God's Will Hunting

As we discuss this over the internet you may want to open your Bible to the book of Matthew, chapter 26 beginning at verse 36....

Then Jesus brought them to an olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go ahead to pray.” He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he begun to be filled with anguish and deep distress. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me.” He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want Your will, not mine.” (NLT)

While I was reading a book containing selections by C.S. Lewis, titled, “The Joyful Christian,” I was drawn to a brief comment he made regarding, “Thy will be done.” This opened up a journey for me; digging into the Bible; seeking through much prayer over this statement; and then outlining these thoughts I now want to share with you all.

I’ve titled this blog, “God’s Will Hunting” because in the process of developing this topical study I am discovering to find His Will… it really requires an active ajd very directed effort. Finding God’s will is much more than just “seeking”. To me, seeking something is a term that is not so directed, or purposeful as hunting for something.

Hunting involves having the right equipment and training. It involves having a system or technique to follow that will provide me with the best opportunity of tracking down my target. It requires discipline and even practice.

Take a moment and think about it....The last time you lost your car keys did you “seek them” hoping that the two of you would find each other? Or did you hunt them down? Do you go on a job seek or a job-hunt? When one of those B-52 sized cockroaches gets in your house, do you “just look for it, seek it, or are you on a search and destroy mission, hunting that bugger down, saying, “I will not rest until I hunt you down!” Which is basically true because you know it just might find it’s way into your bed or lay eggs in your box of Raisin Bran cereal tonight, only to pour it into your bowl and wonder if that was just a bad raisin you just eat.

Do you want our nation to just seek threats to our nation’s security like Osama bin Laden or do you want every resource available to the United States to hunt for these terrorists?

We need to be equipped and prepared to find out what God’s will is for each of us. We need to go on the hunt.
We go “God’s will hunting” by recognizing the following six key components:
1) We have a choice
2) We are needed
3) We need to know the cost and benefit of doing God’s will
4) We need to know where to find it, to hunt for it.
5) We need to know it’s more than just words we are saying
and
6) We need to know how to hunt for it.

Do I Have A Choice?
Yes, you do have a choice; God has granted each of us the ability and right to make our own choices. We are not created robots, and this is what we call “Freewill.” And freewill is our greatest gift and our biggest curse. It allows us to make wonderful and amazing choices and can cause us great sorrow, hardship, and ultimately sin.

Proverbs 11:27 states, “If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!”

Yes, you do have choices; it’s our freewill decisions that we need to make each and every day of our lives. And one critical decision we must make some time in our lives is in regards to our salvation.

In the large and absolute sense we can totally deny God by not choosing salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, thereby rejecting God with finality. As C.S. Lewis describes it, we can look up to God and say, “Your will be done.” or through our absolute, total and final rejection of God, God can look down upon us and say, “Your will be done.” Thus, we find ourselve in the dark and hellish-side of the judgment day we all will face.

I am assuming all of you reading this blog are Christians and we have made the choice to accept God’s gift of salvation. We still need to deal with our “conditional” choice of hunting for and doing God’s Will.

My own past is checkered with prayers, “That God’s will be done in my life,” but it always seems to have the following words attached somewhere:
And,
If,
Or,
But.
.... Fill in the blank yourself: “Lord, Your will be done, but....” or.....” If.......” and .....”

How about, “Lord, let Your will be done in my life, I AM YOUR SERVANT! Send me anywhere and to whomever you want… But , there needs to be running water, clean toilets, and the people must speak English. Did I mention they have to have air conditioning in their homes, get all that and I’m good to go!”

Are we filling in the blank with OUR selfish ambitions, OUR dreams, OUR comfort, OUR rules set against doing God’s will?

REALLY NOW, if God called me to do it;

Am I willing to give up my job? A job I absolutely love, surrounded by people that bless me so much with their friendship?

Am I willing to give up living happily here in Hawaii?

Am I willing to sacrifice my desire to be married and have my own children?

AM I WILLING TO COMPLETELY SURRENDER MY LIFE when I say, “Lord, Your will be done?”

So since we have a choice, we need to make a choice, remember that thing called “freewill” will always be there...

