What Jesus said about God's Will Adapted from the series, “Jesus Said” by Michael Wiley http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/what-jesus-said-about-gods-will-michael-wiley-sermon-on-gods-sovereign-will-131975.asp

2. John 6:35 NET Jesus said to them, "I am
the bread of life. The one who comes to me
will never go hungry, and the one who
believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I
told you that you have seen me and still do
not believe. 37 Everyone whom the Father
gives me will come to me, and the one who
comes to me I will never send away.

3. 38 For I have come down from heaven not
to do my own will but the will of the one who
sent me. 39 Now this is the will of the one
who sent me — that I should not lose one
person of every one he has given me, but
raise them all up at the last day. 40 For this
is the will of my Father — for everyone who
looks on the Son and believes in him to
have eternal life, and I will raise him up at
the last day."

4. The story is told of a king in Africa who had
a close friend with whom he grew up. The
friend had a habit of looking at every
situation that ever occurred in his life
(positive or negative) and remarking, "This
is good!" One day the king and his friend
were out on a hunting expedition. The friend
would load and prepare the guns for the
king.

5. The friend had apparently done something
wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after
taking the gun from his friend, the king fired
it and his thumb was blown off. Examining
the situation, the friend remarked as usual,
"This is good!" To which the king replied,
"No, this is not good!" and proceeded to
send his friend to jail. About a year later, the
king was hunting in an area that he should
have known to stay clear of.

6. Cannibals captured him and took him to
their village. They tied his hands, stacked
some wood, set up a stake and bound him
to the stake. As they came near to set fire to
the wood, they noticed that the king was
missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they
never ate anyone who was less than whole.
So untying the king, they sent him on his
way. As he returned home, he was
reminded of the event that had taken his
thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of
his friend.

7. He went immediately to the jail to speak
with his friend. "You were right," he said, "it
was good that my thumb was blown off."
And he proceeded to tell the friend all that
had just happened. "And so, I am very sorry
for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad
for me to do this." "No," his friend replied,
"This is good!"

8. "What do you mean, ‘This is good‘? How
could it be good that I sent my friend to jail
for a year?" "If I had not been in jail, I would
have been with you." (Sermon central)
When we speak of finding God‘s will in our
lives, we are looking for the good, right?

9. When we give our life completely over to
God, He says, Do not be conformed to this
present world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, so that you may test
and approve what is the will of God — what
is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2 NET

10. The point I want to get to is in the midst of a
very serious teaching of Christ. I say it‘s
serious because Jesus lost a few disciples
from this. After this many of his disciples
quit following him and did not accompany
him any longer. John 6:66 NET So I don‘t
want to miss the context of what Jesus said.

11. Jesus was calling the people to believe in
Him.
John 6:30 NET So they said to him, "Then
what miraculous sign will you perform, so
that we may see it and believe you? What
will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the
manna in the wilderness, just as it is
written, 'He gave them bread from heaven
to eat.' " (Ps 78:24)

12. 32 Then Jesus told them, "I tell you the
solemn truth, it is not Moses who has given
you the bread from heaven, but my Father
is giving you the true bread from heaven. 33
For the bread of God is the one who comes
down from heaven and gives life to the
world." 34 So they said to him, "Sir, give us
this bread all the time!―35 Jesus said to
them, "I am the bread of life. The one who
comes to me will never go hungry, and the
one who believes in me will never be thirsty.

13. A little diversion before we get to where we
are going: Some people have the tendency
to follow the clamor and hype, but when
things get serious, they bail. Or, as long as
the preacher says all the right things, and
―all the right things‖ are the things I agree
with, then I‘ll be there every Sunday. But
when I disagree, I‘m gone!
We might call folks like that ―church
hoppers.‖

14. Now, if a church and or preacher are not
teaching the truth, that‘s one thing. But here
is what I want you to do—I implore you to
do, when you listen to me or any other
preacher, be of noble character, more open-
minded, more willing to learn, check us out.
How?
Acts 17:10 NET The brothers sent Paul and
Silas off to Berea at once, during the night.
When they arrived, they went to the Jewish
synagogue.

15. 11 These Jews were more open-minded
than those in Thessalonica, for they eagerly
received the message, examining the
scriptures carefully every day to see if these
things were so.
Don‘t take my word for it, Check me out.
EXAMINE THE SCRIPTURES! I do my best
to teach what the Bible says. When the
meaning isn‘t crystal clear I will generally
give a disclaimer like, ―It seems to me,‖ ―As
I understand it,‖ or ―Here‘s what I find in my
study of these verses.‖

16. You can always find a link to my lessons at
so you
can revue & study their content more
closely.
After all of that, IF you think I‘m wrong, it is
your duty to the body of Christ to talk with
me so we can discuss & study the
Scriptures together so we both will better
understand.
Jesus was teaching an unpopular message,
and many disciples left Him.

