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You can turn back in your Bibles 
to Matthew chapter 6. I figured we'd finish this morning's 
sermon tonight. Matthew chapter 6, the Lord's 
Prayer, the third petition specifically, Thy will be done on earth as 
it is in heaven. Matthew 6, I'll just pick up 
reading in verse 8. 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 
and 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. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
thank you for the Holy Scripture. We pray for the ministry of your 
spirit now that he would guide us and lead us and instruct us. 
We ask God in heaven that you would fill our hearts with this 
with this Lord's prayer. Give us grace, God in heaven, 
to make use of this model prayer. Give us grace, Father, to to 
praise your name and to call upon you to send forth your kingdom 
and for the accomplishment of your will on earth. Father, we 
just pray that in all of this, you would be glorified in the 
lives of your people here, that you would be glorified in the 
church body here. We pray, God, and in all of this, 
you would just fill us with your spirit and help us, God, to be 
the kinds of people that you have purchased us to be. We pray 
now that you would forgive us for all of our sins, cleanse 
us afresh in the blood of the Lord Jesus. We thank you that 
there is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared. And God, 
may you indeed bless us now, we pray through Christ Jesus, 
our Lord. Amen. Well, remember, this morning, 
as we considered this third petition, we first of all noted the meaning 
of God's will. There is the secret things that 
belong to the Lord, our God. the decretive will, that plan 
and purpose of God, where He is working all things according 
to the counsel of His own perfect will. Then we saw that there 
is the revealed will, or the preceptive will, that is God's 
Word, God's Scripture, God's instruction to His people on 
how we are to live. Passages like Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 
5. Matthew chapter 5, the ethics 
of the kingdom of the Sermon on the Mount, as well the New 
Testament epistles, all highlight for the believer what is the 
will of God Almighty. We notice the manner of compliance. There is to be an active obedience. We're to pursue obedience to 
the things of God. When his word calls upon us to 
live in a certain way, we want to submit and we want to obey. Jesus said, if you love me, you 
will keep my commandments. And the believer genuinely wants 
to do such things. There is that passive obedience, 
the willing submission to God's providence, embracing what our 
Father has for us, even if it's a difficulty or a trial or something 
that presses us. We saw several examples. Job 
says, Though he slay me, yet will I trust him. The psalmist 
said, Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep 
your word. He goes on to say, It is good 
for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn your statutes. Romans chapter eight is another 
section or another portion of Scripture that highlights this 
reality. And then we noted the specific 
standard. We are to obey God or plead with 
God that his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Bless 
the Lord, you, his angels who excel in strength, the psalmist 
said, 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. And then we look specifically 
at our individual response. How do we take this prayer and 
bring it into our closet, bring it into our church body? One, 
we must recognize God's right to command. Two, we must know 
God's revealed will. Three, we must obey God's revealed 
will. And fourthly, we must submit 
to God's providential will. So that's where we were this 
morning. Tonight, we'll look at this petition with specific 
application to the church and then to society, as we have done 
with the other petitions as well. So how do we pray? Again, this 
is not exhaustive. It's not as if this is a corner 
on the market. These are some suggestions with 
reference to this third petition and how we are to internalize 
it and pray it back to our God with reference to the church 
of Jesus Christ. The first area, we ought to pray 
that God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven with reference 
to doctrine. Now, we already looked at that 
to some degree in our study in the kingdom of God or in God's 
coming kingdom. I just want to direct our attention 
to first Timothy, chapter three, first Timothy, chapter three. 
We ought to pray that God's will be done in the church, that pure 
doctrine. Those things that God has highlighted 
throughout the Scripture would be insisted upon by the people 
of God. We ought not to fall prey to 
heresy. We ought not to fall prey to 
bad theology. We ought not to fall prey to 
bad exposition of Scripture. We see the Apostle puts a great 
emphasis and a great premium on truth. In 1st Timothy chapter 
3, beginning in verse 14, he says, These things I write to 
you, though I hope to come to you shortly. But if I am delayed, 
I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself 
in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, 
the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy, 
great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh, 
justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the 
Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory. 
