Thy Will Be Done - A Guide to finding and doing the will of God for your life

[0:00] Thy will be done. Thy will be done. Today is our annual meeting as a church and kind of tongue-in-cheek. I like to make the sermon that day kind of the part one of the chairman's report, if you like,! Because it's a time when we do reflect on the work of God here as a church, as we come to our annual time to reflect on what's happened and God willing what's ahead.

[0:24] But most of all, what matters really, and really it's for individuals too, it's our prayer. It should be our individual prayer for every one of us.

[0:36] Thy will be done. We want the will of God to be done, don't we? And Matthew 6.10 tells us that as our Lord prayed, Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

[0:51] So we gather as a church, we reflect on where we've come from, God's work this year, this financial year just gone, and then going forward, what it is that God wants for us, that will accord with his will.

[1:04] Thy will be done. That's what matters, isn't it? That his will be done. That we do that as a church. Thy will be done. We do that will. How do we live this prayer?

[1:15] How do we seek and find the will of God? Individually, corporately. We want it to be the mind of the Lord that we seek after and find. His plans for us.

[1:26] That should shape what we're thinking to do. And as a church, we're a community, we're a family together. And together we want to prayerfully seek his will. What is God's will for each one?

[1:39] Each one of us as individuals, as families, and then as a big family, a family of God, to discern and live out God's will. That our hearts, our ministries, our purpose, it all fits together with what God wants for us.

[1:53] That's what matters most. It matters, absolutely matters. His divine plan. Thy will be done. And so let's explore, I put to you, four ways that we could make the will of God our focus for life and for our fellowship.

[2:06] Four ways to make God's will happen, prayerfully so. Firstly, pray. Firstly, pray. Pray for God's will. It's obvious, isn't it, really?

[2:19] As the prayer goes, the Lord's prayer, in part, thy kingdom come, thy will. Thy will be done. In earth, as it is in heaven. And this prayer is not just some hazy, passive request.

[2:33] Really, we're not just asking for God's will to happen in some vague kind of way. It's not somewhere out there. But we're asking for God's will to be done here, in this place, through us.

[2:50] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. In earth, as it is in heaven. We're praying for God's will to be done. And it's through us. It's in us, in our lives. It's our focus, our heart, that his will be done.

[3:04] And when you think, really, God's will, it matters, doesn't it? Absolutely matters. It's how we're meant to navigate our life. Think as a church, how prayer should shape our every decision, our every intention, about our worship, about our outreach, about our budget, our ministries, all of our plans, our programs, our vision, that it be his will that is the determining factor, that everything flows from God's purposes.

[3:38] And we want to prayerfully be led, to pray for God's will, to be humble enough to say, God, I want your will to be done, not mine. And when we face with a choice, with a decision to make, can we pray, Lord, is this your will?

[3:57] Is this in line with your word for me? Or am I just doing what's right in my own eyes? Let's have this heart that we pray, God's will be done in my life.

[4:09] As we pray as a body, for new ministries, new intentions, new missions, as we face decisions, day after day, that we be prayerful about it.

[4:20] And when we pray, thy will be done, we're saying, Lord, we want your kingdom to come. Your kingdom, purposes, we want to be in your will, that our lives will follow his plan for us.

[4:35] So we're praying, we're asking, Lord, lead us, guide us. Let this prayer be that which shapes our every aspect of our church life. Let's get together and pray.

[4:48] It's great we've got a new prayer initiative each month. Let's gather as a body to seek God's will, his guidance, together. That's a good thing. It's the right thing. And that we may trust God's will.

[4:58] Even when it may be a challenge for us to do something, we're stepping out of our comfort zone often when we do God's will, aren't we? It's something, it's not always easy to do God's will.

[5:12] When we're stretched, our faith is stretched. We know that his will is always for our good, and it's always for his glory. And think of the early church.

[5:22] When they faced a decision, for example, in Acts 4, when Peter and John faced persecution, the believers, they didn't lean on their own strength and their human plans.

[5:34] What did they do? They prayed. They prayed and God answered, brought them boldness, and the Spirit's power to do his will. It was then that the church grew, and the gospel spread.

[5:50] Firstly, they prayed. And that's the power, isn't it, of a praying church. Think of it. When we seek God's will, we pray for God's will to him, to show us his will.

[6:03] We can be in the place where then he can use us for his glory. It's when we pray. So let's be a praying church. Let's gather regularly to seek God's guidance.

[6:16] May we trust his will, even when it stretches us. God's will isn't always the easiest way, but it's the right way. May we trust his will.