So what does the Bible tell us? Is there something we should know? We see Jesus teaching us the importance of wanting to do God’s will in the prayer model presented in the Gospel of Matthew where Christ says,
Pray like this: “Our Father in heaven, may Your Name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. May Your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven....”

Jesus knows how critical it is to have God’s will being done here on earth as it is in heaven. You will see how critical it is when we look again toward Jesus at Gethsemane. You see Jesus prays that God’s will be done on earth—on the cross at Calvary, and how that is all part of God’s will in heaven.

Am I Needed?
Yes, we ARE the church, we ARE the body of Christ, and each of us serves a unique function in the body of Christ. When we each function, as God wants us to, we are a fully functioning body, and everything works well together.

When the individual parts of our body are in tip-top shape, we are healthy. If my mind is functioning well (okay, that’s a bad example for me, and no “Amen’s” from my e-friends here), If your mind is functioning well, then the rest of the body is too, just as when your physical body is not well, your mind is not well either.

Think for a moment about an engine… What part of the engine, is the engine. The pistons would claim they are the engine, the spark plugs would claim they are the engine, when in reality together they make up the engine and when all the parts work, there is a sound, clean-running machine. Now, my car’s engine is an example of a bad running engine, I call it my prayer mobile and helps me illustrate the importance that each part of the engine (the body) is needed.

As Romans 8:28 says,
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.

Let me illustrate how we each are needed and that God selected each of us for His purposes through the story of Esther.

You will find the book of Esther in the Old Testament, between Nehemiah and Job. Let me set the stage:

Esther was a Jewish woman who found herself chosen as the queen of the Persian-Mede Empire. Through some very deceitful and cruel efforts by a guy named Haman who hated the Jews, King Xerxes, her husband, was convinced to make a decree that called for the annihilation of all the Jews on a single day.

Mordecai, Esther’s uncle, sends a message to Queen Esther that she must go before the King and beg for mercy. The problem was that unless the King called for you to enter his inner court of the palace you could be put to death instantly.

Let’s pick up from there together, turning to the book of Esther, chapter 4, starting at verse 13:
Mordecai sent back this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that you will escape there in the palace when all other Jews are killed. If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. What’s more, who can say but that you have been elevated to the palace for just such a time as this?”

You may want to underline that in your Bible: for just such a time as this.

Please realize that God has placed you, where you are, “for just such a time as this.” It may not be in the present sense, it could be some time off in the future and God is preparing the stage, putting all the pieces in place.... YOU need to be ready, to be equipped, ready to do God’s will.

Who do you know that is ready to do God’s will?

Ka’ala Souza—ready to do God’s will for just such a time as the pastor right here at my church, Mana’olana.

Countless missionaries—ready to do God’s will for just such a time as this in third-worldcountries as long-term missionaries to the indiginous peoples.

Billy Graham—ready to do God’s will for just such a time as this everywhere he goes, with everyone he meets.

President George W. Bush—ready to do God’s will for just such a time as this in our nation. Who can say but God that George Bush has been elected and re-elected to the Presidency for just such a time as this?
(What’s the scripture reference…the one stating God choses the rulers of nations?)

Are you ready to do God’s will for just such a time as this, after all, you are needed.

What Are The Costs And The Benefits?
Looking farther into Esther’s life we see she too had to evaluate the cost of doing God’s will. This is her choice:
Beginning at verse 15--Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: “Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the King. If I must die, I am willing to die.”

Esther recognized the costs. Fortunately she didn’t die and she saved the Jews from genocide.

Jesus knew the costs--He said, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death,” and He called it a “cup of suffering.”

We see the costs demonstrated in the lives of Peter, of Paul, and of the other disciples. We see it today through the saints and martyrs around the world. We may even see it in those lives around us or perhaps in our own lives...

I’m not going to sugar coat or gloss over the possible cost of doing God’s will. Yes, it is very possible things could get rough, could be difficult, could get ugly, could even cost us our lives. But as Jesus explains;
...”If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?...”
Luke 9:23b-25

Digging deeper, it means if I surrender my will to what my flesh, my sin nature, my mind desires, I will lose my life. Now that is a cost when I choose to ultimately NOT obey God’s will.

