Kerwin Baptist Church Daily Broadcast

. . to help our prayer life. Lord, we need prayers answered right now. We'll give you the praise and the glory for it. In your name we pray, amen.

Let me give you a statement if I can, as we dig into this little phrase, thy will be done. In our prayer lives, you and I are to come to a place eventually where we lay all that we are on his altar and yield totally ourselves. That's why we pray. We are praying to grow closer to the Lord and the progression has a place where we're supposed to get to. And that place is that when we pray, we are supposed to be totally yielded, a sacrificial gift to God.

We're yielded to whatever he wants. That is where our prayer life should get to. That is why Romans 12 teaches us, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Did you get that? Holy, acceptable unto God, and be not conformed to this world, verse two says, and be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Thy will be done. We will not do God's will until we are sacrificial to God. That makes sense, okay. So what is God saying here?

So tonight you got your hand out and hope you do. Number one is this, God's will, a definition. What are we talking about here? Just what is the will of God? Well, let me give you a couple of things or a couple of different things that people think the will of God is.

Number one, and you'll see on your notes that I've kind of tried to lay out here for you. Number one, some people think that the will of God is overbearing. Say, preacher, what do you mean by that? Well, some people look at the will of God as if it's an iron-fisted rule of an overbearing dictator. God is too strong that I can resist, so they give in to him with a resentful attitude. It's almost as if they would do something else if they could but I'll submit to God's will because I don't have a choice. That's the way some people view the will of God.

And let me say something here. Some of you, some of us sometimes in our life look the same way at the will of God. It's as if we don't have a choice. We would do something else if we could but I've got to do the will of God. Number two, some people look at the will of God as inevitable.

Say, preacher, what does that mean? That means that they see the will of God as being inevitable. There's nothing they can do to change it and nothing they're gonna do is gonna bring them to a different place, so they submit, not out of faith but out of surrender. In other words, it's not because they're excited to do God's will, it's because they literally feel they don't have any other choice.

It's inevitable. They don't submit to God's will out of love or joy but out of duty, out of resignation. These folks pray but they really don't think that their prayers are gonna make any difference because God's will is already set, nothing I can do to change it.

Did you hear me? I don't know if you realize this but we're getting you some nitty gritty that some people, this is the truth but they don't know how to explain this. You're doing it, I'm doing it but we don't know how to explain it. We pray but in our minds, we think why pray? God's will is already done.

It's already set, it's gonna be inevitable. My mom died in February. We prayed for three years. I would be lying to you if I said there wasn't times I thought, well, I'm gonna pray for her to be healed but he probably is not going to. Now I'm gonna get up here as a pastor and tell you, God says whatsoever you ask in faith, believing you shall receive and my thing was with my mom, I'm sure with some of you, it's been with different things in your life.

I know God could heal her and I know he has the power to heal her but I just couldn't seem to get a clear vibe that he was going to heal her. So we look at sometimes as God's will, it's either overbearing, we don't have a choice or it's inevitable. You know, there's nothing that's gonna change it. Number three, some people look at God's will as changeable. This is kind of the other end, the other end of the spectrum here.

You say, what does this mean? This is where others seem to think that my duty in prayer is to bend God's will so that it lines up with mine. You know, some people, as they look at God's will, they have their will and they ask God to go according to what they have. That's the way they look at God's will. All right, well, I gotta get God's will in the matter and what they really want is God's approval of their will. Have we all done that?

Am I the only unspiritual person here? You see, the problem with these is that all three are incorrect. Listen to me, yes, God is sovereign and yes, he is in absolute control of the universe but he does invite his children to pray about things in their life. Yet when we pray, we're not doing so to get our will done. We pray in order that God's will would be accomplished.

Do you get that? So we're supposed to pray and yes, God is in control but we're supposed to pray but our prayer is not supposed to get our will done. We are to pray so that God's will gets done faster.

Let me say this, look at verse nine, eight, nine and 10. Notice that this prayer is all about him. Thy name, thy kingdom, thy will.

