Mat. 6:10b (pt. 2)

Our Work DONE God’s Way.

Three doctrinal statements bind the Lord’s Prayer together.

The first two come in the invocation.

God is the Father of Christian people, and He is in heaven.

The third rounds off the first trio of petitions: in heaven God’s will is done.

The first proclaims God’s goodness in redeeming us through the cross and taking us into his family.

The second and third declare His greatness and power to achieve His purpose.

Together, these three truths point up to the Christian hope.

As our Father, God stands pledged to love us and do us good for all eternity.

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (6:10b)

This very petition in prayer serves as a bridge from the God centeredness of

His Name being honored as holy and

that His Kingdom come and

it’s now bridged over now to us on earth.

We understand that to pray for these blessings (as God’s will to be done)

is to commit ourselves to work for these goals.

Because in heaven, the angels and archangels delight to do God’s will.

There is

• no rebellion,

• no hesitation,

• no rejection.

On earth there is

• sin and disobedience,

• ungodliness and unrighteousness.

The psalmist expresses his grief: "My eyes pour out streams of tears because people do not follow your instruction.” ()

All around us we can see the rebellion of man against his Maker.

We cannot avoid the evil-doing, the deliberate sinfulness of ‘man’s inhumanity to man’.

On every side we see selfishness, lying, immorality and cruelty.

And when we look within, the case isn’t even a little better.

We see society under the rule of the prince of this world:"... the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.” ()

The church is opposed and Christians are persecuted.

We should pray earnestly that

• God’s will may be done, that

• evil may be restrained, that

• sinners may be transformed, that

• holiness might increase in the church and that

• God’s name may not be dishonored.

"It is time for the Lord to act, for they have violated your instruction.” () Should be our prayer as well.

Our theme this morning (by God’s help) we see our submission to God in life.

“Your will be done”.

We’re going to look at this very plainly and simply under two headings.

A. Our WORK “Your will be done on earth”

Let’s understand this from the get go: We are praying to God for the grace of obedience, “Your will be done on earth”!

Look at the first words of our text this morning. ‘Your will’. God’s will is only one and is considered in itself, as God is one.

Yet for our understanding we distinguish a difference.

There is of course God’s Determined will and then there is God’s Disclosed will.

God’s Determined will is the will of His good pleasure whereby according to His eternal counsel, He determines

DONE

all things,

what shall be done or

what shall not be done, and

in what manner.

This Determined will extends over all creatures, and over all their actions: "...we were predestined according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will,” ()

The opponent in hits the nail on the head when he says, “For who can resist His will?”

Jesus, in speaking about the sparrows says that w/out the Father’s consent, “not one of them fall to the ground...” (In )

This Determined will of God is utterly hidden from us until God reveals it to us.

Then we have the Disclosed will of God.

This will is disclosed to us in the sacred and precious Word of God!

Here we have disclosed to us the things that please and displease our Lord.

We see what man is supposed to do and what he’s not supposed to do.

It’s filled with commands, things forbidden, threatening’s, exhortations, promises and the like.

Paul tells us "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.” ()

So we wholeheartedly pray for God’s revealed will to be done.

DONE

Second God’s WAY. “As it is in Heaven.”

What is God’s way? How is God obeyed in heaven?

Why does Jesus add that, “As it is in heaven” for?

ONE. To sweeten our subjection (or obligation to do) God’s will.

We upon earth are not held to a harder law and task than they in heaven.

1.) God has disclosed His will for the conversion of sinners: "...I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live. Repent, repent of your evil ways! ...’” ()

2.) God’s will is that we deny ourselves and rely solely upon Him for life and salvation: "For this is the will of my Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”” ()

3.) God’s will is that we would be sanctified: "For this is God’s will, your sanctification: that you keep away from sexual immorality,” ()

4.) God’s will is that we humbly subject ourselves under the hand of God in all crosses to carry and afflictions to bear whatsoever.

When the brothers and sister at Caesarea saw Paul’s resolve to go to Jerusalem,

even though torture and imprisonment and perhaps death, awaited him,

they said to him (as it were expounding our very text this morning), “The Lord’s will be done.” ().

So we pray for grace to sincerely endeavor to do His whole will here on earth!

This is OUR WORK.

It’s the will of God that His blood-bought people do His will on this earth.

To do it in active obedience in what He commands.

To do it passively, submitting to God’s will patiently in whatever He brings into our lives.

