Our scripture reading for this morning is taken from the Psalms, Psalms 106. It's basically a continuation of Psalm 105, which is kind of like a summary of the great works and miracles that the Lord performed when he delivered his chosen people from Egypt. Psalm 106 emphasizes more on the rebellious nature of the Israelites, similar to our forgetful rebellious nature. And the wonderful fact that God's mercy endures forever and the multitude of God's mercy is endless.

Psalm 106. Praise ye the Lord, O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good. For his mercy endureth forever. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? Who can shew forth all his praise? Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times. Remember me, O Lord, when the favor that thou bearest unto thy people, O visit me with thy salvation. May I see the good of thy chosen, and that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.

We have sinned with our fathers. We have committed iniquity. the wonders in Egypt. They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies, but provoked him at the sea, even at the Red Sea. Nevertheless, he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known. He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up. So he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. And the waters covered their enemies. There was not one of them left.

They believed they his words. They sang his praise. They soon forgot his works. They waited not for his counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul. They envied Moses, and also in the camp, and Aaron, the saint of the Lord. The earth opened up and swallowed up Dathan, and covereth the company of Abiram. And a fire was kindled in their company. The flame burned up the wicked.

They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image. Thus they change their glory into the similitude of an ox that eats grass. They forget God, their savior, which hath done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea. Therefore, he said that he would destroy them had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.

Yea, they despised the pleasant land. They believed not his word, but murmured in their tents and hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord. Therefore, he lifted up his hand against them to overthrow them in the wilderness, to overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands. They joined themselves also unto Baal Peor and ate the sacrifices of the dead. Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions, and the plague broke in upon them.

Then stood up Phinehas and executed judgment, and so the plague was stayed. And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations forevermore. They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes, because they provoked his spirit so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips. They did not destroy the nations concerning whom the Lord commanded them, but were mingled among the heathen and learned their works. And they served their idols, which were a snare unto them.

Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood. Thus they defiled with their own works, and went a-whoring with their own inventions. against his people in so much that he abhorred his own inheritance. And he gave them into the hand of the heathen, and they that hated them ruled over them. Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand.

Many times did he deliver them, but they provoked him with their counsel and were brought low for their iniquity. Nevertheless, he regarded their affliction when he heard their cry, and he remembered for them his covenant. and repented according to the multitude of his mercies. He made them also to be pitied to all those that carried them captives.

Save us, O Lord, our God, and gather us from among the heathen to give thanks unto the Holy Name and to triumph in thy praise. Blessed be the God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting, and let all people say, Amen. Praise ye the Lord. Amen. The Holy Spirit add blessing to the scripture. Amen.

Turn in your Bibles, if you would, to the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel chapter 36. Bill Silva and I used to have conversations quite a bit. You remember Bill? Some of you? the time before Bill passed, before the Lord took him home on his motorcycle that day, coming here to the conference. Our church was looking on the old side, to be quite honest with you. We talked a little bit about what the Lord might have in store for us. It looks like the day of Numbers were gone. People were passing away here and there. Some just stopped coming, especially after Don Fortner passed away. But there was some diminishing. It seemed like everybody was over the age of 60, or at least 55. And we thought about, you know, what's the Lord's will for rescue? Lord, what would your will be for us? It seems like we're dying out. We're getting old.

Folks, there's a lot of churches right now who are going through that very thing. Churches who used to have a lot of young people. There's still some. I'm not saying they're not there. Our brother Gabe Stoniker and the church at Kingsport, they've got a bunch of young ones there. Teenagers, little ones. David Pledger down there in Texas, Houston, Texas, he's got a pretty good sized group of people there, too. And there's others, Todd Niber, others. Even Todd's church, though, it used to be somewhere around 100 people. I don't think they're that many anymore. It just seems like the church that we know, God's people, we're getting older. And you know what that means, that means some of us pass on and leave this world and that's what Bill and I were thinking.