[6:28] So let's pray for our leaders, our ministries, our intentions, our community. Thy will be done. That's what matters. And we can think of Paul on the Damascus road.

[6:44] Acts 9, verse 6, it says, May we earnestly come under that umbrella of prayer.

[6:58] Lord, what would you have me to do? That should be the first consideration. So let's be praying, number one. And also let's be doing God's will. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.

[7:10] Who's going to do it? In me. In you. And so it leads to that delighting in God's will, that we make his will our passion. David cries out in Psalm 40, verse 8, I delight to do thy will.

[7:27] Oh my God, yea, thy law is within my heart. Notice God's law was written in David's heart. It was shaping his desires. In other words, the word of God, he was led by God's word, God's truth, and it filled him with his passion to obey, to do the will of God.

[7:46] And he didn't see God's will as some burden. God's will is not a burdensome thing, but it is our true joy. I delight, he says, to do thy will. And when we love God, his will becomes our delight, not a drudgery.

[8:01] It's not a drudgery. It's a delight. To do the right. To do his will. When we truly love God, he gives us that delight.

[8:13] His will becomes our pleasure. It's our joy. It's our ultimate fulfillment, to be found in his will. To be in the center of his will. It's really, it's a passion, isn't it?

[8:26] It's a blessing. It's a joy. And it's a delight. It's our greatest joy to know him and to be in his will, to pursue what matters to his heart.

[8:36] It's really something precious. Think of it. Imagine a church where we run to serve. When we give joyfully, when we forgive freely, and we share the gospel gladly.

[8:53] Why? Because it's our delight. It's our delight. Not out of duty, but out of delight. Of the blessed man, in Psalm 1, 2, it says, His delight is in the law of the Lord.

[9:07] The word of God. Wow. It's a treasure. It's a delight. And God gives us this joy deep down within, in our hearts, and we have a delight to do, to do the will of God.

[9:19] What he wants for us. That's the best. Heaven's best, isn't it? To do what he would want us to do. Imagine a church where people aren't dragging their feet to serve, but running to it.

[9:36] Count me in. The will of God is a joy for us. It's our joy to worship. It's our glad delight to sing his praises. We delight in his praise.

[9:51] And when we consider some service or ministry, it's a joy. Why? Because we're excited to be a part of God's work. It's something precious.

[10:02] And God's will, it could mean sacrificially giving to meet a need. We do it not out of obligation, but because we delight to see God's kingdom advance.

[10:13] We want to honour our Lord and do the right. We want to please him. And we step out in faith even when our resources are limited, even when it feels like it's a battle. Because it's his will.

[10:26] And we delight to do that. To step out in faith. Here's the kind of church we're called to be, isn't it, really? To delight in that. His will. To do that. And let's ask ourselves, do we delight in God's will?

[10:41] Or do we obey reluctantly? Hey, we can narrow it down to individually so. Do you care what God wants? Have you got the truth of God and you want to walk in those ways of truth?

[10:54] To know Jesus and to do what he wants for you. There's a true fulfilment there. And David found it. I delight to do thy will. Oh my God.

[11:05] Yea, thy law. The word of God. It's in my heart. It's within my heart. It's a heartfelt thing. And let's ask ourselves, can we find that joy in our Lord?

[11:18] It's our true passion really, isn't it? We might have passions of this and that. Our career, our work, our hobbies, our interests, what we spend our time in. But the true delight is what does God want for me to be, to do?

[11:33] And God's will, it's our prayer, isn't it? Thy will be done. I want it, Lord. I want your will. Let it be done. And then, I delight to do that.

[11:46] I delight. It's my passion, Lord, to do your will. That's what I want. That's what I hunger and thirst for. I delight to do thy will. God's will is our passion. And also, we can choose to make his will our purpose.

[12:01] It's like this compass, isn't it? We see in John 4, 34, our Lord, he says, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work.

[12:16] You know, be a finisher, keep at it. And he says, my meat is to do the will of him. It's breakfast, lunch, and tea.

[12:29] The will of God. It's more important than what's cooking on the stove at home for lunch. His will. It's my meat. It's my food. God's will wasn't just something to do.

[12:42] It was his sustenance, his food. His bread. His meat. His food.

[12:53] His life purpose. And the word meat here, it means we can reflect what nourishes us. It sustains us. Hey, this is what keeps me going. Give me some more if you will, Lord.

