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Introduction
In your Bibles, turn to and put your finger there.
That’s where we’ll end up, but it will take us a bit to get there.
Quiz: Is this in the Bible?
#1
Moderation in all things.
God works in mysterious ways.
Do to others what you would have them to do you.
(, NIV)
#2
The eye is the window to the soul.
A soft answer turns away wrath.
(, ESV)
A soft answer turns away wrath.
(, ESV)
A fool and his money are soon parted.
#3
A fool and his money are soon parted.
This, too, shall pass.
Charity begins at home.
For everything there is a season (, ESV)
Starting a new series today called Lies Christians Swallow.
A big part of the content for this series comes from the book 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe by Larry Osborne.
This is important because what we believe determines how we live.
And, what we believe about God and the Bible has a tremendous impact on our faith in God.
Think about the disillusionment that sets in when somebody writes off God for failing to keep a promise He never made.
That’s why it’s important to base our beliefs on what the Bible actually says, and to debunk lies Christians swallow in favor of the truth of God’s Word.
Body
The Lie/Myth: God has a blueprint for my life.
Word search on LG insert...
Introduction
Have you ever asked God, “What is Your will for my life?”
Have you ever noticed that when we face a major life decision we suddenly get more interested in discovering God’s will for us?
People seek God’s will in a variety of creative ways.
Some of us look for signs, divine coincidences, and open doors.
Others talk of whether or not they have peace about a decision.
Still others seek wise counsel or a prophetic word from someone they believe has the gift of prophecy.
More people than you might think play Bible roulette.
I think the majority of us believe that God’s will is both important AND elusive.
Finding God’s will is like going on a cosmic Easter egg hunt, and we often come back with an empty basket, frustrated and discouraged.
But this leads us to a very important question: If God’s will is so important, why is it so hard to find?
Finding God’s will is like going on a cosmic Easter egg hunt, and we often come back with an empty basket, frustrated and discouraged.
But this leads us to a very important question: If God’s will is so important, why is it so hard to find?
The answer might surprise you: It’s not that hard to know God’s will for your life.
The vast majority of the time His will isn’t hidden—it’s not a mystery or an Easter egg hunt.
The reason why we often come up empty is because we’re looking for the wrong thing.
If you think Easter eggs are square and polka-dotted, you’ll come back with an empty basket every time, walking right past the one thing you want most in search of something you’ll never find.
The problem?
The problem is many of us believe that God has a blueprint for our lives.
A blueprint is a specific set of instructions that spell out everything in detail.
It’s so specific that anyone who can read and follow a set of plans can build exactly what the architect had in mind.
We tend to believe that God’s will for us is the same as a blueprint.
God has every detail of our lives spelled out specifically—our job, our house, our car, our spouse, our family, and everything else we do.
And if we believe that God has a blueprint for our lives, then we end up spending a lot of time looking for that special person, place, job, or thing that God has set aside just for us in His detailed blueprint.
And when we don’t find it, we get frustrated and, if we’re honest, a little miffed at God.
As a senior in high school, I was pretty frustrated with God when I spent hours and hours and hours praying about which college He wanted me to go to, and I never found the page of the blueprint that had that detail on it…
God doesn’t have a blueprint for my life.
Word search on LG insert...
This idea of a detailed blueprint for our lives is a myth.
It confuses God’s omniscience with His divine will.
God knows everything, even the number of hairs on my head.
But that doesn’t mean He has a detailed blueprint for my hair, so that I need to read the blueprint and figure whether or not it’s in His plan for me to get a haircut this week.
Granted, there are some examples in the Bible where God had a very specific and detailed plan for someone.
Hosea and Gomer.
Granted, there are some examples in the Bible where God had a very specific and detailed plan for someone.
He told Hosea to marry Gomer.
He told Moses and the nation of Israel exactly where to camp and when to move during their wanderings in the wilderness.
He changed the Apostle Paul’s missionary plans and wouldn’t allow him to go into Asia or Bithynia.
But these explicit instructions are the exceptions, not the norm—even in the lives of our biblical heroes.
Moses and the nation of Israel in the wilderness.
Paul’s missionary plans; wouldn’t allow him to go into Asia or Bithynia.
But these explicit instructions are the exceptions, not the norm—even in the lives of our biblical heroes.
“God does not have an ideal, detailed life-plan uniquely designed for each believer that must be discovered in order to make correct decisions.
The concept of an individual will of God in that sense cannot be established by reason, experience, biblical example or biblical teaching.”
~ Garry Friesen, Decision Making and the Will of God, p. 145
We wouldn’t want a blueprint anyway.
A blueprint...
Paralyzes us with fear.
Imagine the chaos that would ensue if just one person got just one detail from God’s blueprint wrong.
What if someone else buys the house God had picked out for you?
Or what if someone cheats on an entrance exam and takes the last open spot that you were supposed to get?
What if John Doe accidentally doesn’t marry Jane, and marries the wrong woman instead?
He’s just ruined everything for the entire world…
Destroys our freedom to choose.
It stunts maturity and growth.
When your kids are young, you give them very detailed instructions about everything… but as they grow older, you want them to begin making wise decisions that honor God and honor you on their own.
When your kids are young, you give them very detailed instructions about everything… but as they grow older, you want them to begin making wise decisions that honor God and honor you on their own.
I knew a middle-aged farmer in his 40’s who’d farmed with his dad his whole life.
When his dad had a heart attack and was on the verge of death, this guy was panicked because he’d never gotten to drive the planter or combine—his dad had always done that for him.
It skews our focus.
It puts our focus on finding what God’s plan is rather than becoming who God wants us to be.
Stunts our maturity and growth.
It’s just not biblical.
Finding a mate vs. becoming a person others would want to marry...
“God does not have an ideal, detailed life-plan uniquely designed for each believer that must be discovered in order to make correct decisions.
The concept of an individual will of God in that sense cannot be established by reason, experience, biblical example or biblical teaching.”
~ Garry Friesen, Decision Making and the Will of God, p. 145
God does have a game plan.
What’s the difference between a blueprint and game plan?
A game plan doesn’t spell out everything in detail, it sets forth general guidelines and principles, with lots of freedom and flexibility for adjustments as the game unfolds.
We watched the Badgers game yesterday and saw this played out in real life…
This idea of a game plan is exactly what God has for you and for me.
Understanding God’s game plan ()
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