Teach us how to pray pt 3

If you have a bible open it to Matthew 6. I have titled the message this morning teach us how to pray pt 3. Pray with me.

So we are continuing to look at Prayer specifically the Lord’s prayer and how that teaches us how to pray. And just to recap what we have learned so far. We are to direct our prayers to God and not man. We pray to God, we pray with sincerity with the right heart, we pray by getting away from the world secretly in our prayer closets. We pray specifically asking God in prayer our biggest and even smallest of needs, and we pray to God who is our heavenly Father who we can go to like a Daughter or a Son who goes to their own good father, who is in heaven, and we pray with this adoration of who he is and what he has done.

While those are fantastic ways to pray we can’t stop with just those things we have to keep going.

So how do we keep going well today what I want you to see is this.

Christians are to pray that God’s kingdom comes.

Let me again read to you the Lord’s Prayer and then Ill add to that main point today.

Matthew 6:9–15 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “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 this day 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 evil. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

There is something unique about this line of this very prayer. This idea of living in the Kingdom of God is a reality that Jesus want’s to understand.

Now what is the kingdom of God. Well one pastor put this way.. I think the most important thing I could say about the kingdom of God that would help people make sense out of all the uses is that the basic meaning of the word kingdom in the Bible is God’s reign — R-E-I-G-N — not realm or people. The kingdom creates a realm, the kingdom creates a people, but the kingdom of God is not synonymous with its realm or its people.

For example, consider Psalms 103:19: “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” You can hear the basic meaning of the word kingdom as rule. It doesn’t mean that his kingdom rules over his realm; it means that God’s reign or rule governs all things.

He sits as king on his throne of the universe, and his kingly rule — his kingdom and his reign — governs all things. The basic meaning of the word kingdom in the Bible is God’s kingly rule — his reign, his action, his lordship, his sovereign governance.

And the kingdom as we see it in our own context is this already not yet concept. How can the kingdom of God be both not yet present and already present? He says, “Pray for it. It’s coming. It’s not yet here. It’s not going to be immediate, and yet already, it’s present in your midst, upon you, at hand.” How can he say all that?

The answer is, the kingdom of God is God’s reign — his sovereign action in the world to redeem and deliver a people and then at a future time finish it and renew his people and the universe completely.

This idea of the kingdom would not be far from the minds of the Jewish people whom Jesus is preaching to in the text.

In fact one of their prayer’s as they closed a service in the synagogues would be this. Exalted and hallowed be his great name in the world which he created according to his will. May he let his kingdom rule in your lifetime and in your days and in the lifetime of the whole house of Israel, speedily and soon. And to this, say: amen” And they would say Amen to that very prayer.

They desired to see a new a better kingdom. And that started with the coming of Jesus Christ.

1st point I want you to see this morning is this.

When we pray we pray to live out the kingdom come in the present age.

John the Baptist says this.. In Matthew 3:2

Matthew 3:2 ESV

2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

We discussed many months ago this this idea that was promised by Malachi of this new kingdom that John the Baptist was a forerunner proclaiming of coming of the messiah.

And before we got to this amazing study of the sermon of the mount we see in Matthew 4:17 Jesus say these very words.

Matthew 4:17 ESV

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

And this study of chapters 5-7 get us to shape the way we think about living in this new kingdom of God. Not just how our lives will be when the new kingdom is fully here, but living for the kingdom of God now that he has came. and praying that we live for that kingdom every single day.

Jesus is the example of living out of the kingdom of God. And in order for the kingdom to be lived out in your own life you have to live a life of repentance. Always turning away from what goes against scripture.

Martyn Lloyd Jones says, “The kingdom of God is here at this moment in the hearts and lives of all who submit to Him, in all who believe in Him. The kingdom of God is present in the Church, in the heart of all those who are truly Christian.

Repentance is a crucial part to kingdom living. There cannot be the misconception that you repent to be saved and that’s it. The whole of the christian life is walking in repentance. Praying that you do so. Praying that you can see all the sin you have in your life that you are not blinded to your sin and turn away from it. So you can live out the truths of the Scriptures. the truths of Jesus very own words live for him in the kingdom of God today. and all your days.

we have to be people who are constantly living out the kingdom of God with a life of repentance, and on the flip side we have to have a live a life of obedience.

Luke 9:62 ESV

62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

There is a song most of you might know, but in it it says I have decided to follow Jesus no turning back no turning back. To many of us want to belong to the kingdom of God yet we turn back, Jesus warns us here if you do that you are not fit for the kingdom of God.

Obedience is something that cannot be taken lightly. A Farmer does not plow his crop without proper direction in order to live for the kingdom of God move forward in obedience for all of your days.

