It’s not a hard concept to understand. We complicate and cause confusion about it because we don’t always want to DO IT! Strong’s gives the definition for the greek word translated “will” as a determination, purpose or decree (Strongs #2307).
What God has determined will happen, His purpose will be done!
Consider this parable of Jesus
Matthew 21:28-31
- Put brackets around the whole passage and write in the margin “Doing God’s Will”
- Hi-Lite :28 – “Son, go, work today in my vineyard” – this is the will of the father
- Underline the question :31 “Which of the two did the will of his father?”
- Put brackets around the correct attitude toward his father’s will :29 “I will not, but afterward he regretted it and went.” Hi-Lite “and went”
In order to DO His will, we must KNOW His will
In Colossians 1:9, Paul’s prayer is that they be “filled with the knowledge of His will”.
- Hi-lite “be filled with the knowledge of His will”
- Circle “in all wisdom”, “spiritual understanding”
What should our attitude be in doing His will?
The Psalmist asks God to teach him in Psalm 143:10
- Underline “Teach me to do Your will”, “Lead me”
- Hi-lite “You are my God; Your Spirit is good”
- Circle the reason word: “for”
In Ephesians 6:5-8 Paul speaks to people who are bondservants in this world, doing their earthly masters will. He then brings them to the spiritual idea of being a bondservant of Christ, doing the will of their Heavenly Father.
- Hi-Lite: :6 “doing the will of God from the heart”
- Circle :6 “as bondservants of Christ”
- Underline :8 “whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord”
What is His will? (using these verses make a list in your notebook)
-That we not be conformed to this world. Romans 12:2
- Hi-Lite “Do not be conformed to this world”, “will of God”
- Circle the command words “do not”, “be”
- How is God’s will described? Underline “good”, “acceptable”, “perfect”
-God wants us to give ourselves to Him first, like Paul commends the Macedonian church for doing in 2 Corinthians 8:5.
- Hi-lite “first gave themselves to the Lord”
- Underline “by the will of God”
-In his closing remarks of Colossians, Paul mentions the prayer of Epaphras for the Colossian Christians in chapter 4:12.
- Underline “stand perfect and complete in all the will of God”
- Circle “all”
- Hi-lite “will of God”
-Paul makes a real clear statement in 1 Thessalonians 4:3.
- Hi-lite “for this is the will of God”
- Double underline “your sanctification” and draw a line connecting “will of God” with “your sanctification.” Sanctification – from a greek word meaning “purification” whose root word means “to make holy”
- Hi-lite “abstain from sexual immorality”
-God’s will is that we be thankful in 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
- Hi-Lite “for this is the will of God”, “for you”
- Underline “in everything give thanks”
-Peter mentions the will of God 4 times in his first letter.
1 Peter 2:15
- Hi-Lite “for this is the will of God”
- Underline “doing good”, “silence the ignorance of foolish men”
1 Peter 3:17
- Circle the reason word “for”
- Circle the “if” (always notice “if” word in scripture)
- Hi-lite “if it is the will of God” – it may not always be God’s will for us to suffer because we do good, but at times, might be. The greek says “If the will of God be so”. If we are suffering, we need to ask ourselves if it is for doing good or evil. Matthew 5:10 says we are blessed if we are persecuted (suffer) for righteousness sake. The greek word for suffers is patho which means to experience a sensation.
- Underline “suffer for doing good”
1 Peter 4:1-2
- Hi-lite “live the rest of his time”, “for the will of God”
- Circle “therefore” (see what it is there for) – Peter just finished talking about Christ’s resurrection and authority.
- Circle “but” contrasting word. He contrasts “lusts of men” with “will of God”
- Underline “arm yourselves also with the same mind” and draw a line to “Christ suffered for us”
- “ceased from sin” – does not mean one never sins, but one is not living a sinful life.
1 Peter 4:19
- Circle “therefore”-what is it there for? In verse 17-18 Peter talks about judgment beginning at the house of God. By suffering according to God’s will, we are placing ourselves in good standing at the judgment.
- Hi-lite “those who suffer according to the will of God”
- Underline “commit their souls to Him in doing good”
- Put in brackets “as to a faithful Creator” and draw a line connecting this phrase to “the will of God”
- Put the cross-reference Revelation 4:11 here. It tells us that by God’s will all things created exist.
Let us now consider Jesus and God’s will
Matthew 6:10 Jesus gives the disciples (and us) the model prayer. We are to pray for His will to be done.
- Hi-lite “Your will be done”
The same words in Luke 11:12
- Hi-lite “Your will be done”
Matthew tells us that 3 times Jesus prayed for the Father’s will to be done.
Hi-Lite:
- Matthew 26:39 “not as I will, but as You will”
- Matthew 26:42 “Your will be done”
- Matthew 26:44 “saying the same words”
- In the first two verses above, circle “if” (big word in the Bible)
- Also Hi-lite:
- Luke 22:42 “If it is Your will”, “not My will, but Yours, be done”
- Circle “if”
Jesus tells us He came to do the will of the Father, not His own will.
- John 5:30 Hi-lite “I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father”
- John 6:38 “Hi-lite “not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me”
The Hebrews writer acknowledges this with a prophetic reference to Psalm 40:6-8.
- Hebrews 10:7 Hi-lite “I have come”, “to do Your will, O God”
- Hebrews 10:9 Hi-Lite “I Have come to do Your will, O God”
- Write beside these two verses “Jesus!”
There is blessing in doing His will
Psalm 40:8
- Hi-Lite “I delight to do Your will”
Matthew 7:21
- Hi-Lite “shall enter the kingdom”, “he who does the will of My Father”
- Underline “does the will of My Father”, “enter the kingdom”
Mark 3:35
- Hi-Lite ”whoever does the will of God”
- Circle “is” (statement word)
- Write “in God’s family” next to this verse
Hebrews 10:36
- Hi-Lite “after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise”
- Circle the word “endurance”-it takes endurance to always do God’s will, but will be greatly rewarded for doing so!
- Put a bracket around verse 37-38 and draw a line to the word “promise” in verse 36
1 John 2:17
- Hi-lite and Double underline “he who does the will of God abides forever”
Where do we find what the will of God is? In His word. Read it, apply it and teach it to others for doing THIS is God’s will!