Knowing and Doing God’s Will

MEMORY VERSE: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” —Matthew 7:21

MATTHEW 7:21-27

BRIEFLY the will of God for his people of the present age is that they be fully devoted to him, at the cost of self-sacrifice even unto death. It is this that was expressed by Jesus when he said to his disciples, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matt. 16:24) To these Jesus said, “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”—Rev. 2:10

Our memory verse indicates the possibility of there being those who claim to be doing God’s will upon the basis of the great works in which they are active, but discover that their claims do not stand up under divine scrutiny. It is not those who merely profess loyalty to the Lord who are pleasing to him, but those who actually know and do the will of the Heavenly Father.

This portion of today’s Scripture lesson is the closing of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon the Master sets forth many of the details involved in a life of faithfulness to the Lord and to his cause. A summary of these details is presented in the beginning of the sermon in what are known as the Beatitudes.—Matt. 5:3-12

The Lord’s people are to be “poor in spirit”; that is, humble, recognizing their own unworthiness, and that only through the worthy merit of Jesus’ shed blood can their imperfect works be acceptable to the Lord.

They are to “mourn” sympathetically for others, and be on the alert, through the glorious Gospel of the kingdom, to comfort others. Thus shall they be comforted themselves. It was this spirit of sympathy for others that was so well displayed by Jesus, and we are to be like him.

We are to be meek; that is, teachable. Those who are proud of heart are not in a position to really know the will of God, much less do it.

We are to “hunger and thirst after righteousness.” This suggests a genuine and sincere desire to know God and to be in harmony with his righteous laws.

The Lord’s people are to be merciful. A failure to be merciful towards others is to indicate that we do not have an appreciation of our own great need of mercy from the Lord.

We are to be pure in heart. Because of adamic imperfection we cannot always be absolutely pure in thought, word, and deed, but we can be pure in heart, and it is this purity of heart for which the Lord is looking in those who are sincerely endeavoring to know and do his will.

The Lord’s people are also to be peacemakers. They are to radiate peace and good will at all times; and besides, they are to proclaim the Gospel of peace, explaining that all true believers can have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And we are to be so faithful in bearing witness to the truth of the kingdom that it will result in persecution and ostracism.

Jesus indicated that those who possess these qualities of character are the “salt of the earth,” and the “light of the world.” (Matt. 5:13-15) A very basic element of doing God’s will is to be faithful in proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom. It is thus that we are witnesses for Jesus.

MATTHEW 21:28-32

In this parable the two “sons” mentioned seem to represent two groups of Israelites—the publicans and sinners, and the Pharisees. It is Jesus’ reference to the ministry of John the Baptist (vs. 32) that suggests this understanding. The publicans and sinners made no special profession of doing God’s will, but it was to these that John’s ministry specially appealed, and many of them became his disciples.

It was the same in the case of Jesus. His ministry appealed largely to the same class, and it was from these for the most part that his little band of faithful followers were recruited. The scribes and Pharisees, on the other hand, made great professions of loyalty to God. It was these who said, in the language of the parable, “I go, sir,” thus professing obedience, but they did not carry through with their profession. The publicans and sinners, on the other hand said, “I will not,” but at least some of them afterward did enter into the work of the vineyard.

QUESTIONS

What is God’s will for Christians?

Who is represented by the two “sons” of the parable cited in our lesson? Explain.

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