10-12-08 Sermon Review

Doing God's Will
John 4:27-38

Jim Boice recounts a very interesting story about a Spanish king. "About the beginning of the twelfth century, there was a debate about whether the country's churches were to use Gothic or Roman prayer books in their services. The question eventually came before Alfonso VI, who was king at the time. Alfonso decided to leave the matter to chance, so he threw a copy of bth prayer books into a fire, declaring that the one that survived the ordeal should be chosen. However, when the Gothic missal survived the blaze, the king immediately threw it back into the fire and chose the Roman liturgies. Thus was the matter decided..."

Most of us can relate to the story. We are more prone to reject God's will than to do God's will, even if His will was clearly set before us as the noonday sun. It reminds me of St. Augustine who said, "Lord, make me chaste, but not yet!" We pray, "Your will be done," but in our hearts we are saying, "My will be done."

Jesus was wholly different from this Spanish king as well as from most of us. He sets the perfect example of following God's will.

Jesus enjoyed doing God's will - In our passage for today, Jesus makes an extraordinary statement: "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work." I believe this statement shows the major difference between those who will not do God's will and those who do. Jesus saw doing God's will as equal to physical food. Now, it's obvious that food nourishes the physical body and so we can draw spiritual parallels, but Jesus is saying more than that. Food is not supposed to be only for nourishment. Food is enjoyable! The Psalmist writes, "My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness" (Psalm 63:5). In the NIV, "marrow and fatness" is translated as "the richest of foods." Food not only nourishes, it satisfies. What an outlook on doing God's will!

We must also note that Jesus was satisfied in doing God's will, not simply desiring it. He was not merely satisfied to desire God's will. It is easy to desire something. And therefore, Jesus is not satisfied with merely desiring to God's will. It satisfied Him only when He did it. Jesus emphazies this by using stronger language to describe the actual doing of God's will. To do God's will is "to accomplish His work." The word "accomplish" in the Greek is the same word Jesus said on the cross, telao. The word when used by Jesus on the cross is translated in most translations as "It is finished." The same word to describe the completion of Christ's sacrifice is the same word employed here to describe what satisfies Jesus. It is only when He has finished His work that He could be satisfied.

What was satisfying to Jesus must be satisfying to us as well. Remember, the Lord commands us for our own satisfaction. Let us not be satisfied with merely desiring to do God's will. Let us be satisfied when we can say, "I have finished His work." Taste and see how good His commands are!

There is no better time to do God's will than now - After Jesus explains his satisfaction in doing God's will, He encourages His disciples to do God's will. He says, "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say yo you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest." The harvest is ripe! The harvester is gathering in his crop! Jesus is telling us that there is no better time than now!

Jesus also encourages us by reminding us that we are not alone. The work that God calls us to is a work that spans the centuries and incorporates people from all generations. Jesus says, "I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor." We are not alone; we do not need to start a new work. We are merely building upon the work that those who have gone before us have started.

There is a certain loneliness in doing God's will - By now, I pray that Jesus' statement and encouragements have aroused in you a fervor to do God's will. But let me remind you that in this world, doing God's will is not a popular choice. Let us move back to verse 27. John recounts, "At this His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman". The word "amazed" can be translated "marveled," but it was not because they beheld something marvelous that the disciples are said to have been amazed. The word highlights the peculiarity of Jesus speaking with the Samaritan woman. Do not think that the world will embrace you when you actually do God's will. They will consider you strange. Even to His disciples Jesus looked strange. They did not understand, and the world will not understand. If we do not have the conviction that God's will is satisfying to our souls and if we are not strengthened by Jesus' encouragements, we will not overomce the barrier of loneliness. Oh, it is far better to be the outcast and be satisfied in His will, than to have all the world love you and never taste what true joy is.

I think the author of Hebrews put all that I want to say today so perfectly: "let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run the race with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of God" (Hebrews 12:1-2). I pray God will not only give you the perseverance necessary to run the race of doing God's will, but that He allow you to taste the joy of doing God's will. Press on Christian soldier! We must finish His work! Let us capture the prize! Stay strong and God bless!