So Paul writes to Timothy and he tells him why he is writing. Paul wants to come, he wants 
to see Timothy, but he realizes that he may be delayed. So he 
takes pen to paper and writes to him so that Timothy may know 
how he ought to conduct himself in the house of God. So everything 
previous to this falls under that statement. So when we work 
our way back in chapters one and two, we'll see the necessity 
for Timothy to wage the good warfare is how he ought to conduct 
himself in the house of God. This is what he ought to be about, 
defending the truth against gainsayers, promoting the truth of God's 
holy word. The Lord puts premium on Scripture 
because of his own will, by the word of truth, he brings us forward. So the Scriptures are absolutely 
crucial. We saw this morning in John 14, 
6, Jesus said, I am the way, the truth and the life. We simply 
do not have the right to distort the truth, to pervert the truth, 
or to twist the truth as we see fit. We are to seek by the grace 
of God to handle accurately the Word of God, expounding it, and 
highlighting biblical, sound theology. So in 1 Timothy 2, 
he says that I want you to pray. I want the church of Jesus Christ 
to be a praying body. These things I write so that 
you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the Church 
of God. Be prayerful. First Timothy chapter 
two as well. He wants us to make sure that 
we conduct our worship and regulate ourselves in such a way as to 
produce and promote good order. Women are supposed to dress modestly. Women are supposed to come into 
the public house of worship in a manner consistent with God's 
Word. They are not to be teachers. 
They are not to exercise authority, not because God is a chauvinist, 
but because God instituted his world to function according to 
his mind. And so when a woman leads, when 
a woman preaches, when a woman teaches, we're not Not seeing 
an emphasis upon sound doctrine. Notice here specifically, verse 
eleven, let a woman learn in silence with all submission. 
Then I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority 
over a man, but to be in silence. Opponents of this doctrine, those 
who would suggest that women ought to be preachers or women 
ought to be pastors or women ought to be elders, argue based 
on the particular context in Ephesus. or the particular context 
in Macedonia. You had some women that were 
seeking to push themselves in an unrighteous way. That's what 
Paul is condemning. But you see, the text does not 
support that interpretation. What is Paul's reasoning for 
this admonition that a woman is not to permit or not permitted 
to teach or exercise authority over a man? Verse 13 and 14, 
Paul argues from creation and he argues from the fall. It is 
not based on the fact that in Ephesus there was some problematic 
women. It is based on the fact that 
God, by design, created his world to function in such a way that 
men lead in the home and men lead in the church. And this 
is one of the areas that highlights the reality that men are to lead 
in the church. For Adam was formed first, then 
Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but 
the woman being deceived fell into transgression. So, Paul 
goes back to Genesis 1 to 3 as the foundation upon which Christians 
base their ethical conduct in the life of the church. Brethren, 
we must recover sound doctrine. We must obey the scripture. This is the will of God for us 
as the body of Christ. He then highlights the particular 
qualifications for elders and for deacons. Again, it's not 
a popularity contest. It's not the one who is the best 
at his business. It is not the one who is the 
most accomplished academically. But there is spiritual qualification 
handed down by God through Paul for the regulation of the Church 
of Jesus Christ. So as we pray, God may your will 
be done in the church. Let us pray that doctrine will 
be important again. that doctrine will indeed be 
insisted upon. Gordon Clark summarizes or explains 
verse fifteen, where Paul says, If I am delayed, I write so that 
you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house 
of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and 
ground of the truth. Clark says in less metaphorical 
language, this means that the church proclaims defends and 
propagates the gospel. Its task is to declare all of 
God's revealed truth. To that I say a big amen. So pray, brethren, that doctrine 
will be prized, that doctrine will be sound, that doctrine 
will be thoroughly biblical, and that doctrine will indeed 
be proclaimed accurately. So thy will be done doctrinally. Secondly, we ought to pray that 
with reference to worship. Worship is not sort of an add-on 
to your busy life. You know, there's this idea that 
we come to church to get our batteries recharged and then 
go back out into the world where the real ministry takes place. 
