Thy Will Be Done

Q: What does the Bible say about God's will?

The Bible teaches that God's will is His sovereign purpose that is always fulfilled. God's will is comprised of two aspects: His will of decree, which always comes to pass, and His will of command, which is often disobeyed by humanity. In Isaiah 46:10, God declares, 'I declare the end from the beginning,' indicating that His purposes are eternally established and unthwartable. Furthermore, as seen in Romans 8:28, all things work together for good for those who love God, demonstrating that everything operates within His sovereign plan for His ultimate glory.

Q: How do we know God's sovereignty is true?

God's sovereignty is evident in Scripture where He accomplishes all that He wills. God's sovereignty is underscored throughout Scripture, asserting that He accomplishes all His purposes without external influence. For instance, Daniel 4:35 states, 'He does according to His will among the inhabitants of the earth,' establishing the ultimate authority and control God maintains over all creation. This is further emphasized in Proverbs 16:9, which teaches that while man plans his ways, the Lord directs his steps. The culmination of Biblical accounts reinforces that God's sovereignty is not merely a concept but a reality consistently demonstrated in history and the lives of believers.

Q: Why is it important for Christians to pray, 'Thy will be done'?

'Thy will be done' expresses our trust in God's perfect plan and purpose for our lives. Praying 'Thy will be done' acknowledges our submission to God's divine authority and recognition of His ultimate wisdom. This prayer reflects the sincere desire of believers to align their hearts with God's purposes, understanding that His plans are superior to their own. As emphasized in James 4:15, we must acknowledge the Lord's sovereignty in our intentions, 'If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.' By praying this, Christians express reliance and trust, knowing that God works all things for their good and His glory, even amidst struggles and confusion.

Q: What is the difference between God's will of decree and will of command?

God's will of decree always comes to pass, while His will of command is often disobeyed. The distinction between God's will of decree and His will of command is crucial in understanding His sovereignty. The will of decree refers to God's purposes that He has ordained to occur, which are always fulfilled as seen in Ephesians 1:11, stating that He 'works all things according to the counsel of His will.' Conversely, the will of command involves His revealed law and precepts, such as the Ten Commandments, which humanity frequently fails to obey. Thus, God's will of command, while good and just, reflects the reality of human sinfulness and the necessity for divine grace.

Todd's Road Grace Church would like to invite you to listen to a sermon by our pastor, Todd Nyberg. We are located at 4137 Todd's Road, two miles outside of Manowar Boulevard. Sunday services are at 10.30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Bible study is at 9.45 a.m. Wednesday services are at 7 p.m. Nursery is provided for all services. For more information, visit our website at toddsroadgracechurch.com. Now here's our pastor, Todd Nybert.

When the Lord was teaching his disciples to pray, he said, after this manner, therefore, pray ye. Now, most people have recited the Lord's Prayer. Do we understand what it means? After this manner, therefore, pray ye, our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, holy, reverend, other to be revered is thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. In earth as it is in heaven, And when we make that statement, we're saying, your will is not being done on earth as it is in heaven. And we pray that your will would be done on earth, even as it is in heaven. I've entitled this message, Thy Will Be Done.

Now, is this woven into my very heart, this desire for God's will to be done? Is this my desire? When I pray this prayer, do I mean it? What if it crosses my plans? What if it crosses my desires? What if it crosses my intentions? Do I mean it? Thy will be done, not my will, but thine be done." Now let me try to illustrate this. If I got my way, and if my will was done, I would enjoy nothing but health. I would have no pain, I would have no sickness, I would have no problems whatsoever if my will was done.

I've been sick. I've had cancer twice. I know what it is to go through a year of chemotherapy. I've had an esophagectomy. I've had a lot of illness in my life. I've spent over seven months in the hospital. I know what it is to physically suffer, and I'm wanting to get out of it if I can. I do not want to be sick. I don't like being sick. I'm not a good patient when I am sick. I don't like being sick. My will is to have health.

Now, if the Lord crosses that will, and brings me sickness. I know the character of Him who brought it, and I trust Him, and I say, Thy will be done. Not my will, but Thy will be done. I know His will's best. I don't want to be left to my own will. I want what He knows is best for me. And if it's best for me to be sick, that's what I want.

Thy will be done. There was a lady that was dying and a preacher asked her, well, do you want to live or do you want to die? And she said, well, whatever the Lord's will is, that's what I want. And he said, well, I know that, but if you had your own will, what would you say? Well, I'd want his will to be done. That's what I want, whatever the Lord's will is. Now, this is the believer's actual attitude. Thy will be done. Let your will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven." Now, what does that mean? His will's done in heaven, and His will's not done here on earth? Explain to me what that means.

