A Prayer of Surrender - The Lord's Prayer Wk 2

Welcome - SLIDE 1

Hey everyone, if we haven’t met yet my name is Jeremy Pletz. I am the base religious affairs specialist and I work with CH Hampton to take care of everyone here on base. Last week I had the opportunity to dive in to the opening verse of the Lord’s Prayer with you guys, I didn’t get fired so CH Hampton gave me the opportunity to keep unpacking this prayer together!

Let’s look at God’s word together and identify what it is we will be talking about this week: Matthew 6:9-13 - SLIDE 2

Matthew 6:9–13 NIV

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’

Today we are going to be talking about verse 10 here, Your kingdom come, your will be done. One question I want us to wrestle with today centers around this idea of Jesus telling us to pray for God’s kingdom to come. But in Luke 17:20-21 Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is already in our midst.

Luke 17:20–21 NIV

20 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

So which one is it? Is it here or are we waiting for it? Is it both?

This is a big question so lets pray together before we get started.

A Tale of Two Kingdoms - SLIDE 3

Are there any Star Wars fans in here? Without geeking out too much, the premise of the Star Wars movies is the Sith (bad guys) versus the Jedi (good guys). The fate of all of the Star Wars universe hangs in the balance of these two powers battling each other. The Sith are famously defined by their leader, Emperor Palpatine aka Darth Sidious. They are known for their empirical rule of oppression, conquest, and deception. The Jedi on the other hand, are often defined by their leader Yoda who embodies this idea of wisdom and patience and the rebellion that stands for justice. So all of the story hangs in the balance of these two forces going head to head with each other, oppression vs justice, conquest vs freedom.

This model is not limited to Star Wars, it is common in movies, books, plays all over the world. I think there is a reason that we feel so drawn to these kinds of stories, because that is the story of the world that we live in. No we don’t live in a world with Sith and Jedi, but we do live in a world of true spiritual and moral battles. We live in the world of the Bible.

One of the ways that I was taught to read and understand the overarching narrative of the Bible is as a Tale of Two Kingdoms. One kingdom we can call the kingdom of Empire, and the other kingdom we can call the kingdom of Peace. Similar to our understanding of kingdoms, we see that the nature and characteristics of each kingdom is defined by the ruler of the kingdom. Jesus tells us a bit about these two rulers in John 10:10 - SLIDE 4

John 10:10 NIV

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Right before us we see the display of the two kingdoms and their rulers. The ruler of Empire comes to steal, kill and destroy, he is the Thief, the prince of darkness. The ruler of Peace comes to give life and to give it abundantly, He is the giver of life and the Prince of Peace, he is Jesus Christ.

The reality of the world we live in is this: there is a thief crouching at our doorstep who wants to steal, kill, and destroy. This thief has been a part of the Bible story since the Garden of Eden in Genesis and all the way through to the book of Revelation. However, the thief is not the only thing we know that leads to death. Romans tells us that the wages of sin is death, therefore we too have some responsibility in the reign of the kingdom of Empire. We feed into the Thief’s rule by our sin. We cannot simply pin all of the territorial gains of Empire on the Thief, we have to recognize that we ourselves have played a role in allowing the Thief to enter our home and the home of others. To reference Star Wars again, to say that Anakin played no part in the creation of Darth Vader would be wrong.

While the Kingdom of Empire may seem to be inescapable, we know there is a Kingdom that is far greater: the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom whose ruler predates the Garden of Eden and defines its eternal restoration in Revelation. On this side of the cross, at this point in history, we know that Jesus Christ will return and make his enemy his footstool (Heb. 10:12-13).

The Kingdom of God is Here - SLIDE 5

Which brings us back to our original question with some depth, if the kingdom of God is here, and if Jesus Christ has secured the victory of the Kingdom of God, then why do we need to pray that his Kingdom would come? If these are true, then why isn’t the kingdom of God reigning in victory now? The true understanding of why Jesus would instruct us to pray this way might be hard for us to pin down, but Jesus tells us a lot about the Kingdom of God throughout His teachings.

One way he describes the Kingdom of God is as a mustard seed, he explains it like this in Luke 13:18-19 - SLIDE 6

Luke 13:18–19 NIV

18 Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? 19 It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.”

While the Kingdom of Heaven is here, it starts small and grows subversively in ways that may not always be visible on the surface. Its roots grow deep and wide below the surface before we ever see a similar magnitude take shape on the surface. The Kingdom of God is here in our lives and in our hearts through the presence of the Holy Spirit. Because of the Holy Spirit, we find ourselves as the very soil that this mustard seed has begun to take roots in.

The Kingdom of God is Coming - SLIDE 7

While the Kingdom of God is here now moving through our lives and the Church through the invisible Holy Spirit, we also live in the promise that the mustard seed rooted deep within our lives will begin breaking through the surface. When we nourish the invisible roots of the Kingdom of God within us, we will extend the tangible branches of the Kingdom of God to others, so that they may find rest and perch on our branches.

