Praying The Right Priorities

Well, good morning and welcome to the new Grace Baptist Church and we are glad that you're here. I hope everyone had a great week and just a reminder. We are on Facebook at new Grace Baptist Raleigh. So go and check us out there and you'll see some scripture reading each day and devotion each day. And also a sermons will be posted there as well. Well, we're glad that you're here today and we going to continue and I are series and it is called Power praying. So we're trying to learn how to develop a powerful prayer life. And we going to do that on Sunday mornings by studying the Lord's prayer that is found in Matthew chapter 6. Well today is our fourth sermon on this series and the title of today's message is praying the right priorities. In other words. What we going to learn today is how to pray about the rain and the rule of Christ on this Earth. When we going to look at one verse today and that is verse 10 of Matthew chapter 6. Well whenever Christians start talking about prayer, it seems like sometimes a strange feeling of guilt sets in and maybe because of our neglect or remorse or whatever it is, but I heard one Pastor say once if you want to empty a church just advertise a series on prayer. And so, you know, I've been thinking about praying a lot here lately and it seems to me that most of us kind of go through a transition in our spiritual lives with regard to prayer when you really look at it. Most people don't pray much until they have children and then all of a sudden we become big Believers in prayer, but you know, all Christians should be excited about the fact that we can talk to God now maybe the reason there's so much guilt over prayers because we lose the excitement after we didn't say for a while or we start looking at Fair like we've talked about on Wednesday night as a sense of obligation Duty or as a chore, but then anytime we hit a bump in the road all of a sudden prayer changes back to a top priority Forest. So, you know, we realize we're not sufficient in and of ourselves and we need some outside help. And of course we know that God is the greatest resource that we have available. So let's not look at prayer as an obligation a chore or duty, but let's look at it as building a relationship with God getting to know him and listening to him and bringing our concerns to him. You see when we neglect the pray we miss out on God's best for us and we don't want the prey simply because we're commanded to be called but we won't pray because we want to grow up in Christ and stay in contact with the one who can lead us and guide us better than anyone else and it because without prayer we become misdirected people and we'll have no sense of purpose in our lives. So let's look at Matthew chapter 6, and I'm just going to read one verse today. Now remember we've already talked about verse 9 when the Lord said well in this manner therefore pray Our Father in Heaven. Remember we Talk about the fatherhood of God, then we looked at last the week about Hallowed Be Your Name about how to worship God when we pray and how to honor him when we start our prayer. So this is the way we start our prayers will then we come down 2 verse 10 today and this is what we're going to look at and this is what the Bible says. It says your kingdom come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. So all of a sudden we find the first petition that we are to pray for the kingdom come your kingdom come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven. You see with these words right here. Jesus teaches his disciples to pray their priorities learning to pray God's priorities in our lives has to be one of the most exciting things that you can do. I can tell you it will reduce the level of fatigue and frustration in your life and it will also help you to see how often when we pray without thinking we are promoting our own desires over God's desires and say when you determined to do God's Will and ask him what his will is for your life. You'll find a lot of excitement in that so why should we be as a stinking people ever choose our own wheel or short-sightedness over God's Eternal perspective. Why would we choose to operate on our own power when we have the power of God of ailable in our lives? Well, I think we do it. One of the reasons is because we've been deceived by Satan into thinking that we can think things better, you know think things out better on our own and sometimes we just do it because pride gets in our way. So Jesus teaches us to pray not for our own wheel to take place, but for God's will To be done. He says your kingdom come your will be done. So what I want to do today is I want to take both of those phrases your kingdom come first and then your will be done and talk about that today. So remember we're trying to pray the priorities of God when we pray so I have only have two points