Now, we certainly get our batteries recharged when we come in here 
on the Lord's Day. But you know that worship is 
the point of life. This isn't the addition. This 
isn't the tack on. This isn't the addendum. This 
isn't the appendix to your life. Your life ought to be focused 
upon and centralized about, not the federal government, but the 
worship of the living God. This is not a means to your happiness. This is the end for which you 
and I were created. This is the end for which you 
and I were redeemed. Worship is primary. When you 
look at the book of Exodus, for instance, and you see how it 
outlines, there's three main divisions. The first deals with 
God delivers his people. The second, God demands obedience 
from his people, 19 to 24. And then from 25 to 40, God dwells 
with his people. What's the emphasis? What's the 
message? I have delivered you by grace. I have instructed you into your 
conduct. or in your conduct, so that I 
may dwell with you, and you may worship me as is fitting and 
appropriate." So when we pray, God, may your will be done in 
the churches, worship is absolutely crucial. Worship in our local 
church, worship in other local churches, because worship isn't 
to be a time of entertainment. That doesn't mean it should kill 
you to come to worship. And there's nothing extra holy 
about everybody dying on the vine, about fighting to stay 
awake because it's so boring. That's not somehow super holy 
or super excellent or super blessed in some magical sort of way. 
But the primary emphasis for worship is not entertainment. It's not our flesh. It's not 
our self-promotion. It's not even our well-being. 
It is God whom we seek. Malachi chapter one is very instructive 
in this regard with reference to worship. What had happened 
in Malachi's day? What had happened was simply 
this. The people of Israel, as they came to worship the living 
and true God in the temple, had degenerated into a heartless, 
mindless, rote sort of obedience to the external law. They thought 
that as long as they showed up with an animal, then God would 
be pleased. It didn't matter if that animal 
couldn't walk on its own. It didn't matter if that animal 
was blind. It didn't matter if the only 
thing that animal was worth was to be shot and buried. That didn't 
matter as long as we bring the animal, then God will be satisfied 
with us. In fact, they had degenerated 
to such a place that they said on the way to the temple, well, 
we forgot to bring an animal. Steal what? Steal what? I'm sorry, brethren, but when 
you steal something to sacrifice it, it just rips the guts right 
out of the whole idea of sacrifice, right? You get that? Sacrifice by necessity 
implies a certain amount of discomfort, a certain amount of pain, a certain 
amount of pinch. It's not a sacrifice when you 
steal someone else's animal and you bring it before the triune 
God and say, here you are, Lord, we are worshiping you according 
to your revealed will. No, you're not. That's absolutely 
not worship. God said, I am a great king. Bring me the worship that is 
due my holy name. Brethren, pray that in our worship 
services, God's will would be done. John chapter 4, 21 to 24, 
Jesus instructs the woman at the well concerning what? Concerning 
worship. That's the whole point of the 
passage. Says woman, the hour is coming, 
and now is, when men won't worship at this mountain, but the worship 
of God will be universalized. The worship of God will not be 
confined to one particular mount in Jerusalem. Under the gospel 
economy, under the new covenant economy, the worship of God is 
globalized through the preaching of the gospel, through submission 
to Jesus. Wherever we gather together, 
there we can worship the Lord God Most High. He says that God 
is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and 
in truth. I take that as a reference to 
Trinitarian worship. I take that as a reference to 
the spirit of the living God, Jesus Christ, who is the way, 
the truth, and the life, and the Father, who is set before 
us as the spirit. We are to come to God in a triune 
manner. We are to come to the Father. 
