Is Everything That Happens the Will of God

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Is Everything That Happens the Will of God?
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The Answer Is YES

• But it is a highly qualified yes.
• Yes, but in different ways

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It Was Gods Will

• Disaster, accident or illness
• She was the one
• Their time to go

God directly causes everything that happens
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The Blueprint View
God has drawn up a blueprint of everything that
will happen
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The Westminster Confession of Faith
God from all eternity did, by the most wise
and holy counsel of his own will, freely and
unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass yet
so as thereby neither is God the author of sin,
nor is violence offered to the will of his
creatures, nor is the liberty or contingency of
second causes taken away, but rather
established." (III.1)
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The Blueprint View Is Unbiblical

• God does not directly cause everything that
  happens.
• Many things happen that God does not wish would
  happen.

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2 Peter 3
9   The Lord is not slow about His promise, as
some count slowness, but is patient toward you,
not wishing for any to perish but for all to come
to repentance.
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1 Timothy 2
3   This is good and acceptable in the sight of
God our Savior, 4   who desires all men to be
saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
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Is Everything That Happens the Will of God?

• Yes, but highly qualified
• Yes, but in different ways

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God Desires and God Decides

• God is the direct cause of some events
• Examples
• Creation

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Revelation 4
11   "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to
receive glory and honor and power for You
created all things, and because of Your will they
existed, and were created."
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God Desires and God Decides

• God is the direct cause of some events
• Examples
• Creation
• Redemption

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Ephesians 1
4   just as He chose us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we would be holy
and blameless before Him. In love 5   He
predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus
Christ to Himself, according to the kind
intention of His will
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God Desires and Man Decides

• God has expressed what He desires for us to do in
  Scripture.

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Ephesians 5
17   So then do not be foolish, but understand
what the will of the Lord is.
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God Desires and Man Decides

• God has expressed what He desires for us to do in
  Scripture.
• But He has given us freedom to decide whether we
  will do what He desires.

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Matthew 7
21   Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord,
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does
the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
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Matthew 23
37   Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets
and stones those who are sent to her! How often I
wanted to gather your children together, the way
a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you
were unwilling.
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Man Decides and God Permits

• God allows things that are contrary to His
  desires.

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Acts 14
16   In the generations gone by He permitted all
the nations to go their own ways.
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God and Freedom

• How can God be King if we are free?
• He made the sovereign decision to give us freedom
• He can override this freedom any time he wishes
• He will crush all rebellion

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1 Corinthians 15
23   But each in his own order Christ the first
fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His
coming, 24   then comes the end, when He hands
over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He
has abolished all rule and all authority and
power. 25   For He must reign until He has put
all His enemies under His feet.
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Putting It All Together

• Much of what happens is Gods will only in the
  sense that He permits man (and spirits) to make
  free choices
• He has placed limits on this freedom.
• God will directly bring an end to sin and
  suffering

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1 John 5
14   This is the confidence which we have before
Him, that, if we ask anything according to His
will, He hears us. 15   And if we know that He
hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have
the requests which we have asked from Him.