today. Here's the first point when we pray we need to pray for the reign of Christ and we see that in this first phrase your kingdom come. Well, this is a familiar phrase in scripture. The gospel. Mark says that when Jesus began his ministry, he started talkin about the kingdom of God and his message was always about the kingdom of God matter fact when he was on the cross. Remember he told the the thief he said today you will be with me and Perry. Another words in My Kingdom. He was always concerned about the kingdom of God. Well, let me give you three aspects of your kingdom come what it should mean to us and how we are to look at it letter A to pray that God's kingdom would come Morphers in one way. To the kingdom that is within us now. Some people playing The Kingdom isn't for today that is for the future but the Bible says that if we are Christians, we have the kingdom of God within us and I look at it what it says here in Luke chapter 17 verse 21 it says nor will they say see hear or see therefore indeed the kingdom of God is within you so the kingdom of God is already within us. Now. There's another verse I want to read you here in Deuteronomy. I don't I don't have it as a slide today for you to see but listen to this first Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 11 through 14 says I command you today is not too mysterious for you nor is it far off is not in heaven that you should say who will Ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it. No, it is beyond the sea that you should say who will go over the sea for Bring it to us that we may hear it and do it. But the word is very near you in your mouth. And in your heart that you may do it. You see the word is in us now. This is speaking of our Salvation. You see when the kingdom is within is that means that we have that we have been saved and we have the Holy Spirit with anise. So when he said when I say pray for the reign of Christ your kingdom come we need to pray that God's kingdom would come to us would come within us and other words. We pray that we would be saved at Jesus we trust in him for our Salvation. So in other words God's kingdom is within us. So when we pray by Kingdom Come we're saying God you are the king and you live in my heart and I want your kingdom principles to be lived out. Through my life is you reign in me. You see the visible Kingdom? Isn't here on Earth yet, but his kingdom can still Rule and reign in my life as I live for him each day. You see the fact is all of us who are saying we are men and women of the Kingdom. God has called us to live today as if the king were already resident on Earth since he's already resident in our hearts in the person of the Holy Spirit. He wants to be Sovereign over us and that's why we pray thy kingdom come first of all, we're talkin about the kingdom within us. We're talkin about salvation and living for God, but then let her be there's also the aspect of the Kingdom being around us. You see the prey those words Kingdom refers to the kingdom around us. There's a touch of God's kingdom around a safe and we think of all the people that surround us all the people that we work with or maybe even some that would go to church with or maybe some that we see in the grocery store just acquaintances with or those who live beside us you see Jesus priority is that the kingdom would come to all those people so not only does it have in letter a Salvation aspect to it but the kingdom around us has an evangelism aspect to it now you know a lot of times you know and we loved the church and of course the church is not the kingdom of God but in some way the church represents his kingdom it's a kind of a little taste of what his kingdom was going to be like it when God's people comes together God's kingdom is manifested in a small way and and we know that Jesus told us that we ought to be Fishers of Men so when we pray for the reign of Christ your kingdom come your tongue about the kingdom within a salvation but we're also talking about the kingdom around us the evangelism and the salvation of those who do not know Christ you see we have the Hop tune to express the kingdom principles in the midst of a dying and decaying world and if there was ever a time when we ought to be living as Kingdom people and doing Kingdom things it is today because when you look around in our world we just have to praise God that there is a kingdom be on this one and so when we pray your kingdom come it's about the kingdom with Dennis it's about the key number around us but letter C is also about the kingdom before us you see these words refer to a coming Kingdom that's not here yet you see there's coming a day and it could be very soon when that trumpet is going to sound and the Lord is going to descend out of heaven and all who have put their trust in him will be raptured out of this world and immediately after that according to the Book