By the will of God, in the scripture, we have God's will of decree or purpose, and we have His will of command or precept. God's will of decree, His purpose, is always done. His will of command, as it's expressed in the Ten Commandments, is never done. God's will of decree, God's will of purpose. God's will of decree is what he decreed before time began. Everything that happens in time is his will being done. Now, I realize there's secondary causes and tertiary causes, but God's will is always done. It's never not done. His will is never thwarted. And then there's God's will of command, as is expressed in the Ten Commandments.

I'm commanded to not lie. I'm commanded to not steal. I'm commanded to not be covetous. I'm commanded to not commit adultery. I'm commanded to honor my mother and father. I'm commanded to put no other gods before Him. I'm commanded to never commit idolatry. I'm commanded to not take His name in vain. I'm commanded to remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy. These are commands of God. His will of command is never done, never done, not once.

If you have, and if I have any understanding of the Ten Commandments, I realize I haven't kept one of them one time in my heart. You see, this is a whole lot more than outward obedience. This is obedience from the heart. And the Lord gives us this illustration in the Sermon on the Mount of, you've heard it said, by them of old thou shalt not commit adultery, but I say unto you, whosoever looketh upon a woman, to lust after her, hath committed adultery already in his heart. You might have been outwardly pure, but if you've done any of that in your heart, you've broken that commandment.

God's commandments are so wide and so broad, to think that you've kept one is to show you don't even know what the law of God means. Now, God's command of decree, his command of purpose is always kept. His will of command, as far as commandments, this thou shalt and thou shalt not, it has never been kept.

The will of God. Thy will be done. The will of God. There is such a thing as the will of God. Now, God is spirit. He doesn't have a body like you and I do. I know the Lord Jesus Christ does, the second person of the blessed Trinity, because he took upon flesh. But there was a time when he didn't have a body. God is spirit.

That means he's not bound by space. We can't be two places at once. He can, he's everywhere. He's omnipresent. He's not bound by time. We live in yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We're bound in time. We can't get out of it. He's above time. He is eternal. Everything is in the eternal now with Him. God is a person. This one who is a spirit is a person. Now, when we think of a person, we think of someone who has a mind and has a will. Well, we're created in the image of God. God has a mind, a mind of omniscience. He knows all things. He's all wise. And He's got a will. He purposes.

There is such a thing as the will of God. I love this definition of God's will. Would you listen carefully? God's will is God doing what he does because it's good in his sight. That's the will of God. It's God doing what he does because it's good in his sight. The psalmist said, our God is in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. That's the will of God.

Psalm 135, 6, whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deep places. Daniel 4, 35 says he doeth according to his will. in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth. And there's none that can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest thou? Give an account for yourself.

God's God. Now, every believer, without exception, loves that. This is the sovereignty of God. It's God being God. We love this because we love Him and the Lord Jesus rejoiced in this. In Luke 11, it says, at that time, Jesus rejoiced in spirit. And this is the only time it ever says that. At that time, Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes, even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.

And every believer has such trust of his character that whatever he does is good if it's good in his sight. And my dear friends, he doesn't do something because it's right. It's right because he does it. Shall not the judge of the earth do right? And if his will command says something is right or something is wrong, it's true simply because he commands it.

No other reason is needed. Now, God's will. God's great end, God's will, is His own glory. God has one purpose, the eternal purpose which He purposed in Himself, His own glory. Why was there a creation? For the glory of God. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the earth showeth forth his handiwork.

Revelation 4.11, thou has created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created. God was free to create or is free to not create, but he decided to create because it's his will to glorify himself. Everything in providence, that's everything that happens in time, everything. You can't take this too far. Everything that happens in time is his will being done for his glory.

Listen to this scripture, Romans 8.28. And we know that all things work together for good. People usually quote that verse. There's a reason. It's all going to work out. They don't quote the rest of the verse.

And we know all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. God has a purpose, his own glory, and everything that happens in time will end up being seen to have happened for the glory of God. God's gonna get glory to himself. And God's purpose in salvation is His own glory. We're saved to the praise of the glory of His grace. Thy will be done. Now I, as the Lord enables me, I want to give what the scripture has to say about the will of God. There is such a thing as the will of God. Some people blame God's will for their sin. What was the will of God for this to take place? Don't do that. Don't do that. If you sin, it's your fault. God's sovereign over that, but it's your fault. Don't blame God for your sin.

