Your Will Be Done Series

Your Will Be Done

Matthew 6:10b

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

FBC Chenoa

3-10-19

How do you know?

In early August of 1992, I was in love with a little redheaded girl. That much I knew. But I wanted to know more. I drove three hours back into the mountains of North Carolina to meet with two very wise friends. I had a question for them. I thought she was the one but how do you really know?

I has saved enough money to either by a ring or put a down payment on a yellow convertible Geo Metro.

Jeff asked me how I planned to propose. Maxine had given me a homemade gift certificate for a free hot air balloon ride at Christmas. It was now August, and she hadn’t brought it back up. I remember my friend laying his hands on my shoulders and praying, “God, Jeff wants to know Your will. And he wants to do whatever you want him to do. Would you guide and direct him however you choose.”

He then said, “Let’s just wait and see if Maxine brings up the hot air balloon ride again. That will be your sign.”

Less than 30 minutes later, a student came and told me that there was a phone call at the lodge for me. When I answered the phone, it was Maxine. She said, “I’ve got a surprise for you. Remember the hot air balloon that my cousin owns? Remember the gift certificate from Christmas? Well, he called and said it was a go.”

I swallowed hard and asked when we were scheduled to go up. “Saturday!” she shouted with joy. I literally stared at the phone. It was Thursday. I hung up and ran back to where Jeff was and told him the story. I said, “Should we pray?” He answered, “No, you doofus, go buy a ring!”

And I did. And on Saturday morning, August 28, 1992, in a hot air balloon, 1,000 feet above the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia at sunrise I proposed. And she said yes. And that was almost 27 years ago.

I’ve been a Christian for almost thirty years and I can count on one hand when God has answered a prayer in such a clear and quick manner. Most of the time, seeking God’s will on a matter is much more confusing that that.

Review

The disciples asked Jesus to “teach them to pray” (Luke 11). Jesus responds by giving them a model prayer, just 57 words in the Greek and it takes 20 seconds to pray it. But for 2,000 years believers of every nation have prayed this prayer.

In this prayer, there is a preface and then six different petitions. First, we looked at the preface, “Our Father in Heaven.”

We learned that if we have placed our full faith and trust in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, we have the privilege of addressing God as Abba.

Abba means daddy or papa. It’s a term of endearment. In love, God chose to make us part of His family through adoption. Because we are God’s children, we can approach the throne of grace with “confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

The Lord’s Prayer begins with the word “our” to remind us that we are part of a huge family of believers all over the world.

And lest we are tempted to approach our Abba/Father without awe and reverence, Jesus reminds us that God is “in the heavens.” He is not the “the big man upstairs” but the majestic and mighty King.

Then we examined the phrase, “Hallowed be Your Name.” In this first petition, we are asking God to make His Name valued, treasured, revered, and exalted among all mankind. He can’t become more holy but humans can acknowledge Him as holy more and more.

This means at the very least, making sure that we who claim the name of Christ, honor Him with our words, thoughts, and deeds. But it also means taking seriously the call to be living billboards for the glory of God in our lives.

Two weeks ago, we examined, “Your Kingdom Come.” We discovered that there is an “already/not yet” dimension to God’s Kingdom. Jesus is the reigning King but we are living in between His two comings. He inaugurated His kingdom at His Incarnation and He will consummate His kingdom when He returns. Until that time, we are to pray that God would rule without rival in us, through us, and through the church.

This morning, we have arrived at the very center of the Sermon on the Mount and the very center of the section known as the Lord’s Prayer – “Your Will be Done on Earth as it is in Heaven.”