If we fuel the Kingdom of the Thief by our sin, then we proclaim the Kingdom of God by our love. The Laws of this Kingdom can be summed up in two commands: love the Lord your good with all your heart, soul and might, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. Hebrews 10:24-25 gives us some insight on how we can live as a community in the Kingdom of God now, rooted in the hope of the Kingdom of God that is coming. - SLIDE 8

Hebrews 10:24–25 NIV

24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

As you see the Day approaching. What is this Day? It is the final culmination of the Kingdom of God, when Jesus Christ finally returns to make his enemy his footstool.

What it Takes - SLIDE 9

So what does it take for that Glorious Day to finally take place? While Jesus tells us that only the Father in Heaven knows when that day will take place, Jesus knows better than anyone what it takes for the Kingdom of God to fully come. Lets look to the next line of the prayer here, Matthew 6:10 “your will be done”

These words of “your will be done” may sound pretty familiar to you. But like the great teacher that Jesus is for us, he doesn’t just give us empty words to recite to bring the Kingdom of God, a hollow lullaby for our prayers. I believe the lesson packed within these words, “your will be done” is one of the most raw and intimate lessons that we as God’s children get to experience. Jesus prays these solemn words to His Father in the scene of the Garden of Gethsemane, after He spent one Last Supper with His disciples. For context Jesus knew His death was at hand. He was finally speaking plainly to His disciples, his best friends, telling them what would happen. Jesus knew that he was going to bare the sin of His people, including the three-fold betrayal of his loyal and beloved Peter. Matthew records it like this: Matthew 26:36-46 - SLIDE 10-13

Matthew 26:36–46 NIV

36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” 43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing. 45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”

Lets walk back through and point some things out here. SLIDE 10 Matthew tells us the condition of Jesus’ heart/soul, it is overwhelmed with sorrow. The Gospel of Luke also records this scene, and Luke was actually a doctor of his time and records the physical condition of Jesus in this moment: Luke 22:44 “44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

When Jesus found himself in the anguish and sorrow, He had one response: to talk to His Father. SLIDE 11 He goes and prays to His Father the first time, asking for a way out of this situation. Solemnly echoing, “yet not as I will, but as you will”. So round 1 Jesus asks for a way out. We don’t know exactly how long Jesus was wrestling to find a way out, but it was long enough for the disciples to fall asleep. We don’t know what the dialogue fully looked like, but we know that Jesus didn't get the answer he wanted so he goes back again.

SLIDE 12 This time his tone changes a little bit, Jesus says “Father if it has to be done this way then may your will be done.” Again, we don’t know all of the dialogue that took place here between Father and Son, but we know it was long enough for the Disciples to sleep again. We also know that while Jesus seemed a little more at peace with what was to come, He still was not fully satisfied with the outcome ahead of Him. He goes back once more, praying the same thing.

Now we do not fully know everything that went on in this third time, but when we examine the posture between Jesus at the beginning and Jesus at the end I think we get some insight. Jesus came to the garden in sorrow, anguish, hopelessness. But Jesus leaves the garden determined, with a clear mind of what must be done. SLIDE 14

We know how this story ends. The cup does not get passed on from Jesus. He is abandoned and crucified. So one thing I want to point out about the nature of this prayer, is that it shows us that when we feel we have unanswered prayers we find ourselves in the company of Jesus.

We see an unanswered prayer of petition turn into a prayer of surrender. What about this prayer of surrender gave Jesus the courage to face the crucifixion? The author of Hebrews tells us the one thing that gave Jesus that courage: Hebrews 12:2 “2 ....For the joy set before him (Jesus) he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

By wrestling with God in prayer, Jesus found the crucifixion enduring joy that it takes to bring the Kingdom of God. This wasn’t happiness, this wasn’t wishy washy ignorance, this wasn’t a watered down feeling that ignores reality. The outcome of an unanswered prayer of petition turning into a prayer of surrender is joy that endures the cross. Reemphasize this point.

On Earth as it is in Heaven - SLIDE 15

Verse 10 of the Lord’s prayer ends with a culminating statement: On Earth as it is in Heaven.

This verse calls us back to our scripture from earlier, of John 10:10. This verse calls us back to the roots of this tale of two Kingdoms. Earlier I mentioned that when we go against the will of God, when we sin, we are living out a life that says let the Thief's kingdom reign.

But the good news that Jesus has for us today, is an invitation and an opportunity to see the Thief’s kingdom defeated by the Kingdom of God. When we surrender to the will of God, we live out a life that says let your Kingdom come.

Verse 10, this prayer of surrender, is an opportunity for us to plant our flag and say this is the Kingdom I am a part of. We have the real opportunity to pray and live in a way that makes Earth look as is in Heaven. When we surrender to the will of Our Father in Heaven, we not only embrace the invisible roots of the Kingdom now but we allow the Kingdom to break through the surface of our lives, blessing and spreading to others.

SLIDE 16 - When we surrender to His will and His Kingdom we as the Church on Earth hallow the name of God by joining the Angels in Heaven by proclaiming Revelation 4:8 “8...‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”

Would you please stand and pray with me.