At one time or another some of you may have read a book from a series known as the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series. These were some of my favorite books when I was younger because there were many different paths in which the story could meander… and I got to determine which one it would take. **AT THIS POINT IN MY SERMON, THE CONGREGATION GOT TO CHOOSE FROM A SERIES OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS… WE WILL MOVE ON**

Let me ask, how many of you have ever said or have ever heard someone say something like, “How do I know the will of God for my life?” or “I’m just seeking God’s will right now.” What do we mean by that? Most of us actually mean to say “I’m trying to figure out where to go next” or what profession to work toward or whom to marry… I need a little guidance on my life’s adventure. Well, I don’t know if I can tell you where to go next or what profession to work toward or whom to marry or what major to take in college, but I can tell you what God’s will is for your life. That is what we are looking at tonight… “Can I know God’s will for my life?” The answer is… absolutely.

***God’s will can be known, it can be proved, and it can be done!

I. God’s will can be known:

Romans 2:18

Yes, you know what he wants; you know right from wrong because you have been taught his law. (NLT)

You can LEARN God’s will! It can be known… God’s will can also be proved.

II. God’s will can be proved:

Romans 12:2

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 how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. (NLT)

III. God’s will can be done:

Matthew 6:9-10

9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (KJV)

We’ve seen that the “Lord’s Prayer” teaches us to pray that God’s will is done.

Colossians 4:12 tells us that we should be praying for one another to live in God’s will:

… He’s [Epaphras] been tireless in his prayers for you, praying that you’ll stand firm, mature and confident in everything God wants you to do. (The Message)

We now know that God’s will can be known, it can be proved, and it can be done.

We all know the beginning of “The Lord’s Prayer,” right? We say, “Thy will be done,” but do we even understand what the word “will” means?

Let’s begin by looking at the background of the word “will” as it is found in the bible. Now just so we are clear… I am not going to be talking about instances of the word “will” which is in future tense verbiage (i.e. I will be eating ice cream this evening).

Θέλημα – The Greek word for “will” is thelema (thel’-ay-mah). This Greek word occurs 64 times in the bible and means “a determination – i.e. (act.) choice or (pass.) inclination: – desire, pleasure, will

God’s will for your life is not some adventure through the Amazon rainforest or to swim across the Atlantic Ocean although those things may occur because of living in the center of God’s will… his thelema (thel’-ay-mah)… his desire for your life.

God’s thelema… his desire and pleasure is not imposed upon anyone. He DESIRES for us to DESIRE what He wants for us! So just what IS God’s will?

WHAT IS GOD’S WILL?

The will of God in our lives began LONG ago… the biggest part of His will for your life has already been executed perfectly…

Hebrews 10:9-14

9Then he added, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to establish the second. 10And what God wants is for us to be made holy be the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time. 11Under the old covenant, the priest stands before the altar day after day, offering sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12But our High Priest offered himself to God as one sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down at the place of highest honor at God’s right hand. 13There he waits until his enemies are humbled as a footstool under his feet. 14For by that one offering he perfected forever all those whom he is making holy. (NLT)

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was part of God’s will for your life… so that you would be saved. So, first we must get saved.

I. Get Saved

1 Timothy 2:3-4

3This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4for he wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. (NLT)

That only makes sense, right? You have to be saved in order to learn God’s will for your life. You might be surprised to find out that a large number of people would like to bypass this part and just want God to show them which door to go through next. God’s will is that you get saved… very simple… get saved! Have you got that one marked off your checklist? If so, then God also wants us to become spirit-filled and be thankful.

II. Become Spirit-Filled and Be Thankful

Ephesians 5:15-20

15So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. 16Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. 17Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you. 19Then you will sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20And you will always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Be careful how you live… not as fools but as those who are wise. If you’ve ever needed a scripture that tells you to avoid alcohol… it’s Ephesians 5:18… it tells you right there that getting drunk will ruin your life. If you are truly spirit-filled, then you will have no desire for getting drunk and you will not live foolishly, but as one with wisdom.