of Matthew there's going to be a. Of Great Tribulation that the world has never seen and the Bible says it will last for 7 years then the Lord This is going to come back with all of his Saints. He's going to set up his kingdom on Earth and it will last a thousand years. That's what's called the millennial Reign friends that kingdom is coming someday. And so I believe Jesus Also may have wanted his followers to pray God. May your kingdom come not talkin about the kingdom and then it's not talking about the kingdom around us. But the kingdom that is to come the kingdom that is before us and I'm excited about the Kingdom's arrival because seven years before that. I'm going to be with the Lord in heaven when he Raptors us out of here. So do you know what it will be? Like when the true king rules on Earth We're told that the Nations will war no more now. All you hear about is just rumors of War. There's going to be peace on Earth even the animal kingdom will be changed. It says little children will lead wild animal the sheet will lie down with the wolf. You see this will all take place when the king returns so it is Perfectly legitimate for us today as Believers to tell God that we are all waiting that day that we want to hasten the day of his coming now some people going to say you mean to tell me I should be praying that the world wherein will friends. There's nothing wrong with that that for you to pray that this God would Usher and his kingdom sooner rather than later. It is fully legitimate the pray that prayer so we see when we say Your kingdom come what are we talkin about where we're talking about? We're praying for the reign of Christ that he would rain within us being saved that he would rain around us all those who need to hear about Christ. But also that he would rain in the Kingdom. That is the come. So when we pray your kingdom come we're praying for the reign of Christ. You see when we pray for God's kingdom to come we get away from approaching him with our give me list or our grocery list of wants instead of what we're saying is let your kingdom come in me Lord. Let me live as a kingdom child. Let your kingdom come around me is I spread the good news of your gospel and put your principles into practice and Lord hasten the day when your Eternal Kingdom arise you see when we pray words like that and let me say this before Moving on when we pray words like that. We had better be ready to go to war because there's two kingdoms that's in operation right now. We got the Lord's Kingdom that we're talkin about but Satan also has his kingdom as well and he is his kingdom doesn't look forward to the coming kingdom of God. You see Satan is running the show right now. He's the prince of the power of the air in the Bible say it and God has allowed him to be in charge for a while and it seems that God has him on a Long Leash but friends he cannot touch you and me and one of these days he's going to be pushed aside. So that King Jesus will come and he will reign so if we pray these words we're going to get the attention of the one who's running the show right now. That's why Jesus said seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. You see when we start living like Kingdom children God starts doing things in our lives. Satan will not like that. But God will take care of us. So when we pray thy kingdom come we are Praying for the reign of Jesus to arrive with anise around us and then his Millennial Reign for 1000 Years the friends. The prayer doesn't end there. You see the words go on to reveal a prayer that not only praise for the reign of Christ, but secondly. It goes on to pray for the rule of Christ. You see and we see that in the phrase your will be done the rule of Christ. Well, let me give you three aspects of the rule of Christ. Number one as Christians we ought to want to see the rule of Christ in our individual life now before I start let me say this. To pray for the reign of Christ your kingdom come that's easy to do because we're saved his kingdom has come in our heart. We know that we are to evangelize and we are to spread the gospel. Well, we can do that and we know that one day he's coming back and we can look forward to that and we can even pray for you. See that's the easy part but here's the hard part. Your will be done. You see when we say your will be done. We mean that in three aspects number one, we mean it in our individual life and if we're really honest we will admit that it is hard to ask God to do his will in our lives. Most people just don't want to say those words because they are afraid it will mean God will send them to Africa or make them live in poverty or simply make a bunch of changes in their life. And as soon as they say Lord you can do with me whatever you want. There sure is God's going to send them someplace. They don't want to go but friends listen a loving father who is in heaven.

