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We're back in the Lord's Prayer, 
specifically the third petition this evening. So I'll just begin 
reading in chapter 6 at verse 1. Take heed that you do not 
do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise, 
you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, 
when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before 
you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, 
that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, 
they have their reward. When you do a charitable deed, 
do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 
that your charitable deed may be in secret, and your father 
who sees in secret will himself reward you openly. And when you 
pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, for they love to 
pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets 
that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they 
have their reward, but you, When you pray, go into your room, 
and when you have shut your door, pray to your father who is in 
the secret place. And your father who sees in secret 
will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use 
vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they 
will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like 
them, for your father knows the things you have need of before 
you ask him. In this manner, therefore, pray. 
Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, 
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this 
day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our 
debtors. Do not lead us into temptation, 
but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom, 
and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. For if you forgive 
men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 
But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will 
your father forgive your trespasses. Moreover, when you fast, do not 
be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance, for they disfigure 
their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, 
I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, 
anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear 
to men to be fasting, but to your father who is in the secret 
place. And your father who sees in secret 
will reward you openly. Amen." So again, the context 
is one of religious observance or acts of piety, specifically 
almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. And the Lord Jesus gives cautions 
that we're not to engage in these particular things in a hypocritical 
fashion, simply to be seen by men or to do these things in 
order to be rewarded by men, but rather we're to do these 
things with an internal disposition and a desire to bring glory and 
honor and praise to our God. And then he gives in this model 
prayer six petitions, six things that we are to consider or we 
are to think through with reference to prayer. We need to remember 
these are petitions. We're asking God to help us do 
these things. I think the obvious implication 
is that they don't come naturally. When we pray, hallowed be your 
name, our tendency and our disposition is not to hallow the name of 
God. By nature, we are opposed to God. By nature, we are at 
enmity to God. When God saves us by His grace, 
we need to grow in these things. We need to learn to praise. We 
need to learn to honor, we need to learn to glorify his holy 
name. Again, with reference to the 
second petition, your kingdom come. When we are in the kingdom 
of darkness, the last thing that we desire is the coming of God's 
kingdom. So as regenerate or born-again 
believers in Jesus Christ, we are now petitioning the Lord 
that he would bring his kingdom, that he would cause it to flourish, 
the kingdom of grace in terms of the salvation of sinners, 
and the kingdom of glory in terms of the consummation of all things. And the same thing is seen in 
this third petition, that God's will be done on earth as it is 
in heaven. Again, we'll treat it in a similar 
fashion to the other two or the two previous petitions. We'll 
look at what he means generally speaking, and then look to see 
how we can apply this in particular areas or arenas in our prayer 
life. So remember, these petitions 
are not given to us simply to recite. In fact, Jesus says, 
do not be like the heathen, do not pray like the pagans, for 
they think that they will be heard for their many words. So 
we ought not to have prayer beads and just go through it in some 
sort of a rote fashion, holding our hand out and expecting God 
to bless, because we've said, 15 our fathers, or we've said, 
however many, Hail Mary. It's not that way. It's not formulaic. God is not Baal. We don't put 
in a quarter and out pops the blessing. Rather, these are petitions 
that are given to us to cause us to reflect on what God is 
concerned with. Calvin says that Christ embraces, 
therefore, in six petitions what we are at liberty to ask from 
God. Nothing is more advantageous 
to us than such instruction. Though this is the most important 
exercise of piety, yet in forming our prayers and regulating our 
wishes, all our senses fail us. No man will pray aright unless 
his lips and heart shall be directed by the heavenly master." So the 
first three are our duties, or rather our God word references, 
the Father's name, the coming of the kingdom, and the execution 
of his will. And then the last three concern 
us as men, or concern us as humans. Provision for our daily needs, 
forgiveness for our daily sins, and protection from our daily 
enemy. So let's look first at the Westminster 
Larger Catechism. Again, I think this fleshes out 
for us so many good things in terms of what is taught in these 
petitions. Number 192 says, what do we pray 
for in the third petition? It might actually be 193. It 
seems that last week was 192, so I may not have changed the 
number. But at any rate, the third petition, which is thy 
will be done on earth as it is in heaven. says acknowledging 
that by nature we and all men are not only utterly unable and 
unwilling to know and do the will of God, but prone to rebel 
against his word, to repine and murmur against his providence, 
and wholly inclined to do the will of the flesh and of the 
devil. We pray that God would, by his Spirit, take away from 
ourselves and others all blindness, weakness, indisposedness, and 
perverseness of heart. and by His grace make us able 
and willing to know, do, and submit to His will in all things, 
with the like humility, cheerfulness, faithfulness, diligence, zeal, 
sincerity, and constancy, as the angels do in heaven." It's 
a mouthful, isn't it? Big answer, but I think it does 
flash out a very big petition. And as we move through the material 
tonight, you'll obviously hear some more sort of echoes of this 
at any rate. But let's look first at the meaning 
of God's will, and then secondly, at the particulars involved. 
