The Lord's Will Be Done

Overview

How God Speaks—and Why His Voice Doesn't Contradict Itself

We often receive competing advice in life, and we recognize quickly that two contradictory directions cannot both be right. The same holds true when it comes to hearing God. God speaks to His people through the Scriptures—period. He does not whisper one thing to one believer and the opposite to another. His voice is singular, consistent, and revealed in His Word. This is why questions like whether baptism is mere symbol or true sacrament cannot be answered "both/and." Scripture gives one answer, and we are called to listen.

A Test Case from Acts: Paul Bound for Jerusalem

Paul's journey to Jerusalem provides a striking example. The Holy Spirit had clearly directed Paul to go: "Paul resolved in the Spirit… to go to Jerusalem" Acts 19:21, and "now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem" Acts 20:22. Yet at Tyre the disciples "through the Spirit… told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem" Acts 21:4, and at Caesarea, after Agabus dramatized Paul's coming imprisonment with his belt, the believers urged him not to go up Acts 21:10-12.

Was the Spirit speaking out of both sides of His mouth? No. The Spirit's actual message to these believers was that suffering awaited Paul in Jerusalem—not that Paul should turn back. Out of love and fear for their brother, they extrapolated their own conclusion ("don't go") from the Spirit's true word ("it will be hard"). Paul, who had elsewhere shown deep sensitivity to the Spirit's direction—being forbidden to speak in Asia and redirected from Bithynia Acts 16:6-7—was not being headstrong. He was being faithful.

The Temptation to Add to God's Word

Here is the pastoral warning: well-meaning believers, even those who love us deeply, can give counsel that runs contrary to God's revealed Word. Sometimes their advice is born from their own fears, pain, or echoes of the world rather than from Scripture. The devil, the world, and our sinful nature constantly tempt us to depart from what God has plainly said. The discipline of the Christian life is to weigh every word of counsel against the Word of God itself.

"The Lord's Will Be Done"

When Paul refused to be dissuaded, the believers finally said, "The will of the Lord be done" Acts 21:14. This was not resignation; it was recognition. They submitted their fears to the clear direction God had given. And here is the gospel comfort: though we have all strayed from God's will, the One who perfectly followed His Father's will to the cross has redeemed us. The tomb is empty, and we are covered in His blood. Now we are freed to lay aside our own plans and pray with joy, "Thy will be done." His voice is one. His Word is sure. And in bowing to it, we find peace.

Transcript

We have all over the years received competing advice. 0s

Advice that really contradicts the advice you just received, right? 5s

For example, if you ask someone, 9s

what's the fastest way to get wherever? 13s

And the person says, well, you go up to the stop sign, 16s

and you turn up right. 18s

And a person is there listening the conversation and says, 21s

no, that's not the fast way. 25s

What you do is you go up to the stop sign and you make a left. 27s

Well, you're left then with a decision, aren't you? 34s

And as you weigh that advice that you've just received. 37s

On the one hand, somebody is right, 41s

and somebody is wrong, or they're both wrong, right? 45s

But you can't have advice that is the opposite, 50s

and you get both being correct, right? 55s

What about God speaking to us? 62s

Well, first, let's ask ourselves, 65s

how is it that we hear the voice of God? 67s

We hear the voice of God through the Scriptures. 69s

Period, full stop. 73s

That's how we hear the voice of God. 75s

Well, the Lord used the Scripture then to communicate 79s

one thing to one person and the exact opposite to another person. 84s

Let me give you an example. 94s

Let's say a person says, baptism, it's a symbol. 95s

It is a symbol of your decision for Jesus Christ. 101s

And the other person says, well, no, as I read Scripture here, 106s

I see that baptism is a sacrament. 111s

It is God's decision about us in the vehicle whereby he gives to us 115s

of the gifts one through the cross and the empty tomb. 119s

So you've got symbol and you've got sacrament, right? 124s

So you're left at the same decision point again. 129s

Somebody's got to be right, 132s

and somebody's got to be wrong, or they're both wrong, right? 135s

But you can't have a perspective that's as symbol and sacrament 140s

and say they're both right. 144s

And of course, we all know what the right answer is on that question, right? 150s

