Living Heavenly Will
An all-creatures Bible Message

Living Heavenly Will
 
A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church
 
14 June 2020
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References

Genesis 18:1-15
Psalm 116:1-19
 
Living heavenly will is something that we should all be doing, but even more importantly, we are to be living heavenly will, which means that everything the people see us do or hear us say should look and sound like God’s heavenly will.
 
Everything that Jesus taught us to do and the way He lived is in the heavenly will of God; thus if we follow His examples and commandments, we should be living heavenly will.
 
This is also the way that the Holy Spirit leads us, if we listen to Him and not to the corrupt ways of the world around us.
 
As we look at Genesis 18:1-15, remember back to chapter 15 where we are told that because Abraham believed, or trusted, in the Lord it was reckoned unto him as righteousness; however, this doesn’t mean that Abraham was fully righteous, but only that the Lord didn’t see the worldliness that remained in him.
 
1. Now the LORD appeared to him [Abraham] by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day.
 
This is taking place about 10 years after God reckoned Abraham as being righteous, even though he didn’t trust the Lord enough to wait until this time or the time when His promise would come to pass that He would be the father of many nations.
 
Personally, I believe that this promise would have been fulfilled a lot sooner if he had waited upon the Lord then and not had relations with Sarah’s maid, and had a son by her.
 
2. And when he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the earth,
 
This was a middle eastern tradition when meeting strangers to make them feel welcomed.
 
It can also be a way of living heavenly will.
 
3. and said, "My lord, if now I have found favor in your sight, please do not pass your servant by.
 
This doesn’t mean that Abraham recognized these men as being angels or even that they were sent by God.
 
4. Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree;
 
5. and I will bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have visited your servant. "And they said," So do, as you have said."
 
If Abraham had limited his actions to what he said he was going to do here, he would have been living heavenly will, but he didn’t as we shall see.
 
6. So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Quickly, prepare three measures of fine flour, knead it, and make bread cakes."
 
This is still fulfilling what he said he would do.
 
7. Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and choice calf, and gave it to the servant; and he hurried to prepare it.
 
This is where Abraham slips back into the worldly ways of doing things, and the fact that he still has some hardness of heart, for we cannot kill another living being unless we harden our heart and soul, and have no empathy for that living being, and this makes his actions against the heavenly will of God for there is no death in heaven.
 
8. And he took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree as they ate.
 
To us this shows that Abraham is still somewhat worldly and not living heavenly will as we should be doing.
 
9. Then they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "Behold, in the tent."
 
10. And he said, "I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him.
 
These men are specifically telling him that the promise given to him ten years earlier will be fulfilled, and as I mentioned above, I believe that this promise would have been fulfilled much sooner if Abraham had fully trusted in the Lord.
 
11. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing.
 
They were ten years earlier, too.
 
12. And Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"
 
Doubting the Lord is a sign that we are not living heavenly will.
 
13. And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?'
 
This is where the men reveal that they are angels of the Lord, for as we are told Sarah said this and laughed to herself, which these men could not have known unless they were from God.
 
14. "Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son."
 
15. Sarah denied it however, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh."
NASB
 
These verses are clearly telling us that nothing is hidden from the Lord, and that the Lord can do anything.
 
If we are living heavenly will, we believe this and live it.
 
Next, let’s take a look at Psalm 116:1-19, as we think about living heavenly will…
 
1. I love the LORD, because He hears
My voice and my supplications.
 
In this case, I believe that everyone should love the Lord, because He always hears us, although He may not listen if we deliberately do things against His heavenly will, and we also have to remember that His answer may not be in agreement with what we pray.
 
2. Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
 
We should always call upon the Lord, simply because He is God, and not necessarily because He inclines His ear to us; however, it is nicer when we know He is listening to us, which is a good reason to be living heavenly will.
 
3. The cords of death encompassed me,
And the terrors of Sheol came upon me;
I found distress and sorrow.
 
If we are truly living in God’s heavenly will, we should never fear death or hell, because we won’t be going there, and if we don’t fear death, what can the enemy do to us?
 