In some respects, we've already done the meaning of God's will. 
If you were tuned in on Sunday morning when we considered Samson, 
You'll remember that I mentioned that there are two aspects to 
the will of God. There's not two wills of God. It's not that he wills one thing 
on the one hand and other things on the other hand. He has one 
overarching decree. He has one eternal purpose that 
the Bible speaks of. But the way that he reveals himself 
is not even different, but there are some things that are secret, 
or we might refer to that as the decretive will. That has 
to do with those things that are decreed by God. And then 
there is the revealed or preceptive will, those things that are given 
by precept. Remember that we considered the 
other day, perfect example with Samson. He should have, in accordance 
with the preceptive or revealed will of God, married a nice Hebrew 
girl. He shouldn't have been going 
after a Philistine. But in terms of the decretive 
will of God, or the secret things of God, God used that to further 
God's particular purpose in that scenario. We saw the same thing, 
or at least referenced the particular instance, with Joseph. Obviously, 
the preceptive will of God does not say it's okay for you to 
want to kill your brother, ultimately throw him into a pit, and then 
sell him as a slave to Ishmaelites. That is not God's revealed will 
for our lives. In fact, it is just the opposite. We should love our brother. We 
shouldn't throw him in a pit. We surely shouldn't sell them 
to Ishmaelites. But the decreed of will, or the 
secret part of this whole idea, was that God overruled it for 
good. The account of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Jesus was murdered by lawless 
men, engaged in an act of treason against God, breaking his word, 
specifically the sixth word in the Decalogue. But we know that 
God purposed to use this particular event in order to accomplish 
his will. So the will of God, the secret 
or the decretive, wherein he accomplishes all things according 
to the counsel of his particular plan. You cannot change this. God has determined the end from 
the beginning. God has determined everything 
that transpires. If we lived in a universe where 
such was not the case, it would be randomness, it would be chaos. We have a good and a wise and 
a holy God who is carrying out His particular plan and purpose. 
He doesn't always tell us everything about it. In fact, He overrules 
the evil actions of men to accomplish His noble purposes at the end. And even on this side of the 
consummation, we may not understand I mean, when we see death and 
dying, and when we see trials and tribulations, and when we 
consider the sorts of things going on under this Islamic state, 
I mean, certainly none of us can say, well, we know exactly 
how this works in the plan and purpose of God. No, we don't, 
but we know that ultimately it does work in the plan and purpose 
of God. God has a plan and purpose that 
He will be glorified, that His people will be done good to, 
Romans 8, 28, and that the wicked will be smashed, the wicked will 
be judged, the wicked will be cut off. So we may not see everything, 
but know that of a truth, God has it all under plan. I remember 
when, was it Glenn Penner that was here from VOM many, many 
years ago, gave an illustration. He held up a puzzle piece, I 
think it was, and he says, you know, when we see this one piece 
of a jigsaw puzzle, we don't know what the end result is. And he likened that to this whole 
idea. We see one piece of a jigsaw 
puzzle in our lives, and we don't know how it makes sense in the 
big plan. Well, God knows the puzzle. God knows everything. 
God has purposed everything, and every step that will be taken 
serves that particular end. So the secret will, when we pray, 
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, That is inevitable. God's will, the decretive will, 
the secret will, is going to be executed. What is in view 
here that we pray is that God's preceptive will be done. We pray, Lord, give us a heart 
of obedience. Give our families a heart of 
obedience. Give our children a heart of 
obedience. Give our churches a heart of 
obedience. May your will be done on earth 
as it is in heaven. The will of God, preceptive or 
revealed, wherein he reveals through his word those things 
he would have for us to know and to act upon. The revealed 
will is what Jesus has in mind in this petition. We have promises, 
we have statements concerning the decretive. In fact, look 
at Ephesians 1 verse 11 for just a moment. Ephesians chapter 1 
verse 11 with reference to this idea of the secret will. Just 
so you can see that what's in view is that we're praying for 
the preceptive or the revealed will of God to be done. Notice 
in Ephesians chapter 1 verse 11, in him also we have obtained 
an inheritance being predestined according to the purpose of Him 
who works all things according to the counsel of His will." 
