God's Will When We Are Not Willing

This year’s Holy Week series is built around the third petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy Will Be Done.” This morning’s message is entitled, “God’s Will When We Are Not Willing.” John 12 is a study of learning how to say, “Thy Will Be Done,” even when we live in a sea of conflicting desires, expectations and voices. The key verse of this chapter is John 12:27.

John 12:27 ESV

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.

Here Jesus describes His soul as being troubled like a body of water in a storm. We can all relate to that feeling. Sometimes it feels like we are being pulled in a thousand directions! We hardly know what choice to make and even if we think we know what the right choice is, we fear making that choice! How can we gain the courage and confidence to say with Jesus, “not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22:42)

John 12 is a long chapter and I cannot read from every verse, much less preach on every verse, but I do want to read from some of the highlights. I want to encourage you to take the outline home and read through the whole chapter. If you do you will find more examples of what I am preaching on this morning.

Let’s begin with the opening story of John 12 that highlights...

Conflicting Desires

John 12:1–11 ESV

Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

Here we have a stark contrast between Mary and the crowds on one hand and Judas Iscariot and the chief priests on the other. It is a story of conflicting desires.

Mary desired to show her love and gratitude to Jesus—so much so that she spent a small fortune. Judas estimates the value of the ointment she poured on Jesus feet at three hundred denarii, that is almost a year’s wages! Why was she so willing to give such a lavish gift of love and gratitude? It was because Jesus had raised her brother Lazarus from the dead! This is the reason given in our text as to why the crowds wanted to see Jesus and Lazarus.

Do you realize that this room is filled with people Jesus has raised from the dead? Do you realize that most of us here have family members that Jesus has raised from the dead? I am serious! Listen to what Paul writes the Ephesian church:

Ephesians 2:1 ESV

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

He continues...

Ephesians 2:4–6 ESV

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

A far more significant resurrection has taken place all around us than the resurrection of Lazarus. His body died again, but those who are spiritually resurrected will never die! Why are we not as eager to serve Jesus as Mary? Why are we not as eager to seek Jesus as the Jewish crowds? Isn’t because we have lost sight of the significance of being spiritually resurrected? Perhaps more to the point we have lost sight of who Jesus really is. Earlier Jesus told Mary’s sister...

John 11:25–26 ESV

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Do YOU believe this? If not your conflicting desires will possibly lead down the path that Judas and the chief priest went. Rather than believing life was found in Jesus, they believed life was found in money and power. Their desires for these things quickly overcame their wills.

We can have not only conflicting desires, but...

Conflicting Expectations

We can clearly see these conflicting exceptions on Palm Sunday.

John 12:12–15 ESV

The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”

The day begins with the crowds enthusiastically welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem as the Messianic King. However, as Jesus begins to teach the crowds their enthusiasm quickly fades.

John 12:31–34 ESV

Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. So the crowd answered him, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

The day concludes with this summery of their unbelief...

John 12:37–38 ESV

Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

What caused this unbelief? Conflicting expectations! Most Jews of Jesus day had created their expectations of what the Messiah would do by selectively reading portions of the Old Testament that fit their agenda and ignoring the rest. The Old Testament clearly portrays the Messiah as defeating the enemies of God’s People and bringing peace. Verse 15 is a combination of Isaiah 40:9 and Zech 9:9. First from Isaiah:

Isaiah 40:9–11 ESV

Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!” Behold, the Lord God comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

And now from Zechariah:

Zechariah 9:9–10 ESV

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.

In both these passages the Messiah comes as the Mighty Lion of Judah, decisively delivering God’s people from their enemies. Based on this the Jews were looking for a Messiah who would defeat the Roman Empire and bring to the world universal peace. But there is more to these passages and the rest of the Old Testament promises concerning the Messiah. The Messiah comes not just as a conquering Lion, but also as a meek and mild Lamb! When John the Baptizer pointed out Jesus He didn’t say, “Behold the Lion of Judah!” He said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

So often we too fail to say, “Thy Will Be Done,” because we have false or incomplete expectations concerning God the Father and Jesus. Sometimes our expectations don’t even come from the Bible but from the world! If we are going to learn to say with Jesus, “Not my will, but Thine be done,” we must trust and obey in all of Scripture, not just those parts that meet our personal agendas.

This listening to God’s voice in Scripture brings us to the final conflict that is found in John 12...

Conflicting Voices

John 12 concludes with these words:

John 12:44–50 ESV

And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

Jesus makes an amazing claim about His voice. He says that those who don’t believe Him will be judged by the very words He has spoken! How can His word have such authority? It is because Jesus only spoke what the Father had told him to speak—His words are the very Word of God!

This is the bottom line isn’t it—whose word has authority? The first temptation and sin in the Garden of Eden was a battle of authority. How do we choose God’s will when we are not willing? The only way we can do so is by placing God’s authority over our authority. Those other conflicts of the will, the conflicts of desire and expectation, they are secondary to this conflict. Once the authority question is settled, we will trust and obey God’s will even if it is not what we desire or expect at the time.

A good and great king does not always do what his subjects desire or expect, but faithful subjects follow their king into battle willingly because they respect and trust in his authority. The cross was not what the people desired or expected, but it was the only way leading to victory and defeat. In the middle of John 12 we find these words of Jesus:

John 12:23–26 ESV

And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

As this Holy Week begins are you willing to be where Jesus leads you? First to the Garden of Gethsemane and then to Mount Calvary and finally to the Tomb? If you do not learn to say with Jesus, “Not my will, but Thine be done,” you will not be with Him enjoying the victory of the empty Tomb!