But let's consider the will of God. First of all, His will, that will that we're praying, thy will be done on earth, just like it is in heaven. Your will of decree, we can be sure that's always going to be done. Your will of command that's broken here on earth, we pray that it might be just like in heaven where your will of command is done all the time, willingly, joyously, promptly.

God's will is eternal. He said in Isaiah 46, I declare the end from the beginning. And from ancient times, things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. I have purposed it, I also will do it. In all the details, of everything that takes place, it's His eternal will being done. It's His decrees that He purposed before time began being done in time. Listen to this scripture from Psalm 16, I mean, Proverbs 16, 33. The lot is cast into the lap. We think of that as a thing of chance, happenstance, luck. The lot is cast into the lap, but The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord.

Everything that takes place is what He determined before to take place. All the events of history, in every detail, even to the most minute, is His eternal decree taking place in time. His will is immutable. It's eternal. It never had a beginning and it's immutable. He never changes his mind. His will is never changed. Immutable. Psalm 3311, the counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. His will is immutable, it never changes.

You say, well, why pray if you're not trying to change God's will? Prayer doesn't change God's will, prayer changes us. That's the purpose of prayer. It molds us to His will. God's will never changes. God said in Malachi 3, verse 6, I am the Lord, I change not. Therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. His purpose never changes. His will never changes. The decrees of the Lord, the will of the Lord, It's eternal. It's immutable. It never changes. And it's free. Now, what do I mean by that?

It means he has no reason outside of his will to act outside of himself. He doesn't have to see something that happens and he responds to it. His will is absolutely free. He was free to create or to not create. But He created, and His will is not dependent upon certain circumstances taking place so His will can come to pass. He never responds, He never reacts. His will is free because He's utterly independent. He has no needs outside of Himself. He doesn't need me. He doesn't need you, we need Him. And His will is absolutely free.

His will is absolutely sovereign. You know, I've heard people say, well, God in His sovereignty decided to let man have a free will. That's utter foolishness. God's will is absolutely sovereign. No man can change it, no man can control it. He doeth according to His will all the time. You know, there's really no worship of God if you don't understand that you're in His hand. You can't control Him. You can't manipulate Him. You can't change Him.

You have the same understanding the leper did when the leper came and worshipped. He was full of leprosy. He came and worshipped. You can read about this in Matthew chapter 8. Behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, If you will, you can make me clean. He didn't say, Lord, I will that you make me clean. Why that would have been arrogance, presumption. You can't come into the Lord's presence and tell him what he's going to do. How did he come?

Lord, if you will, you can make me clean. I need to be clean. I can't make myself clean. The only way I can be clean is if you will my cleansing. If you will, you could make me clean. And the scripture says, and Jesus moved with compassion, reached forth his hand and touched him saying, I will be thou clean. Now I know this, anybody who prays this prayer, Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.

He makes them clean, but his will is absolutely sovereign. His will is efficacious. That means if he wills it, it must be. It must come to pass. It's a completed action before it even takes place. You see, he's all powerful. If he wills something, he has the power to make his will come to pass. And he always does make his will come to pass. Always. That's in that will of decree. It always comes to pass.

His will cannot be thwarted. I love the fact that His grace is irresistible grace. It's invincible grace. Can't men resist it? Not if He intends to save you. If you could resist and thwart His will, that would make your will powerful over His will. It's either God's will's done or man's will's done. It's not both. God's will is always done, and His will is efficacious.

It can't be resisted. He says to Matthew, follow me. Matthew rose, forsook all, and followed Him. That command could not be resisted. You see, when He wills something, That will's obeyed. Follow me. If he says to me, follow me, what I'm gonna do, I'm gonna follow him.

He's got irresistible, invincible grace. Everyone's that's the subject of his irresistible, invincible grace finds him to be irresistible. His will being done relates to all events. In Proverbs 16, verse one, we read the preparations of the hearted man, his inclinations, his dispositions, And the answer of the tongue, what he says, is from the Lord. The Lord's in control of all of it. He's completely sovereign over the free and uncoerced actions of men, even their dispositions. Verse four, the Lord has made all things for himself, yea, even the wicked, for the day of evil.

Verse nine, a man's heart deviseth his way, we plan. Here's what I'm gonna do, here's what I'm not gonna do. A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directed his steps. He doesn't know it, but it's the Lord directing his steps. You see, the Lord is completely sovereign over the free and uncoerced actions of men. And this includes the sinful actions of men. He is sovereign over them all. And let me give you a scripture that teaches this.

Acts 4.27. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou has anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done."

