like virtues in you. We call those the fruit of the Spirit.
- He’s enabling us to do what we could never do on our own.
- He’s helping us to grow in wisdom as we carefully think about Scripture and seek to apply it to our lives.
He’s more involved than we have the capacity to appreciate. Let me show you a picture of what this means and what the Holy Spirit is helping us do.
ALL OF GOD’S COMMANDS + ALL THE WISDOM I CAN GET
God’s will for you is to obey all of his commands, with all the wisdom you can get. Believe it or not, it’s possible to obey God’s commands foolishly. I’ve never seen any of you downtown, with a poster and bullhorn telling people about Jesus. Is that because you’re disobedient? Or is that there’s no wisdom in sharing the gospel that way?
Do anything that’s in this zone. And I’d caution not to do anything that’s outside of it.
Q: What job should you take? Obey God’s commands, prayerfully apply wisdom, and pick one.
- If you want to take that new job because it gives you more money and more responsibility but you haven’t yet owned your side of the street about why your current job isn’t working out, maybe this doesn’t align yet.
Q: Who should you date or marry? Obey God’s commands, prayerfully apply wisdom, and pick someone. Believe it or not, God’s will is only about finding the right type of person, not finding the right person. Addressing widows who were thinking about getting married, we read this.
1 CORINTHIANS 7:39 A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord.
Here’s God’s will. Don’t give your heart to someone who hasn’t given their heart to Jesus.
- If you want to start dating seriously, maybe even get married. But you’re still carrying some real debt, and you’re also carrying baggage from old relationship habits that you haven’t gotten honest about yet. Maybe this doesn’t align yet.
Let me to talk to the young men. If you are following Jesus, and you’re becoming financial stable, and you’re trying to be mature and responsible—I have a daughter. You don’t even have to be handsome.
Q: What school should you go to? Obey God’s commands, prayerfully apply wisdom, and pick one.
This is how we grow and mature. THINK ABOU THIS: If God’s will only meant following his commands and following whatever the Holy Spirit might say to you, you may grow in obedience, but you won’t grow in maturity. Maturity requires wisdom.
If what I’m presenting is disruptive to the way you thought it all worked. Be kind to yourself. Maybe take the time to watch this message again. Take all the time that you need to read, meditate, and pray through all of these verses. Nobody should ever accept anything because I say it.
If you decide to dig in, you will discover that there are ZERO passages that ever tell us to listen to the whisper of the Holy Spirit to know what we should do. There are ZERO passages that ever tell us that Holy Spirit speaks to us through our thoughts and feelings. I don’t know where the idea came from that the Holy Spirit guides us that way, making us responsible to decode which thoughts are ours and which are the ones he planted in our heads. Wherever that came from, that idea does not come from God’s Word.
ROMANS 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
This is why spiritual formation is important. Those of you who’ve taken Practicing the Way, you know this. We’re always being formed. The question is, will be intentional? As our way of thinking conforms to the way of Jesus and the truth of Scripture, we’ll see that God’s will is clear and obvious.
Does anyone remember this from week 2?
God designed us with an intuitive framework. Just like our reasoning framework needs to align with the truth, this part of us needs to align with the truth. These are not enemies of each other; we are at our best when they complement each other, working in tandem. I do have a question.
Do you think it’s possible that we sometimes confuse what’s going on here, with the Holy Spirit speaking to us? Is it possible that we are vulnerable to confusing our intuitions, our own deep thoughts and feelings with the Holy Spirit?
There was a famous preacher in American history named George Whitefield. When his son was born, he thought God told him that his son was going to be a famous preacher, too. Tragically, his baby boy did a few months later. George Whitefield had to publicly admit that he confused his own thoughts and feelings for the voice of God.
I don’t to be so arrogant to assume my thoughts and feelings are God’s voice. When it comes to the sin of pride, I think that’d be towards the top. And yet, I don’t want to be so prideful to assume that there isn’t anything God might want to say. Our ambition should be to maintain an open, humble posture. And we can rest and be confident in that.
BOTTOM LINE: Move forward with what is CLEAR and trust the Holy Spirit to make CLEAR anything else you may need to know.
Spend some time reading the New Testament Book of Acts. You’ll discover that there are times when God communicates directly with people to instruct them to do something that he has specifically willed for them to do.
- Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8)
- Non-Jewish believers are supposed to be fully included in the church (Acts 15)
- Changing the Apostle Paul’s plans, telling him that he should go to Macedonia (Acts 16)
I have moments in my own life like that, where I think God intervened to align me something specific. Maybe you do to. But even in the book of Acts, these moments are incredibly rare. And every time that God intervened to communicate something that he specifically willed—100% of the time it was crystal clear and obvious.
- It was an angle.
- It was an unmistakable dream.
- It was audible, heard by multiple people.
- Or, we’re told, “The Holy Spirit said.”
But all of those moments combined, God only intervened to offer special instructions 17 times over at least two decades. Why so rare? Because when you’re walking in God’s ways, you’re walking in his will.
Move forward with what is clear and trust the Holy Spirit to make clear anything else you need to know. There are no tea leaves to read. There is no secret frequency. Be free. Be happy. Be confident.
I want to end by sharing a prayer that will help us joyfully, humbly, and confidently rest in God’s will.
Dear Jesus, I want to honor you with this choice that’s in front of me. I will happily obey your commands, pursue wisdom, and thoughtfully consider all that you’ve done in my life that has led me to this moment. I want ___________, but I want what’s most honoring to you even more than that. Please protect me equally from the sins of pride that would equate my own thoughts and feelings with your voice and from the pride that would discount your voice altogether. I will do what I believe is wise and honorable, fully trusting the Holy Spirit will make it clear if there is something else that you’ve chosen for me. Amen.