Pastor Allen Victor examined the important question of how believers could know God’s will and how that understanding should shape their prayers and decisions. Using Matthew 21:1-22, he showed how Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem fulfilled Old Testament prophecy and demonstrated the reliability and trustworthiness of God’s Word. Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9, while the timing of His arrival also corresponded with Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks. Pastor Allen emphasized that when God had declared that something would happen, believers could trust that it would happen, even when fulfillment required many years.

Pastor Allen explained why Jesus entered Jerusalem as a King riding on a donkey rather than a war horse. The donkey represented His role as the Prince of Peace and distinguished His first coming as the suffering Savior from His future return as the conquering King. The crowds welcomed Jesus as the “Son of David” and cried out, “Hosanna,” recognizing Him as the promised Messiah and King. However, many expected a political Savior who would deliver them from Rome rather than a Savior who would deliver them from their sins. Their enthusiasm quickly turned from “Hosanna” to “Crucify Him” because they misunderstood the purpose and timing of His coming.

The message then focused on Jesus cleansing the temple. Pastor Allen pointed out that while the people wanted Jesus to deal with Rome, Jesus first dealt with His own house. He emphasized that when the King moved in, He drove out what did not belong. The temple was intended to be a house of prayer, but it had become a place of commerce and corruption. Pastor Allen applied this truth personally, explaining that believers could desire God to change their circumstances while resisting His desire to change them. He challenged listeners to surrender areas such as anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, pride, greed, dishonesty, sexual sin, and other forms of compromise rather than asking God to bring revival without surrender.

Pastor Allen also emphasized that Jesus brought healing after the temple was cleansed. The blind and lame came to Him, and He healed them. The religious leaders became indignant when children worshiped Jesus and called Him the “Son of David,” but Jesus affirmed that their praise was appropriate. He explained that worshiping Jesus was consistent with God’s will and that the temple was intended to be a place where people sought God, heard from Him, worshiped Him, found hope, and experienced healing.

Through the account of the barren fig tree, Pastor Allen addressed Jesus’ teaching about faith and prayer. He explained that the statement that believers would receive “whatever things” they asked for was not a blank check for obtaining anything they desired. Rather, prayer had to be understood in its biblical context and aligned with God’s character, God’s will, and God’s timing. He discussed immediate, grammatical, book, historical, geographical, and parallel-passage context and showed how Scripture helped clarify difficult passages.

Pastor Allen then explained several aspects of God’s will, including His sovereign will, His moral or revealed will, His specific will, and His permissive will. He used marriage and healing as examples to demonstrate how God’s will could involve what He commanded, what He specifically directed, what He permitted, and what He ultimately accomplished according to His purposes. He emphasized that God’s permissive will did not necessarily mean that God delighted in everything He allowed. He also explained that prayer could be consistent with God’s character and will while still requiring patience for God’s appointed timing, pointing to examples of Joseph, David, Abraham and Sarah, and Moses.

Finally, Pastor Allen encouraged believers to seek God personally by spending time with Him to know His character, studying the Bible to understand His revealed will, and trusting Him while waiting patiently. He emphasized that knowing God’s will allow believers to pray with confidence—not merely wondering if God would answer but trusting Him concerning when His answer would come.

Calvary Chapel West Jacksonville presented this message under the leadership of Pastor Allen Victor.

Scripture: Matthew 21:1-22; Zechariah 9:9; Daniel 9:24-27; Psalm 118:25-26; Hosea 9:10; Joel 1:7; Micah 7:1; Luke 13:6-9; James 4:3; Acts 8:18-23; 1 John 5:14-15; 2 Kings 20:1-6; Romans 8:28; Habakkuk 2:3; Psalm 37:4-7

#GodsWill #HowToKnowGodsWill #Prayer #Faith #GodsWord #Jesus #Messiah #TriumphalEntry #PalmSunday #Prophecy #BibleStudy #Surrender #SpiritualGrowth #GodsTiming #TrustGod #SeekGod #ChristianLiving