Now all this might lead us to think that when it comes to doing God’s will, it means: “Our good thing surrendering to God’s bad thing.” That means I’m not going to like it, that doing God’s will means all sorrow and suffering....

I can tell you, that in all the years I followed my own free will, saying, “Keiger’s will be done,” there was sorrow, suffering, and spiritual-death. Living selfishly, partying, drinking, smoking and focusing only on what I wanted and what felt good to me, was killing me, spiritually, and perhaps closer than I realized at the time; nearly killing me physically on more than one occasion In a song I heard last night by Plankeye—“I realize death takes many forms, even while alive”. ….It was as if I wanted to hold on to, “My bad things not surrendering to God’s good things.”

Now, by looking at the benefits of the Gospel and grabbing hold of God’s will, we will realize that it really means: “Our seemingly good things surrendering to God’s SO MUCH BETTER things.”

1 Corinthians 2:9--
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

Let’s now look at Ephesians 1:18--
I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future He has promised to those He called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance He has given to His people. That is us.

Ka’ala and his family know the costs and delight in the benefits of doing God’s will.

Those missionaries have weighed the costs of living in remote third-world countries. They have discovered the benefits are much more than enough for them, as they tromp through muddy animal pastures that are not just filled with mud if you know what I mean….

Billy Graham knows the costs and the benefits.

President Bush knows the costs of publicly professing his Christian beliefs and finds the benefits to be more than he could ever dare to ask or hope for.

You and I must hunt for God’s will and know the costs and that the benefits of doing God’s will is greater…for just such a time as this, saying, “Yet I want Your will, not mine.”

Let’s briefly recap: we see that the Hunt for God’s Will involves a choice, recognizing the need for our involvement, and the possible costs and the benefits.

Where Do I Hunt For God’s Will?
First, hunt for evidence of God’s will for you in His Word; the Bible. 2 Timothy 3: 16-17 says,
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for EVERY GOOD THING GOD WANTS US TO DO.

So spend time, energy and an open heart and mind in God’s word, please don’t let today be the only day you read or hear God’s words. If this is your only time each week, you may find yourself one day “anemic” and unable to withstand the troubles, tribulations and struggles of life. If you are not mining God’s word frequently or better yet, daily, you are spiritually undernourished.

Now follow up spending time in His Word, with time really communicating with Him, talking to God and listening to God in your heart.... Continuously hunt for God’s will through prayer!

James 1:5 says,
If you need wisdom--if you want to know what God wants you to do--ask Him, and He will gladly tell you....
But you had better understand the warning that follows in verses 6-8 too. You can look that up later.

Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit....
is what it says in Ephesians 6:18.

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
Colossians 4:2

And 1 Thessalonians 5:17 simply says,
Keep on praying.

You need to have a disciplined approach to studying God’s word and to praying.

You need to be equipped with the tools and be trained-up in your faith and in your obedience.

You need to know where to look (the Bible) and who to turn to when you have questions about hunting for God’s will.

You need to ask God—communicate with Him, without ceasing. Pray without ceasing.

God’s Will Hunting Is More Than Just Words!
We have to do more than just hear this message and mouth it with words lacking obedience and effort.
Jesus explains this in the Gospel of Matthew 21:28-31
“But what do you think about this? A man with two sons told the older boy, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘No, I won’t go,’ but later he changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son, ‘You go,’ and he said, ‘Yes, sir, I will.’ But he didn’t go. Which of the two was obeying his father?”

What’s your answer? The first, of course, see we need to act upon God’s instructions for us.

James 1:22, it says,
And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don’t obey, you are only fooling yourself.

Luke 6:46-49
“So why do you call me ‘Lord,’ when you won’t obey me? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then obeys me. It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who listens and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will crumble into a heap of ruins.”

Again, I have to ask myself:

If the Lord calls me to do so;

Am I willing to give up my job?

Am I willing to give up living here in Hawaii?

Am I willing to sacrifice my desire to be married and have my own children? See, I could go out in my own efforts and after MY WILL and get married and possibly be miserable for the rest of my life….because I am out of the will of God…Abraham and Sarah moved ahead of God…forcing their will…and he slept with Hagar the servant….that was not God’s Will….and it brought about heartache and hardship….I’d rather skip that one…so, again I have to ask:
AM I WILLING TO COMPLETELY SURRENDER MY LIFE when I say, “Lord, Your will be done”?