through the sun by the power of the Holy Spirit. That's biblical 
worship. Not some vague, generic deity 
out there that we just look upon. No, we worship the triune God 
of Holy Scripture. And then Hebrews 12. Interesting 
statement there. I know we've rehearsed this before, 
but you can turn to Hebrews chapter 12. Doctrine worship. Thy will be 
done. in the church on earth as it 
is in heaven. Notice in chapter twelve of the 
book of Hebrews, verse twenty eight. Therefore, since we are 
receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace 
by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear 
for our God is a consuming fire. Now, the reverence and godly 
fear are crucial, absolutely crucial when we come to church 
It ought not to be with levity, it ought not to be entertainment 
oriented. We ought not to want to hear 
a sort of a stand-up comedian just make us happy and give us 
a few principles for our busy life. No, we want to come with 
reverence and godly fear, but back up just for a moment, by 
which we may serve God acceptably. What does that imply? That there 
is an unacceptable way to worship, isn't there? If there is an acceptable way, 
then obviously there is an unacceptable way. Well, we must ask the question, 
who defines the acceptableness of worship and who doesn't? It's God the Lord who defines 
it. It's God the Lord who speaks. The London Baptist Confession, 
chapter 22, paragraph 1, tells us that the light of nature and 
the fact that there is a God indicates to all men that we 
must worship. But then it goes on to say, but 
the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by 
himself. In other words, the fact that 
we bear God's image and we live in God's world indicates to each 
of us or impresses upon each of us this sense of deity, this 
response that we must worship. But we don't worship according 
to our own imagination. We don't worship through child 
sacrifice. We don't worship through sexual 
immorality. We don't worship with puppets, 
ponies and programs. We worship in the manner in which 
God has spoken. We sing the Word, we pray the 
Word, we preach the Word, we hear the Word, we see the Word 
in the sacraments, we fellowship around the Word. It is Word-centered 
and Word-based. That, my brethren, is acceptable 
worship. So when we pray, Thy will be 
done in the church on earth as it is in heaven, the angels in 
heaven and the spirits of just men made perfect, they don't 
bring strange fire to the Lord. That's not how heaven operates. 
They're not just saying, hey, why don't we try this? No, they 
worship according to plan. They worship according to rule. 
They worship according to standard. And the same thing is true within 
the Church of Christ militant. So doctrine, worship, and then 
thirdly, practice. May your will be done in the 
church on earth as it is in heaven. Three passages that we can look 
at quickly. Three passages that speak to 
the will of God being flushed out in the life of Christ Church 
is Romans chapter twelve. We refer to that this morning, 
Romans twelve to that you may prove what is that good and acceptable 
and perfect will of God. Well, we're not less scratching 
our head as to what that means. The apostle, through exhortation, 
through various and sundry encouragements, tells us how the Church of Christ 
is supposed to look in the remainder of chapter 12. He says, the Church 
of Christ must be a humble people. 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, humility 
ought to mark the church pride, not arrogance, not parading ourselves, 
not being puffed up. We are to not think more highly 
of ourselves than we ought to think. We are to think soberly 
as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. He then says 
we ought to engage in mutual service. Why does God give gifts 
to the people of God? So they can have Ihavealottagifts.com 
and sell merchandise and market themselves for being the greatest 
guy and the most gifted? No, for as we have many members 
in one body, verse 4, 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 them. If prophecy, 
let us prophesy in proportion to our faith or ministry. Let 
us use this in our ministry. 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. You see, mutual service in the 
body of Christ. When we pray, God beat me or 
will be done in the church. May it look like this. And then 
he highlights the fact that we need to have love toward the 
brethren. Notice in verse nine, 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. You know, that whole 
idea of one another is a great way to pray that God's will be 
done in the church on earth as it is in heaven. That phrase 
one another comes up a lot in the New Testament epistles, a 
lot. You've already seen it a few times here. Next time you're 
reading through the New Testament, write down every time there's 
a one another or underline in your Bible, whatever you do, 
put a ribbon on your finger for every time you have lots of ribbons 
on your finger when you're all done. Wow, there's a lot of one 
another's in that New Testament. What's Paul saying? Paul's saying 
the church is supposed to minister, supposed to serve, supposed to 
help, supposed to encourage. supposed to do for one another. 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 and diligent, 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. There is to be love toward the 
brethren. Another passage, as we pray, 
God may or will be done in the church as it is in heaven or 
on earth as it is in heaven. Turn over to Ephesians five. 