I look out across the congregation now and I think of our brother Edward and his wife who started coming not too long ago, about a year ago, maybe a little more. Brother James, brother James started coming, what, four years ago. Azalyn, Azalyn and her husband Eric, they come. I haven't seen them in a little while, but they started coming quite regularly. I see this and I think to myself, well, maybe the Lord's not done with us yet. What's your will for us, Lord, is what I'm trying to bring to your attention. I think about what's His will for us tomorrow. Lord, what is your will? I look to Him. for his purpose. I never did that before. Do you? I never did that. It was always, well, what am I going to do tomorrow of whatever I think I need to do? I never thought about God and what his purpose or his will was. Things have changed.

Coming right back to that question that for several weeks now, aren't we a little different now than we were before? Yeah. Yeah. Not only do I see my sin in a way that I never saw before, I look to Him, my God, my Lord, my Creator, my all in all, and wonder, what's your will for me tomorrow, Lord? I thought about that when the Lord brought me to this position as pastor. I had no idea that that was going to happen. I didn't ask for that to happen. Brother Mike knows that perfectly. He was right here when that all went down. I thought, you know, Lord, what's your will for me? Maybe I'll be an elder. Maybe I can support this man that we thought was going to be the pastor. Maybe I can help him in every way that I can. And then that all went about, and the Lord changed everything on us. His will was accomplished. And you folks asked me to be your pastor. And it all worked out. We went that way as an interim for a while.

And Kathy, she's like, well, what's God's will for me? You've got a ministry to bring. What am I going to do? I'm going to go up in the mountains. Let me tell you something, I'm not so sure she's glad she asked that question. She does a lot. I got the easy part. I just gotta read God's word and get up here and talk about it a little bit. She's got, I'll tell you, we switched our, electronics are beyond me. And I get frustrated real easy. Well she gets a little frustrated too when they're not working like they should. And watching her go through it, I'm just, oh, I don't want you to go through this anymore. Let's just stop doing that stuff. She insists. She's going to keep right on going with it. And it allows me to go to San Diego. It allows us to spread out. I don't know if you folks know it. Right now, there's probably 10 people or so on the internet. Some folks, a man from Kansas, Shirley from Arizona, Cheryl from Utah, my brother Lee from Colorado, and others as well. Jim and Heather are on there. So, I'm thankful that God has given you something to do. And that He's given you the ability to do it very well. But still, she sat there and wondered, what am I going to do? What's His will for me? Do you ever think of that? Does that ever cross your mind?

I thought about that buying that motorcycle. I said, well, you know I didn't want to go at first. I opened my mouth and I said something to my son-in-law about, you know, it'd be great if we went somewhere. Oh, great, let's go. Oh, no, wait a minute, wait a minute. I'm not so sure I want to go. My hips aren't as good as they used to be. I had to go get shots for that, expecting that trip. I got shots in my hips so I wouldn't hurt so bad. And so I prayed. I prayed a great deal about, Lord, Do you want me to go on this trip? Is this your will for me? Do you ever think about things like that? Do you ever pray without ceasing is what it's called? Talking to your God constantly? He brought me a good deal. I couldn't pass it up. I said, there's the door. The Lord's opening the door for me. Maybe this is God's will. And then he allowed the devil to to mess with me, didn't he? Put a deer out there in front of me and took that motorcycle right away two weeks later. It hurt, but he didn't take my life.

Are you getting the picture? Are you understanding the point that I'm trying to bring out here? We're different today in the fact that we seek God's will in all that we do. Even if you don't know it, You're driving down the road, and the lights are all turning red on you, and you're stopping at the lights. Before, we'd get all mad about those kinds of things, but now we think to ourselves, maybe the Lord's will is that I don't get in that accident that's two blocks ahead of me. You see how we give Him the glory for even the smallest things in our lives?