You see, God is doing that. We don't necessarily pray that 
God does His will in that vein, because He is doing that. He 
is accomplishing that. If you go back for a moment to 
Isaiah the prophet, 46.10, You see, again, this emphasis on 
the reality that the Lord God has all these things under control, 
and that what he has purposed will most surely come to pass. Isaiah 46, 9. Remember the former 
things of old. For I am God, and there is no 
other. I am God, and there is none like 
me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times 
things that are not yet done. excuse me, saying, my counsel 
shall stand and I will do all my pleasure. And notice in verse 
11, calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes 
my counsel from a far country. Indeed, I have spoken it. I will 
also bring it to pass. I have purposed it. I will also 
do it. Now, I'm sure that if we were 
Israelites in this particular day, we would not have prayed 
to God to raise up Cyrus to deliver us from our oppressors. But that's 
who God is referring to. In the secret plan, or the decree 
of will, the Lord God had purpose to raise up Cyrus, king of Persia, 
to be the world empire that would decimate the Babylonians. And 
when the Babylonians were put down, what did that do to the 
nation of Israel, specifically Judah? Judah, under Cyrus, was 
now allowed to go back to her home country. Cyrus issued a 
decree. You can see that in the book 
of Ezra. You see that at the end of 2 Chronicles. Cyrus issued 
a decree granting religious liberty to the Judahites so that they 
could return to their home. So you see, God has his purpose 
and his plan. What we are praying for in this 
third petition is that the revealed will of God be done on earth 
as it is in heaven. Passages such as Exodus 20, Deuteronomy 
chapter 5, passages concerning God's law specifically, the Sermon 
on the Mount, New Testament epistles, those things that God has revealed 
to us that are pleasing in His sight We pray, may your will 
be done on earth as it is in heaven. The psalmist said, teach 
me to do your will, for you are my God. Your spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. Romans 12, 2, Paul says, and 
do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing 
of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable 
and perfect will of God. That's what we are praying. This is what we are after in 
this third petition. John Owen said, the revealed 
will of God contains not His purpose and decree, but our duty. The revealed will of God. Now, 
that shouldn't be taken absolutely. Obviously, within God's revealed 
will, there is the aspect of the decretive also. He doesn't 
want people to murder each other with reference to the decretive 
will. But listen to what Owen says. The revealed will of God 
contains not his purpose and decree, but our duty, what we 
should do if we will please him. So everybody got that, the two 
aspects. We won't call it two wills of 
God. Because that's heretical, that there's one will of God 
in terms of his eternal purpose, but it's administered, perhaps 
we could use, by decretive and revealed or preceptive. So the 
secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that 
are revealed are for us and our children. Deuteronomy 29.29. 
So what are some particulars? First, the manner of compliance. The believer in this petition, 
when we say, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, 
we are asking God to help us to obey what he commands. So you see, it would be very 
disingenuous to pray this petition when we do not have a desire 
to do the will of God. In other words, if we are hypocrites, 
or we are simply going through the motions, and we offer up 
this prayer, Lord, may your will be done on earth as it is in 
heaven, But we are living in rejection, rebellion against 
God. We have an area in our lives 
that we're not repenting in. We have sin in our hearts that 
we are regarding. It is hypocritical and disingenuous 
to pray this particular prayer. This is a petition that the children 
of God employ and utilize so that they may respond favorably 
to the one who says, why do you call me Lord, Lord, and not do 
the things which I say? We are praying that God by his 
spirit and God through his word would so marshal us and so hedge 
us in so that we would obey what he has said in His Word. Remember, 
we're not supposed to try and pattern our life after the decree 
of will. We don't argue, well, Samson 
was blessed even though he married a tympanite woman, so therefore 
I can do these things and God will bless me also. No, we are 
to respond to the revealed will. God, help me to obey what you 
have revealed in your Word. The believer says with the Apostle 
John, for this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not 
burdensome. We want to do God's will. We 
want to follow Him. Not because this is our means 
of salvation. You see, the ethic in the Christian 
life is not do this in order to be saved. The ethic is you've 
been saved in order to do this. It's a fundamental difference 
to the world religions that teach if you're a good person, you'll 
get good things. The Bible says you're not a good 
person. You're a horrible person. You're 
a miserable person. You're a wretched person. The 
only good person that ever lived lived for 33 years. And he ultimately 
was crucified, delivered up on a cross, was buried, and rose 
again the third day. And all those who, by the grace 
of God, look to that good person will have everlasting life. having 
looked to him and lived, now go out and live in a manner that 
is consistent with God and with his word. So it is a petition 
for us that we may do God's will on earth as it is in heaven. Now, I said that we are not to 
pray necessarily for the decreed of will to come to pass. However, 
there ought to be at least an idea or a recognition of the 
decree of will in this particular petition in this way. I think 
it was Watson makes a distinction between active obedience and 
passive obedience. I know we get a lot of distinctions 
tonight. But if you do any study in theology, distinctions are 
good. Distinctions keep you from heresy. 