Again, another passage we alluded to this morning. Ephesians 517 
is a mandate specifically for us. Therefore, do not be unwise, 
but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do you love the 
way the scripture keeps going? Imagine if 517 was the end. What is the will of the Lord? 
What do you want from me? How do you want me to live in 
the life of the church in Ephesus, or in Chilliwack, or in Timbuktu, 
or in Palmdale? How do you want me to conduct 
myself? Verse 18 and following is a great, great starting point. Do not be drunk with wine in 
which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit. Reject, 
refuse the godlessness of drunkenness, but rather be filled with the 
Spirit. Now we might ask the question, 
what does a Spirit-filled man look like? Well, God answers. 
Don't you love it? Isn't it great? You just keep 
reading. He answers your questions. There's 
a brand of teaching that says in order to be Spirit-filled, 
you've got to speak in tongues. I don't see tongues in Ephesians 
5. In order to be spirit-filled, you've got to work wonders. In 
order to be spirit-filled, you've got to raise the dead. In order 
to be spirit-filled, you've got to be able to cast out demons. 
It doesn't say any of that. You know what spirit-filled looks 
like? It looks like the mundane, garden-variety 
Christian life. Right? By means of several participles, 
the Apostle Paul illustrates for us what being filled with 
the Holy Spirit looks like. Verse 19. When we're filled with 
the Holy Spirit, it will affect the way we speak to one another, 
right? Speaking to one another in songs, 
hymns, and spiritual songs. We'll be a means of help to the 
people of God. We'll be a means of encouragement 
to the people of God. We'll be a means of therapy to 
the people of God. Being filled with the Holy Spirit 
reflects the way we respond in worship. It says singing and 
making melody in your heart in the Lord or to the Lord. You 
see, being filled with the Holy Spirit does what? It promotes 
the worship of our great God. Being filled with the Holy Spirit 
should flesh itself out in a thankful disposition among the people 
of God. That's verse 20. Giving thanks 
always for all things to God the Father in the name of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. You see, it's not brain surgery. 
It's not rocket science. It's not magic. Understand what 
the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine in 
which is dissipation, but rather be filled with the Holy Spirit. 
That filling with the Holy Spirit will flesh itself out in the 
way that you speak to your brothers and sisters in the church. It 
will affect the way that you respond and worship. You will 
sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord. You won't 
be thinking about your next job. You won't be thinking about your 
next lunch. You won't be thinking about your next venture. You 
will be consumed with the presence and the power of God. And then 
you will be a thankful person. I'm speaking ideally. I understand. Sometimes we want to eat lunch. 
We think about things, that's the challenge of worship in the 
church militant, is keeping our mind where it ought to be. But 
then that giving of thanks in all things, not just some things. Look at what he says, giving 
thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. What does that do? It militates 
against this murmuring disposition, this wicked disposition. It puts 
us in the place of the psalmist, it was good for me that I was 
afflicted. Puts us in the place of Job, though he slay me, yet 
will I trust him. And then this submitting, verse 
21, to one another in the fear of God. You see, everything that's 
developed from this point on is under that. Being filled with 
the Spirit means this, you submit to one another in the fear of 
God. What does submission to one another in the fear of God 
look like? It looks like this with husbands and wives. Looks 
like this with parents and children. Looks like this with slaves and 
masters. You see, that's the progression. 