You see that? Thy name, thy kingdom, thy will. It's all about God. Now listen to me, God is a sovereign God but he still commands us to pray. That's why the Bible says the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Look at me, if God's will is already set and we can't do anything to change it, why would God say that an effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much?

If there's nothing to do, you ever thought about that? You say, well, scripture is contradicting. No, it's not. Let me get into it a little bit better if I can. Under this thing of God's will of definition, let me show you two things that God's word teaches. I don't know that I've shared them here. I have shared them at different times in evangelism. When I was in evangelism, we would do prayer centered things or different things.

But I want you to notice two things and you see them right here on your notes. Number one is God's will of decree and second is God's will of desire. Now you say, preacher, what does that mean? Okay, God's will of decree. There is one sense and this is what I'm talking about in which God has determined some things in advance. There are certain things in the Bible that God has decreed. And when God decrees certain things, they are going to happen.

You can mark it down in your little black book. God decreed that Satan would be chained. God decreed that he would come back and get us.

Do you understand the difference? And these things that God has decreed, they're going to happen and nothing's gonna change that because God decreed it. That decree is like an oath or a promise. And those are things that are in God's will, but they have been decreed, which means God made a statement, this is going to happen.

And so there's nothing that's going to change that. I'm gonna give you a couple of examples. Now you have your papers here, so if you have a pen or a pencil, I'm gonna give you some references. And if you don't care, you don't have to write them down. But if you're into this a little bit and you say, oh, I'm gonna look at some of these verses, I'm gonna give you some passages.

And I want you to look at a couple of them if I could. Let me give you a couple more statements. These things that God has decreed, they will be accomplished and nothing can hinder it, stop it or sidetrack it. If God's decreed it, it's gonna happen. This kind of determination can be seen in creation.

It's in the way God maintains the universe. You can see it all through God's word. If God decrees something and he decrees it as his will, it's going to happen. Now, look, if you would, if you wanna look, I'll read it to you, but if you wanna look, look at Psalm 135 and verse six. Well, Psalm 135, six, just like just, you know, and I've got about 12 verses here, but I'm just gonna look at two of them. Psalm 135, verse six, notice this. Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, what does our verse say, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Look at Psalm 135, verse six. Whatsoever the Lord pleased or wanted or desired, okay, that he did he in heaven and in what? And in, and in all deep places. Now that word pleased is the same word for will.

Now listen to me. It means this, what God willed or what pleased or what he wanted, that was done in heaven and in earth and in the seas and in the deep places. When I say creation, what does it mean?

It's God decreed creation. And he said, let us make man in our own image, he did. Okay, what God desires and he puts his stamp of approval on and he says, he's gonna do what he does. And that's gonna happen in heaven that way.

And it can happen on earth that way or the seas or the dark places, whatever. When God wants to do something, no questions asked, God can do it, you got that? So when we say, all right, God, thy will be done.

There are two, there are a couple of different things that understand about God's will. Now if God's decreed it, it's going to be done. Let me give you another verse. Romans chapter nine, verse 19.

If you wanna look at it, that's fine. If not, listen to this. Thou wilt say then unto me, why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? Or let me say it this way, as the verse is saying, who could resist his will? Look at me folks, God, if he wants to do something, trust me, he has the ability to do it, if that's what he wants. If he's decreed it, he can do it, okay?

Now, let me give you a couple more statements. Some things have been determined by the Lord and they will stand forever. There's no use in praying about it. There's no use in complaining about it.

There's no use in trying to change it. His will is going to be done, regardless of what men think, say, do or feel. There are some things like that in God's word. You say, I just don't think there ought to be a hell. Doesn't really matter to God what you think. He's already decreed it. That's what's gonna happen. It's already being done. You can pray about it all you want to, but it's not gonna change that.

Y'all got that? Okay, so there are some things that we don't have to pray about in our life. And we say, thy will be done. We don't have to pray and find out, hey, could God change this?

Is this gonna change it? No, if he's decreed it, it's done, all right? Second, is God's will of desire.

Now, what is this? Unlike God's decreed will, this is that which God desires that might not come to pass. You say, preacher, you got me a little bit confused.