When we say yes to him, he's not going to make us do the worst pain in the world. He loves us. He knows how he where does he knows how we are he's going to he's going to tell us to do something that's going to bring him honor and him glory and it's going to be best for us. It may be outside the box it may he may ask us to do something that maybe we don't feel comfortable with but in the end we'll see that's exactly what we need to be doing your friends. This is the hardest thing to ask for God's will to be done in our individual life. It is so hard you see some of us have wrong priorities and they got that way by making a list of what we want and making a list of our desires before we ever check with Jesus and the Holy Spirit to see what he wants. You see God wants to help us accomplish the important things but we kind of like the stick to her own schedule and other words Will pray for the reign of Christ Lord save me but then when he puts us on the The Chariot we want to take the reins and we want to drive we want our hands on the steering wheel. You see when we pray for the ruler price your will be done. First of all, that means in our individual life Lord. I want to live for you you do with me what you want to do. It is not my priorities will not only in our individual life. Is it talk about this the rule of Christ, but how about In our family life now. I want to hang out here just for a few minutes, and I'm not going to metal. In other people's lives, but what I'm about to say, I think he's very important in the culture that we live in today. Not many people fall into the Trap that they get married and then once they're married and they start having children and then they start working 12 14 15 16 hours a day, and they do that. And they will tell you they're doing that so that they can make a better life for their family. Now. Everybody wants to make a better life and many of us probably didn't have as much maybe when we were younger and we want our children to have more than we did. So I understand that. So what we do is husband-and-wife, we're both working and will work 12 or 15 hours a day and we allow work to justify that we're just trying to build a life for our children and give them something better. But you see friends when we do that. We are missing out on our children growing up and I think of all the men that I've known in my life who just work themselves to death and yeah and and left the children home with the wife to raise and take care of and never went to the ball games of the children never went to the recitals never went to the graduation out of kindergarten. Play like that because they were too busy to work and they justified by that by saying but I just want to give my children more than I ever had friends list of what we need to give our children is an example of a Godly life. That's what we need. You see, we we serve God that's why Jesus said seek ye first the kingdom of God and other word seek your relationship with me first and then all these other things jobs relationships parenting finances. All these other things will fall into place. You see the problem is when we pray for the rule of Christ your will be done. We've got our priorities off. We think that we have to work ourselves to death to have the bigger house to bigger home the country club membership and we think that we have to do that in the whole time. What we're doing is we're leaving Grandma and Grandpa and the daycare to raise our children. You say it can't be that way. You don't spell love to your children work you spell love time and we have to be around our children in the show them attention and help them with the homework and go to their ball games and things like that. If we going to do the right thing and if God's will is going to be done God's will for you is that you would love God with all your heart mind and soul and then his will for you is that you would raise your family and have a good family life a good marriage and good parenting of your children only then comes work, whether it's vocation or even Church work that comes third and many pastors fall in the habit of well. God called me to preach God's call me to do this and he leaves his family along and his life is involved in church work all the time. His life should be involved in God. His relationship with him being involved with his family and then involved in the church work now. Let me say this. There's another little aspect of this that I want to talk about in our family life and that is probably in the last couple of decades. You know people and children who love to play sports and I love sports and played it when I was young watch it. Now. I love it always have but in the last couple of decades we've had these things called these you can your children can get on these AAU or traveling teams and they travel every weekend and they go in play ball. And I know we as parents we all think that our child is the best and I understand that and I thought the same thing but friends, let me just say this. If your child is going to be an elite athlete and Elite ballplayer, you will know it soon enough and you don't have to have your child running here and there especially every single weekend where you're missing Church, you're missing worshipping God together and you're out playing ball every single weekend because you're trying to somehow and steel in your son or daughter that they're going to be this great Division 1 athlete if they're going to be that great if they're going to be a Phenom if there going to be a late you will know that very early and if they're that good they probably wouldn't have to practice that much anyway, cuz they going to dominate their spoor anyway, but you see how the priorities have been taken away. You see families who go to church and then all of a sudden in the summer time for 3 for 5 months, you never see him. They're out playing ball again. I love ball. There's nothing wrong with ball, but