It's sacrament, just a little aside on this. 155s

What about before the Bible was codified? 161s

In other words, before the Bible came into being. 164s

What about then? 170s

Because we see examples of the Lord speaking directly to people. 172s

Remember that's how he communicated. 178s

Once the Bible came into being, God says, this is how I communicate. 180s

Now, so what about that time then before the Bible came into being? 184s

Would the Holy Spirit say one thing to one person? 190s

And then say the exact opposite to another? 197s

Let's get to work. 206s

Open, please, instead of the 21st chapter, let's actually start chapter 19, the verse 21. 207s

Chapter 19, verse 21. 213s

We read this. 216s

Now, after these things had been accomplished, Paul resolved in the spirit to go through Macedonia and the Kia then to go on to Jerusalem. 218s

He said, after I've gone there, I must also see, row. 230s

Notice the phrase, Paul resolved in the spirit. 235s

In other words, he's compelled by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 239s

Let's jump over to chapter 20, verse 22, please. 245s

Chapter 20, verse 22. 249s

And now, as a captive to the spirit, I'm on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. 254s

So this is the direct communication of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul, and he's saying to the Apostle Paul, you're going to Jerusalem. 274s

You're going to Jerusalem. 283s

However, look at chapter 21. 288s

When we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to cost, the next day to roads from there onto Petara. 294s

When we found the ship bound for Phoenicia, we went on board and set sail. 302s

We came inside of Cyprus and leaving it on our left, we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyra, because the ship was to unload its cargo. 308s

We looked up the disciples and stayed there for seven days. 319s

We catch this. Through the spirit, they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 323s

When our days there were ended, we left and proceeded on our journey, and all of them with wives and children escorted us outside the city. 333s

There we knelt down on the beach and prayed and said farewell to one another, then we went on board the ship and they returned home. 340s

So you've got Paul who receives the word from the Holy Spirit, you're going to Jerusalem. 351s

But then you see it seems like the Holy Spirit is giving this group here, different counsel, right? 357s

That he shouldn't go to Jerusalem. 367s

So there's a Holy Spirit speak one thing to somebody else and then can speak the exact opposite to somebody else. 373s

Is that how it works? 379s

Let's complicate this all the more. Shall we? 382s

In each day the prophets would often times speak using object lessons. 386s

For example, I think of the story of a hija, a hija tore his garment as an expression that, indeed, 391s

the United Kingdom Viserio was going to be rent apart at the death of Solomon. 398s

And so a hija portrays that and he does that physically. 405s

Or I think of Isaiah. 409s

God tells, catch this. 412s

Isaiah walk around town naked. 415s

And so that's what Isaiah does. 419s

By the way, some people refer to him as the first streeker. 420s

Isaiah, that's what he was doing. 425s

He was walking the town, absolutely naked, because that's what God had called him to do, to communicate, 427s

that that's what God was going to do to the Egyptians. 432s

He was going to strip them naked and he was going to lead them away. 435s

So that's what the prophet does, because that's what God told him to do. 439s

Or there's a hija. 442s

He builds a model of Jerusalem and uses the model to portray the wrath of God that is going to come upon the people. 443s

So the prophets, they use object lessons to communicate. 453s

Look at our text, verse 7. 459s

When we had finished the voyage from Tyra, we arrived at Port Lamous, 462s

and we greeted the believers and stayed with them for one day. 467s

The next day we left came to Cessaria. 471s

We went to the house to fill up the evangelist, one of the seven stayed with him. 473s

He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy, 477s

while we were seeing there for several days of prophet named Agabus, came down from Judea. 480s

He came to us to Paul's belt, bound his own feet, and hands with it, and said, 488s

Thus, Cess, the Holy Spirit, this is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man, 496s

who owns this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles. 504s

When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 509s

Is Paul just being headstrong here? Just being headstrong? 523s

Flip back plays to chapter 16, verse 6. 530s

Chapter 16, verse 6. 535s

They went through the region of Virginia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 542s

When they had come opposite, my Sia, they attempted to go into Bifnia, but the spirit of Jesus did not allow them, 551s

so passing by, Misiah, they went down to Troyes. 560s

We see examples of the Apostle Paul being incredibly sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 566s

So Paul receives the word from the Holy Spirit, go to Jerusalem. 575s

Then you've got these others that seem to be giving the exact opposite message from the Holy Spirit. 581s

So, what do you do with this? Look back at verse 4 of our text, please, chapter 21. 591s

Halfway through, through the spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. 601s

Verse 12, when we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 610s

And what did they hear? In verse 11, thus says the Holy Spirit, this is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who 619s

owns this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles. So now we're just right back at the first question, right? 629s