[13:05] I'm hungry for it. I'm hungry. I want more of it. I want to know you more. I want a hunger for that which is righteous and you're going to fill me with it. Lord, that deepest fulfillment, it's Jesus, isn't it?

[13:20] And our Lord found it himself fulfilling the Father's mission and he calls you and me to the same mission, to do it, to do the will. It's putting your feet in motion to do it, do the will, get moving, get walking.

[13:37] And as a church we're called to find our purpose here. Here's a purpose for life. You know, they talk about the purpose-driven life. Well, Jesus is our purpose, isn't he?

[13:48] Isn't he truly? His will is the ultimate. There is no better purpose. It is life. To live is Christ. And he is our purpose, his will.

[14:01] And here's where we find our purpose for life truly, isn't it? It's my food. Oh, Lord. It's almost lunchtime. Some more of your will. And then night time.

[14:12] Yeah, bring it on, Lord. Some more of your will. It's tea time. And breakfast tomorrow morning. Oh, yes, Lord, your will. It's my food. It's my food. Now, God has a specific purpose for his church, doesn't he?

[14:25] For this church, for every one of us in this community. Hey, this is our mission front. This is our mission field. And in this season, what's his will? We want that, don't we?

[14:36] Don't we want it? More than food. We don't want to miss that. You can miss a meal, but don't miss the will of God. Don't miss that. It's our purpose. And it's what we're here for, to proclaim it, the gospel.

[14:48] It's our purpose, to tell others, to make disciples, to share this blessed gospel, to be the hands and feet of our Lord to this world, this broken world that we're living in.

[14:59] More and more broken, isn't it? And God's will, he's not willing, any should perish. 2 Peter 3, verse 9. God's will, the salvation of the lost, that's a blessed mission, isn't it?

[15:13] It's our calling. God's not willing that any should perish. Hey, that means we've got to tell. We've got to do. We've got to be sent.

[15:25] And we've got to do the work and finish it. Hey, it's an unfinished work, isn't it? The unfinished work is taking the gospel. And we take soul winning seriously as a church.

[15:36] That's one of our priorities as a church, isn't it? Soul winning. Take it seriously because we take souls seriously. It's the heartbeat of God. And we're here to do his work.

[15:48] And here is our mission, our true purpose. Our me is to do the will of him, the will of God. And in John 4, the context there, our Lord's talking, ministering to the Samaritan woman.

[16:03] He's at the will there. He's weary and hungry. But he was energized by doing the will of God. And we can be too, even though humanly we can get weary.

[16:16] Notice our Lord says that the Father's will is his meat. It was nourishment to him. It sustained him. It's the same for you and me. This is what sustains us, the will of God.

[16:28] This mission call that we all have, it energizes us. It's a thrill. And it was his very life's source, the will of God.

[16:39] And when you think, as we're thinking on it corporately, it's what sustains us as a church, isn't it? This is a mission plant. This is a mission station. This is the front lines of this rescue station, this rescue shop within a yard of hell.

[16:58] We don't want to lose that focus, that purpose. And friends, think of it. It's what sustains us as a church. It makes us want to get out of bed in the morning. Hey, there's more souls we can tell.

[17:10] There's more people we can reach. There's more advancing of his kingdom as we tell others and extend his kingdom by welcoming others into this family of God to become our brothers and sisters in Christ by faith.

[17:25] And it's what sustains us as a church. We think God's will. It's a spiritual nourishment. Oh, yeah, that feeds me. His will feeds me. It's what nourishes us.

[17:37] It's food for our soul. It's what energizes us. It's what unites us. We're in this common mission together. This is our mission if we choose to accept it, to be that people of God.

[17:51] And it makes us fruitful too. And you think in the context of John 4, while the disciples were focused on physical food, the Lord Jesus says, hey, this is the real stuff.

[18:03] This is spiritual food. This is what matters. This is what feeds my soul. This is what really counts. And he was focused on the spiritual harvest of this dear woman at the well.

[18:16] Others would have treated her as an outcast, a broken woman. But the Lord Jesus was focused on the spiritual harvest, bringing people to the Father, including this woman.

[18:31] And as a church, we're called to that same focus. Think of it, of all the broken all around us, amongst us. No matter the challenges that we face, we've got this mission, haven't we?

[18:42] And what's going to stop us? Is the devil going to stop you? What's it going to take to stop you? We've got the same focus as our Lord. This is our food.

[18:54] We just can't stop it. We've got to have some more. We're hungry for the will of God. And no matter the challenges that we face, limited resources, challenges all the time.

[19:04] We're going to break even. Overload, workload, staggering workload. Honestly. Gain sales. Constant whinges.