You're not gonna be in just a few minutes, okay? See if I can make this clear. These things might not make sense to us, but God's perfect decreed will is always going to come to pass.

But there are some things that God desires that might not come to pass. Let me illustrate it this way. Let me give you a couple verses. Go ahead and turn to John chapter one. Let me let you show something, and I'm gonna introduce these two words. Now, I know this is a lot of information.

We're kind of jumping around a little bit tonight. We'll bring it in at the end so you can understand it. I promise. There's two words I want you to know tonight, and that's because these two words are the Greek words used for will in God's word. The first word is the word, thelo.

And the second word is the word, bulimae, okay? Now you say, wow, okay. What does that mean for me, preacher? Look at John chapter one, verse 23. He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord.

Did you get that? Make straight the way of the Lord. This is John, a forerunner.

He's saying, I'm crying out in the wilderness. Make straight the way of the Lord. In other words, God has a way he wants us to live.

Follow it. Now let me ask you this. Do you believe that God desires for you and I to live a certain way? Do you agree with me that I would say again, can prove from God's word that God desires for each of us to live a holy, separated life?

Are all of us doing that? So God's will is for us to live that way, but many of us are not. Do you understand? That's God's will of desire. That means that God's perfect will would be for us to live a certain way, but oftentimes we don't. God's perfect will would be for us to each be bearing fruit in our life, but many are not. So there are certain things that is God's will, he's decreed it, and there's nothing gonna change it, but there's also some things that are God's will that are up to you if it happens or not.

Does that make sense to you? Let me give you another verse. John chapter 17, verse 24. Listen to this.

If you wanna turn to it, it's fine. John 17, 24, Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. Now let me read that again very carefully. Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am. What is being said here? Jesus is expressing to his Father his desire that everyone would be in heaven with him. Is everyone going to be in heaven with him?

No. That's why the Bible says, listen, God is not willing. Do you know what that word willing means? It is not the will of God that any should perish, but that all should come to redemption. God's will is that every person gets saved and lives in heaven with him.

But we all know that every person hasn't and every person won't. So God has a desired will that isn't always done. Now that brings us back, we're not done here, but that brings us back to the Lord's prayer. What do you mean thy will be done?

Dear friend, look at me, we're praying this. Thy will be done. What you have already decreed, we know it's gonna be done, but we want God, your will that you desire to be done to be done. When I in the Lord's prayer say, God, thy will be done, what am I saying? I'm saying this, that God, if you have a perfect will for me in my life, and if God, you desire me to live a certain way and you desire for me to worship you and live a holy, godly life, and that I would lay myself down as a sacrifice, a living sacrifice to you, I want thy will to be done. That means this, Lord, it's up to me, and I wanna work, and I'm praying that you give me the grace to make sure that whatever your will is for me in my life, that I do it. Dear person, our prayer life isn't be, God, this is what I want. Could this be your will? Our prayer life is this, Lord, whatever it is that you want to do in my life and want me to be in my life, I want that to be done.

The next word is the word bulimai. That word thelo, by the way, I didn't even explain this to you, let me start. That word thelo means this, it's a decree or a design, and it speaks to the eternal counsels and purposes of God which cannot be changed. So sometimes when the word will is used, it means it's a thelo, it can't be changed, it's a decreed will of God. And that's the verses I gave you examples of, can't be changed. Jesus desires for you to live in heaven with him, that's not gonna change. You can't live bad enough that Jesus wouldn't want you in heaven.

Did you hear that? No, there's nothing you could do to get God so mad that he would not want you in heaven. He wants all of us to come to a saving knowledge of him. Okay, this word bulimai means wish or desire. And sometimes when you see the word will, it means that word. So that means sometimes when you see the will of God, it means the decreed will, or sometimes when you see the will of God, it means the desired will. I wanted to show you those two words, that's where we got God's will of desire and God's will of decree. Now let me give you some verses for that, just real quickly, our time's almost up. Acts chapter 27, this is good.

