The Plan and Will of God (Study Outline)

God's Plan:

I. God will not fail to accomplish His purpose for creation (Job 42:2). All His plans will come to pass.

God planned the conclusion of this world from the beginning of its creation. He knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:8-11, Isaiah 45:21-24). He is all-knowing (omniscient).
- Because God knows the end from the beginning, He knows and has planned how He will take creation to the end that He planned.

II. God's Plan in Human Free Will -

God planned for His creation to be able to choose between good and evil—life or death (Genesis 2:15-17, Deuteronomy 30:19).
- Therefore, we have freedom to choose good or bad at any time.
- God planned out all His works from the beginning of creation (Acts 15:18).
- And God knew that parts of His creation (including some angels and humans) would rebel against Him. So...
  - Who will be in heaven and who will be in hell is foreknown by God because He knows the choices that every creature will make from the beginning (Romans 8:29, Acts 13:48, Revelation 13:8, 20:15).

God planned the exact time and place that every individual would be born into (Acts 17:26).
- He did this to give you, with your unique make-up, the best possible chance of coming to know Him. You exist in the time and place that made it most likely for you to be saved. So even though He knows those who will and will not be saved, He gave everyone the best chance to be saved. Some simply choose death.
Every day of and experience in your life is foreknown by God (Psalm 139:16, Proverbs 20:24).
And there is no such thing as luck or random chance. Even every roll of a dice or flip of a coin is predetermined by God (Proverbs 16:33).
- It is true that literally everything happens for a reason.

God's Will:

I. God's Will is Different from God's Desire.

If God had what He desired, no part of creation would have ever rebelled against Him.
- In this world God's desires are not always accomplished. The Bible speaks very little about God's desires, but one thing we certain of is that He desires everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

God's Will is everything that He allows to happen, but not what He wants to happen.
Sin and misfortunes in people's lives are a direct result of submitting to Satan's desires or the natural consequences of living in his sinful domain—the fallen world. And although this not ideal (not what God desires), it is allowed by God (His will) because He has given us and the enemy the freedom to choose. And natural consequences, misfortunes, and God's discipline, when we choose sin, are tactics used by God to guide us to repentance and ultimately salvation. (see Psalm 119:67 and 1 Corinthians 11:30-32 for examples).
So, afflictions and sufferings from the devil are allowed in God's will (2 Samuel 24:1 w/ 1 Chronicles 21:1, 1 Corinthians 10:13, Job 1:11-12, Luke 22:31-32), and He uses them to help us repent and grow.
- Rest assured that God does not allow the devil to do anything to you that you can't overcome (1 Corinthians 10:13). So, you don't have to be worried or fretful about the devil's works. God protects you!
Some of the world's hardships God does decree/send (Psalm 105:16), but all are at least allowed (Job 2:10, Lamentations 3:33-38, Amos 3:6-7, Romans 8:20-21).
- Hardships, even natural disasters, can teach people to turn from sin and increase their chances of coming to God.

II. God's Will is Perfect (Romans 12:2), and His Will is Always Done (Daniel 4:35, Job 42:2, Psalm 115:3).

Perfect does not mean the best case scenario will happen. Rather, when our choices cause the best case not to happen, God still works it out to reach His intended goal. His goal is to bring justice for all sin, and reconcile people back to Himself, regardless of what we choose.

III. As believers, we should want God's will and His desire to be done (Matthew 6:10).

Show that you want God's desire to be done by learning and obeying His Word so that others can come to repentance (Romans 12:2, 2 Peter 3:9).

IV. There is no reason to worry about or fear anything, because everything will work out to accomplish God's perfect plan (Proverbs 19:21, Psalm 37:8-13).

You are always in God's will for your life (Job 23:13-14, Psalm 31:15). BUT! This does not mean that your actions don't matter.
- If you make choices that are disobedient to the Word, God's will permits you to experience more natural consequences and misfortunes due to your sin—“sin leading to death” (Romans 6:23). Also see 1 Corinthians 11:29-30.
- But if you make choices that are obedient to the Word, you will be able to avoid most misfortunes in the world (Proverbs 12:21, 13:15).
- So, although there is no need to fear anything, there is a need to make the right choices if you desire a certain outcome.
Because God's will is perfect, you can trust that what He wills to happen is perfect for bringing about the greatest good that's possible in all circumstances in your life (Romans 8:28).
- Remember that the greatest good is bringing people to repentance (reconciling us back to Himself).

The Importance of Renewing Your Mind (Study Outline)

The Plan and Will of God (Study Outline)

Visions, Angels, and When They're Real (Study Outline)