Obviously, we must know God’s will before we can do it.

Knowledge is the eye which must direct the foot.

Knowledge is the pillar of fire to give light to practice!

But even though knowledge is requisite, yet the knowledge of God’s will is not enough without doing his will: “Your will be done.”

If you just have a system of divinity in your head; if he had ‘all knowledge,’ ., yet,

if obedience is absent, your knowledge is deformed.

Knowing God’s will may make a man be admired, but it is doing God’s will makes him blessed;

knowing God’s will without doing it, will not crown us with true joy. Jesus said,

"If you keep my commands you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. "“I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” ()

Let me give you some reasons why doing the will of God is necessary.

Not just for your joy but.

#1. It’s just right.

God may justly claim a right to our obedience; He is our founder, and we have our being from Him; so accordingly we should do His will, at whose word we were created.

God is our benefactor, so accordingly, if God give us our allowance, we should give him our allegiance.

#2. It’s God’s design.

In God’s Word, it’s His great design that He makes us doers of the word.

a. All of God’s royal commands are to bring us into conformity to His will, being doers of His will.

Now I’m going to read some scripture but I want you to see a statement about God’s commands:

"If anyone serves me, he must follow me. Where I am, there my servant also will be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.” ()

"For this is what love for God is: to keep his commands. And his commands are not a burden,” ()

Serving, keeping His commands.

What do you say concerning the commands of God?

Do you look upon them as an iron chain about your legs, and think yourselves prisoners because you are tied to them?

Or do you value them as a chain of gold about your neck, and esteem & regard yourselves favorites of the King of heaven, that

He will honor you, to honor Him by serving Him?

The word of God isn’t just for your knowledge, but is also a task: "You must follow the Lord your God and fear him. You must keep his commands and listen to him; you must worship him and remain faithful to him.” () "“The Lord your God is commanding you this day to follow these statutes and ordinances. Follow them carefully with all your heart and all your soul.” ()

If you reveal your desire for your own children, it’s not for them to just know your desire but to do it also.

God gives us His will and testament that we should execute and do what His will is.

b. This is the end of all God’s promises, to draw us to God’s will.

The promises are the counterweights to obedience.

"there will be a blessing, if you obey the commands of the Lord your God I am giving you today,” () "“Now if you faithfully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all his commands I am giving you today, the Lord your God will put you far above all the nations of the earth.” ()

"You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.” ()

The promises are a royal agreement settled upon obedience.

c. The threatenings in the Word of God. These stand as an angel with a flaming sword to deter us from sin and make us doers of God’s will.

I read earlier of a blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God.

The next verse says, "and a curse, if you do not obey the commands of the Lord your God and you turn aside from the path I command you today by following other gods you have not known.” () Or

"Surely God crushes the heads of his enemies, the hairy brow of one who goes on in his guilty acts.” () Often times these threatening’s do often take hold of men in this life:

they are made examples, and hung up in chains to scare others from disobedience.

So this is OUR WORK. But it’s to be DONE

B. GOD’S WAY.

As it is in Heaven.

We know from Scripture that even the winds and waves obey the voice of the Lord.

We know every snowflake is sovereignly placed by the Lord, every storm is sent by the Lord.

says, "Praise him, highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens. "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded, and they were created. "He set them in position forever and ever; he gave an order that will never pass away.” ()

So we pray for ourselves that He would give us the grace of obedience,

that His will may be done by us in the same way as it is done in heavenly places

Think of His angels. "Bless the Lord, all his angels of great strength, who do his word, obedient to his command. "Bless the Lord, all his armies, his servants who do his will.” ()

The angels have many privileges above man,

The angels have many privileges above man,

The angels have many privileges above man,

yet have no exemption from homage and duty to God.

They are exempt from and have freedom from

trouble,

sickness, and

disease, the

need for food and water and

all the weakness and temptations of the flesh

which we all lie under,

but they are not freed from the will of God

but obey His commandments,

hearkening to the voice of His Word.

Jesus makes this beautiful tie in, when He speaks about what we’ll be like in the glorified state.

"For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.” ()

We’re on our way of having communion with these beautiful created beings, the angels and so,

we to seek the same happiness that they do, to stand before the Lord and to behold His face, which is our happiness.

Let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, Jesus tells us to pray, because we’re apt set the bar woefully too low on earth.

So at times we might be tempted to pray as the man in , "...‘God, I thank you that I’m not like other people...”

