Detailed Notes: COV018     5.6.21

Your will be done 2

Dear brethren,

In my last sharing, I considered with you the 2^nd half of

Matt. 6:10: Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

Our prayer ‘Your will be done…’ is the longing of our hearts that God's will be done – and we pray to God accordingly - beginning with our own hearts and lives.

I considered with you:

What ought to be our approach to life

• in line with our prayer: ‘Your will be done’.

Practical outworking of living by the principle and spirit of: Your will be done

I covered with you 2 points

1. Not passive acceptance

- not the attitude: ‘everything that happens is the will of God’

2. ‘Your will be done’: Practical implications:

actively praying and striving in this direction

• that God's will be done
• for our own lives and the lives of others
• for every issue and every situation
• in kingdom building and the fulfilment of God’s purposes – the bigger picture
• looking to the Lord to guide and enable us
• not our own strength and ways
• including overcoming spiritual opposition.

We reflected on the example of the Lord Jesus when He prayed to God the Father:

‘Not My will but Yours be done’: Luke 22:42  

The Lord Jesus was committed to the will of God the Father

• even when He knew it meant the most painful, agonising suffering – the death of the Cross.

Q. Are we serious in our commitment to God’s perfect will?

• in everything, in every area, all the time?
• even when inconvenient, disinclined, very difficult, painful?

Not passive acceptance of all that take place

• but actively looking to the Lord to do His will, promoting the will of God being done, and prepared to follow the will of God and enter into difficult and painful situations we know the Lord desires of us.

This is the meaning of commitment, consecration, true discipleship, true faith

• the way to a rich, fulfilling life
• in Christ, guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

God is looking for believers with this kind of commitment and faith in Him – unwavering faith and commitment

• such believers are reliable, trustworthy
• God will be pleased and will have much freedom to work deeply in and through such believers.

It does not mean we do not falter and stumble.

When we do, we ask God for forgiveness and ask Him to help us get up and continue this journey with Him – and look to Him to help us to fare better – our basic, settled posture.

I now want to consider further with you: Practical outworking of living by the principle and spirit of: Your will be done

How to work out our lives bearing in mind two principles

• Not passive acceptance of all that takes place
• Actively looking to the Lord to enable us to live out His will.

Let us learn from the perfect example of the Lord Jesus

John 18:11  

So Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath;

the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”

John 10:39  

Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him,

and He eluded their grasp.

Notice the contrasting response of the Lord Jesus in the two incidents.

In Jn 18:11: the Lord Jesus says:

‘the cup which the Father has given Me shall I not drink it?’

The Lord Jesus was about to be arrested – and He did not resist arrest.

He recognised it was the will of God the Father for Him to submit to the arrest – climaxing in the crucifixion

• He will drink the cup which God the Father had given Him.

But in the earlier incident in John 10:39,

when the people tried to seize him, He eluded them.

The Lord Jesus did not simply accept passively everything taking place as God’s will.

Even if an event about to take place is consistent with God's will, timing is important.

In John 8:59, when they tried to stone Him,

the Lord Jesus did not passively accept it as the will of God and allowed Himself to be stoned.

John 8:59  

Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him,

but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

In Luke 4, the people wanted to throw the Lord Jesus down the cliff – but He did not allow it to take place.

Luke 4:28–30  

28 And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things;

29 and they got up and drove Him out of the city, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city had been built, in order to throw Him down the cliff.

30 But passing through their midst, He went His way.

When the Lord Jesus knew they wanted to take Him by force to make Him king, He did not allow it to take place.

John 6:15  

So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

In all 4 situations in John 10, John 8, Luke 4 and John 6,

the Lord Jesus did not passively accept what was about to take place as the will of God.

He knew what was about to take place was not the will of God

• and He did not allow them to take place.

The Lord Jesus always sought to do and say what God the Father desired of Him, what is pleasing to God the Father

• even if it meant the Cross:

John 8:28–29  

28 So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative,

but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.

29 “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.”

Example of the apostle Paul

Like the Lord Jesus, the apostle Paul did not accept passively everything taking place as God’s will.