Distinctions are most helpful in theological enterprise. in 
this particular manner. Active obedience. God, we pray 
that your will, your preceptive will be done on earth as it is 
in heaven. Help me to actively obey your 
word, God. Help me to do what the scriptures 
say. The scripture says I am to pursue righteousness and holiness 
and godliness. Let me internalize that and let 
me pursue those things. When Watson says passive obedience, 
what he speaks to here is that we would willingly submit to 
the Lord in the midst of trial. In other words, the decretive 
or the secret will may include for us hardship. The decretive 
or the secret will for us may include tribulation. It may include 
trial. It may include hard things happening 
in our lives. Certainly, if we were in Mosul 
or we were in that other city that was mentioned in the report 
tonight in Iraq, we would understand something of the Decree of Will 
having in it a difficult time and season for us. If we were 
dispossessed from our homes, if we were thrown into prison, 
if we were beaten to the point where that poor pastor in China 
had been beaten, if those things had been our lot, we would be 
able to understand probably more so John 16, 33. In this world, 
you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I've overcome 
this world." So Watson suggests that passive obedience, when 
we pray, your will be done. Let's do so as well with a mind 
to the reality that the decreed of will may include some things 
for us that are hard. And Watson says this, we pray 
two things, or we pray for two things. For active obedience, 
that we may do God's will actively in what He commands. Secondly, 
for passive obedience, that we may submit to God's will patiently 
in what He inflects. Now which one's harder? It's hard to do the will of God 
as it's revealed in the scripture, right? It's hard to submit to 
the will of God when it's trials and difficulties and hardships. 
You see, this is a time when you pray to God, help me bear 
up under the rot, help me bear up under difficulties, help me 
not to scream or reject or rebel. Sometimes when trials hit people, 
instead of them running to God, they run away from God. Well, 
this ought to be an opportunity for us to pray with what the 
hymn writer wrote. He says, whatever my God ordains 
is right, holy His will abideth. I will be still whatever He does 
and follow where He guideth. He is my God. Though dark my 
road, he holds me that I shall not fall. Wherefore, to him, 
I leave it all. I quoted on Sunday, I think, 
this past, a few Sundays ago, quoted it yesterday. Judge not 
the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his grace. Behind 
a frowning providence, he hides a smiling face. One of the passages 
that Daniel had asked me to read yesterday was Job 121. You can all turn there because 
I think that we see something about Job, not just in 121, but 
in other places in that book that evidence what manner of 
man he was. You know, we oftentimes gravitate 
to 121, and well, we should, because it's a very powerful 
and most excellent portion of Scripture in this vein, submitting 
patiently to the difficulties and the trials that we face in 
this world. Remember the situation, Job lost 
everything, verse 20, he arose, he tore his robe, he shaved his 
head, he fell to the ground in worship. And he said, naked I 
came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The 
Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of 
the Lord. In all this, Job did not sin, nor charge God with 
wrong. That's incredible. Durham, in 
his lectures on Job, says something to the effect that a Christian 
or a believer is best observed to see their carriage their being under suffering. 
That's when it's manifest or evident. You see, with Job, it 
doesn't stop there. Look at Job 13. Job 13, verse 
15. Again, was Job absolutely, sinlessly 
perfect? No, Job was not absolutely, sinlessly 
perfect, but he was a godly and an upright man. Job 13, 15, though 
He slay me, yet will I trust Him. This must be what Watson 
is speaking about when he says, for passive obedience that we 
may submit to God's will patiently in what He afflicts. And then 
in Job 19, Job 19 at verse 25, For I know that my Redeemer lives, 
and He shall stand at last on the earth And after my skin is 
destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God." 
I mean, that is such a powerful statement. It's made its way 
into the confessions and creeds of the church. The wording and 
the language might be a little bit different, but we believe 
in the resurrection of the dead. We believe in life everlasting. And this is precisely what Job 
confesses in the midst of great hardship and difficulty and trial. 
So we see this is the kind of thing that we ought to be inculcating 
in our prayer closets with reference to the difficulties and trials 
that we have. Psalm 119, verses 67 and 71. 
