How did Jesus get the will of God done? Here are two ways:

Jesus came down from heaven
Notice Jesus tells us that He came “down from heaven.” His life did not begin in the manger. Before He lay in the arms of Mary, He was at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

He says, “I have come down from heaven.” No prophet, no religious leader could ever say this. Heaven was and is His home. Why did He come down from heaven?

Jesus was ready to do whatever it took to get the Father’s will done
Jesus’ mission is to get the will of God done: “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Mat. 6:10). Jesus is telling us, “This is why I came into the world. I came to do the will of Him who sent me. He gave certain people to Me. And His will is that nothing given to Me will be lost.”

Jesus went to the cross in order to get the Father’s will done. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said, “If it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” (Mat. 26:39).

Jesus went to the cross. He laid down His life as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all who would believe, and that is how the will of God to redeem the people He had given to His Son was accomplished.

Take in the wonder of Jesus willingly coming down from heaven to face the cross for us so that God’s will would be done.

Here is another reason Jesus came into the world: to do the will of the Father. Jesus gives us an inside look at God’s will for every believer.

1. All who come to the Son are gifts from God the Father
If you are a believer in Jesus, you are a gift from God the Father to His Son. Here’s how you can know that this is true: All who have been given by the Father come to the Son. So if you have come to the Son, you know that you were given by the Father.

2. No one who is given to the Son will ever be lost
Jesus says, “I have guarded them and not one of them has been lost” (Jn. 17:12). Not one of them has been lost! On the last day, Jesus will stand in the presence of His Father with all who believe around Him and say, “Here I am, and the children you have given me” (Heb. 2:13).

3. Everyone the Father gives to the Son will be raised on the last day
At death, the soul is separated from the body. For a believer, to be away from the body is to be with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8). But that is not the end for the body. Jesus says He will “lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day” (Jn. 6:39).

Jesus came to bring you—body and soul—into His presence forever. Your body will be restored and raised to a new level modelled on the resurrection body of Jesus.

“And this,” says Jesus, “is the will of God.”

Thank God for the reassurance that if you come to Jesus, the Son, it is not simply your decision. It is also God’s will.

Why doesn’t everyone respond positively to Jesus’ call to follow Him? Here are three different ways people respond:

1. I am too good to need repentance
Let’s accept for a moment that you are living a good moral life. Are you sure that you have nothing to repent of? Does your conscience never trouble you? Have you loved God with all your heart and have you loved your neighbour as yourself?

Stop kidding yourself! “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). That’s why Jesus came: “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Lk. 5:32). So, if you keep insisting on your own righteousness, Jesus has nothing to offer you.

2. I am too bad to find repentance
Aren’t you glad that Jesus did not come to call the righteous? None of us would be called. And if none of us were called, none of us would follow. And if no one followed, no one would ever be changed.

Jesus said, “I have come to call sinners to repentance.” You can put your finger on that word “sinners” and say, “This means that Jesus calls me!” Jesus came to bring grace for you. He came so that change would be possible for you. He came so that the joy of a new life could be yours.

3. I will follow Jesus and pursue repentance
Change happens in the company of Jesus, so follow Him. Trust yourself to Him, and you’ll have the joy of discovering what He can do with your life.

Which of these three would you say has been your response to Jesus?