The higher we look for the pattern, the greater our obedience will be.

Jesus also says, “as it is in heaven” to teach us not only what to do but in what manner we do it.

What is the manner that you yield your obedience to God?

Jesus doesn’t just teach you and I to pray, “Your will be done” but only, “As it is in heaven”.

He’s not just interested in our doing, but in our doing it well.

What heart do you go about with? "All a person’s ways seem right to him, but the Lord weighs motives.” ()

The Lord weighs motives! This is God’s WAY.

You say, “I could never obey ‘as it is in heaven’ my obedience is skewed at best because of my many weaknesses and defects.

How can we take comfort in our obedience if those things be true (and they are true)?

Here’s how we’ll answer that:

Though we cannot do it in the same measure yet we should still do it in the same manner.

(in terms of the truth that there should be some resemblance.)

Our obedience should not be wholly different in the kind and manner of them which serve God in heaven.

Though we can’t attain to that perfect heavenly obedience in this life we still

Aim after it. Not sluggishly content ourselves with any low degrees of obedience, but aim at the highest.

Long for it. There is a time coming when we shall be perfect; when we shall be not only as the angels are, but as Christ is: ‘We shall be like him,’ .

Pray for it. We pray for that on earth which is expected in heaven;

we pray for what we do expect from the final and consummate state,

when we shall be as the angels of God, and perfectly do His will forever.

Please let me exhort you to do God’s will:

1.) Regulated. Go and obey God according to the divine Word of God.

Do nothing but what is commanded.

If obedience does not have the word for its rule, it is not doing God’s will, but our own.

The Lord would have Moses make the tabernacle according to the pattern,

"Be careful to make them according to the pattern you have been shown on the mountain.” ()

What did Paul tell pastor Timothy? "Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” ()

What happened when Nadab and Abihu offered up unauthorized fire before God? "Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his own firepan, put fire in it, placed incense on it, and presented unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them to do. "Then fire came from the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.” ()

2.) Entirely. Do all of God’s will. The angels leaven none of God’s will undone: "Bless the Lord, all his angels of great strength, who do his word, obedient to his command.” ()

God charged Israel, "This way you will remember and obey all my commands and be holy to your God.” ()

Listen to the testimony concerning David by God: "...‘I have found David the son of Jesse to be a man after my own heart, who will carry out all my will.’” ()

3.) Willingly. The angle’s love to be employed in God’s service.

In Scripture, they willingly descend from heaven to earth to bring messages from God.

They bring glad tidings to the church of Jesus Christ! "“As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve him wholeheartedly and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will reject you forever.” ()

"You know, Lord; remember me and take note of me. Avenge me against my persecutors. In your patience, don’t take me away. Know that I suffer disgrace for your honor.” ()

The devout man or woman goes to the Word like a feast!

"How I love your instruction! It is my meditation all day long.” ()

So our two points: OUR WORK “Your will”

DONE GOD’S WAY. “on earth as it is in heaven.”

GOD’S WAY. “on earth as it is in heaven.”

A. OUR WORK. Let’s lament that at times we are prone to rebel against the will of God and doing that which is evil.

Let’s Lament our Hypocrisy, even that which remains in us after grace is received.

May we be humbled by God and confess what Jesus says concerning the unprofitable servants, "In the same way, when you have done all that you were commanded, you should say, ‘We are worthless servants; we’ve only done our duty.’ ”” ()

Let’s Desire more Grace. May our hearts be stirred up unto heavenly desires and pursue the God of grace, that God’s will may be done!

OUR WORK DONE

B. GOD’S WAY. “as it is in heaven.”

Let’s also Lament our Hypocrisy again. Because we all lack the sincerity and faithfulness in doing God’s will.

Our maimed and half obedience shows how far we come short of this angelic example.

Many content themselves with the outward service of the body, and

never regard the inward worship of the heart.

Some have respect to outward duties of devotion, that concern God,

but for uprightness and mercy towards their neighbor, they only regard a little.

Let’s also, Desire more Grace. Here also we must learn to pray for the Spirit of freedom,

where we may be delivered from the bondage of corruption, and

so may the more freely and cheerfully and heartily endeavor to do God’s will:

"Restore the joy of your salvation to me, and sustain me by giving me a willing spirit.” ()

The Holy Spirit is therefore called the “free Spirit” because

He gives liberty from the bondage of sin, and

makes the heart free and forward and cheerful in God’s service: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” ()