There's a Holy Spirit, say one thing, to one verse and the exact opposite. 638s

Do somebody else? That how works? 647s

I was maybe 10, perhaps 12 years old, at the most. 654s

It was after church one day. 661s

You know, I forget what occasion the conversation, but one of the adult members was talking with me. 664s

She looked at me rather seriously, and she said, 670s

enjoy these days because they're the best days of your life. 674s

Remember, we're receiving that word and thinking to myself, what was a 10 or 12, thinking to myself, is this it then, is all downhill from here? 686s

Is this as good as it gets? My father happened to be standing behind the woman and he had overheard the conversation. 697s

So over her shoulder, I caught his eye and he just looked at me and he smiled and he winked and then he mowled to me. 710s

It gets better. He just smiled again and walked away. 725s

It was my father communicating to me. Don't take that counsel. It's not right. 737s

Don't take that counsel. Why were they pleading with Paul not to go to Jerusalem? 746s

Because the Holy Spirit had communicated to Paul, go to Jerusalem. 763s

And they're pleading with him not to go. Why? 768s

Had they received the message to tell Paul, you shouldn't go to Jerusalem? 776s

No, what message did they get? Paul, if you go to Jerusalem, it's going to be hard for you. 783s

They never received the message that Paul shouldn't go. They received the message, it's going to be hard for you, Paul. 791s

When you go. So when they turn a Paul and they say, don't go. 803s

That's not the Holy Spirit's message. That's their own feelings. 811s

Because they don't want Paul to get hurt. They don't want him to get hurt. 820s

You see, they receive the message from the Holy Spirit that when Paul goes to Jerusalem, it's going to be rough there for him. 827s

They extrapolate then from that, well then you shouldn't go. 834s

But that wasn't the will of the Spirit. It wasn't because the will of the Spirit had already been communicated to Paul. 838s

Go to Jerusalem. Go to Jerusalem. 847s

The temptation then was coming to Paul not to follow the will of the Holy Spirit. 855s

That was the temptation. 864s

And we constantly receive that same temptation. 867s

Remember, how is it that the Holy Spirit speaks to us? 875s

The Holy Spirit speaks to us through his word, period. 878s

We want to hear the voice of God. Here's the voice of God, period. 882s

But we will constantly be tempted by the devil, the world, our sinful self, 888s

to depart from what has revealed to us, to depart from his word. 897s

That can even come from well-meaning Christians. It can come from well-meaning Christians. 906s

That perhaps aren't rooted in the word of God and are just echoing the voice of the world. 913s

But they can give advice that's contrary to the very word of God. 921s

They can be very well-meaning. They can be very loving. 927s

But they can just give wrong advice because it's not rooted in the word. 930s

And so often it can be just birthed out of their own fears or their own pain that then is foisted upon you. 938s

Instead, what does God say in His word and one compares then the advice with His word? 950s

Beloved, we all have strayed away from the will of God. All have. 970s

Hear the word of grace this morning, that the very one who followed the will of His father in going to the cross has redeemed us. 978s

We are covered in His blood for given. The tomb is empty and victory has been announced. 991s

And we now can live in that grace. 1002s

That grace that raises us up each and every day, that beautiful word of absolute, 1009s

that we can live in our nation, where we can live, seeking the will of God, where the will of God is found in His word and resting in His word. 1015s

Look, please, at verse 13. Then Paul answered, 1029s

What are you doing? Weeping and breaking my heart. 1035s

For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 1043s

Since He would not be persuaded, we remained silent, except to say, I catch this. 1054s

The Lord's will be done. 1063s

See, that wasn't resignation on their part. That was recognition of what the will was. 1069s

And they resolved then to do the very will of God. 1078s

They grasped at that moment. 1086s

That the Holy Spirit said to Paul, you are going to Jerusalem. 1091s

And they said, 1097s

Thye will be done. Thye will be done. 1100s

Love of that is such a freeing word. 1107s

That is a word that brings about joy. 1111s

That is a word that brings about peace. 1113s

When we lay aside our wills, when we lay aside our plans, when we lay aside what we think is best. 1119s

And we simply say, Lord, thy will be done. 1129s

He is not going to talk with different voices. 1141s

He is going to talk with the singular voice of his scripture. 1144s

And as we bow to the authority, and we say, thy will be done, there is peace. 1148s

And there is joy. 1156s

Thy will be done. 1160s

And there is peace. 1170s