Sermon Central
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The Will Of God Series
Contributed by Darren Woods on Feb 25, 2012 (message contributor)
Summary: A Sermon about doing God's will - based around Luke 22:39-46 & a scene from "The Sound Of Music" (Maria's interview with the Reverend Mother, when she is told that she is leaving the convent)
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.