17. Before we talk about what Jesus said about
God‘s will in this text, let's spend a moment
on
God‘s will in general.
The term, ―God‘s Will‖, is often used to
describe different things. We must examine
the surrounding context to help us
determine the author‘s original message.
So when speaking of ―God‘s will‖ we may
be speaking of one of three ―types‖

18. Sometimes we‘re speaking of the Sovereign
Will of God - God‘s predetermined, often
secret, plan for everything that happens in
the universe.
To see how God's sovereign will affects our
decisions, there are at least four things we
need to understand about it.

19. It will be fulfilled. It will not be frustrated by
men, angels, or anything else (Daniel 4:35).
To Paul's challenging question: 'Who resists
His will?' (Romans 9:19), we are humbly
compelled to agree, 'No one!'
(Romans 9:6-29).

20. It is the ultimate determiner of all things
(Ephesians 1:11), including which of our plans
finds fulfillment
(James 4:13-15).

21. Man can only learn what it is after it
happens (Deuteronomy 29:29). The only
exceptions to this are statements of
prophecy in which events are foretold
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), and explanations of
the destinies of the saved (John 3:16) and the
lost (John 3:36).

22. It is perfect in the sense that it will ultimately
lead to God's greatest glory. There never
was another plan. (Ephesians 1:4) Though
sin is contrary to God's moral will, its
presence is permitted in God's plan partly
because His conquest of it reveals His
grace and power.

23. God will be glorified for His holiness, for His
defeat of Satan, for His righteous judgment,
and for His grace to redeemed sinners.
(Revelation 5, see also John 12:32-33; Romans 5:20,
8:28-30; 11:15, 30-33)
―Used by permission, Garry Friesen.‖

24. God‘s Sovereign will includes both good
and evil
It will ultimately lead to God‘s glory- it is
perfect
Some things are directly attributable to
God‘s Sovereign will like the creation of the
universe (something wonderful) or like
Judas betraying Jesus (something that
seemed horrible but carried out his
wonderful plan).

25. The commands and prohibitions revealed in
the Bible.
God supernaturally revealed his moral will
to the writers of the Scriptures. The Bible
contains principles and commands that we
are all expected to discover, understand,
and follow. God‘s moral will is not optional.
But unlike His Sovereign will we can rebel
against it.

26. God‘s plan for each individual.
God‘s individual will includes things like
what college I should attend, what job I
should take, who I should marry, where I
should live etc.

27. In the opening pages of his autobiography,
―An American Life,‖ Ronald Reagan writes, I
was raised to believe that God had a plan
for everyone and that seemingly random
twists of fate are all a part of His plan. My
mother - a small woman with auburn hair
and a sense of optimism that ran as deep
as the cosmos - told me that everything in
life happened for a purpose.

28. She said all things were part of God‘s plan,
even the most disheartening setbacks, and
in the end, everything worked out for the
best. If something went wrong, she said,
you didn‘t let it get you down: You stepped
away from it, stepped over it, and moved
on. Later on, she added, something good
will happen and you‘ll find yourself thinking
– ‗If I hadn‘t had that problem back then,
then this better thing that did happen
wouldn‘t have happened to me.‘

29. After I lost the job at Montgomery Ward, I
left home again in search of work. Although
I didn‘t know it then, I was beginning a
journey that would take me a long way from
Dixon and fulfill all my dreams and then
some. My mother, as usual, was right.
(An American Life by Ronald Reagan)

30. In our text, Jesus is talking about God‘s
Sovereign will
John 6:35 NET Jesus said to them, "I am the
bread of life. The one who comes to me will
never go hungry, and the one who believes in
me will never be thirsty. 36 But I told you that
you have seen me and still do not believe. 37
Everyone whom the Father gives me will come
to me, and the one who comes to me I will
never send away. 38 For I have come down
from heaven not to do my own will but the will
of the one who sent me.

31. Remember Jesus‘ model prayer:
Matthew 6:9 NET So pray this way: Our
Father in heaven, may your name be
honored, 10 may your kingdom come, may
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
This was Jesus‘ prayer too. He pointed out
more than once in Scripture that He was not
here to do His will but, His father‘s will.