[19:18] Not with, not any of you people. No, outsiders attacking us, finding something to throw some grenade here, a grenade there.

[19:30] You wouldn't believe it. Some of you have seen some of the stuff. Some people hate this church. But this is our purpose, the will of God, isn't it?

[19:42] In God's will, we find a purpose and it sustains us, doesn't it? God's will, it becomes our meat. Wow. God's got to chomp some more of that meat. The will of God.

[19:52] I want it. And it's our source of strength and joy. Let's be that church. Amen? Let's see that church that we're meant to be to seek the work that God is wanting for us to do and to do it.

[20:04] To pursue it with passion. And let's pursue the harvest that God has for us. Trust in God is going to sustain us. He's going to feed us.

[20:14] He's going to fill us. He's going to nourish us. He's going to sustain us. And our purpose is this. His will. That's it. And let's step out in faith, believe in God.

[20:27] Think of it. What we're here for. We're not just some social club. We're not just some institution of men. Some community group.

[20:38] We're a mission front. We're a mission. So let's trust the Lord to equip us. His purpose matters.

[20:50] Souls. Finish his work too. Don't stop and start. Keep at it. Don't flag. Hey, I flag. Don't flag.

[21:02] Finish the work. And we find our deepest fulfillment here, don't we? This is it. This is our purpose. Our me. God's will. It's our prayer. Thy will be done.

[21:13] Lord, do it. Our passion. I delight to do thy will. It's my delight. Our purpose. My me. It's your will, Lord. That's what I want.

[21:23] It's my food. And let's make the will of God our focus. It's our priority. It's the priority. Ephesians 5, 17.

[21:34] Wherefore, be ye not unwise, but understanding what? The will of the Lord is. What is the will of God? Let that be our priority. And the context here in Ephesians 5 is talking about redeeming the time.

[21:47] Why? The days are evil. What should we do? Redeem the time. In other words, make the most of what time you've got.

[22:00] Hey, life is a vapour. Time is fleeting. Champus Fugit is the Latin. Time flies, in other words. And we don't know how long we've got.

[22:14] Our sister was one of the workers. She's left a hole now. Who's got to fill it? Who's got to step in? Redeeming the time.

[22:26] It's limited. It's the most limited resource you've got is your time. And every day you've got less of it. As we juggle choices and priorities, may we prioritise this.

[22:37] The will of the Lord. What is it? And we don't stumble on his will. For us to know God's will, it takes intentionality. To decide to find it.

[22:48] Search for it. Through prayer, through his word, the guidance of trusted counsellors, fellow believers, the comfort and guidance of his spirit.

[23:00] To know God's will. To know what the will of the Lord is. That's our priority. It's the most important consideration. We're talking as a church. What is the will of God?

[23:11] That's what we want. That should set what the budget is. That should set what our intentions are. That should set what mission we undertake or support. To know God's will, it's really the most important consideration in your life and in the church life as well.

[23:29] In all of our decision making of our life. Because the days are evil, don't be silly. Don't be unwise. But understanding.

[23:40] Yeah. That's what matters. I'm going to get my head screwed on right. I'm understanding this. What the will of the Lord is. That's what I want. That's going to be my priority. And so let's commit together to work to fulfil his purposes.

[23:52] And as we understand his will, it's going to help us. It's going to help us evaluate. Wow, what have I been spending my time in? Was that really fruitful? All of that time I've spent here, there, or whatever it be, can we just discern God's will?

[24:08] We might think, maybe that wasn't very fruitful use of my time. How I've spent my days. Am I investing in what matters? Am I getting my family used to coming to church?

[24:19] Am I getting my family in that place that they're meant to be? Am I getting myself where I'm meant to be? When I evaluate all my work, all my ministries, all my life, does it measure up?

[24:34] Is it fruitful? Or have I got my priorities mixed up? Are we bearing good fruit? It's always a good thing to think, isn't it? And then to be flexible too, like God's people marching in the wilderness.

[24:49] It was important that they followed the cloud. Okay, tomorrow morning, pull up stakes, you're off to the next town. Whatever it be. They had to follow the cloud.

[25:01] Okay, the cloud's moving. Okay, let's pack up the tent and follow that cloud. All right. What does God want for us this season? Sometimes it's different from the past one. Trust his spirit to lead you.

[25:13] It's a new chapters in your story. And when you think of the early church, when they faced decisions, what did they do? Acts 13, when it was about Paul and Barnabas, those decisions to make, they prayed, they fasted, they took it seriously.