Lord, what is Your will for me today? Our dear friends, in San Diego have been through a lot, but this applies just to you and I just as well. They had a pastor who got shot by a neighbor. They had a pastor who went kind of crazy and started talking about things that don't make no sense. And then they had a pastor who just got up and left, who didn't work out for them. I'm sharing this with you because I want you to understand something. There's times where we get in our lives where we're like, Lord, what is your will for me? I just feel like I'm struggling. I feel like I'm walking through cement. I don't know if this is what you have for me or not. Lord, what is it? This trouble that's in my life, have I done something to bring it upon myself? What's your will for me, Lord? Do you ever think that? They're thinking that very thing right now. They don't have a pastor. And they're wondering, Lord, what's your will for us down here? Are we just to up and move or leave or whatever?

I brought this out to them when I was down there two weeks ago. As children of God, and it's perfectly obvious by all of you being here today. See what I mean? It applies to us right now. All of us. Steve has not been able to be here in a long time. He struggles with hearing. God's purpose and will is for Steve to be here today. Just as it is His will and purpose for each and every one of us. I stand behind this pulpit because it was God's will to put me here. Not because of John Reeves. John Reeves would rather have been doing something else. He'd been doing other things for years. Until God exercised His will and brought me here to His church. Just like He brought each and every one of you here this morning.

Thy will. We look to see His will. This is the new creature, the new man, the new heart, the new spirit. where once we were spiritually dead to the truths of God and the desires of His will, now we are made alive, quickened in Christ our Lord to seek His will. I remember when I had none of these desires to follow Him, to seek His will for me, I had no desire to please Him in any way. And you know, when I talk about things like that, you know what comes to mind, maybe in your mind right now, But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ. By grace ye are saved. That's so important. His grace. His unmerited favor.

We want to look for God's will? What is God's will for me? This very moment, God's will for each and every one of us is to be here today worshiping Him in truth and in spirit. We could easily be in any one of these other religious places around here worshiping a false god, a god who is trying A God who can't do anything unless man allows him? Our dear sister over in Wheatland said she tuned in to see a relative being baptized in some church down in Oakdale. And she said that after the man speaking mentioned many words about himself, he said, God wants. And she stopped right there. Big red flag all of a sudden jumped up in front of her.

Folks, God doesn't want for nothing. You show me somewhere in God's Word where it says He wants or He is trying, and I'll shut up and sit down and not speak about anything again on the Lord's case. You won't find anything. He says, I have purposed it, I shall do it. Look here at Ezekiel chapter 30. And I will sanctify, set apart, make holy my great name, which was profaned among the heathen." It was down, it was tossed down, it was spoken of. Well, we know it was spoken of, don't we? If you've never been around a truck driver, you know how God's name was used. Profaned. in the midst of them, and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall sanctify in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your filthiness. and from all your idols, and I will cleanse you, and a new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes. And you shall keep my judgments and do them. and ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and ye shall be My people, and I will be your God."

Lord, what is Your will for me today? He says, My will. He says, I will be your God. And there will be no other. There's only one God. Three distinct people. Three distinct persons. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, but there's only one God.

What is the will of God for me today? Turn over to Psalm 40, if you would. Psalm 40. Go back to the left. Look with me, if you would, at Psalm 40, beginning at verse 1. Psalm 40, verse 1, we read, I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock, and established My goings.

I'm setting a table for you here. Our feast today is going to be, what is the will of God for me? What does He do? What did we just read there? He set our feet upon a rock. What is the will of God for me? It's to have my feet set upon a rock. Are you starting to get the total picture coming there? Our painter over here, Marie, she's got it. She knows exactly what we're doing here. We're laying the background, aren't we, Marie? We're putting in the background of the painting there. And it's going to start showing a picture of this wonderful diamond we call the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is the will for Him? He's going to set my feet upon a rock and establish. He's going to cause me. as we read in Ezekiel, He's going to cause me. And He hath put a new song in my mouth, a song that cries out, My God, my God! Isn't this getting good? Oh, it is for me. My mouth even prays unto our God, and shall see it, and fear it, and shall trust in the Lord. Now many shall see it, and fear it, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trough, and respect is not the prod, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to usward. They cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire, mine ears hast thou opened. Burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Then said I, lo, I come to do in the volume of the book. It is written of me, saith our Lord, I delight to do thy will.