Right? So we might actually say, if 
I'm a lousy employee and I don't submit to my master, I got a 
problem. I need to be filled with the 
Spirit. I'm a terrible kid. I don't obey my parents. I'm 
a menace to society. Nobody can stand being around 
me because I'm so obnoxious. You know who you are. Just kidding. He's talking to me, Mom. That's 
right, he is. That's what Mom's saying. Here's 
the nudge here. Listen, this is about you. I'm 
just kidding, kids. Just trying to wake you up. Follow 
along. But if you're a rotten, terrible 
human being, your problem is theological. You don't need behavior 
modification, though some of it might not hurt too much. You need God. You need Christ. 
You need the Spirit. You see the progression of thought. 
Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation. Be filled 
with the Spirit. What does being filled with the 
Spirit look like? We speak this way. We worship this way. We 
thank this way. We submit this way. With reference 
to submission, husbands love your wives. Wives submit to your 
own husbands. Children, obey your parents in 
the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your 
children to wrath. Slaves, submit to your masters. Masters, treat your slaves fairly. You see what Christianity does? 
It revolutionizes a man's life. It affects the totality. Yes, 
it makes him fit for heaven, but it certainly makes him fit 
for life on earth. This is what the apostles' emphasis 
is. We need to be filled with the 
Spirit so that we're not rotten, terrible, obnoxious human beings. We need to be filled with the 
Spirit so that we'll respond to God in the manner that he 
has dictated. And then a third passage on the 
will of God and the life of Christ Church. First Thessalonians five. 
I've often thought for the people I referred to them this morning, 
sometimes people live according to the secret things. What is 
God's secret plan for my life? They spent all this time and 
effort and energy trying to determine the secret plan. What does God 
got for me? When's he going to bring me a wife? When's he going 
to bring me a husband? What school has he got for me? 
Oftentimes, that is to reject the things that you're most specifically 
supposed to be doing. 1 Thessalonians is a great place 
to go for the will of God. 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 3 is 
great for each and every one of us. You can't make it any 
clearer. He says, this is the will of 
God. Right? What do you mean? I mean this. This is what you're 
supposed to do. You can't leave today scratching 
your head. I don't know what the will of 
God is. Yes, you do. Go to first, that's for this 
is the will of God, your sanctification. This is just a sideline note, 
for instance. This is the will of God, your 
sanctification, specifically that you should abstain from 
sexual immorality. That's the will of God for your 
life each and every day. Instead of trying to determine 
the secret things, maintain sexual fidelity. That's the will of 
God for you. And then look at first Thessalonians 
5 16. Rejoice always pray without ceasing 
in everything. Give thanks for you go. This is the will of God in Christ 
Jesus for you. I submit, brethren, you have 
enough to keep you busy, and me too, in these two sections 
of Scripture to occupy us until Jesus returns. Have you mastered 
joy? Are you the most thankful person 
you could be? Are you the one that is praying 
without ceasing? This is the will of God for you. 
So, you see, when we pray, God, may your will be done in the 
church as it is in heaven. We ought to pray these sorts 
of things would be happening in the lives of the people of 
God. So those are some suggestions 
for the church. Let's look quickly at society. How do we pray that God's will 
be done on earth? I mean, when we pray, God's will 
be done on earth, certainly we aren't just meaning ourselves 
and our church. We ought to be praying that God's 
will be done on earth. We ought to be praying for freedom 
for people in prison in Pakistan. We ought to be praying for freedom 
for people to have religious liberty so that they can worship 
the triune God. We ought to pray for the utter 
destruction of Islam and Romanism and every false religion that 
gets in the way of God being glorified. We ought to pray that. 
There's a unique situation in Isaiah 5. Now, as I call our 
attention to this particular passage, I'm not suggesting that 
we are a nation in some covenant with God, a national covenant. 
I'm not suggesting that we are a theocratic people. I'm not 
suggesting that America is a theocracy. I'm not suggesting that this 
has direct application, but rather I'm suggesting this is an illustration. This is an example. And I would 
submit as well that if God deals this way with His covenant community, 
How much more of those outside will they find judgment from 
on high? But Isaiah 5 is an interesting 
section of Holy Scripture. You remember in Matthew's gospel, 
Jesus tells a parable of the vineyard. He speaks of the vineyard 
owner employing men. These men do not pay him back. 
