THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE“We think you’re extremely qualified,” the executive headhunter pronounced. He had told me about a wonderful job opportunity. But there were complications. My wife and I were happy in our current life. The job would entail moving to a different state. I lived close to my aging parents. How would this affect them? How would this impact my children? Was a move financially prudent? My head was swimming with questions.

I wanted to do God’s will—but what was it? I didn’t want to make a mistake with my life! How could I be certain which choice was God’s best for my future?

Have you been there? Some decisions are painless, like what we’ll wear or where we’ll go for lunch. But many other decisions are life-altering. Should I apply to this college or that one? Should I marry this person? Should I apply for that position? Should I buy this house?

Our life is the sum of the choices we make. Let’s consider how involved God desires to be in those decisions—the big ones and the little ones.

1 | God’s Will and My Will

BIBLE STUDIES FOR L IFE 55© 2019 LifeWay Christian Resources

En

ga

ge

GROUP TIME

THE POINT: Seek to align your ________ with God’s ________ .

God is actively involved in His creation, working out His purposes, day by day, year by year, and century by century . Every plan God has for His creation enjoys the full backing of heaven to ensure its success .

KNOWING GOD’S WILLWhich of the following best describes your understanding of God’s will for this season of your life? Circle your choice .

A. Pot of gold at the end of a rainbow B. Cold case C. Hide and seek

D. Set of clear instructions E. Other: _____________________

Ephesians 1:4-6 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him. 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

We are __________ by God’s will. God knew you before the earth was formed or time began . Before Adam and Eve walked in the garden, God was preparing for you . Not only was He planning for you, He chose you . The theological term for this is predestination, but what exactly does that mean? Christians have long debated the meaning of predestination; it’s taught in Scripture, as is the idea of our free will . (See 2 Peter 3:9, 1 John 2:2 .) So how do we balance these? Do we have any choice, or is every aspect of our lives predetermined by God? For the moment, let’s focus on some key phrases Paul used in this passage .

Chosen in Christ. God chose us “in him” (v . 4) . We’re not chosen apart from Christ . We’re not chosen by God for anything we have done or would contribute to His kingdom . Being chosen by God is wrapped up in our relationship with Christ .

Chosen to be holy and blameless in love. Christ is holy and blameless, and because we are in Him, we’re to be holy and blameless . We still sin, but we’re forgiven in Christ .

56 SESS ION 1© 2019 LifeWay Christian Resources

Adopted as His sons. In Paul’s time, only sons were eligible to be heirs and to be granted the authority, privileges, and resources of the father . By choosing men and women as His “sons” (v . 5), God is making them equal heirs . God adopted us “for himself” (v . 5), that is, for a relationship with Him .

Chosen according to the pleasure of God’s will. God’s focus is on ensuring that His good and perfect will comes to pass . When it does, we experience the full measure of God’s boundless love, and we bring praise and glory to God .

Romans 11:33-36 33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways! 34 For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? 35 And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid? 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.

A full understanding of God’s sovereign will is a __________ to us. While the truth that God chose us to have a relationship with Him in Christ is amazing, it does raise questions . Does God choose us even if we don’t want Him to? Does God choose some people but not others? How can we know what God’s will and purposes are?

In Romans 9–11, Paul presented God’s divine election in terms of both Israel’s unbelief and God’s mercy to those outside Israel . He raised the issue of God’s seeming injustice because He shows mercy to some but not to others . Admittedly, this is a difficult section of God’s Word, and Paul himself called the topic “this mystery” (Romans 11:25) . Even today, Christians want to fully understand and explain the relationship between God’s sovereign will and our own free will . We should keep in mind that Paul, who had received the best education available, ultimately discovered that he couldn’t comprehend the infinite depths of God’s wisdom .

Romans 12:1-2 1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

God reveals what we need to know as we __________ to Him. Paul urged us to not only surrender ourselves to God, but to resist the corrupting influence of sin in our world . We must daily choose to reject the world’s thinking and values, and to allow God to continually transform our thinking until we view life through His eyes . Surrendering our will to God’s will isn’t a one-time decision . When we choose to follow God and surrender to His will, we will discover just how “good, pleasing, and perfect” (v . 2) it is!

BIBLE STUDIES FOR L IFE 57© 2019 LifeWay Christian Resources

When we base our life on our best thinking, we short-change ourselves. Consider the following suggestions.

Praise. Praise God for His love and mercy. Thank Him for working in your life.

Review. Sometimes it’s easier to see the purposes of God by looking in the rearview mirror. Look back on key moments in your life and consider how God was at work in each of those situations. Make a list of your findings as a reminder that God is at work even though you may not fully understand how.

Share. Identify an area in your life where you’re seeking to know God’s plans. Enlist a trusted friend to partner with you in prayer for the next few weeks. Check in weekly to discuss what God has been teaching you.

LIVE IT OUT

Want to go a step further? Gather with two or three Christ-followers of the same gender. Read Ephesians 1:4-6 and Romans 11:33–12:2. Then use the following summary and questions for a deeper discussion.

God’s people have always lived with a tension between God’s will and our own free will. The Bible affirms both, but in our finite minds, it can be difficult to reconcile the sovereign will of God and our own ability to choose. It’s comforting to know that God’s sovereign will is linked to His love for us. We can know and follow His will for us as we willingly live to please Him.

What does it mean to be holy and blameless? What does that look like in our day-to-day lives?

What are the benefits of being reminded of God’s vast wisdom and knowledge?

Where do you currently have an opportunity to align yourself with God’s will?

TALK IT OUT

58 SESS ION 1

THE POINT | Seek to align your will with God’s will.

