The Willing Way

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The Willing Way

Today’s talk holds at its center a very popular scripture which a lot of sermons have touched and preached on. However, I feel that the Holy Spirit has given me another angle of reflection of the Light which the Way, Truth and Life is. I hope that after this study is done this day, we will all be able to take away a much deeper, thorough and powerful understanding of who Jesus Christ is and who we are in relation to Jesus Christ. On top of that,  I pray we can all gain an elevated level of knowledge wisdom and understanding on just what the Will of God has to do with who Jesus Christ.

 

I am sure that when we all hear the phrase, the Will of God, we all have thoughts and ideas come to our minds as we process what that phrase means to us. As with all ideas and thoughts about scripture, I personally like to diligently search the scriptures to find out what they say about any give doctrine. While this never comes close to exhausting the mind of God on any given topic, it does allow us to keep God’s commandments in only relying on His Word to instruct us. That is where we begin today; we begin with the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end.

 

Christ said in Joh 14:6:

 

Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

Being taken deeper into the way, truth and life of Jesus Christ takes us directly to the Father. After all, that is what Christ’s life is about, and that life is always led by the Will of the Father in all aspects of Christ’s life. In fact, it is at the core of what Christ’s way, truth and life is in His body today.
It is so important to recognize that Will of God in our lives, that if we do not and are unable to do so, we simply do not have eternal life because a few chapters later in Joh 17 we learn that Joh 17:3 says:

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

 

Couple that with 1Jn 5:11 and verse 20 and we see:

1Jn 5:11  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

 

1Jn 5:20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

 

It is with this very concept that we learn what this study of “The Willing Way” is all about.

All One Cup

There is another famous verse known in Matthew, but I have very rarely ever heard a sermon on it or based upon it given that it shows us from an early stage in our walk with Christ that what we are to do is what He did, and what Christ did is not very well received because “as He is, so are we in this world”. That verse is Mat 26:42.

Mat 26:42  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.

 

The few sermons I have heard that even slightly refer to this verse always do so in praise to Christ, as they should, but they also avoid just what Christ is instructing us to do during our ENTIRE SPIRITUAL life as He did. Christ is obviously speaking about His soon to be crucifixion, but this verse is applied to every single breath, thought, emotion and situation that God places in each of our lives daily. We can see this to be true when Christ speaks directly to us all through His admonition to Peter just a few verses before He utters, “thy will be done”.

 

Mat 26:40  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?

Mat 26:41  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

There is not one of us in this room or in the entire world who can watch with Christ one hour, spiritually speaking, unless Christ has given us the ability to do so. That is because the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. We are all the one cup that didn’t pass away from Christ because He drank it all up in which we are to NOW FILL UP IN US.
I use to see and hear this verse incorrectly. I use to see and hear this verse as, “Peter, what could you not watch FOR me”, but that is not what Christ says. He says could you not watch WITH ME. I always heard it as something like, “could you not watch out for me,” watch my back, etc. See the difference?
Why does Christ phrase it this way? Christ answers that in the next verse with, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.” What temptation was Christ referring to? I strongly believe He was referring to what it is He prayed during the time Peter wasn’t spiritually watching with Him. Christ has just prayed, “if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.” The temptation is to give into the flesh, just what Christ was tempted in the wilderness with.

Christ has the Holy Spirit without measure so He could have easily given into His flesh, but He didn’t.  What does watching do? One of the things that watching does is that watching is being on guard in the sense that we ALWAYS know what is going on, but that in and of itself is NOT all we are commanded by Christ. We are commanded to PRAY. Why? It is so we enter not into temptation. The flesh, without the spirit warring against it would take the reins and would enter into the temptation to follow after the fleshly desires and not walk after the Spirit.

So, we know WHY we are to pray, but WHAT are we to pray. It is simply THY WILL BE DONE.