But also pursue the kingdom of God above all else.

Matthew 6:33 ESV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

I think one of the biggest problems with the american church is our half hearted worship of the Lord. We are pulled in so many different directions. Whether that be work, school, activities even the things that are good we often do not seek the Lord first when we do them.

We should radically and i mean radically change our lives and our prayer lives seeking the kingdom of God first. Because there is a promise with that that all the things that Jesus speaks about will be added to you.

This is where we see Jesus Christ so magnified in the scriptures, what is he about the father’s work over and over again he is seeking he is pursuing the Kingdom of God that is why he talks about the kingdom of God in the gospels 103 times in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, even after his resurrection we see this in Acts 1:3

Acts 1:3 ESV

3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

We need to be speaking about the kingdom of God. Praying Lord give me a heart that allows me to seek you first in all things. Thats why when God tells us to give he tells us to give our firstfruits, that is why he teaches us to pick up are cross daily because we always need to be about doing what God calls us to do and those are just a few examples of seeking first the kingdom of God.

One man said something really good and he said. We cannot pray the Lord’s prayer with folded hands. To pray your kingdom come is to pursue it. Pursue his kingdom in your prayer life so much that it is just a natural result to live out the kingdom of God.

We pray today for the God’s kingdom to come by knowing we must depend on him.

Remember how Jesus kicked off this sermon on the mount. Matthew 5:3

Matthew 5:3 ESV

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

You can’t come to the Lord in prayer without a deep dependence for him. Its crucial that we are desperate for God, and in the case of his verse we are focusing on today as we go through the Lord’s prayer we must depend on him to do a work in us that we like Christ live out a kingdom lifestyle like Jesus is calling us to in the Sermon on the Mount.

Listen to some wise words.. Praying "your kingdom come" demands a depth of commitment from us, and such a commitment produces a life that makes a difference in our society and world. Kingdom power impacts our most intimate relationships. Lives are influenced for Christ, and some are changed. We can make a difference in our schools. The ethics of those who rule our city can be touched by the kingdom.

Sometimes whole societies are elevated To pray "your kingdom come" is to reject the corrupt social structures of our day and to strive for a redeemed community. it is to work toward transforming our community and society.

To pray "your kingdom come" is a commitment to live out the Beatitudes and the ethics of the Sermon on the Mount in dependence on God. That would be kingdom living now—a poverty of spirit, a mourning over the sins of the world, a requisite humility that springs out of those attitudes and actions, a hungering and thirsting after righteousness, a merciful, forgiving spirit-get-ting involved in society and life because of a singleness and commitment to God, even if that brings persecution.

(Our vision for society should be the kingdom of God, and that is what we strive for. To be sure, we will never succeed in establishing a perfect kingdom as was supposed by some of our forebears. However, kingdom living has made and does make a difference in the world. Virtually all the great social reforms in history had their roots in kingdom living. The abolition of slavery came through the kingdom living of Christians such as William Wilberforce.

Prison reform came from the kingdom living of Elizabeth Fry. Great advances in compassion and medical care came through Florence Nightingale. We do make a difference when we pray "your kingdom come.

Why else do we need to pray your kingdom come.

Take note of this.

When we pray your kingdom come we pray that Satan’s kingdom is destroyed.

I wanted to focus on our change before I moved to this point, when Jesus came he came to bring about a kingdom, a kingdom where Satan has a great foothold of, where evil can be seen at every corner. In fact Westminster Shorter Catechism tells us this.

[We] pray that Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and the kingdom of glory may be hastened. We know that Jesus death changed the history of the world. But Satan is still active in the world. Scripture tells us a few things about him.

Ephesians 2:2 ESV

2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

Prior to the kingdom becoming a reality in our own lives when we are saved, we followed Satan. 1 Peter describes Satan like this. 1 Peter 5:8

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

The devil is active in his pursuit of others. Like a lion looked for its next meal.

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV

4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

According to Paul he is saying that the god of this world Satan not only causes you have disobdience not only seeks to devour you, but blinds the mind’s of unbelievers. We live in a world full of spiritual blind people, and though in our flesh we do not seek God, but even more so one cannot see him if Satan seeks to blind those who do not even see.

According to the Imb Millions of people worldwide remain unreached by the gospel and have a limited opportunity to hear about the God who loves them. It is estimated that more than 157,000 people die daily without Christ. Want to put in perspective of how many people that is church? I live in the south part of Newcastle in that town there are 14942 people, and in Blanchard there are 10025. That means when you add those two numbers up you get 24967 which means you have people dying and going to hell 6.2 times more than our population combined every single day. The lost live in both urban centers and rural communities. They comprise the 3000 people groups that are not only unreached but unengaged, having no gospel witness of which we are aware. These are the unreached, unengaged people groups of the world, or UUPGs. These UUPGs represent about 290 million persons.