Verse 43, just to give you an example, God others. But the centurion willing to save Paul kept them from their purpose and commanded that they which could swim should cast themselves first into the sea and get to land. Now we are taught in this story of Paul in the shipwreck, that the men were ready to kill Paul. And the Bible here, Jesus, obviously as we're through inspiration of God's word, we find this story of Paul. God's will was that Paul would live. The men, their will was that Paul would get killed.

It could have gone either way. God never decreed way back when, Paul will not die in a storm. He doesn't give us privy to that information. So here that word is bullimai. And so all of a sudden we find a centurion who is not a Christian, who is actually part of the men that want to kill Paul and he has absolutely no good reason to not kill Paul, but he is not willing that Paul would perish. That means this, look at me, that literally God used an individual who might not have even been saved, obviously, as part of his will to bring protection to one of God's own. Now, let me give you another verse. Second Peter chapter three, verse nine. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but his long suffering to us were, notice this, not willing, bullimai, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Same word. He's not, he doesn't desire, but some will. Now you say, preacher, what does all this mean? It means this, in our prayer life, our prayer life should center around this. God, I want your will to be done. And when we say thy will, we mean this, God, we want whatever you desire.

We want that to happen. That's why, dear friend, when we pray, it doesn't matter what we've got planned. When we pray, God, now remember you say, well, brother Daniel, listen, this is how God said to pray. This isn't how brother Daniel said to pray. This is how God, after this manner, pray ye, thy will be done, thy desire be done. Thy will be done. You and I have got to get to the point in our prayer life, listen to me, our prayers will have the most power when we can literally, sincerely say, God, whatever you desire, that's what I want done. If it means that I die from a disease, if it means that something happens to me, if it means that I don't get to this, or I don't get to that, or such and such doesn't happen that I've always wanted to happen, it doesn't matter to me, God. My greatest desire is for whatever you desire to be done.

Can you pray that yet? Oh, we can verbalize it, but do we mean it? There's a lot of Christians that never really get to that level that God, whatever you want, even if it means bad for me, whatever you desire, that's what I want to be done.

Now, there's a second part to this that's very important, I'll let you go. Thy will be done, but then he adds this phrase, on earth as it is in heaven. So he says that when we pray, we ought to want God's desire to be done the same way it's done in heaven. In other words, however God's will is done in heaven, that's how we ought to want it to be done on earth. So in order for us to understand what that is, we've got to find out how is God's will done in heaven?

What does the Bible have to say about that? Well, it gives us a number of verses, but let me give you a couple of them. Psalms 103, verse 20, listen to this. Bless the Lord, ye his angels that excel in strength, and strength that do his commandments, harkening unto the voice of his word.

Did you hear that? This is what his angels do. This is how it's done in heaven. They excel in strength that do his commandments, harkening unto the voice of the Lord. Let me give you another verse, I'm gonna bring all this in Luke chapter one, verse 19, and the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God and am sent to speak unto thee and to show thee these glad tidings. So Gabriel, we're talking hierarchy here. Gabriel says, I am here because God told me to.

He sent me. So already we find out that his angels, they do whatever he commands, they harken to his voice. And here's Gabriel obeying to the very letter of the commandment that God gave him. Let me give you another verse. Hebrews 1.14, are they not all ministering spirits talking about angels? And by the way, guess what?

This is another whole series later on. We have angels sitting right here with us tonight. See, I like to think of that way because it means I have a bigger crowd. That's when you're riding into the sword of the Lord, say, hey, we had 1000 on Wednesday night. 150 bodies and 850 angels. I know we joke, but listen, they're here.

Okay, listen to this. Are they not all ministering spirits? That means they do the physical work of whatever God desires. That's what ministers are. They administer the desires of the person in charge. Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Listen to this. Angels obey God, God sends them here to minister on behalf of us because we are heirs to salvation. That deserved a bigger amen.

And here's the whole thing. They come to minister for us, to us. They do things for us that we can't even see. And the reason they're sent is because God sends them so that they can do those things for us because we are heirs to salvation. Listen to this.

And they're not heirs to salvation. Angels, they're not redeemed, but they're working for us who are. Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kerwin Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192 or via the web at kerwinbaptistchurch.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin broadcast today. God bless you. God bless you.