Oh, folks, because the Lord has loved us, because He has loved me with an everlasting love, as stated in Jeremiah 31.3, I have come to love Him. My desire is to walk in His statutes, but just as the Apostle Paul states, he says, I find another law. I don't do the things that I should and I do the things I should not. He goes as far as saying, even the good that I do, I find evil in it. I find that everything I do, think, is tainted with sin. and unacceptable to my God.

But I have a substitute. I have one who took my place in death. I have one who was made sin, made my sin, that I would be made the righteousness of God in him.

Lord, what is your will for me? Let me ask you something. Do you think Jonah, I've used him for years now, you know the story. He ran from God. God told him to go preach to the Ninevites. He ran from God and ran down to Tarshish, I believe it was, and jumped on a ship. Do you think he was doing the will of God? Do you think he thought he was doing the will of God? He's no different than you and I. I don't want to go to Nineveh. I'm out of here, dude. I'm heading off somewhere else. God wants me to go there, but no, I'm not. I can't go there. That's crazy. Those are a wild group of guys. They'll tell me apart. I'll head this other direction. I guarantee you he didn't think he was doing the will of God.

The reason I bring that up is everything is the will of God. Everything is the purpose of God. Our situation right now in this country, as crazy as it is, with all the nonsense that is going on in our leadership and in our states and so on, that's all the will of God. He's purposed it for us. And whatever it is that we've got to go through between now and whenever He takes us out of this world, it's His will that we've got to go through it.

You want to know what the will of God is? I can't tell you what the will of God is yesterday, but I can tell you what the will of God is right now. It's to be exactly where you are, worshiping Him. And everything He has done was so that you and I would be right where we are today, God's will for us now. That's what God's will is for us right this moment. I think what I just said in a whole lot of words is our God is sovereign and does what He pleases. How's that? I kind of liked it a little bit more there, but you know, some may say, John, you're blowing too much hot air.

Because Christ loved us and gave Himself as a substitute for us, laying down His life in death that we would live through Him, we want to follow Him. We want to walk in His wise instruction.

Look at Psalm 143 if you would. Turn to the right. Go over to Psalm 143. This is our prayer. This is how we ought to get out of bed every morning.

Look at verse 1 of Psalm 143. Hear my prayer, O Lord. Brother Bruce Crabtree received a note from Dave Stoniker from this man over in Africa who sent a three-point outline for a message in the very first Isn't that good? First thing we ought to do in any kind of an outline of God's messages is look into the Word of the Lord.

righteousness, because of your faithfulness to your people, because of your righteousness, answer my call, O Lord. Not because of anything that I have in me, not because of whatever I have done, not because of any works that I have done, turning away from whatever I have done in the past, but because of you! Because of your Son, answer my call.

Verse two, and enter not into judgment with thy servant, for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. Oh, are you reading the picture? We're talking about the will of God. We're talking about thy will.

Go on, verse three, for the enemy hath persecuted my soul. That's the sin within us. You think that might be another country trying to do whatever they want? It's the sin within us that is our enemy. It's the sin that we commit against our God. That's our enemy. It rears up its ugly head every day when we open our eyes.

The enemy hath persecuted my soul. He has smitten my life down to the ground. He hath made me to dwell in darkness as those that have been long dead. Therefore, in my spirit overwhelmed within me, my heart within me is deafened. I remember the days of old, I meditate on Thy works, I must on the work of Thy hand. I stretch forth my hands unto Thee, my soul thirsteth after Thee, and thirsteth the land. Say, Lo, hear me speedily, O Lord, my spirit faileth. Hide not Thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.