That is why when we pray we pray that God’s kingdom comes and finishes off the princes of this world’s kingdom.

One of the articles I used for research said.. The remaining unreached parts of the world remain unreached because they are, spiritually speaking, strongholds of Satan. They are strongholds not because the people in these places are worse sinners than we are, but because there is powerful and persistent spiritual resistance to gospel proclamation in various forms. These are places where “the demons are deep” (to borrow an expression from my pastor back home), and it seems impossible for God’s church to grow. These are often places where faithful messengers have proclaimed the gospel seemingly to no avail.

But he provides hope, listen to what he says..In Mark 9:14–29, we see Jesus encounter a situation where the demons were deep, and his apostles failed to cast them out. Jesus gently exhorts his apostles, saying, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” The remaining unreached parts of the world are filled with “this kind.”

My guy Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds upon what Jesus is saying in this passage: “You failed there . . . because you did not have sufficient power. . . . You will never be able to deal with ‘this kind’ unless you have applied to God for the power which he alone can give you” (Revival, 18–19).

God wants us to pray in such a way that God will intervene in the darkest of places and establish his kingdom all over the earth. We need to so desperate that his kingdom come that we pray away the worst of the demons, and the devil himself.

which leads to my next point.

When we pray your kingdom come we pray the gospel will reach all corners of the earth.

I won’t spend a ton of time on this point, I feel like I have somewhat covered this in the previous ones, but for mental reference for myself and you I believe we need to spend a little time with this. How many times have you heard me say 6 of 10 people are not connected to a local church in our community. The gospel advances beyond the physical walls of this place it advances through you and me being faithful to go to the corners of not only the earth, but the corners of your town and neighborhood. Earnestly pray for people from every tribe and nation to be saved, but pray that everyone on council rd here is saved or on highway nine or whatever neighborhood the Lord has called you.

I have a few dear friends who love sharing the gospel , and one of them prayed one day that the Lord would send him just one person to share the gospel with, and you know what the Lord did he sent three. A big part of seeing the gospel advance is you doing the work to see it advance. God does the saving but he uses you and I to point to the one who came to die for sinners like you and me.

Pray that his kingdom comes and reaches the corners of the earth.

Last point is this.

When we pray we pray for the fullness of the Kingdom of God to come.

I haven’t met a Christian yet that isn’t ready in some sort of way for Jesus to return.

Yet I think many of us if we are honest are ready for him to come but we don’t live or pray like we are. x2 Should I say that again?

Jesus is coming back again, and in that day it will be glorious. I picture a day where we can truly worship God without sin, without all our imperfections, where we can see God for who he truly is.

We ought to pray that way because when that happens all sin will be gone, and God’s glory will be truly realized.

We are in many ways like the Jews who were faithful for many years before Christ came waiting for their blessed hope, for me the fact that he is coming again gives me motivation to live for him today to see people come to Christ and be radically changed.

We as Christians can do the best we can on this earth by the power of Holy Spirit to bring the kingdom here, but it will never truly be so until he comes again.

In the last book of the bible in Revelation chapter 22 in the second to last verse it says. Rev 22:20

Revelation 22:20 ESV

20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

For those who don’t know him today the reality is he is coming back again and we don’t know when that will be, and he will judge us according to our own works, and according to the bible we all fall short of the glory of God and the glory of his kingdom, we must be like I mentioned in sermon truly poor in spirit to be saved, and if we repent of our sin, our natural response we be that of this pray thy kingdom come.

For those who are saved we are learning how to pray even better. That when we pray we pray to God and noone else. We pray with the right heart with sincerity. We need to find time and get away to pray alone away from this world. We pray asking God for all our needs down to the very last detail. We pray to a God who is our Father who we can go to anytime because of the work of Jesus Christ and we pray to the God who is in heaven, and we pray with adoration for who he is and what he has done, and we pray that the kingdom would come in

We are to direct our prayers to God and not man. We pray to God, we pray with sincerity with the right heart, we pray by getting away from the world secretly in our prayer closets. We pray specifically asking God in prayer our biggest and even smallest of needs, and we pray to God who is our heavenly Father who we can go to like a Daughter or a Son who goes to their own good father, who is in heaven, and we pray with this adoration of who he is and what he has done. And when we pray we pray that we live out the kingdom come in this present age, while praying Satan’s kingdom is destroyed, and the gospel reaches the far end’s of every corner of this earth, until the fulness of his kingdom comes.

Let us pray.