They reject him. They despise him. And so the 
owner of the vineyard says, I know what I'll do. I'll send my son. 
They've rejected my servants, the prophets. I'll send my son. Certainly, they'll receive him. 
Certainly, they'll listen to him. Certainly, they will do 
what he says." Well, what happens when the son comes on behalf 
of the father to the vineyard? They destroy him and they cast 
him out. Well, when Jesus told this parable, 
brethren, it wasn't a brand new thing. This is biblical theology. God had already used this parable 
in Isaiah chapter 5. when he comes to condemn Israel 
for their sinfulness against the triune God. He highlights 
this in chapter 5, verses 1 to 6. God rehearses the benefits 
that he had given to them. He highlights the sinfulness 
of the people. He promises certain judgment. 
Verse 7 in Isaiah 5. Notice, for the vineyard of the 
Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah 
are his pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, 
oppression. For righteousness, but behold, 
they cry for help. E. J. Young says the time for 
poetry and song is past. The time for interpretation and 
application has come, and that's what the prophet engages in in 
the remainder of chapter 5. He condemns their covetousness, 
verse 8. He condemns their drunkenness, 
verse 11. He condemns their faithlessness, 
verses 18 and 19. He condemns their ethical perversity, 
verse 20. A passage that we probably have 
all heard at one time or another. This is where we get that statement. 
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. He condemns their pride. Verse 
21. Woe to those who are wise in 
their own eyes. And then he condemned judicial 
perversity in verses 22 and 23. But here's the rub. Here's the 
summary. Here's what's important for us 
to understand here. Verse 24. 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 despise the word of the Holy One of Israel. That's the problem 
with society around us. That's why men call good evil 
and evil good. That's why they're proud. That's 
why they engage in judicial perversity. That's why they engage in widespread 
wickedness. It's because there's a rejection 
of the law of the Lord of hosts. So we pray. God in heaven, may 
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. May you save 
sinners. May you put the fear of God in 
the hearts of men, women, boys and girls. May you raise men 
up, not just for gospel ministry, but for political magistrate, 
men that will rule and serve according to righteousness. That's 
how we ought to pray, that God's will be done on earth as it is 
in heaven. They're not murdering babies 
in heaven, brethren. It's just not happening. There's 
not abortion clinics in heaven. The saint of Christ ought to 
pray against that slaughter. The saint of Christ ought to 
call out to God. Shut these places down. Stop 
their foolishness. Stop their madness. Put them 
out of business. Psalm 109. When we first got 
that red psalter and we would sing that at home. That that's 
someone on the boys and I when they're little, we used to sing 
that together and we would apply it specifically to abortionists. 
Speaks of God making men, making their wives widows. What's that 
mean? It's going to kill them. It's 
going to take them out. say, well, we can't pray. It's 
in the scripture. I'm praying, you know, we should pray God 
save them, stop them, save them, grant grace to them. Not necessarily, 
if not run them over with a Mack truck, but stop them from doing 
the kinds of wickedness that are put, that is perpetrated 
on a daily basis. How can we legitimately think 
to pray this third petition and not think of matters of social 
justice? It's not to say the Church is 
to go out and right every wrong in the world, but individual 
Christians in their prayer closets ought to be praying to God Most 
High to shatter the teeth of wicked men who would engage in 
such high-handed evil. Brethren, there's some suggestions. 