Verse 67, before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep 
your word. It's affliction that oftentimes 
teaches us what it is to obey God. It's not a weekend conference. It's not the latest best speaker. It's not the really polished 
celebrity pastor that gives us 15 ways to cope and deal in the 
midst of hardship. It's affliction. that is a teacher 
or that teaches us how to deal with obedience, it is affliction 
that brings this about. And then in verse 71 it says, 
it is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn 
your statutes. This was the verse that if you 
remember Johnny Farese had on his website with reference to 
his situation and it was incorporated into his testimony. I mean when 
you ponder that, you consider that, I mean this is a man who 
learned what it was to be afflicted and to learn good lessons from 
that. And then of course Romans 8.28 
We know that all things work together for good to those who 
love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 
You've heard me say it before, it bears repeating. I think we 
all affirm 828 when things are going well. We all affirm 828 
when everything's going our way. We all affirm 828 when our wives 
are happy, when our husbands are happy, when our homes are 
not leaking, and when our children are all obeyed. We affirm 828, 
oh yeah, God works all things for good. But as soon as some 
trial or calamity occurs to the believer, they're inclined to 
say, where's God? What's happening? We don't see 
him in the midst of the storm like we see him in the midst 
of the sunny day. And so this is a good suggestion 
from Watson. Not only pray that actively we 
will be obedient to that revealed will, but grant us a passive 
obedience, a submission unto that secret will of God should 
it prove to be difficult in our circumstances. Of course, note 
the standard of obedience or standard of compliance in 610. Your will be done on earth as 
it is in heaven. The compliance isn't, you know, 
I just want to do my best. Now, we can never achieve angelic 
obedience. If you think you can, boy, you've 
got big problems. There's no such thing as angelic 
obedience on this side of the eschaton. When we enter into 
the new heavens and the new earth, God will confirm us in righteousness. But on this side of that particular 
day, we have remaining corruption. But that doesn't change the standard. 
How does Jesus teach us to pray? That God's will, obedience to 
that revealed will, will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Until well said, the Christian 
ought to be satisfied with nothing less than the eradication of 
all evil. You say, well, that'll never 
happen. Yeah, I know it'll never happen. But we ought not to be 
satisfied with it. We ought not to grow content 
with the reality of abortion. We ought not to grow content 
with the reality of the sorts of things that go on all around 
us. There ought to be a holy longing 
and a holy zeal and a desire to see such things end. I think 
that's what Van Til was talking about. He was not a post-millennialist. 
He didn't believe in the conversion of every every human being on 
the earth. But nevertheless, in his ethical 
theory, he said, as Christians, that ought to be our desire, 
the eradication of evil. We don't want there to be things 
that are contrary to God. We don't want there to be enemies 
to God. Isn't that how David deals in 
Psalm 139, after speaking of God's omniscience and omnipresence 
and omnipotence. He then says, I'm basically lost 
in the glory of God. And he says, do I not hate those 
who hate you? I mean, it's such a turn. He 
goes from discussing the glorious attributes of God to his hatred 
for the enemies of God. Well, this is the reality. We 
do not like those things that are contrary to the living God 
in heaven and earth. Psalm 103 speaks of the way the 
angels honor God. Bless the Lord, you his angels, 
who excel in strength, who do his word, heeding the voice of 
his word. Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, 
you ministers of his, who do his pleasure. Hebrews 12.23, 
that Sinai-Zion contrast. It tells us that as Christians, 
we've come to Zion. We've come to the mount of God. 
And it describes it this way, to the general assembly and church 
of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the judge of 
all, to the spirits of just men made perfect. So when Jesus sets 
that forth as a standard, we pray that thy will be done on 
earth as it is in heaven, there's no imperfection in terms of obedience 
in heaven. There's no abortion clinic. There's 
no sodomy. There's no ISIS, no Islam in 
heaven. So that doesn't mean we go out 
and bomb ISIS. It doesn't mean we do, the church. 
It doesn't mean that we bomb abortion clinics or anything 
like that. But we ought to have a holy discontent 
with the fact that these things are in existence, that they are 
flourishing and thriving and going forward. You know, sometimes 
as Christians we evidence a lack of concern. Maybe not we, I don't 
want to say, I don't like confessing other people's sins, but on the 
whole we've got to be mindful of the reality that we need to 
be conscious of what's going on. So we can pray in an informed 
manner. I mean, there's a lot of things 
going on in the world right now. For any Christians, I don't know 
what to pray for. Pray for Ferguson, Missouri. 