Fear is the opposite of death, which is really the devil’s only weapon, so by not fearing death, we are disarming the devil.
 
The devil may try to harm us, but he cannot conquer us if we are peacemaking children of God.
 
4. Then I called upon the name of the LORD:
"O LORD, I beseech Thee, save my life!"
 
Just being living heavenly will, which is also being peacemaking children of God, as Jesus calls us to be, then the Lord has already saved our lives in heaven, and if He still has work for us to accomplish here on earth, then we believe He will save our lives here too.
 
5. Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
Yes, our God is compassionate.
 
Yes, the Lord is all these things, and He is also loving and empathetic, as we all should be.
 
6. The LORD preserves the simple;
I was brought low, and He saved me.
 
The Lord does preserve the simple, but He also preserves the complex, such as this earth, which most humans seem to be trying to destroy with their pollution and disregard for conservation.
 
Remember that God put us in change of protecting and caring for the whole of His earthly creation, which He also calls upon us to free from its present corruption.
 
So, if we continue to corrupt the earth, we are in essence bringing ourselves and all the animals low, but if we help free creation from its present corruption, we are not only saving ourselves, but all of the animals as well; to us it seems that God put this blessing and curse in play when He created the heavens and the earth.
 
7. Return to your rest, O my soul,
For the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
 
This is the reason that we should be vegan animal rights Christians, for just through this lifestyle we are mostly living heavenly will.
 
8. For Thou hast rescued my soul from death,
My eyes from tears,
My feet from stumbling.
 
This is also what happens when we free the earth from its present corruption.
 
9. I shall walk before the LORD
In the land of the living.
 
There is no pain or suffering or death in heaven, and if we bring this heavenly will of God to earth as it is in heaven, we are in essence returning to Eden when it was the land of the living.
 
God has already placed this power in our hands.
 
10. I believed when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted."
 
And many people have this same problem today, because they fail to see the glory of heaven and only focus upon the corrupt and violent ways of this world.
 
11. I said in my alarm,
"All men are liars."
 
This may not apply to all people, even though at times it may feel like it, but it does unfortunately apply to most people, because they fail to live in the heavenly will of God.
 
12. What shall I render to the LORD
For all His benefits toward me?
 
The only thing the Lord really wants is our obedience.
 
13. I shall lift up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
 
We should all lift up the cup of our salvation, which is the thankfulness of our whole being, and not some physical offering.
 
14. I shall pay my vows to the LORD,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people.
 
Again, the Lord doesn’t want us to make vows; all He wants us to do are the things that are in the heavenly will of God, and not just to show off in front of others.
 
Also, if we are living heavenly will, others will see it in our lifestyle.
 
15. Precious in the sight of the LORD
Is the death of His godly ones.
 
This is not precious because the Lord likes death, but the salvation and spiritual resurrection of His Godly ones into heaven is what God desires; He wants no one to go to hell, but He is also a righteous judge.
 
16. O LORD, surely I am Thy servant,
I am Thy servant, the son of Thy handmaid,
Thou hast loosed my bonds.
 
We don’t believe in self-righteousness, but trusting in the Lord; if we deserve to be in heaven we will be there, if not, we won’t.
 
17. To Thee I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And call upon the name of the LORD.
 
The Lord does not want animal sacrifice; our desire and willingness to live in heavenly holiness is our sacrifice of thanksgiving, and we should always call upon the name of the Lord, not just when we need something, but simply to let Him know that we are thankful for what we have.

18. I shall pay my vows to the LORD,
Oh may it be in the presence of all His people,
 
Remember what we said about verse 14, and not what this verse implies.
 
19. In the courts of the Lord's house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!
NASB
 
It is no longer just in the Temple and Jerusalem, but in the courts of His whole creation that we are to praise Him.
 
And we could go on talking about our place in living heavenly will with almost any passage in the Bible, because it is a state of being.
 
We need to seriously look at ourselves and honestly decide whether or not we are living in the heavenly will of God, and if not, we need to repent and change our ways.

We need to be living heavenly will.
 
Amen?
 
Amen.

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