Now look at verse 8. Cause. You want to know what the will of God is? You want to call upon the Lord? Lord, show me your will. Cause me. He says in Jeremiah 31, with everlasting love, I have lovingly drawn them. Lord, draw me. Lord, cause me to what? To hear Thy loving kindness in the morning. For in Thee do I trust. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk. For I lift up my soul unto Thee. Cause me to know the way I should walk.

Let me read that for you. Exodus 33, two verses. Look if you're over there with me. 33, verse 12, And Moses said unto the Lord, See thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people, and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me? Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me now thy way. What is your will, Lord? Show me now thy way, that I may know thee.

Did you catch that? What was his will? Oh, but John, there's a lot of people who say they know the Lord. Yeah. But we know Him according to His Word. But John, there's a lot of people who say they know Him according to His Word. True. But I also know they say things like, He wants. And that's not the Lord, that's not according to His Word. They say things like, He's trying. And that's not according to His Word. We've read already where our Lord doesn't try. What He has purposed, He shall do it.

12 and 13, Now therefore I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, show me thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in their sight, and consider this nation is thy people.

17th chapter of John. John chapter 17. And while you're turning there, allow me to read from Hebrews chapter 10. In Hebrews 10, familiar verses, I read them last week. The Lord says in verse 5, Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared for me, and burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, said the Lord Jesus, Lo, I come, in the volume of the book as it is written of me, to do Thy will, O God. What was the will of God the Father? That the God the Son would come to this world. We just read there that a body had been prepared for Him.

Now look with me at John 17, beginning at verse 5. And now, O Father, this is the Lord's prayer. I know people want to say that over in Matthew chapter 6 verse 9 is the Lord's Prayer. That's the Lord instructing us on how to pray. This is the Lord praying for you and I. This is the Lord's Prayer.

And now, O Father, glorify Thou me with Thine own self, verse 5, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. I have manifested Thy name unto the men to those that the God the Father had given to Him. He had manifested the name of God unto them.

We're looking for the will of God. We're trying to seek the Lord's will for you and I. And here it is, right before our face, that we have been given the name of God the Father out of the world. Thine they were, it says in the remainder of verse 6. And thou gavest them me, and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee, for I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me."

Are you getting the picture now? Here we go. We're looking at the picture of what God's will is for us. It was for us to be saved. It was the will of God that His Son would be manifest in the flesh and hang on that cross and die for us. It's that we would be saved and brought to worship His Son. And that's exactly what we're doing today. We are doing the will of God right now.

What has He got for you tomorrow? I don't know. It's going to be somewhere there in it. What is the will of God for you? The will of God for us is to believe the Word of Truth. We just read, For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them.

Did Christ do the will of the Father? Over in Acts chapter 2 we read these words. Let me turn over there and read for you quickly. Acts chapter 2. We read these words in verses 22 and 23. Ye men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, the man approved of God among you, by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know, him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.

Did Christ do the will of Folks, we're doing the will of God right now. It is by His will that we are here worshiping. I can't tell you what's to come tomorrow, but I can tell you this, if His will for you is to worship Him, He will cause you to worship Him, whatever it may be.

Look over at John chapter 6. If you're still over there in the book of John chapter 17, turn to the left to chapter 6 for just a moment. And look at one verse over there with me if you would. Verse 37, it says, All that the Father giveth me shall come to Him. What's God's will? That all that the Father giveth Him shall come to Him. If you belong to Him, His will is for you to hear His voice.

Turn over to John chapter 10. Go back to the right there, just a couple of pages to John chapter 10. Look over there with me, if you would, at just a couple of verses, beginning at verse 23. John 10 verse 23, Jesus walked in the temple of Solomon's porch. Verse 24, then came the Jews round about Him and said unto Him, How long dost Thou make us to doubt? If you be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered, he says, I told you, you believe not the works that I do in my Father's name. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not my sheep. As I have said unto you, my sheep hear my voice.