Again, it's not comprehensive. I hope that you'll stimulate 
some juices in your own thinking and in your own mind. You'll 
take these petitions and you'll personalize them. You'll pray 
them in. Think in summary. We need to 
recognize the perversity of our own will. You know, when we pray, 
God, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We're 
making an admission about something. We're saying our will is messed 
up. Our will is bent. Our will is not. as it ought 
to be. We don't want our will to be 
done on earth as it is in heaven. We really don't. Manton says, 
we pray God's will in opposition to our own will, which is the 
proudest enemy Christ has on this side of hell and the cause 
of all the mischief which does befall us. If you bristle against 
that statement, I wonder if you understand the depths of your 
own depravity. Our will is the proudest enemy 
Christ has on this side of hell and the cause of all the mischief 
which does befall us. You take that triumvirate or 
you take that unholy trinity of foes in your Christian life, 
you've got the world, you've got the devil, you've got the 
flesh. You may go live on a deserted 
island all by yourself and cut off the world. The devil is not 
omnipotent. He's not omniscient. He's not 
omnipresent. So there are instances and times 
where the devil isn't directly plaguing you. So at least for 
that brief time on that island, it's not the world and it's not 
the devil. But that one foe will never be 
gone until the beautiful day of glory. Our will is the problem. That's 
why when we come to pray this third petition, we are making 
an acknowledgment that God's will is supreme, that our will 
isn't, and that we want Him to override us. We want Him to take 
over. John 6 tells us no one can come 
to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I will raise 
him up at the last day. Romans 8 says because the carnal 
mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law 
of God nor indeed can be. So then those who are in the 
flesh cannot please God. I realize that's talking about 
the unregenerate. But as regenerate believers, 
as those in Christ, Romans 7, 14 to 25, highlights the reality 
of remaining sin. Galatians 5, 17 says, the flesh 
lusts against the spirit, the spirit lusts against the flesh. 
These two are contrary to one another so that you do not do 
what you want to do. There is remaining corruption. 
So in this third petition, we acknowledge that. We're praying 
against it. We're asking the Lord to take over. It is a judgment 
from God to be given over to our own wills. Psalm 81 verse 
12. So I gave them over to their 
own stubborn heart to walk in their own counsels. Romans chapter 
one three times. God gave them up. God gave them 
over. God gave them over three times. We do not want our will. We do 
not want our way. We do not want our wisdom. We 
want God. Secondly, I mentioned this this 
morning. I want to reiterate this because a couple of brothers 
thanked me for mentioning this. This is not a word to go out 
and just be better. I think you should and I should 
try to be better, but we need to acknowledge the necessity 
of divine power. Westminster larger catechism 
number 192 says in the third petition, Which is, thy will 
be done in earth as it is in heaven, 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 acknowledge 
that, so we praise a God to enable us to do his will. We saw that 
Romans 8, or I alluded to it, if by the spirit you put to death 
the deeds of the body, you will live. Philippians 2, work out 
your own salvation for God is at work in you both to will and 
do according to his good pleasure. And Hebrews chapter 13, you cannot 
forget divine enablement with reference to this third petition. 
The church, the world, the individual Christian cannot comply with 
the pressure, the demands of the third petition apart from 
God's grace and mercy. Brethren, I hope this will be 
helpful to you. And I hope that as we continue 
in this Lord's Prayer, especially as we begin to look at the man 
oriented petitions, we don't lose sight of the priority. We 
don't lose sight of the conspicuous order that God comes first, God's 
name, God's kingdom, God's will. Get that in your head and everything 
will hopefully be a whole lot better for you. Well, let us 
pray. God in heaven, we thank you for 
your word. We thank you for this Lord's Prayer and we ask that 
you would help us to take these things to heart, help us to take 
these petitions to our closets and to our corporate prayer meeting. 
And God, we do pray that throughout this earth, your name would be 
hallowed and glorified. We do pray that your kingdom 
would come and we pray that your will would be done in our lives 
as Christians, in our church and God in society. The prophet 
said, woe to those who call good evil and evil good. And certainly, 
God, this is happening. in every level of society in 
our own generation. And we just pray, God, in your 
wrath, remember mercy and send forth your gospel to save to 
the uttermost. Send forth your law to restrain 
wickedness and madness. God, send forth the entirety 
of your word. And we pray through Christ our 
Lord. Amen.