Hear what I am saying..... Evaluate it for yourself..... It’s time to ask yourself some tough questions and be willing and able to make a huge decision and go through with it.

“Willing and Able” I say that so often.... it’s the magic phrase that lets me sit in the exit row, with the extra legroom on the plane. But for your sake, you better believe that I really mean it, and that I will go through with that commitment.... because I had better not just be saying it, right?

So imagine what would happen if I was really only mouthing “willing and able to assist in the event of an emergency.” What would happen if I had never paid attention to the flight attendant’s demonstration or the emergency briefing card? What would happen if I had NO INTENTION, what so ever, to do anything at all?
DISASTER!

It has to be more than just words to me and it has to be more than just words when you say you will do God’s will—obey!

Remember the parable of the farmer’s seeds? It can be found in Luke 8: 4-17. It describes a seed that is scattered and the birds quickly eat it; a seed that is scattered in shallow, rocky soil; a seed that is scattered on thorny ground; and the seed that is planted in fertile soil. Each seed represents our lives, the seed eaten by the birds are people who hear of God’s love and gift of salvation through Christ and reject it. The seed on shallow, rocky ground represents those who only try-on God’s will/salvation and when things don’t work out easily, when they don’t get everything the way the see it, they reject God. The seed in thorny ground allows their own desires, selfish ambition, plans to interfere and destroy God’s will. And the seed in fertile soil is obedient and produces a huge harvest…what kind of seed do you want to be. Just imagine the harvest we could have if we all plant ourselves in fertile soil.

How To Hunt For God’s Will.
A great place to start is the whole chapter of Romans 12 will tell you how to hunt for God’s will:

Beginning at verse 1—
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind He will accept. When you think of what He has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is.

You can hunt for the rest of the answer yourself in chapter 12.....

At the beginning of this message, I read to you part of Jesus’ time in Gethsemane, let’s turn back there now....

We can pick it up from Matthew 26:42…
Again he left them and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away until I drink it, Your will be done.” He returned to them again and found them sleeping, for they just couldn’t keep their eyes open. So he went back to pray a third time, saying the same things again. Then he came to His disciples and said, “Still sleeping? Still resting? Look, the time has come. I, the Son of Man, am betrayed into the hands of sinners. Up, let’s be going. See, my betrayer is here!”

I will finish here, but as I’m sure you know it wasn’t finished there.... Jesus was arrested, His disciples deserted Jesus, Jesus was mocked and beaten, and Jesus was tortured by death on the cross..... As our great and final sacrifice that we might have life eternal.... Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead and one day soon Jesus will come back to earth for us and will pronounce final judgment on each one of us-- and we each know in our hearts where we stand.....

Let’s close our eyes for a moment, open our hearts, and let’s go hunting....God’s will hunting.

My favorite prayer for you all….
When I think of the wisdom and scope of Your plan, I fall on my knees and pray to You the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from Your glorious, unlimited resources You will give us mighty inner strength through Your Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in our hearts as we trust in You Lord. May our roots go down deep into the soil of Your marvelous love. And may we have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love really is. May we experience the love of Christ, though it is so great we will never fully understand it. Then we will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from You Lord. Now glory be to You, God! By Your mighty power at work within us we know You Lord are able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May You be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen.

Now, here’s some questions for you to consider….I know I asked this before, but I want us to delve back in on this again, afresh, anew….

I have never heard the audible voice of God. For that matter, I have never seen the Hand of God writing on a wall; speaking through an ass (Donkey, you guys) or a small still voice--a whisper. Nothing that noteworthy, or in such Biblical proportions.
Now, the Bible has those examples and others, but what I want to discuss is if anyone else "hears God's voice"....
If you "hear from God" how do you know?
What are some things to look for, as evidence it is God?How do you hear Him?What does He say?
Does the Word of God “speak” to you? Can you read a scripture and it strike you differently or afresh?
Is there a difference between hearing God's voice and the Holy Spirit's urgings and promptings?
How do you separate your own inner voice and His?
Hmm, inquiring minds want to know...