you got to have your priority seek. Ye first the kingdom of God and all this other stuff will be Added to it. Well, let me get off that soapbox, but it's our individual life your will be done. And in our family life your will be done and for your will to be done with your family. You spell that you spell love time. You see you can't let somebody else control your life. God wants to control your life. And if you're struggling with what God wants you to do pray that your priorities will fall under the rule of Christ pray for the rule of Christ in your individual life pray for the rule of Christ in your family life. And then lastly I would say when we pray for the rule of Christ your will be done. We're praying that in our for our nation's life now think about this and if you look at that last little phrase, he says your will be done. On Earth as it is in heaven will think about how God's will. Is accomplished in heaven when the when he tells the angels to do something they do it immediately unconditionally and joyfully you see when God speaks the Angels obey. Imagine what would happen in our own lives in the in the live life of our nation? If we responded to God in the same way that the heaven of that the Angels respond to him in heaven, it would certainly save a lot of anxiety and worry what you ever had anything in your life that God told you to do and you just procrastinated and didn't do it. You see when we pray for the rule of Christ not only his will be done in our individual life and in our family life and in our nation's life because we know that our nation is starting from God. We know that our nation we have We have a theistic secular humanistic culture that we have adopted in our nation's life and we're trying to get God out of school, which we have we trying to get it off the dollar bill, which we taking him out of the courthouse. You can't announce social media. You can't even say anything if you mention something about God or something, you know, a conservative or Christian or at like you liable to be banned from all the social media sites. You see we need to pray that his will would be done for our nation. We are in a critical time in our nation right now and we are falling in spiraling out of control away from God. So we need to pray for the rule of Christ that his will would be done not only in our life not only in our family life, but in the life of the nation you just think if everything on this Earth was done as it is in heaven there be no anxiety. There will be no argument when you look in the Bible God tells Angel to go here and go that there's no second thought. There's no arguing. There's no complaining. It is simply done in friends with me and when you and I when we get to heaven. We went God has asked us to do so we will immediately do it. It will automatically be done and we will be glad to do it. So we're not there's not going to be any arguments. There's no need for explanation. We will just do it in friends. I'm looking forward to the day that God's kingdom arrives, but until that day comes Let's pray that our life will reflect obedience just like it is in heaven right now total 100% obedience so that the people that I interact with will know that I belong to God you see when you pray for God's will to be done in your life and in your family life and in your nation's life just as it is in heaven incredible things can happen to you personally for your family and also in our nation. Imagine what He could do imagine what God can do through your life. If you were fully and unreservedly committed to a bay and him no matter what he asked you to do. So, let's pray that God's will will be done in our individual life. Let's pray that he will give us the priorities that we need. To train and our children into have the family life that he would have us to have and let's pray that he would rule in his will would be done in our nation's life friends if we will pray like that. We will see God do great things in our life and in our nation, you see that's praying the right priorities and that's praying for Christ to rain for his kingdom to come with anise around us and before us and is praying that he would rule in our individual life in our family life and in our nation's life, will it spray father? We do? Thank you and praise you and love you today and Father how wonderful this one verse is and what it means the Deep theological truths that we can find in it Lord. This is the first petition. That we are to pray. And we're to pray for your kingdom to come. And me around me and Lord one day we're praying that your kingdom will come when we're trying to hasten it to come right now where you will set everything right for the Lord. Not only that we're praying that your will would be done. It is so hard to pray for your will to be done in our lives. We know that we're Sade we're no we're going to heaven. We know that we've been sealed with the Holy Spirit. But it's still very difficult for us to take our hands off the wheel. We know that we there's a war going on between the Flesh and the spirit. We know that Paul Williams said two things I want to do. I don't do two things that I shouldn't do. That's what I do. We know that we're in a war help us to allow you to have the reins into control and to rule our individual lives to set the priorities for our family into set the priorities for the nation that we live in Norwegian want to say today. We love you and we love you because you first loved us in Christ's name. I pray amen. Well, thank you for being here today. And I hope all of you have a blessed week and we will see you next Sunday as we continue in the Lord's Prayer and don't forget on Wednesday night. I zoom meeting in the course on Wednesday night. We're talking about how to develop a powerful prayer life. So it goes right along with this teaching and Jenny will send out the link for next week. So I hope everyone has a great week and we will see you Wednesday.