The Will Of God
Luke 22:39-46 Sound of Music Video Clip 14:30-17:28
“...yet not my will, but yours be done” (v 42)
“To find out what is the will of God and to do it whole-heartedly” (Maria: Sound of Music)
Intro
“How do you solve a problem like Maria?” – Seemingly, as we saw in our clip, the answer is easy – you make her someone else’s problem! (Capt. Von Trapp)
Here we have a girl who’s always getting herself into trouble!
She’s always off doing her own thing! She doesn’t conform, she doesn’t follow the rules – but she desperately wants to!!
She wants to be a good nun, she wants to do the right thing. She really wants to do all that’s expected of her. Yet, no matter how hard she tries, she doesn’t seem to make it.
Maria was a square peg in a round hole. She was not where she was meant to be, doing what she was meant to do.
Does any of this sound vaguely familiar??
On a spiritual level, do you sometimes feel that you’re off ‘doing your own thing” – not really doing what you are meant to be doing?
Do you sometimes think that you’re trying as hard as you can to be holy; you’re trying your best to do all that is expected of a good Christian – but you never quite seem to make it.
Spiritually speaking, perhaps you are a square peg in a round hole? Are you where you are meant to be? Are you doing what you were meant to do?
In the clip that we’ve just watched, the Reverend-Mother asked Maria a very significant question, “What is the most important lesson you have learned here....”
Maria’s response was very profound, “To find out what is the will of God and to do it whole-heartedly”
If someone were to ask me what lesson have I learned in life I would have to say that I have learned, “to seek out Gods will and then do it gladly – even if I don’t want to do it!”
I pray this morning, that everyone one here will have searched out God`s will and are willing, if not happy, to do it!
Page 1 – Judgement in the text
In our scripture text this morning we read of a moment in the life of Christ when his Father’s will and his own will seem to be at odds with each other.
Just to put the incident into context for you –
Jesus was aware of this impending death. He had just spent time in the upper room celebrating the Last Supper with his disciples, preparing them for what was going to happen.
He had now taken them to the Mount of Olives to pray. Our text tells us that this was a regular thing for them to do – but on this particular night, there seems to be a particular tension in the air.
For the disciples, the Last Supper had just been a confusing and emotional time. Jesus had been talking about feeding them his body and blood, there had been a fight over who was the most important disciple, Jesus had scolded Peter for asking about the restoration of the nation – and had even gone on to foretell that soon Peter would lie about even knowing him. And just before the disciples had left to go to the Mount of Olives, Jesus told them to arm themselves with swords!!!
All of this excitement and confusion was very exhausting!!!
On the Mount of Olives, Jesus commanded them to pray – but the poor disciples, like Maria in the Sound of Music, did not live up to what was expected of them. They tried to be good Christians, they tried to pray, but sleep got the better of them.
For Jesus, the stress of the situation was obvious. He was sweating buckets and you can almost imagine you hear the anguish in his voice as he prays, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me.....”
Jesus wanted one thing, but his Father wanted another......
In this moment Jesus wanted to be spared all of the physical pain and agony, the ridicule and embarrassment, the provocation and aggravation that was to come for him...
God wanted him to go through it – so that the world could be reconciled to himself.
Jesus wanted to be spared the defilement of taking on the sins of the world – But this was God`s will for him - 2 Cor 5:21 says, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Page 2 – Grace in the text
The poor disciples!! They loved Jesus with all their hearts. They wanted to please him, they wanted to follow him – and they did so earnestly. They wanted to obey him and live out his teaching, even if they didn`t always get it right.
Today we would say that their `hearts were in the right place.`
They faithfully followed Jesus, even though he teaching didn`t always make sense to them.
They faithfully followed Jesus, even when his requests seemed irrational and nonsensical.
They faithfully followed him, even when they messed it up – and when they messed up, they tried hard not to make the same mistake again.
As for Jesus, he was the dutiful Son!
He knew that his Father knows best. He knew that his Father`s will superseded his own will.
