Every, single day we pray, “Thy will be done.” But this must be properly construed. This petition does not happen by then exerting ourselves; making ourselves into good Christians by virtue of our discipline.

Our petition is all about depending on God’s grace. If God’s will is to be done in our lives, then God must lead us in His will; His working must be exerted in us.

But how? We are so weak, we struggle so much…in spite of our best efforts, we fail.

God must step in.

He does!

This is why we come to Church. God comes to you through the Word of Christ and through the Body and Blood of Christ. He comes and His will happens. He works it; He creates it in us.

Faith grasps the work of God. God forgives, faith holds to this truth; God serves, faith holds to this truth; God saves, faith holds to this truth.

Come in faith and experience God working for His will to be done in your life! We will learn about what it means to be a disciple of lives out, “God’s Will, Not Ours.”

Here is an excerpt of tomorrow’s sermon:

“God’s Will, Not Ours” (Matthew 16:21-26)

For Your Life in Christ the 12^th Sunday after Pentecost

August 31^st, 2014

Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church of Irvine, CA (LC-MS)

Pastor Espinosa

 

Introduction: Bonhoeffer Quotes Luther in Discipleship (Luther is writing as if God is speaking to you)

 

“Discipleship is not limited to what you can comprehend – it must transcend all comprehension. Plunge into the deep waters beyond your own comprehension, and I will help you to comprehend even as I do. Bewilderment is the true comprehension. Not to know where you are going is the true knowledge. My comprehension transcends yours. Thus Abraham went forth from his father and not knowing whither he went. He trusted himself to my knowledge, and cared not for his own, and thus he took the right road and came to his journey’s end. Behold, that is the way of the cross. You cannot find it yourself, so you must let me lead you as though you were a blind man. Wherefore it is not you, no man, no living creature, but I myself, who instruct you by my word and Spirit in the way you should go. Not the work which you choose, not the suffering you devise, but the road which is clean contrary to all that you choose or contrive or desire – that is the road you must take. To that I call you and in that you must be my disciple. If you do that, there is the acceptable time and there your master is come.” (The Cost of Discipleship, First Macmillan Paperbacks Edition, 103-104)

1. On account of our sin, however, we constantly fight against the call to discipleship; we want to hold onto our comprehension instead of trusting in the Lord’s comprehension for us.
2. Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah argued against God’s call to them even though the Lord knew exactly what He was doing.
3. Moses said, “I can’t speak well enough!”
4. Isaiah said, “I’m too unclean, not good enough!”
5. Jeremiah said, “I’m too young!”
6. God calls us to discipleship too! But what is our excuse? We must remember who we truly are and to whom we truly belong!

Part I: Your New Identity:

1. We have watered down the word “Christian,” esp. in American culture.
2. The word literally and actually means “Christ’s” … or in elongated form “one who BELONGS to Christ.”
3. Notice how this concept is applied to the Church, the body of Christ:

1^st Corinthians 6:19: “Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.”

1. Discipleship begins with this fundamental truth: We do not belong to ourselves, we belong to God.
2. The Christian, therefore, is a “disciple” – one who is a “hearer” of Christ and therefore (and as a result of hearing the Word of Christ and thereby being drawn to Christ) – is one who FOLLOWS Christ.

Matthew 16:24: “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.’”

 

Part II: But In Order For This to Happen We Must Die

1. Remember that Peter once denied Jesus three times. He said, “I don’t know the man!” That part of us is dead!
2. We use these words against ourselves! The Christian is confronted with their sinful flesh that says, “I don’t want to follow!” And the Christian’s trained response is, “I don’t know the man!” “The man” = our sinful nature.
3. You’ve heard the expression when someone is so hurt or ashamed of someone else, they say, “You are dead to me.”

That means the relationship is completely severed; it is over with! This is our daily call: die to yourself; die to your old sinful nature!

Romans 6:11: “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”

In Jesus’ Love,

Pastor Espinosa