Rom 8:4  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

If we do not do as Christ did, watch and pray to God the Father, then we cannot please God because what we have left to do is mind the things of the flesh just as Peter and the others did when their flesh was able to get the best of them and cause them to go to sleep.

 

 

Walketh As A Lion

 

I tell you this because one I feel the Holy Spirit has shared this with me to share with the rest of the body, and also because it was caused by a sermon I recently heard. I shared this with a few of you already, but I saw a minister named Ron Parsley on T. V. Now please don’t think I am judging this man at all, but what I am doing is trying the spirits to see whether or not they represent the Truth, Jesus Christ, accurately or not. If they do not, then they are not of God.

This is what Ron said in a sermon about what he called “God’s serious survival strategies for troubled times,” and I will quote him completely until the entire quote is done so that we get an accurate picture of this sermon. Please bare with me because this is a lengthy quote, and multipart, and I quote:

“1Jn 5:14. Most folks would read that, this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask anything, where’s the comma in your bible…, most folks read it, if we ask anything according to his will COMMA, you see because that’s where the comma in your bible comes, meaning there is slippery room, in that if it’s not according to his will, and you ask for it, then he’s not obligated to give it to you. But we know that’s not true because Israel wasn’t supposed to have a king but they kept asking for it, and God said I will give that to you that you don’t need.”

And Ron continues referencing Psa 106:15 which ironically is talking about Moses and Israel in the wilderness by saying, quote:

“The bible says they cried unto God and he answered them their prayer and it sent leanness into their soul. What am I telling you? I’m telling you that prayer moves God regardless of whether it is his will or not. You remember how to get a now- season miracle don’t you? Here’s how you get a now season miracle. When they wanted wine and had no wine, Mary the mother of Jesus went to Him and said, ‘They have no wine’ and Jesus said, ‘Woman what have I to do with you? It is not my time’ What was Jesus saying? “Not now,” but her faith reached out beyond what was prophesied and said whatever He says to you just do it and her faith reached out and apprehended the heart of God and moved the heart of God because ‘need never moves God but faith always does’.”

Finally, this is the finish of quoting Ron and getting to his major point. Ron says:

“He turned the water to wine and it never went back to water again, right? So it’s not all about you can’t hide behind, ‘I asked for it, but it wasn’t God’s will, therefore I didn’t get it. No, that’s not what 1Jn 5:14 says at all. Here’s what it says, that if we ask anything COMMA, according to his will he hears us. What does that mean? It means no matter what you asked, he heard you” End quote.

So, recapping I want to focus on a few things that Ron said about God’s will. Firstly, did you notice that after he says all he had to say here he ends with simply moving a comma which isn’t even in the Greek to a different spot so that he can attempt to make this verse say what he wants it to say?
Secondly, it is a fairly bold comment to say that prayer moves God regardless if it is His will or not. Wow, and then to top that off Ron then says that need never moves God but faith always does.

Ron’s summation of all of this is that “if we ask anything, according to His will He hears us” and his point is that because God hears you, you will get what you want due to your faith regardless of God’s will in the matter.

Again, double wow.

How then can we match up what Christ says in Mat 26:42 with what Ron says here? Well, we simply cannot because what Ron says, regardless of His sincerity, is not biblically sound doctrine.

Would Ron be so bold to tell Jesus Christ that He could have simply prayed that the cup pass away from Him and it would regardless of the Will of God? I would hope not, but I truly do not know and won’t speculate. What I do know is that Christ DID PRAY, “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.”
Meaning, if there is any other way to pass up on this cup other than drinking this cup, then let that happen, nevertheless thy will be done. Whatever was to happen, not matter Christ’s prayer, was accepted by Christ and He followed the very Will of God by submitting to whatever the Will of God had in- store for Him and that is demonstrated by Christ praying, “thy will be done.”

The Will of God in You

Maybe this seems elementary for you right now or maybe it seems like a good refresher, but let me share with you another train of thought that I hope the Holy Spirit works in us all today with this message and that is in everything give thanks, not being conformed to this world but being transformed by the renewing of your mind, not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.