What's the will of God for you? I'm stressing this because I want you to know that what we do in this flesh is not something for us to look at. This has been the subject for almost four weeks now. What difference is there between us now and what we were before? We don't look to ourselves anymore. Some of you are in other religions where that was all it was. What am I doing today? I'm going out and earning my way into heaven. I've got to go knock on doors. I've got to go do this. I've got to stop smoking. I've got to do this. Whatever you must do. That's not what God's people do anymore. We look to Christ for everything. For everything.

Lord, help me to look to Him. Help me to turn away from this flesh and seek His will for me, which is to worship Him. And I do the best I can. Everything else doesn't really matter. I'm a flower that's about to wither away. I'm going to be dust pretty soon. God's coming, man. He's coming again. That's what matters.

Oh, folks, I'm going to say Stupid news! Our Lord says to you and I, I have given you eternal life. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my Father's hand. My Father which gave to me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck the amount of my Father's hand. I am my Father, one."

Listen to Acts chapter 22 verses 12-14. You don't need to turn around. I've got one Ananias, a devout man according to the law. having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, came unto me, and stood, and said to me, Brother Saul," this is Paul, the Apostle Paul, "'Brother Saul, receive thy sight.'" You recall, he was blinded on the road to Damascus. He had papers to go and persecute the church, and the Lord came to him and blinded him. He said, "'Receive thy sight.' And the same hour I looked up upon him, and he said, The God of our fathers, Now I know he's speaking to Paul, but folks, he's speaking to us. This is exactly what God does to all of his people. Paul was an example of us. He was an example of God's chosen people. He says, God has chosen thee that thou shouldest know his will. Ha! That's it. We're to know his will. We don't have to guess about it. Whatever happens tomorrow is according to His will.

Turn over to the Matthew chapter 9 or chapter 6 and I'll bring What is God's will for me tomorrow? Whatever He pleases. Guess what, folks? Whatever He pleases is for our good. Isn't that what His Word tells us in Romans 8, verse 28? It's for our good, for the good to those that love God, to them that are called. What is God's will for me? It's to know Him. It's to know His Son. It's to know why He sent Him. It's to know the Word of God, the Word of Truth.

Look at Matthew 6, verses 9 and 10. After this manner, therefore, pray ye, our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed, holy, perfect, righteous, sovereign, be thy name." That's what that word hallowed means. Thy kingdom come. We're to know this. This is His will, it's for us to know His will. That's what we just read about Paul, our example. as it is in heaven. That's not a request. You know, I used to think that. I used to think that that was a request. I'm to pray to God the Father, Oh Lord, I pray that your will be done. That's not true at all. This is a declaration. The Lord doesn't need you and I to have requests. He already knows what they are. If we have to request something, it's because we need to know that we need it. This is a declaration, Lord, Your will is done no matter what. This is a declaration that You're sovereign over all things and that whatever You have desired, it shall come to pass.

And guess what? He's desired that we should be saved. The will of God was for the eternal Son to become flesh. It said in Hebrews 10 verse 5, a body thou hast prepared. The will of God was for Christ to fulfill the law of God. For Christ is the end of the law, as it says in Romans 10 verse 4. The will of God was for all of their sins by the shedding of His own precious blood. Listen to 1 Peter 1, 18-19. For as much as ye know then that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation received by tradition of your father, but with the precious blood of Christ. Do you see the will of God? The will of God is that you and I name in spirit and in truth. The will of God was for Christ to be sat on his throne at the right hand of God the Father, with all power, making intercession for his people. And if any man sin, it says in 1 John 2, 1, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. It's the will of God that we know this in our hearts. to worship His Son, Jesus Christ the Lord.

Ezekiel 36 verse 38, it says this, and they shall know, not guess, not maybe, they shall know that He is Lord. I don't know about you folks, but it doesn't get any better to the center than that. We have a Savior who will not let us go. I'm thankful for that, because if you leave it up to John, he's going to mess things up. If you leave it up to John, he's going to step in it. If you leave it up to John, there's no hope. But when Christ Jesus is our hope, it's the hope of glory. Amen.