Also, we must be sure to be thankful…

1 Thessalonians 5:18

No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

III. Live in Holiness

1 Thessalonians 4:3-4

3God wants you to be holy, so you should keep clear of all sexual sin. 4Then each of you will control your body and live in holiness and honor

You all know how our culture is saturated with sex. It’s everywhere you look… we have sometimes become so desensitized to it that we don’t even realize that it is there… there most often as an advertising ploy. We even had an extremely difficult time finding a film that would be suitable for Church Movie Night one Sunday evening because even most of the “Family films” still had some objectionable content that often was sexual in nature. Why is Marilyn Monroe much more recognizable to the average American than James Monroe, our fifth president? We say that we have a real problem with the way that sex is portrayed in our culture… we say that it just isn’t the way God intended, yet the one place that you are unlikely to hear anything about sex is in the church. In all my years, I can only recall hearing one sermon (that is to say, in person) that was based in the Song of Solomon. Billy Graham’s autobiography, “Just As I Am,” discusses some of the rules and regulations that were imposed upon anyone that worked in his organization. One such rule was that a man or woman was not to be alone with a single member of the opposite sex that was not their spouse for any reason. This is because they understood that the Devil will use any little foothold that he can get and an innocent conversation can become something much larger even if it was never intended. The scripture says to keep clear of all sexual sin… don’t put yourself into tempting situations… not only that… think about all the possible situations ahead of time and avoid anything that could compromise your desire for holiness. Get Saved, Become Spirit-Filled, Live in Holiness, Submit to Authority.

IV. Submit to Authority

1 Peter 2:13-15

13For the Lord’s sake, accept all authority – the king as head of state, 14and the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish all who do wrong and to honor those who do right. 15It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who make foolish accusations against you.

Be a law-abiding citizen. If the law does not go against the bible, then obey the law. People may not notice you when you do right, but they sure do notice you when you do wrong and if you are claiming to be a Christian… then all you have done is hurt God’s Kingdom and possibly become a stumbling block for someone else in the process. If someone walks up to you and says, “That Louie Giglio is nothing but a liar and a cheat!” Louie’s life should cause the other person to say something like “I’ve known Louie for twenty-seven years and I have never known him to lie to me or try to cheat me. He’s a good man and I don’t know where in the world you would get a foolish idea like that!”

For the Lord’s sake… submit to authority!

V. Be Willing to Suffer

Many of you (again… the silly people in my church) have decided that Joel Osteen looks a bit like me. Now Joel has quite a large congregation in his church… he is seen on TV by millions every week… he has a best-selling book entitled “Your Best Life Now.” Here is some information about the book that is provided at joelosteen.com:

“Do you often dream of living a more rewarding life? Do you aspire to obtain a better job, a stronger marriage, a happier home? Do you wish for more gratifying relationships with your family and friends? Perhaps you simply want to accomplish more and leave a lasting legacy for future generations.”

These things sound great, right? However, I would suggest to you this evening that “happiness” is nothing more than a feeling that can be fleeting. I’m not always happy… now “joy” on the other hand… I’m joyful even when I am despondent. Why is that? Because my best life won’t happen NOW… my best life is LATER… found in an eternal life in heaven with Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior. If you need a better job or a stronger marriage to make you happy, then you could be in for a big disappointment. What about those of us who live in THIS fallen world filled with sin and pain? What about us who have lost a child or a loved one… have found out we have a terminal illness… have lost our jobs… our homes… our marriages. Things may go well in your life for a time… but there is a tragic event waiting just around the corner with your name on it… how will you respond? With happiness? I doubt it… but you could respond with joy because you know that your best life IS NOT NOW! Joel Osteen has left out a key ingredient… we MUST be willing to suffer.

1 Peter 4:1-2

1So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you are willing to suffer for Christ, you have decided to stop sinning. 2And you won’t spend the rest of your life chasing after evil desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. (NLT)

1 Peter 4:19

So if you are suffering according to God’s will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God who made you, for he will never fail you. (NLT)

1 Peter 3:17

Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!

Hebrews 10:32-36

32Don’t ever forget those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. 33Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. 34You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail. When all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew you had better things waiting for you in eternity. 35Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised. (NLT)

***** the key here is the phrase “according to God’s will” – you WILL suffer… but if you are living for God’s desires… his thelema… then keep on living this way… he has not abandoned you… and he will never fail you.

So, you want to know what God’s will is for you? It’s all contained in this book… the Bible.

Joshua 1:8-9

Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. GOD, your God, is with you every step you take. (The Message)

Watch this short but extremely funny clip from the Three Amigos:

God may be speaking to you… may be trying to get your attention… are you even listening? Or are you only listening where you might expect to find God speaking? Are you seeking direction in your life? If so, may I ask you… are you living fully and completely in the center of God’s will for your life? If not, I would like to pray for you and to help you take the steps to do so. Perhaps someone reading this needs to start at the top of the list and be saved. You cannot experience God’s will for your life without this crucial step.

Living a sanctified life… This is your great adventure… You get to choose what page to turn to next! Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid… don’t get discouraged… God, your God, is with you every step you take.