Hello Joe,
I have been thinking a lot about our Fathers will, lately. It seems to be obedient to our Fathers will is to accept the sacrifice of Christ. The question is what does it mean to accept the sacrifice of Christ? He fullfilled the law of Moses, and ushered in the new covenant.
To accept His sacrifice is to get out from under the old Law and into the new Law of faith. The old law was a shadow and of outer rituals, but the new is of faith. Those who go back to or desire to stay in the law of Moses, do injustice to our Lord, by crucifying Him over again. This is what is called lawlessness in the NT, because they do not follow Christ. When one stays under the old and professes to know Christ, when clearly He has fullfilled the old law. During the times of the apostles, this moving from the old to the new was talked about very much. The NT is full of scripture from the apostles trying to persuade the Hebrews of what Christs mission has accomplished.
(Heb 8:1) Now a summary over the things being said: We have such a High Priest, who sat down on the right of the throne of the Majesty in Heaven, Psa. 110:1
(Heb 8:2) Minister of the Holy of Holies, and of the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched, and not man.
(Heb 8:3) For every high priest is set in place to offer both gifts and sacrifices; from which it is necessary for this One also to have something which He may offer.
(Heb 8:4) For if indeed He were on earth, He would not even be a priest, there being those priests offering gifts according to the Law,
(Heb 8:5) who serve the pattern of and shadow of heavenly things, even as Moses was divinely warned, being about to make the tabernacle: For He says, "See that you make all things according to the pattern being shown to you in the mount." Exodus 25:40
(Heb 8:6) But now He has gotten a more excellent ministry, also by so much as He is a Mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.
(Heb 8:7) For if that first was faultless, place would not have been sought for a second.
(Heb 8:
For finding fault, He said to them, "Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, and I will make an end on the house of Israel and on the house of Judah; a new covenant shall be,
(Heb 8:9) not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day of My taking hold of their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I did not regard them, says the Lord.
(Heb 8:10) Because this is the covenant which I will covenant with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord, giving My Laws into their mind, and I will write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people."
(Heb 8:11) "And they shall no more teach each one their neighbor, and each one his brother, saying, Know the Lord; because all shall know Me, from the least of them to their great ones.
(Heb 8:12) For I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesses, and I will not at all remember their sins and their lawless deeds." LXX-Jer. 38:31-34; MT-Jer. 31:31-34
(Heb 8:13) In the saying, New, He has made the first old. And the thing being made old and growing aged is near disappearing.
The difference between the old and the new is contrast as night and day. And just as in Genesis, God caused the night to come before the day, He had the old come before the new. An eye for an eye, and tooth for tooth, is completely different than forgiving ones enemies and praying for those who despitefully use you. We can not have it both ways.
Following Gods will is truly following Christ and accepting that we are forgiven, because we were forgiven while still being an enemy, and He loved us first. To me, those are some amazing words in the bible. The greatest thing about all of this is, we cannot see this without His Spirit, so noone can boast. It's not of our works, but of faith, and even that faith is a gift from God.
It is good to see God in this Light, the yoke and burden is so much lighter. Also, good to know that God really is love, mercy, compassionate, long suffering, patient, forgiving, and faithful.
(Gal 5:22) But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith,
(Gal 5:23) meekness, self-control. Against such things there is not a law.
(Gal 5:24) But the ones belonging to Christ crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
(Gal 5:25) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
(Gal 5:26) Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another, envying one another.
God bless,
Gary