 

1Th 5:18  In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

 

Rom 12:1  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.

Rom 12:2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

Eph 6:5  Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

Eph 6:6  Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

 

It doesn’t sound like there is much room to do your own free will and the Will of God at the same time. I speak as a fool. Of course, this can only be accomplished by Jesus Christ working this in you according to the Will of God. Christ prayed for us that we not be taken out of the world but that we be kept from evil.

 

Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Gal 1:4  Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:

 

We see this reflected in Gal 1:4 because it is a reflection of the truth that the VERY prayer Christ prayed in Joh 17 was prayed BECAUSE it was the Will of God for Christ to utter those words. It was the Will of God that Christ answered His own pray by giving Himself for all of us because again we can see the reflection of Christ’s total submission to the idea of obeying the Will of God above all other things.

 

There simply was not any “slippery room” in Christ’s mind about this subject. Christ literally prayed, “I pray thou shouldest keep them from the evil” and that was accomplished HOW? It was accomplished by, “O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done” by giving himself over to the Will of God in giving himself for our sins so THAT WE COULD BE DELIVERED from this present world.

 

This “present world” is those who walk after the flesh and not after the spirit, carnally minded dead people without life and peace who are fulfilling the lust of the flesh and mind and not minding the things of the spirit, fulfilling the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life because that is all the world has to offer. Christ HAS delivered us from that. Simply just believe it.

 

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

 

 

The “Willing Way”

The title of this talk is, “The Willing Way”. The reason this title was titled as such is because we know who the Way is, and we know there is such a thing as the Will of God, so with both of those combined you have a Way which was Willed by God. In fact, the Will of God abides forever and continues and never fades away so we have a “ Willing” Way of God.  The Way came to do the Will of God.

 

Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.  

 

We are told all throughout the New Testament just what constitutes the Will of God, and once we are given spiritual eyes and ears, we can start to see this throughout each chapter and verse we read. Out of Christ’s own lips He tells us some remarkable things about Himself in John chapter 17. Of course, we have already covered that He is the Way, Truth and Life but that is simply the “quick” summary of what Christ is. In Joh 17 Christ gives us some very potent examples of just who He is. Due to time restraints, we will not be able to expound on every verse but we can definitely gain a lot of understanding, Lord willing, from each and every verse we are able to cover.

 

Let’s start with verse 1.

 

Joh 17:1  These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

 

Notice this is not a demand that must be met by God the Father. Rather, it is a prayer and we will see that in a few verses. Continuing…

 

Joh 17:2  As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Joh 17:4  I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

 

It is crucial to understanding the “Way” of Jesus Christ to understand what is being alluded to in these verses. Christ is given power over all flesh to give eternal life to those who God had given to Him and that eternal life is in knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ by KNOWING THE Will of God. How can I conclude that? Well, the next verses clarify this and while you are listening or reading along with these verses try to keep at the forefront of your thoughts the aspect of the way, truth and life:

 

1Jn 5:11  And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

 

1Jn 5:20  And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

 

Joh 17:5  And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Joh 17:6  I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

Joh 17:7  Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

Joh 17:8  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.

Joh 17:9  I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Joh 17:10  And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

 

            Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

 

In verse 4 we see Christ say, “ I have glorified thee on the earth:”, but how was that done. It was done by doing, keeping, obeying, enduring and suffering via the Will of God. Verse 5 shows that Christ asks to be returned to His formal glory, his ascension to that from which He had already been stripped of. He is the only one who has ever done what is necessary to get there currently.
Christ goes on to say in verses 6-10 that He has revealed God to those who He was given to do so to but via what? He did it via the Word of God, via the Will of God. God’s name is His Word and His Word is His Will. Again verse 8 says, “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me” which in turn manifested God’s name which in turn is in us used to do THE SAME THING TO THE REST OF HUMANITY. Blasphemy! Is it?