That'd be a good place for you to pray for. Pray for Iraq. Pray for Israel. Pray for various 
parts of the earth. Pray for Chilliwack. Pray for 
people that are undone, that are not doing the will of God 
on earth as it is in heaven. a standard of compliance that 
is given here that we ought to imbibe. As I said, I'm not suggesting 
that our obedience to the divine will will be like the angels 
in heaven, but that is the standard. You don't shoot for the lowest 
common denominator. You shoot for what God is pleased 
with. And then some practical application. How do we pray this with reference 
to the individual? Four suggestions, again, I don't 
have the corner on this is how all you people, no, no, these 
are just some suggestions. First, we must recognize God's 
right to command. And knowing me, probably most 
of these came from either Watson or Manton, because I think those 
guys are. right on. Good exegetes with 
reference to the Lord's Prayer. They have good treatments. If 
you want to do a good study on the Lord's Prayer, certainly 
Manton and Watson will not do you wrong. Watson, specifically, 
I remember being very hearty. Watson, of all the Puritans, 
is one of the most readable or easy reading. It's almost like 
every sentence is a quote. It's just that good. It's almost 
like too much. It's like, you know, having too 
much good stuff all at once. You've got to kind of like I 
mean, I like chocolate, but there's a point where you've got to say, 
I've got to stop with the chocolate for a moment. Yeah, I can't have 
that much chocolate. I've got to think about how good 
it is. And Watson's kind of like that among the Puritans. I mean, 
just very readable. You want good Puritan literature, 
Watson's a good foray. Manton, very good as well. At 
any rate, one, we must recognize God's right to command. We won't 
pray this if we are having a controversy with God's right to command us. Now, I say this, and we all say, 
of course God has the right to command us. Not everybody who 
professes the name of Christ believes this. And how do I know 
that? Because of the way that we live. 
I mean, every sin that we commit, every act of rebellion, every 
act of transgression, isn't that ultimately raising our fist at 
God? who has crown rights and the 
authority to command us to obey, whenever we exercise our free 
will and sin against Him, isn't it to suggest that we will not 
have this one to reign over us? So in order to pray this third 
petition, we need to understand that He is Lord, He is Creator, 
He is Sovereign, He is Lawgiver, He is our Blessed Redeemer, He 
has absolute authority to command, and we must not question, but 
rather we must submit to the divine rule. That might be a 
good place to even start when we pray. God, help me to recognize 
your right to command me, not just in some, you know, I know 
this to be the case, but help me to live in light of this reality, 
that I don't commit acts of treason each and every day when I go 
about my daily tasks. Secondly, we must know God's 
revealed will. If we're going to pray, thy will 
be done on earth as it is in heaven, you can't say, well, 
it's the secret will. I don't know that. No, the petition is 
that God's revealed will, God's preceptive will be done on earth 
as it is in heaven. So in order for me to pray this 
aright, I have to actually know what's involved. Paul says it 
this way in Ephesians 5.17. He says, therefore, do not be 
unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Now, this 
isn't mystery, this isn't difficult, this isn't hard. Well, how do 
I understand the will of the Lord? You put your face in the 
Bible. You pay attention in church. 
You attend Bible studies. You listen to preaching. You 
listen at Bible study. You listen to your fathers or 
your mothers when they're reading scripture. You listen to your 
sons or your daughters when they're reading scripture. This is how 
we determine what the will of the Lord is. How do we know the 
preceptive will? We read the scriptures. Thirdly, 
we must obey God's revealed will. We must obey God's revealed will. For us to pray, your will be 
done on earth as it is in heaven, and then walk outside and transgress 
that will is, again, hypocritical and disingenuous. Note what the 
petition says. Your will be done, not your will 
be known. Number point two, we need to 
know the will of the Father, but just knowing the will of 
the Father doesn't mean we're finished. We need to know the 
will of the Father in order to do the will of the Father. Watson 
says, knowledge is the pillar of fire to give light to practice. But though knowledge is requisite, 
yet the knowledge of God's will is not enough without doing it. 
Knowing God's will may make a man admired, but it is doing God's 
will that makes him blessed. See, isn't that chocolate? Isn't 
that beautiful? That's so glorious, the way he 
says that. Knowing God's will without doing 
it will not crown us with happiness. He goes on to say, knowing without 
doing God's will will make the case worse. It will heat hell 
hotter. Knowing it and not doing it will 
heat hell hotter. And then fourthly, we must submit 
to God's providential will, this passive obedience to the decretive 
will of God. Now, when we speak of submission 
to the will of God, it's not a knuckle under. It's not an 
okay if I have to. It's not submitting when somebody 
tells us, I want you to do this, and you grin and bear it, or 
you're obviously put out. I mean, yeah, I'm gonna do it, 
but I'm gonna make sure you know I'm not happy about doing it. 