© 2019 LifeWay Christian Resources

DAY 1: In Christ, God adopts us as His own.Read Ephesians 1:4-6.

In Ephesians 1:5, Paul describes Christians as “predestined,” a term that speaks of purpose . The issue of what it means that God predestined believers is a highly debated topic . Still, we can dig into this passage to learn all we can . Paul didn’t merely say that God predestined us but that He “predestined us to be adopted” (v . 5) .

Adoption indicates a new relationship . Paul wrote this text in the first-century world ruled by Rome when adoption was an elaborate process and actually involved a symbolic act . The new father had to buy his adopted son from his birth father . Once this act was completed and approved by the local Roman authorities, the adopted son instantly acquired all the rights and privileges of his new family . In another of his epistles, Paul said that God sent His Son (Galatians 4:4) so that we could be adopted as sons and become heirs (v . 7) . Of course, the final part of our inheritance will come in eternity (Revelation 21–22) .

The apostle Paul added that our adoption was “according to the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians 1:5) . The focus here isn’t primarily on those who are saved . Rather, salvation through Jesus Christ is according to God’s plan for redemption; He delights in redeeming people .

Memorize Ephesians 1:4 as a reminder that you’ve been created by God for a relationship with Him.

“For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.”

E P H E S I A N S 1 : 4

DAILY STUDY

BIBLE STUDIES FOR L IFE 59BIBLE STUDIES FOR L IFE 59© 2019 LifeWay Christian Resources

DAY 2: God’s wisdom surpasses any earthly wisdom.Read Romans 11:33.

By the beginning of the twentieth century, human knowledge had been doubling every 100 years . It’s estimated that human knowledge is currently doubling every thirteen months—and may eventually double every twelve hours!4 While that rapid growth of knowledge might greatly enhance the quality of human life, we still can’t answer everything . The twentieth century was the most advanced, scientific, and educated century in human history, and yet more people died from wars and violence than in any previous age . Humanity may boast of its rapidly increasing knowledge, but it continues to suffer from a scarcity of wisdom .

When it comes to the wisdom of God and the ways He works among us, we must end the discussion with the same declaration Paul made at the end of Romans 11: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways!” (v . 33) . Paul didn’t shout this with a voice of resignation, but with a humble awareness of God’s greatness .

Go to BibleGateway.com and re-read Romans 11:33 in a few translations, noting the different ways God’s wisdom is described.

60 SESS ION 1

THE POINT | Seek to align your will with God’s will.

© 2019 LifeWay Christian Resources

DAY 3: God’s wisdom leads us to praise Him.Read Romans 11:34-36.

Instead of bewilderment in the ways of God, Paul was drawn to praise Him . “For from him and through him and to him are all things . To him be the glory forever . Amen” (v . 36) .

Since there is an infinite disparity between our knowledge and God’s, how should we mere mortals relate to our almighty Creator? God has an answer to our most difficult questions . He knows the future . He knows the purpose for which He created us . He understands how He uniquely fashioned us . He knows our strengths and our weaknesses .

We may not fully understand what God is doing in our lives, but certain things about God can be known . Scripture is clear that God is love; He is full of grace and mercy toward us . So in those moments when we don’t understand, we can trust He will work out those moments in ways that are consistent with His character . And for that, we can praise Him .

In the space below, list a few words or phrases that describe God’s character. In prayer, praise Him for each of these descriptions and for His unmatched wisdom.

DAY 4: God’s wisdom leads us to surrender our lives

to His purposes.Read Romans 12:1.

Paul began this section by saying “therefore” (v . 1) . What he was about to write is based on all he had written in the first eleven chapters of Romans . Christ saved us and made us free . God adopted us as His own children and made us fellow heirs with Christ . In light of the magnificent gifts God freely gives us, Paul urged us to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice” (v . 1) .

The language Paul used reminds us of an Old Testament sacrifice . The difference is the sacrifice he called us to make is a “living sacrifice .” Of course the challenge of offering a living sacrifice is keeping it on the altar! Many Christians struggle with surrender . We’re fine with making commitments because that leaves us in control . It can seem demeaning, however, to surrender ourselves to someone else and to relinquish all control over our life . As with all sacrifices offered to God, the sacrifice of our lives must be holy and acceptable to Him—and that means not just any sacrifice will do . We’re called to a total surrender of everything .

Identify anything in your life that you would admit isn’t pleasing to God. Take steps this week to surrender this to the Lord.

BIBLE STUDIES FOR L IFE 61© 2019 LifeWay Christian Resources

DAY 5: The Holy Spirit enables us to know God’s perfect will.

Read Romans 12:2.

In this verse, Paul urged us to not allow the world to shape us into its mold with its values and perspectives . Our culture is permeated with ungodly, evil, self-centered messaging that bombards our hearts and minds . The world constantly tells us that we deserve to be happy and to do whatever we desire . Such thinking leads to self-centered, destructive, and immoral living . It certainly doesn’t glorify God .

Instead, we’re to allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds so we see people as God views them and to value what God esteems . We must allow our thinking to be transformed and set free by the Holy Spirit, who knows what is good and holy and pleasing to God . It’s only when God renews our minds, enabling us to have the mind of Christ so we think as He does, that we’re able to know, appreciate, and embrace God’s perfect will for our lives .

Are you consistently allowing God to “renew your mind” through times of Bible study, prayer, and worship? Identify any obstacles that might keep you from spending time with God; then take steps to remove these barriers.

“The Holy Spirit illuminates the minds of people, makes us yearn for God, and takes spiritual truth and makes it understandable to us.”

B I L L Y G R A H A M

62 SESS ION 1

THE POINT | Seek to align your will with God’s will.

© 2019 LifeWay Christian Resources