 

Joh 17:11  And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Joh 17:12  While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

Joh 17:13  And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

Joh 17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Joh 17:16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Joh 17:18  As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

Joh 17:19  And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

 

Praise the Lord! Listen closely to what we are being told.

Who?

Verse 11 – keep through your name those who are mine that they may be one

Why?

Verses 13 – that they might HAVE MY JOY fulfilled in them

How?

Verse 14 – I have given them thy word, which causes the world to hate them

When and Where?

Verse 15 – I pray not that thou should take them out of the world, so it is WHILE WE ARE IN THIS WORLD but no OF THE WORLD.

Resulting in?

Verse 17 – SANCTIFICATION

Are you not starting to see how, why, when and where Christ is the Way, Truth and Life? We receive eternal life, by the truth of the Word of God, receiving the name of God in the process and resulting in sanctification, a setting aside of us from the world, the carnal mind, our wretched flesh, so on and so forth.

 

Eternal life is given by Christ sanctifying Himself, setting aside Himself from all these things that we might see this way, truth and life and ALSO receive the same, but is that all it is for? Is that all we are to do, be on the receiving end? Was Christ on the receiving end only or also on the giving end? Well, here is how Christ finishes up this Truth in Joh 17.

 

Joh 17:20  Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

Joh 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Joh 17:22  And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

Joh 17:23  I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

Joh 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 lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

Joh 17:25  O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

Joh 17:26  And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

 

There we have it. Neither does Christ pray for US alone, but for those also who shall believe on Christ THROUGH OUR WORD! Resulting in us all being one, because our word is Christ’s Word which is the Father’s Word given through His manifest Will in all of our lives. We simply need to always acknowledge that it ALWAYS comes down to “thy Will be done,” but that is not always fun. Most of the time it includes a ton of things, but it is a bearable amount of suffering just as Christ had to suffer for the Will of God. Being set aside will cause trial and tribulations to manifest themselves in and to us.

 

This all ends with us having the same love that God the Father loves Jesus Christ His Son with, the same love that God proclaims time and time again throughout the scripture as being IN US, for us and FOR THOSE who God sends our way, which Lord willing will be the rest of humanity as we show them mercy because we have been given this holy and blessed mercy and love!

 

Conclusion

The time has grown short, and there is so much more that can be said on this topic, but that is all the Lord has allowed me to say about it within this time frame. Before we finish up, I wanted to read a few more verses which I feel truly polish this bible study. It is in Heb 10 verses 7 though 25.


Heb 10:7  Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

Heb 10:8  Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;

Heb 10:9  Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

Heb 10:10  By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Heb 10:11  And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins:

Heb 10:12  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Heb 10:13  From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

Heb 10:14  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Heb 10:15  Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,

Heb 10:16  This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

Heb 10:17  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Heb 10:18  Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

Heb 10:19  Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

Heb 10:20  By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

Heb 10:21  And having an high priest over the house of God;

Heb 10:22  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Heb 10:24  And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 

Now, I do not read this to discourage anyone, rather I read it to encourage us all to know that whatever situation we find ourselves in, we find ourselves there ONLY by the Will of God in our lives and being that we are dragged here by the Will of God, it is ONLY through that same Will that we are shown a Way through it, the head and the BODY COMBINED, Jesus Christ in you the HOPE of GLORY.
It is through the head and Christ’s flesh, his body who we are, which all these things are accomplished. Do not be discouraged because Christ sanctifies us more and more with the Word of God, setting His flesh aside that we may be given HIS FAITH and therefore get to know God the Father through Him and others getting to know them through us. So, let us consider who we are as the body, and let us consider what we should all mean to one another considering how God and Christ feel about Christ’s sanctified body.
Let us come together in love always by keeping His commandments to do so for that is the only way we know we are His.

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

1Jn 5:4  For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

 

Our faith is the faith of Jesus Christ given to us only by the “Willing Way”.

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