That's not the way Christian submission is supposed to be. 
We are not supposed to do that towards our father. If our five-year-olds 
did that, what would be our inclination? Some of us would be inclined 
to discipline that. You don't do that. You don't 
show us that sort of anger. You resign to the will of your 
father. Well, it's the same thing with 
the Christian. We don't grit our teeth or clench our fists 
at his face. We need to do so with faith, 
knowing he is working out things for his glory. and our good. We are to do so with contentedness, 
because our disposition tends toward discontent, especially 
when we're going through hardship and trials. We need to inculcate 
and develop and cultivate a contentedness. And then with determination. 
I mean, isn't that Job? Though he slay me, what? Yet 
will I trust him? I mean, if that's not bare determination, 
if that's not steadfastness, if that's not setting one's face 
toward heaven like a flint, I don't know what is. Though He slay 
me, yet will I trust Him. Whatever He throws at me, I am 
determined by His grace to keep coming because I know that He 
has purposed this for His glory and this for my good. I may not 
be able to piece it together now, but there is a day coming 
in the future when I shall see and I shall know." So those are 
some suggestions with reference to the individual. For the church, 
when we pray, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 
We ought to pray that we, as the Church, would be obedient 
to God's will. I know that sounds bizarre and 
zany, but that's really what we ought to be praying for, that 
we would obey the Word of God, that that would be reflected 
in the way that we worship, in the way that we relate to one 
another, in the way that we endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit 
and the bond of peace. We talked, I forget the exact 
nature of the conversation, but there were a few fellows that 
were talking outside the building on Sunday and something came 
up about this idea that we have churches today that in some respects 
do not mirror the church in habit. Now, I should re-qualify that. 
None of the churches today probably mirror the church in habit. But 
when we target one particular group for a church, what does 
that do with reference to the reality of Revelation 5? When 
the Church of Christ is assembled before the throne, how does John, 
under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, describe that group? They are from every tribe, from 
every tongue, and every people, and every nation. If we have 
only a Canadian church, is that mirroring? Heaven? No. We ought to have a desire that 
there will be people from every tribe and tongue and people and 
nation in our church. We ought to pray that God will 
bring other types of people, that we would not be one demographic, 
you know, a young couple with 2.5 kids in a minivan. I mean, I drive by some of these 
churches that take minivan sales. It looks like you could just 
put price tags and shop because it's so many minivans. I'm not 
saying it's bad to have a minivan. Don't leave here tonight and 
say, the will of God is that we sell our minivan, honey. That's 
not the will of God. But there is a demographic, and 
churches have cultures, and that's a reality. I don't think you 
can ever shun that. But we ought not to seek to foster 
and protect that culture if someone or others come in that aren't 
necessarily a part of that culture. We ought to labor, maybe over 
and above the call of duty, to make them feel welcome, to make 
them feel at home. It's OK to be single here. It's 
OK to be this here. It's OK to be that here. If we 
narrowly define our church, We are the Free Grace Baptist Church 
of 30-somethings with 2.5 kids. What are we saying about the 
rest of the world? What are we saying about the church in heaven? 
We are saying that we don't want to be like that. We are saying 
that we as the church militant do not want to be like the church 
triumphant. And it should be the other way 
around. If the church triumphant in heaven is made up of every 
tribe, tongue, people, and nation, God, send people to our church. 
Convert sinners that are not like us. Bring us together so 
that we may evidence something. of what the church in heaven 
looks like. In our practice as a church, 
you can turn to Romans 12. We are going to bring this to 
a close here in just a moment. But Romans 12, just some real 
practical things in terms of church obedience to the petition 
that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven. I already 
quoted chapter 12, verse 2. Notice, do not be conformed to 
this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind 
that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect 
will of God." So if anybody at this point says, well, what does 
he mean? What is the will of God? Just keep reading the chapter. 