Jesus knew that he had a choice to make– he could follow his own instinct for self preservation and have the whole purpose of his mission fail; or he could submit to his Fathers will, and believe that, “all things work together for good ...”
The dutiful son loved his Father, he trusted his Father, and he knew that his Father would work everything out for the best.
Jesus was willing to pray, “God I don`t want to do what you are asking me to do – but I`ll do it anyway, if you really want me to.”
How much love, how much trust do you need to have in someone before you can say that to them?
Think about it for a moment this morning – think how much he loved us to be willing to die for us! How much he trusted the his Father`s will - to be obedient unto death!
Surely Jesus knew what he was talking about when he said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
Jesus was willing to do God`s will before his very own....
Page 3 - Judgement in the world
How is it for you this morning? Are you like Maria? Are you like the disciples?
A chorus from Jesus Folk, the musical says:-
The trouble with me is I can`t, I can`t
I want to so much but I can`t, I can`t
I want to do good and I know that I should
And I would, if I could, but I can`t.
I think this is a song that Maria could easily have sung. I also think it`s a song that the disciples could have sung too. I know it`s a song that I can sing. What about you?
Is this your experience this morning? Are you having trouble with `living the life?`
Maybe your struggle is with the basics of Christian living -
Perhaps you just can`t stick at all this praying and Bible reading every day.
Maybe your struggle is with temptations and `right-living`– I donno – maybe you can`t stop yourself from fancying your neighbours wife or coveting their nice shiny new sports car.
Maybe your struggle is with calling – maybe you have sensed God calling you out for a particular task, but you don`t want to do that!!! Given that my calling is Officership, I`m thinking specifically of a call to Officership – but there are many other calls and vocations from God too.
What`s yours??
What`s your calling??
More importantly, what’s your response going to be??
Whatever our struggle we must, “... find out what is the will of God and to do it whole-heartedly”
Page 4 – Grace in the world
The great news is that we can know the will of God for us, and the Bible tells us how.....
Romans 12:1-2 says,
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will
So the key is to present ourselves as living sacrifices – a sacrifice, simply, is just something that has been offered. Something that has been given.... given to God.
Have you given your life to God? Is that, perhaps the first step for you as you seek to discover God`s will for your life?
The next step is to “not conform to the pattern of this world” – we are to be different, to live different. We are to be transformed.... by the power of the Holy Spirit living in us.
Len Ballentine`s chorus says,
I dare to be different, I dare to believe;
I dare to be different, God's Spirit receive.
I dare to be different, my life sacrificed;
I dare to be different by living like Christ.
Do you `dare to be different?` Do you dare to sacrifice your life and to live like Christ?
Romans tells us that it is only by offering ourselves – that is being available, and living a life that is different to the world around us, that we can actually gain the ability to discern what God`s perfect will is for us.
You know..... There is an old cliché that says, God doesn`t look at our ability, rather he looks at our availability.
How available are you this morning?
How available to God are you this morning??
Is he the Lord of your life? Is he the King of your very being?
Appeal
As we quietly bow our heads, let us sing the little chorus that we tried earlier.
Reign in me, Sovereign Lord, reign in me.
Reign in me, Sovereign Lord, reign in me.
Captivate my heart, Let your kingdom come.
Establish there your throne.Let your will be done.
This chorus is a prayer – when we sing it we are surrendering, we are sacrificing ourselves to God. We are making ourselves available to him. We are yielding to His Will.
When we sing this little chorus we are praying, “yet not my will Lord, but yours be done”
As we continue, just now, in God`s presence, - I ask you if God is leading you - prompting you to respond to him today.
As has often been said before, the Mercy Seat is here - it`s nothing but an old piece of wood. Yet this piece of wood is a sacrament - an outward sign of an inward reality. It`s a place of prayer, where you can come an commune with God.
This morning I urge don`t leave this place until you know what God`s will is for your life.
Don`t leave this place until you are fully committed to doing His will – whether you want to, or not.
Don`t leave this place until you know that God`s presence is going with you.