32. 39 Now this is the will of the one who sent
me — that I should not lose one person of
every one he has given me, but raise them
all up at the last day. 40 For this is the will of
my Father — for everyone who looks on the
Son and believes in him to have eternal
life, and I will raise him up at the last day.‖
All of life, from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation
22:21 show‘s us that God loves us in spite
of us. He lost His people in the garden and
He wants His people back!

33. Matthew 18:12 NET What do you think? If
someone owns a hundred sheep and one of
them goes astray, will he not leave the
ninety-nine on the mountains and go look
for the one that went astray? 13 And if he
finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice
more over it than over the ninety-nine that
did not go astray. 14 In the same way, your
Father in heaven is not willing that one of
these little ones be lost.

34. Part of God‘s sovereign will is that mankind
would have ―free will.‖ Using our free will,
we rebelled against God. Man was created
to have fellowship with God; but, because
of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his
own independent way, and fellowship with
God was broken. This self-will,
characterized by an attitude of active
rebellion or passive indifference, is an
evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

35. People often accuse God of SENDING
people to hell but that is as far from the
truth as you can get. God didn‘t even make
hell for humans, He made it for Satan!
Matthew 25:41 NET "Then he will say to
those on his left, 'Depart from me, you
accursed, into the eternal fire that has been
prepared for the devil and his angels!

36. But if you decide to follow Satan‘s path,
you‘ll follow him all the way to hell. God has
given people a choice. He has thrown the
doors of heaven wide open and shouted
COME ALL. All who answer the call are
welcome. But if you do not want to enter
God will not force you. So, if you refuse to
spend eternity with God by your own
choice, it is you, not God who has
determined your eternal future. So won‘t
you answer God‘s call and spend eternity in
heaven.

37. Through Moses, God gave the Israelites
bread from heaven. Jesus said: I am the
living bread that came down from heaven. If
anyone eats from this bread he will live
forever. The bread that I will give for the life
of the world is my flesh."
John 6:51 NET

38. Simon, the very one Jesus renamed Peter,
taught by Jesus in the flesh, reminds us
God‘s will is not for any to perish. He
doesn‘t want to lose anyone, but it‘s their
choice to return to Him.
2 Peter 3:9 NET The Lord is not slow
concerning his promise, as some regard
slowness, but is being patient toward you,
because he does not wish for any to perish
but for all to come to repentance.

39. The Apostle Paul who wrote much of the
New Testament instructs his protégé,
Timothy, what is God‘s will at its core &
through whom His will is carried out.
1 Timothy 2:1 NET First of all, then, I urge
that requests, prayers, intercessions, and
thanks be offered on behalf of all people, 2
even for kings and all who are in authority,
that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life in
all godliness and dignity.

40. 3 Such prayer for all is good and welcomed
before God our Savior, 4 since he wants all
people to be saved and to come to a
knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one
God and one intermediary between God
and humanity, Christ Jesus, himself human,
6 who gave himself as a ransom for all,
revealing God's purpose at his appointed
time.

41. Jesus said God The Father's will, will be
accomplished through Him, God The Son.
John 6:40 NET For this is the will of my
Father — for everyone who looks on the
Son and believes in him to have eternal life,
and I will raise him up at the last day."
Paul elaborates on God's will to give us
confidence & security. He shows us the
collaboration of the trinity, Father, Son &
Spirit, in fulfilling His will.

42. Romans 8:24 NET For in hope we were
saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope,
because who hopes for what he sees? 25
But if we hope for what we do not see, we
eagerly wait for it with endurance. 26 In the
same way, the Spirit helps us in our
weakness, for we do not know how we
should pray, but the Spirit himself
intercedes for us with inexpressible
groanings.

43. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows
the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit
intercedes on behalf of the saints according
to God's will. 28 And we know that all things
work together for good for those who love
God, who are called according to his
purpose, 29 because those whom he
foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that his
Son would be the firstborn among many
brothers and sisters.

44. 30 And those he predestined, he also
called; and those he called, he also
justified; and those he justified, he also
glorified. 31 What then shall we say about
these things? If God is for us, who can be
against us? 32 Indeed, he who did not
spare his own Son, but gave him up for us
all — how will he not also, along with him,
freely give us all things?

45. 1. The Principle of OBEDIENCE: Where
God commands, we must obey.
2. The Principle of FREEDOM:
Where there is no command, God
gives us freedom (and
responsibility) to choose.

46. 3. The Principle of WISDOM:
Where there is no command, God
gives us wisdom to choose.
4. The Principle of HUMBLE TRUST:
When we have chosen what is moral
and wise, we must trust the sovereign
God to work all the details together for
good.
―Used by permission, Garry Friesen.‖
Are we making EVERY decision with God‘s
will in mind?