E.g., he did not passively accept scourging by the men of commander Lysias as the will of God.

Acts 22:25  

But when they stretched him out with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman and uncondemned?”

Neither did Paul passively accepted the proposal for him to go to Jerusalem to stand trial there – as the will of God.

Acts 25:9–11  

9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?”

10 But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know.

11 “If, then, I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not refuse to die; but if none of those things is true of which these men accuse me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.”

Paul knew the Jews might set an ambush to kill him on the way to Jerusalem – as they did on a previous occasion.

Acts 25:3 tells us there was actually such an ambush to kill Paul.

It is clear Paul was not unwilling to go through difficulties, hardship, pain and suffering – and always try to avoid them

• minimise unnecessary suffering – yes.

Paul was prepared to endure much pain and suffering.

He was prepared to choose a course of action he knew would result in much suffering

• and even to lay down his life
• for the sake of the gospel and the name of the Lord Jesus
• to be faithful and fulfil what the Lord had entrusted to him
• to fulfil the will of God.

He testified to the elders of the church in Ephesus:

Acts 20:22–24  

22 “And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

23 except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.

(Paul was prepared to go to Jer. even though he knew bonds and afflictions awaited him)

Paul's settled attitude and approach to life:

24 “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God. (to fulfil God's will for his life)

Acts 21:10–14  

10 As we were staying there for some days,

a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”

12 When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem.

13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”

14 And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!” (these words express the heart of Paul)

We too will have to face and to go through many difficulties in practical outworking if we want to live out the principle: Your will be done.

We must be prepared to deny ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow the Lord:

Luke 9:23: And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.

We must be willing and prepared to be misunderstood, maligned, go through hardships, pain and anguish - anything

• but not passively accepting everything that comes our way as the will of God
• yet actively choosing what we recognise to be the will of God – even when we know it would be very difficult, agonising.

We must look to the Lord for wisdom to discern His will for us, for others - and for situations and specific issues

• and how the Lord wants us to respond and live out the principle and spirit of: Your will be done
• in the different situations and issues of life
• persevere.

The sovereignty of God

Are we sometimes upset, discouraged because we think circumstances or men, and the forces of darkness have obstructed, hindered us from following the Lord and serving Him effectively? – may appear that way.

Do we sometimes feel helpless and the situation seems hopeless? We may feel that way.

To live out meaningfully the principle and spirit of ‘Your will be done’, it is important to exercise true faith accompanied by a proper appreciation of the sovereignty of God.

God is sovereign

When we are committed to live out God's perfect will and look to Him to guide and enable us, we can meaningfully trust Him to undertake and help us live out a fruitful and truly satisfying life

• because that is God's will for us.

If we are submitted to the Lord and prepared to do our part as He desires of us, nothing can stop us from living out such a life

• no one and no circumstance can block it.

The degree God's will will be fulfilled in and through our lives is directly related to the degree of freedom God has to work in and through us – the degree we submit to God and do our part as He desires of us.

It is the will of the Lord Jesus that His disciples live a life of spiritual abundance and fruitfulness

• that is why Christ came into this world
• not merely that our sins be forgiven, and we be reconciled to God

John 10:10  

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy;

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

(spiritual life, His life – the life of God)

It is the will of the Lord that we bear much fruit

• true spiritual fruit that will endure through eternity
• true spiritual fruit in God's kingdom.

The Lord Jesus has shown us how we can ensure this will become a reality in our lives

• not just try very hard and hope it will be so.

He has shown us the way.

If we follow what He tells us, it will be so

• there are moral and spiritual principles involved.

The Lord has assured us it will be so.

John 15:4–5  

4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches;

he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit,

for apart from Me you can do nothing.

Let us set our hearts (resolute) on living by the principle and spirit of: Your will be done.

And trust the Lord to guide and undertake each step of the way and bring about a very meaningful and positive outcome

• as we fulfil the part God desires of us in His overall plan and purposes.

The Lord willing, in my next sharing I will continue to consider with you the meaningfulness of trusting God's sovereign undertaking for our lives as we live by the principle and spirit of Your will be done.

In fellowship,

Kou