Just keep pressing on. Notice, humility, verse 3. For I say, through the grace 
given to me to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself 
more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, 
as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. So doing 
the will of God in the local church in terms of obedience 
is going to be expressing humility, not walking around saying, Aren't 
I humble? But being humble. If you're actually 
humble, you don't have to tell people you're humble. I'm most 
proud of my humility. I've mastered humility. You don't 
need to do that. If you're humble, it's going 
to be evident. Mutual service, notice in verses 
4 to 8. Whereas we have many members 
in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 
so we being many are one body in Christ and individually members 
of one another. Having then gifts differing according 
to the grace that is given to us, Let us use that. Why does God give gifts? So that 
we'll use them. If prophecy, let us prophesy 
in proportion to our faith. Or ministry, let us use it in 
our ministering. He who teaches in teaching, he who exhorts in 
exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he who leads with 
diligence, he who shows mercy with cheerfulness. I don't know 
about you, but in my life as a Christian, I've heard of people 
boasting about their abilities to teach. or boasting about their 
abilities to preach, or boasting about their abilities to serve, 
or boasting about their abilities to this. You typically don't 
hear people boasting about their ability to give. I mean, I guess 
there are some that ring the bell and make sure everybody 
knows what they're giving, but this is probably the gift that 
we don't typically seek to cultivate, this whole idea of giving. It's 
just an observation that I've made over the years. Not to anybody 
here, not in specifically our context, but generically with 
reference to Christianity. But all these things are given 
to the church or persons in the church. Why? So that we may use 
these to build one another up. He then speaks of love to the 
brethren in verses 9 to 16. This is what it ought to look 
like. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to 
what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one 
another. with brotherly love, in honor 
giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, fervent 
in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in 
tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the 
needs of the saints, given to hospitality, bless those who 
persecute you, bless and do not curse, Rejoice with those who 
rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind 
toward one another. Do not set your mind on high 
things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your 
own opinion. You see, this is what the will 
of God is for the local church. And if we are going to pray that 
God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven, may God form 
our churches to look something like what he has revealed in 
the scripture concerning our responsibilities and duties toward 
one another. And then, of course, with reference 
to society, we could go hours. How do we pray? God's will be 
done on earth as it is in heaven. God, please, make it such that 
abortion is criminalized. That just is not... Good, bad, 
wicked, euthanasia. I mean, you just name it. We 
should be prayerful that God would eradicate these things. 
If you have a desire to look at Israelite culture in the Old 
Testament, Isaiah 5 is a great passage to see. In fact, you 
can turn there. I said we were going to close. 
We are really going to close here in just a moment. Isaiah 
5, the prophet starts with a parable of the vineyard. the Gospel of 
Matthew, Jesus tells the same parable. Nothing new in Israel's 
history. You're a vineyard, and you've 
messed up, you've offended God, and God is going to judge you. And then the prophet indicates 
the various sins that are going on in Israel at the time. Covetousness, 
verse 8. Drunkenness, verse 11. Faithlessness, 
verses 18 to 19. Ethical perversity, verse 20. If ever there's an application 
to our society, how do we pray God's will be done on earth as 
it is in heaven? Look at verse 20. Sounds exactly 
like what we face. Nothing new under the sun. Woe 
to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for 
light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and 
sweet for bitter. Pride, verse 21. Judicial perversity, 
verses 22 and 23. And then the entirety is summarized 
in verse 24. the particular issue. Therefore, 
as the fire devours the stubble and the flame consumes the chaff, 
so their root will be as rottenness and their blossom will ascend 
like dust because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts 
and despised, excuse me, the word of the Holy One of Israel. So those are some things, some 
suggestions with reference to the individual, the church, and 
society. Of course, with your family, 
God, teach my kids to do the will of the Lord. Help my dear 
wife to do the will of the Lord. Actually, she's praying, help 
my dear husband to do the will of the Lord. I don't think that's 
illegitimate. I hope my wife's praying that 
I would do the will of the Lord. I hope I'm praying that she'll 
do the will of the Lord, just not as a weapon. But those are 
all some suggestions to employ this third petition so that God's 
will may indeed be done on earth as it is in heaven. Well, let 
us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
this prayer. We thank you for these petitions and the way they 
direct us first and foremost to you, with reference to the 
name of God being hallowed, with reference to the kingdom of God 
coming, and with reference to the execution of your will. We 
ask, Father, that you would help us to be prayerful as a people, 
Help us to be earnest in these things, and God, help us as a 
church to reflect what the church on earth should look like. We 
pray, God, that you would go with us now and watch over us. 
I pray for the Lawsons, that you would give them a safe trip 
as they leave for Alberta. I pray you'd grant safety to 
us as we go to Idaho. Bless all the people of God that 
are traveling to and fro. We pray that you would continue 
to keep a watch over your people and protect us and grant us grace 
to worship you in spirit and truth. Bring us together on this 
Lord's Day that we may sing your praises and glorify your holy 
name. And we pray through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen.