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“THE WILL OF GOD”

READ IN THE BIBLE (MATTHEW 6:9)

In the Word of God, the Bible, in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 6, the Lord Jesus Christ is continuing His sermon on the mount. Beginning in verse 5, He commences a discourse on the subject of prayer. He said to His disciples, beginning in verse 9, “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, etc. In this “model prayer” the Lord’s people are encouraged to pray that God’s perfect will, will be accepted and acknowledged throughout the world. In expressing this desire it follows that the one praying is willing to surrender their will to God’s will. In the third heavens, the dwelling place of God, the divine will is fully acknowledged and carried out to the satisfaction of God. Ultimately, it will be the same on earth. In the present time however, there is much opposition to the will of God by Satan and his angels as well as much of mankind who are opposed to Christ and Christianity. One of the first manifestations of the will of God on earth occurred when man was created. It was the will of God to give created man a free will. God did not create man to be a robot. When Adam was created by God he was given dominion over God’s creation. With his dominion, however, Adam was also given responsibility from God and accountability to God. God gave Adam and Eve one prohibition when they were placed in the Garden of Eden. God said to them, “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”. We notice that God gave them a free will to obey or disobey His command. To obey would bring God’s blessing. To disobey would bring God’s judgment. As a result of Satan’s temptation, man disobeyed God’s express command, and sin came in. As a consequence of Adam’s sin, all humanity fell, for Adam not only acted for himself, but also for the whole human race, of which he was the head. We read in, (Romans 5:18, 19) “By the offense of one (Adam) judgment came upon all men to condemnation”. “As by one man’s (Adam) disobedience many were made sinners”. We are told also, in, (Romans 5:12) “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin: and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”. In the third chapter of the book of Romans, God gives us a full length portrait of humanity. He said, “there is none righteous, no not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. There is none that doeth good, no not one. All the world is guilty before God. There is no difference, for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” Dear reader, in light of what God has said about all of mankind, have YOU ever faced the fact of YOUR own personal sins committed against God? Have YOU repented of your sins? God commands repentance because it says in, (Acts 17:30) “God …now commandeth all men everywhere to repent”. It is absolutely necessary that you repent. The Lord Jesus Christ said in, (Luke 13:3) “Except you repent ye shall all likewise perish”. Repentance is the vital bridge between sin and forgiveness. Repentance means to change your mind, to reconsider your sinfulness and God’s salvation that has been provided for you. You must remember that sin has consequences. It says in, (Romans 6:23) “The wages of sin is death”. This death is not only physical; the death of the body, but it is also spiritual and eternal as well. Following death is the judgment of God. We read in, (Hebrews 9:27) “It is appointed unto men once to die, but AFTER THIS THE JUDGMENT”. If you die unsaved, in your sins, death will but introduce your spirit into a condition of conscious misery, there to await the resurrection of your body from the grave. At your resurrection, your spirit and body will be reunited in which you must then stand before the “great white throne” judgment of God. YOU will hear from the lips of the Judge, who sits upon the throne, “Begone from me, ye cursed”. Into the blackness of darkness forever must the Christ-rejecting one be sent, there to weep and wail eternally. These are solemn truths that God has revealed in His Word. (Read in the Bible, John 5:25-29; Revelation 20:11-15, 21:8; and Luke 16:19-31).

The free will of man, given to him by God, is often used in ways that will bring eternal ruin to man. Let’s consider a few examples from scripture:

· THE WILL OF MAN IS OFTEN EXERCISED IN THE PURSUIT OF MATERIAL THINGS.

We read in, (Luke 12:16-20) “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; and he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, this will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? We notice, in this parable of a wise and successful business man, that as he made his plans for the future, he said four times over, “I will”. It was his will to provide for this life while at the same time he forgot about God and the eternal well being of his own soul. It is the “evil of covetousness” which is so prevalent in our modern society. The “lust for things” is an idol that displaces God in the heart and life. This parable is a warning to careless sinners who live for time and forget eternity. He would not invite God into his life but God intervened without an invitation. This parable began with a word of warning from the Lord in, (Luke 12:15) “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a mans life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth”. Dear reader, please notice that it is possible to be very wise in time but to be a fool for eternity. It is possible to be a rich man in time and in poverty forever. Does this describe YOU?

· THE WILL OF MAN IS OFTEN EXERCISED IN THE REJECTION OF GOD’S SAVIOR.

We read the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in, (John 5:40) “Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life”. Over and over again in the Bible, God invites man to come to Him for salvation. We read for example the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in, (Matthew 11:28) “COME unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest”. (John 6:37) “Him that COMETH to me I will in no wise cast out”. You come to Him by believing in Him and receiving Him as your own personal Lord and Savior. Have YOU ever done this? God has done everything necessary to provide salvation for sinful man through the death of His beloved Son on the cross. He offers salvation as a free gift to all who will receive it. Still, man will not come, will not believe. Multitudes exercise their free will and refuse to come, refuse to believe. Dear reader, does this describe YOU?

· THE WILL OF MAN IS OFTEN EXERCISED IN JUSTIFYING HIMSELF.

Not only does man reject God’s salvation and God’s promised justification but he often attempts to justify himself before God. We read in (Luke 10:25-29) of a certain lawyer who ask the Lord Jesus, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life”? When the Lord answered him, he disputed with the Lord and it says of the man, (Luke 10:29) “He, willing to justify himself” continued to ask the Lord more questions. There are many in this life who seek to justify themselves in all that they do. They justify themselves before men. Dear reader, if this describes YOU, you need to know that “self justification” will never get you to heaven. You can only be saved by having the “Saviors justification”. This is the legal and formal acquittal from guilt by God as judge. It is the pronouncement of the sinner as righteous who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. God is the “justifier of him which believeth in Jesus”, (Romans 3:26). HOW CAN YOU HAVE THIS JUSTIFICATION? It is not obtained by anything that you can do. We read in, (Romans 3:20) “By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His (God’s) sight”. God tells us in His Word how a man may be justified in His sight. It says in, (Romans 3:28) “A man is justified by faith”. You must put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

· THE WILL OF MAN IS HELPLESS IN OBTAINING HIS OWN SALVATION.

There are many who believe they can be saved by their own will. They believe if they live a “good life”, go to church, receive infant baptism, pay tithes, keep the “golden rule”, etc, etc., that God will in the end save them for heaven. THERE IS NOT ONE SCRIPTURE IN THE WORD OF GOD TO SUPPORT THIS BELIEF. On the contrary, it says in, (Ephesians 2:8, 9) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast”. The will of man is helpless in obtaining his own salvation. We read in, (John 1:11-13) “He (Jesus Christ) came unto His own (Jews), and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power (the right or privilege) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”. God says in His Word that in order for a person to be saved they must be “born again” (John 3:3-7). The new birth comes from God and God alone. It is not of blood (human descent). It is not by the will of the flesh (human desire). And, it is not by the will of man (human design).

The Lord Jesus Christ exhorted His disciples to pray after this manner, (Matthew 6:9, 10) “Our father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”. Most people are not aware that God’s will on earth is in the process of being carried out. God’s will on earth has been carried out in the past. It is being carried out on the earth at the present time. And, His will, will be carried out in the future. A consideration of some scriptures will help us understand this.

GOD’S WILL ON THE EARTH IN THE PAST – (THE CRUCIFIXION & RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST)

· (1 Timothy 2:3, 4) “God our Savior who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth”.

· (John 6:38) “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me”.

· (Matthew 26:31) “I will smite the Shepherd”

· (Matthew 27:63) “I will rise again”

GOD’S WILL ON THE EARTH IN THE PRESENT – (THE BUILDING OF HIS CHURCH)

· (Matthew 16:18) “I will build my church”.

GOD’S WILL ON THE EARTH IN THE FUTURE – (THE SAVIOR’S RETURN & KINGDOM REIGN)

· (John 14:3) “I will come again”

Let’s consider each of these briefly;

GOD’S WILL ON THE EARTH IN THE PAST – (THE CRUCIFIXION & RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST)

· We read in, (1 Timothy 2:3, 4) “God our Savior who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth”. Here we learn that it is God’s will that all men be saved. Saved from hell and eternal ruin. Saved for heaven and God’s eternal blessing. The same truth is stated in another way in, (2 Peter 3:9) “The Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance”. It is God’s gracious desire that none should perish but that all should be saved. Many however, do not get saved because of unbelief and as a result they perish in their sins. Since it is God’s will that all be saved, He devised a plan of salvation which involved sending His beloved Son into the world. (John 3:16,17) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”. “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved”. The hymn writer wrote the words;

O the love that drew salvations plan

O the grace that brought it down to man

O the mighty gulf that God did span

At Calvary

· And so, God’s beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, came into the world. He left the glory of heaven and came down in condescending grace. He was born of a virgin, conceived of the Holy Spirit. It was the incarnation of the Son of God. The prophet Isaiah said, (Isaiah 9::6)” Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given”. (1 Timothy 3:16) “Great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh”. In (Hebrews 10:5-7) He tells us why He came into the world, “Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God”. While He was here He also said, (John 6:38) “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me”. Everything He did, everything He said, was in perfect harmony with the will of the father. In the garden of Gethsemane we are made aware of His wholehearted conformity to God’s will. It was there when the suffering of the cross was just before Him that He prayed, “Not my will but thine be done”. We read in, (Philippians 2:8) “He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross”.

· In His obedience to the will of God, His father, He was bound and taken away from Gethsemane by wicked and sinful men. The Jews held a mock trial in which false witnesses testified against the Lord. They accused Him of blasphemy when He said He would come again from heaven in power and glory. He was blindfolded, buffeted and beaten. They spit in His face. The next morning they led Him to Pilate for a civil trial. Though Pilate could not find any cause against the Lord Jesus, he finally consented to the angry crowd who cried out concerning Jesus, “away with Him, away with Him, we will not have this man to reign over us”. The Lord Jesus was reviled, reproached and rejected. Pilate then had Jesus scourged (whipped with a leather strap to which pieces of bone and metal were fastened). His back was laid open like a plowed field. He said prophetically in, (Isaiah 50:6) “I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting”. The soldiers then took Him and platted a crown of thorns and pressed it on His head and put a purple robe upon Him to mock His kingship. When they finished their mockery and abuse they led Him out to the place called Calvary and there they crucified Him. He was laid upon a wooden cross and nails were driven into His hands and feet. They lifted Him up on the cross and there He hung for three daylight hours while He was mocked and ridiculed. Then, something happened. Midday was turned to midnight. A supernatural darkness came over that scene. We read in, (Matthew 27:45) “Now from the sixth hour (12:00 noon) there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour (3:00pm).”

· In those hours of darkness the will of God was once again executed. Upon leaving the upper room the Lord Jesus quoted an Old Testament scripture. We read what He said in, (Matthew 26:31) “I will smite the Shepherd”. Who was this Shepherd that God said He must smite? The answer to this question comes from the full quotation of these words from, (Zech 13:7) “Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow (my equal), saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered”. God said that it was His will to smite the Shepherd, His equal, His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This He did in those three dark hours on Calvary’s cross. He was, (Isaiah 53:4) “Stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted”. (Isaiah 53:10) “It pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin”. There was only one way mankind could be redeemed from the penalty of eternal death. In His love God provided a Savior for sinful man. In His holiness, righteousness and justice, and in order to justly forgive sinners, God demanded that the full penalty for sin must be paid.

There was none other good enough

To pay the price of sin,

He only could unlock the gates of heaven

And let us in.

After those three dark hours on the cross, the Savior said, “It is finished”. He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. We read in, (Hebrews 2:9) “He by the grace of God should taste death for every man”. He died as a man and He died for man. We are told in, (1 Peter 318) “Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God”. This is why He died, dear reader, that YOU might be brought to God. Gentle hands took His body down from the cross and laid Him in a new tomb. He was buried. But, that is not the end of the story. The will of God must once again be carried out.

· We read that the Lord said while He was yet alive, (Matthew 27:63) “I will rise again”. The gospel message, God’s good news, is defined in, (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4) “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures”. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is revealed over and over in the Word of God. (Read for example, 1 Corinthians, chapter 15). This truth must be believed in order for a person to be saved. It says in, (Romans 10:9, 10) “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus (acknowledge Him as Lord), and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation”. Dear reader, do YOU believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Salvation comes by believing in the heart (with the whole man) the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is more than just a mental consent to historical facts. The One who laid down His life took it back again. He was crucified in weakness but He now lives by the mighty power of God. The Lord Himself said in, (Revelation 1:18) “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore, Amen”. We read of the “exceeding greatness of God’s power”, (Ephesians 1:20- 23) “Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come”. “And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all”. Now that we have considered a few things regarding God’s will on the earth in the past, lets consider;

GOD’S WILL ON THE EARTH IN THE PRESENT – (THE BUILDING OF HIS CHURCH)

· We read the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in, (Matthew 16:18) “I will build my church”. This is God’s great work on the earth at the present time. It is His will, His gracious desire, to build His church. This He has been doing for two thousand years since the crucifixion of His beloved Son. All who get saved in this dispensation of grace become part of His church, a body of believers of which He is the head. Jews and Gentiles who are saved by the grace of God are, (Ephesians 2:16) “reconciled both unto God in one body by the cross”. We are told specifically in, (Acts 15:14) “God is visiting the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His Name”. We might consider a few things regarding the Lord’s church;

1. The Lord’s church is built upon a secure foundation. (1 Corinthians 3:11) “Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ”. The Lord’s church is eternally secure because He, Himself, is its foundation.

2. The Lord’s church is built with a strong superstructure. (Ephesians 2:20) “Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone”. Nothing can dissolve or destroy the Lord’s church. The Lord, as the chief corner stone, holds the structure eternally secure. He said in, (Matthew 16:18) “I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. All the power and authority of Satan is ineffectual against the Lord’s church.

3. The Lord’s church is built of living stones cut out of “the quarry of humanity”. (1 Peter 2:5) “Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house”. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are “living stones” in the church of God. (Ephesians 2:22) “Ye (believers) also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit”.

The next great event on God’s prophetic calendar is the Lord’s return to the air to call His church, His bride home to heaven. This we read in, (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Dear reader, do YOU know for sure that you will be part of that blessed company that will be called home to heaven?

GOD’S WILL ON THE EARTH IN THE FUTURE – (THE SAVIOR’S RETURN & KINGDOM REIGN)

· (John 14:3) “I will come again”. The second coming of Jesus Christ is in two phases. He will come first to the air for His church as we mentioned above. We believe this will be prior to the seven year tribulation that will come upon this world. After this time the Lord will return in great power and glory with His saints and set up His earthly kingdom. It is the Lord’s will, His gracious desire to come again. What He said He will do. Our scripture text with which we began was, (Matthew 6:9) “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, etc. The Lord’s people are exhorted to pray for the kingdom to come. In this way, our will is in conformity with God’s will.

Dear reader, is YOUR WILL in opposition to the will of God? Have YOU accepted God’s offer of mercy through the gospel? Do YOU have a thirst for God and the salvation He offers you as a free gift? On the last page of the Bible, (Revelation 22:17) God makes one last appeal to man to come and be saved. He says, “Let him that is athirst come. And WHOSOEVER WILL let him take the water of life freely”. Whosoever has the will to come can come and be saved? If YOU remain unsaved, it will not be because God does not love YOU or because God’s Son did not die for YOU, but, it will be because YOU have not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. You are traveling the “Highway of Life”. Now that YOU have read this message, YOU have come to the “crossroads”. The “crossroads” are a place where a decision has to be made. Which way will YOU go? Will YOU believe the gospel message, God’s “good news” that, “Christ died for YOUR sins according to the scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the scriptures”? (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4). Or will you continue to procrastinate and reject the Savior and God’s free gift of salvation? To do so, is to go in the wrong direction and remain on the broad way to eternal destruction. Remember, it is God’s will that YOU be saved. It is not God’s will that YOU perish in your sins.

I urge YOU to take advantage of this present time while you can and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as YOUR personal Savior. Please give this matter your most serious attention. Your eternal destiny depends on your decision.

Christian Messenger