When those men were driving the spikes, the nails through the hands and feet of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's what God's hand and counsel determined before to be done. And remember, God brings good out of evil. The most evil thing to ever take place in the universe was the crucifixion of Christ. And look at the good that God brought about out of that, the salvation of his people. I love the illustration of Joseph that the Bible gives. Joseph, the father's favorite, what a type of Christ he was.

The father's favorite, his brothers hated him. They were jealous of him. They wanted to kill him. They couldn't speak peaceably to him. They threw him in a pit and were going to murder him. And then Reuben said, we won't make any money out of that. Let's sell it as a slave. And they stripped him of his coat of many colors. took lamb's blood and put it on and gave it to his dad and said, is this your son's? And oh, they broke their father's heart in this deceitful, wicked way.

Sent Joseph off, thought he's gone for good. Well, they didn't know what was going on, but the Lord sent Joseph down there unbeknownst to them. They thought they did it, but it was the Lord that did it. During this time, Joseph was thrown into prison, being accused of a crime he didn't commit, spent 12 years there. He interpreted some dreams from some men and some people told Pharaoh about it. He told Pharaoh the meanings of those dreams. There's going to be a great famine in the land. Pharaoh made Joseph the head of everything.

And in time, a couple of years later, his brothers come down. They don't know who he is. He knows who they are. And they're needing food. And in the process of time, Joseph makes himself known to him. And he says, I'm Joseph. Does my father live? And his brethren could not answer him, for they were troubled at his presence. They were afraid. This is Joseph? This is Joseph whom we sold as a slave? He's going to kill us. We're in trouble. And Joseph said to them, you meant it for evil. You did this. You meant it for evil. There were no good intentions in what you were doing.

But God meant it for good, to save much life. And that's exactly what He did. Now, His will is supreme. He always brings good out of evil. And that'll all be seen in the end. We might not see it now, but it'll all be seen in the end. And His will is supreme. You've heard of the Supreme Court. There's no higher court. His will is supreme because He is the supreme being and salvation happens because of His will.

The writer to the Hebrews said, by the witch will, we are sanctified once for all through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ. He said, I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that of all which He hath given me, the elect, I should lose nothing. I'll save every one of them and raise them up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone that seeth the Son and believeth on Him, if you ever see who He is, you will believe on Him. should have everlasting life. And I'll raise him up at the last day.

James 1.18, of his own will begat he us through the word of the truth.

And when we pray, thy will be done, it will be done. We can be assured of that. And when we say, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, one of these days, his will command is gonna be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Now, how should this affect me personally? First, when I pray it, I mean it.

Lord, thy will be done. There's some who hate this, God's will being done, because that blows out of the water their hope of salvation by works. You mean salvation only comes because of God's will being done? Yes, that's exactly what it means. What about the stuff I've done? They don't count. God's will is always done.

And every believer loves this because we know that our salvation is not dependent upon our will, but His will. It's God that works in you both to will and to do His good pleasure. And this is why we can thank Him for everything. We know it's his will being done. Even if we don't understand it, even if it's painful, we know it's best because it's his will. 1 Thessalonians 5, 18 says, and everything gives thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Whatever it is, this is his will concerning you.

And his will's in our thinking. We say, Lord, if it be your will, let this take place. We never think, well, I'm gonna do this. No, Lord willing, we'll do this. We know his will is controlling everything, and we submit to his will. We know it's best if we're believers.

We submit to his will, like Eli did when Samuel said, God's gonna kill both of your boys. He said, it's the Lord. Let him do what seemeth him good." We love the will of God because it's God's will, and because His will is always done, and our only hope of salvation is Him willing it. Thank God for the will of God. Can you pray from your heart in sincerity Thy will be done.

Not my will. I don't want to be left to my own will. I don't want to be left to my own understanding. My desires are all wrong by nature. I realize that. Not my will. but thy will be done." Salvation is according to the will of God. Salvation is of the Lord. How I love His will. How I love His will being done. I hope when we pray this prayer, we're not just reciting it, but this comes from the depths of our heart. Thy will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven. To receive a copy of the sermon you have just heard, send your request to todd.neibert at gmail.com or you may write or call the church at the information provided on the screen.

Thy Will Be Done

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's will?

How do we know God's sovereignty is true?

Why is it important for Christians to pray, 'Thy will be done'?

What is the difference between God's will of decree and will of command?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

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Thy Will Be Done

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about God's will?

How do we know God's sovereignty is true?

Why is it important for Christians to pray, 'Thy will be done'?

What is the difference between God's will of decree and will of command?

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

Comments

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