[25:29] They sought the Lord for his will. They sought the Lord together for his direction and they made that the important thing. And so we see, may we make it our aim to discern God's will.

[25:42] That the decisions that we make in life, they line up with his purpose. God's calling us to seek his will above all else. His will. That's number one.

[25:53] All right. And here's how we approach really, when we think of goal setting, of future goals for ourselves, for our church. Hey, the priority is, what matters to God?

[26:03] That's the priority. Is God calling us to start a new outreach? Let's pray about it first. Let's find what is God telling us. A new ministry, a new mission.

[26:16] Let's make sure it's what God wants. Let's aim to discern his will. And so the first step is through prayer, to discern the will of God, to seek after his wisdom, to search his word, to respond to his spirit, and ask ourselves, what does God want for us this season?

[26:33] Hey, it might be different from last season. Let's trust his spirit to lead us like they had to follow the cloud. Let's be responsive. Let's find and do the will of God. It's really, when you think about it, honestly, people, it's really the biggest need that we have as a church.

[26:48] It's the biggest need we have as people individually. Hey, do I care what God wants for me? Then we ought to make that a priority. Imagine a church, imagine a church where Matthew 6, 10 is our prayer, our lifestyle, thy will be done.

[27:06] Imagine a church where Psalm 40, verse 8 is our passion. I delight to do thy will. Imagine a church where John 4, 34 is our purpose.

[27:17] My me is to do thy will. And then imagine a church, where Ephesians 5, 17 is our daily priority to understand thy will.

[27:31] Can we be that church to pray fervently, to surrender our plans to his plan, to delight in his will and find our joy there more than any other joy that our life might have?

[27:44] Really, they pale into nothing in contrast to that, to delight to, to his will and to pursue his mission. And it's our ultimate purpose. Hey, it's breakfast, lunch and tea.

[27:55] It's our meat. It's our food. And prioritise his will that we want to make that clear. Lord, I want to understand what it is. Guide me through the word, through discernment.

[28:09] And do we really care though? Brother, sister, let's be honest this morning. Do we care to discern and then do the will of God? It's our greatest calling, truly.

[28:22] And can we prayerfully, as a church, commit to that? Thy will be done. May that be our prayer, our heart, our lifestyle.

[28:34] And embrace that, his will. It's our joy. There's no greater joy than to be in his will. And to pursue his mission, that's our passion, our focus, and commit our resources to that end.

[28:48] Let's not be a church that's content to simply exist. Churches can get to a point where they're just, it's just maintenance. They're just existing.

[29:02] But be that church where, with every breath, with every action, with every dollar, with every minute, it's his will that's leading us, that's driving us, to find and do what he wants for us.

[29:14] In every aspect of our mission, our resources, our future. And here is our greatest joy. May we pray with new power, thy will be done.

[29:26] Thy kingdom come. In our church, in our community, in this mission field of Adelaide, in our lives, our families.

[29:37] And let's commit to being a church that doesn't just talk about God's will. We can say, yeah, God's will, God's will.

[29:47] Actually do it. It's about what we do. We do it together too. But we're on the same page. Let us pray.

[29:59] Lord, we surrender our plans, our pride, our preferences, Lord. We give ourselves to you. We know your will is what absolutely matters.

[30:12] And without that, we're astray. Help us, Lord, to seek to do your will. Unite our hearts to that end, Lord. We help us, Lord, to count it as that food.

[30:27] That, Lord, your kingdom would come in our lives right here, right now. This church, this body of people, we pray for your church here, Lord. It's your church. And, Lord, we pray that you would be glorified.

[30:39] Lord, that you would be lifted up. That our lives would be for your glory now and always, Lord. As we think of our church and its future, we think of many challenges.

[30:50] And, Lord, we know that yet, as we follow you, we can know a great assurance. And it's our delight to do thy will.

[31:01] Lord God, may we glorify thy name. We pray for every soul here gathered. Lord, that individually, each one might know God is not willing that any should perish.

[31:14] We pray for any as yet to trust you. Lord, we know it's your will that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. We pray each one might have that heart's cry.

[31:27] Lord, save me. I trust you. I trust you. You paid my sin. You can forgive my sin as I put my trust in that saving.

[31:38] Lord, we pray each one might know that heart's trust of your saving grace. Help us, Lord, to be that people that seek after your will and do it individually.

[31:53] And, Lord, as a body of your people here that will be united together in that same mission, we pray. In Jesus' name.

[32:03] Amen.