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  • Writer's pictureMatt Beaney

PART 20 – GOD’S WILL? TEACH TO OBEY JESUS (THE GREAT COMMISSION PART 3) (20/3/20)

Here's Sunday's message if you were unable to gather with the church.



‘Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’

When we pray, “Your will be done” it’s important that we know God’s word so that the Holy Spirit can bring to mind the things that He wants us to do. Today, we complete our look at The Great Commission. This is a very important section of teaching for those who want to pray and do God’s will. We read,

“When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:17-18).

It’s God’s will that we teach people to obey everything Jesus has commanded us. This is something that we should be praying to happen through our local church. It’s something that we should pray for ourselves: “Help me to learn, and help me to love and teach others”.


Everyone of us must be involved in this. God has appointed local church elders to take particular responsibility for teaching a local church; however, we must all play our part in passing on that teaching to our children, to one-another in conversation, in a small group setting etc.

The author to the Hebrews confronts us,

In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!’ (Hebrews 5:12)

Too many of us see ourselves as church attenders rather than leaders whom God has commissioned to make disciples. We put our own ‘glass ceiling’ above our heads.


How can you use your voice to encourage and teach others?


To teach we must be those who know and are obeying Jesus’ teaching. How will you start filling your mind with Jesus’ teaching?


Let’s pray,

“Lord Jesus. I hear your command to make disciples. ‘May your will be done’ in this regard. This world needs your church to be active in doing this. Please help my local church leaders and help me to teach people to obey you, Lord Jesus. Amen”

 

RESPONSE

During this series, let's aim to memorise and meditate on The Lord's Prayer.


TIPS ON MEMORISING SCRIPTURE

  • We will only do this, and persevere in doing this, if we believe that it's truly important to hide God's word in our heart. So get faith!

  • Don't disqualify yourself if it's hard - it is hard!

  • Write the text somewhere that's easy to find and use - a note on your phone, a post-it on the fridge...

  • Include the reference (book/chapter/verse) throughout the process

  • Read it slowly and carefully x 10 (Don't rush or dismiss this accurate repetition)

  • Recall it, without looking as much as possible x10

  • Do this a few times through the day - a habit is best formed by doing this at the same times, and places each day.

  • Revise regularly (and revise previously memorised verses)

  • Make it a habit to learn new verses - skill comes over time

  • USE IT! Actively use it to pray, worship, counsel, prophecy, and counter temptation and lies by quoting truth - it’s the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17).

TIPS ON BIBLICAL MEDITATION - THE 'COME TO JESUS DAILY METHOD'.

Biblical meditation is to prayerfully read, repeatedly, a section of the bible and pray, worship and respond as God leads. Here are a few tips and questions, what I call the 'come to Jesus daily method', to help you when meditating:

  • PRAY - Ask for the Spirit to help you and to speak to you. Keep the goal in mind - having a relationship with God!

  • WRITING- Writing/journaling is often a great help as you answer the questions below. Remember, don't allow worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar, perfection... to stop you from writing - it's between you and God. In meditation, I encourage you to write in the first-person, speaking to God - "I see that you are...I sense you speaking to me about...I pray for...."

  • GOSPEL- What does God, through this text, say to you about salvation through Jesus?

  • UP- What does God, through this text, say you about Himself – His worth, character, attributes, will, promises…?

  • IN- What does God, through this text, say about you, His church and how we are to relate?

  • OUT- What does God, through this text, say about non-believers and our mission?

  • RESPONSE – Is there anything else that you want to pray, worship God about, do, ask forgiveness about, ask God to help you to change…?

 

COMMUNITY GROUP STUDY

Opener

Has there ever been a time when your really wanted something but it didn't happen? How did you learn to deal with it?


Introduction - please read in your group

I guess you may be wondering why we have not stopped this teaching series in order to take about the Coronavirus. My answer is that I believe that the Father would want us to learn to pray as a result of the current crisis. It’s God’s will that we learn to pray, and I’m praying “May you will be done earth’ in this regard.

This week we have come to the phrase "your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". This is not a promise that every sickness will be healed, everyone will be saved, every difficulty removed. It is, firstly, a prayer that Jesus would come again; because, only then will His will be fully done on earth as in heaven. Secondly, it's a prayer for what we read in the bible and what we believe to be God's will to be done on earth. It's an encouragement to pray and expect big things to happen.


Read The Lord’s Prayer

“This, then, is how you should 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 today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (“…For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”) (Matthew 6:9-13)


Discuss/share together

i) God's general will

God’s ‘general will’ is revealed in His word. Christians are to obey the whole Bible. The Bible reveals God’s will for you and me. David wrote, ‘Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.’ (Psalm 119:105).

Discuss:

Do you allow the bible to form your prayers and do you have any examples? How is the bible informing your prayers in the current crisis?


ii) God's specific will

Throughout God’s word, He speaks specifically to people about His specific will for them. God has definite things for you and I to do for Him. The Holy Spirit reveals His will through portions of the Bible that ‘speak’ to us, prophecy, dreams, visions, inner conviction (faith), encouragement from others, circumstances…

Discuss:

Have you any stories of God giving and fulfilling promises for you? Do you have any promises from God that you are waiting for Him to fulfil?


Pray together

Go around your group, each one sharing what they would like prayer for at the moment. Pray for each person in turn.


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