KINGDOM PRAYER

INTRODUCTION

Living in a city like New Orleans a phrase I have heard often is, “Its not what you know, but who you know.” You may have heard this phrase before as well, when it comes to getting things done in a city like ours.

At times this phrase can mean, life is all about the relationships you have. However, many times it can mean, the people I know well help me get done what I need to get done.

See many people want to know the right people, in order to accomplish there goals and desires. However, for those who are in the Kingdom of God, our greatest desire is for His will and His Kingdom to advance.

Think of this, prayer is one means that God’s kingdom is advanced in the earth. Prayer is a privilege for the people of God to boldly and freely before the King of glory who is gracious, kind and good.

Those who are born again, who have placed their faith and trust in Christ alone as Savior, they not only know the Lord, but they are known by the Lord.

This is a truth we should hold on to, the benevolent King invites us to pray, seeking and knowing that he answers and will provide what we need.

A Model Prayer- vs 1-4

As any good followers would, the disicples not only followed the life of Jesus, but desired to emulate his life as well.

One thing we see throughout his life is this commons theme of prayer. Just prayed before choosing the twelve, he prayed after his baptism, he prayed on the mountain before the disicples saw him glorfied. Jesus lived a life of prayer.

The disicples watched his life and saw him praying often, which led them to ask the question, Lord, teach us to pray.

Now one thing we know is that John the Baptist who was the cousin of Jesus, but also the forerunner of the Messiah, the one who came to proclaim his coming had disicples.

In fact, John pointed his disicples to go after Jesus. How do we know this, well, it was John who said behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Phillip, John and James were all disicples of John the Baptist first.

So they ask Jesus, rabbi, teach us how to pray just as John did with his disicples.

As we look through the Psalms and even the old testament, we see the Jewish people were a people of prayer. Yet Jesus was the Messiah and his kingdom was not only here, but coming in the future as well. So in this new kingdom, in this way of life, how then should people pray to the Lord?

While many title this the Lord’s Prayer, it truly should be called the disicples Prayer, as it gives a model of how to actually pray.

In fact, praying these words is sufficient as well. We can never go wrong simply repeating and praying the scripture back to the Lord.

With this model of prayer, the Lord gives us the building blocks of our approach to the Lord and what it should look like on a daily biases coming to him.

Many struggle with prayer on not only what to say, but does God even care about my needs?

“When you pray, you can literally Go to God and say what’s on your heart and claim His promise.” Thomas Godwin

Our Father is Holy

Notice this model of prayer goes right to the heart, our father, or translated, abba. This word shows two things to us, one the respect we should have the authority of the Lord and second our intimate relationship with him.

If prayer is simply speaking or making a request to God, then our relationship to the Lord and his character indeed help us understand why we can come so openly before the Lord.

In the Kingdom of God, the people of God are his children. We are born again. This new birth places us into this new family where the King is called our Father.

In many kingdoms, the subjects of that king did not have readily access to him. We see this all throughout the Scripture. Yet, in the kingdom of God we are encouraged, commanded even To draw near to God.

“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people!” James 4:8

We see we have a Father, but what about his character, well we acknowledge that as well, “Your name be honored as holy.”

See we not only have a Father that we draw near to and are commanded to come before with our needs, but our Father in heaven, but He is God. See the two fold picture, Our God who sits in the heavens is our Father. This is our intimate relationship with him, yet, in that relationship we recognize that He is acknowledged as such.

See we much undersand, there are other supernatural beings. There are angles, fallen angels, Satan, seraphim, yet what separates God from all other supernatural beings? He is ruler of them all. He is God all by himself. He has no rival, he has nothing that outclasses him or even compares nor comes close to him.

“Our God is in heaven and does whatever He pleases.” Psalm 115:3

He alone is set apart and unique, none is like him and we recognize that he alone has the authority to saves us, heal us, answer our prayer. To come before God in this way, is to recognize there is one who transcends higher than me, who is greater than my problems, who knows my name, yet calls me his own.

“Therefore, My people will know My name; therefore [they will know] on that day that I am He who says: Here I am." Isaiah 52:6

See, Jesus taught his disicples that the Father is there Father as well. He is the one we pray to, we humble ourselves before.

“On that day you will ask in my name, and I am not telling you that I will ask the Father on your behalf.27 For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.[a] 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” John 15:26-28

We don't make God’s name holy, it already is holy, it is who He is as God. Yet, the scripture calls us to acknowledge it and honor his holiness. We desire the holy God to be known. He is not one of our ancestors, he is not some saint waiting for you, nor an angel waiting to minster, He is the Holy God.

We pray for His Kingdom to Come

Notice here this is an imperative, meaning a command from the Lord. The people of his Kingdom, desire for his rule, reign and will to be done and seen in the earth.

The Jewish people often prayed these Kaddish prayers or hymns of praise to God in their services. We find even in these prayers asking for the Lord and His kingdom will to be done.

“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 of Israel, speedily and soon.”

A world where the Kingdom of God is fully come is ome where injustice no longer rules, sin has been done away with and the people of God flourish in his presence.

We have two things happening here, one of his kingdom advancing now and that of the fullness of this kingdom to come.

His Kingdom is what we should desire. His Kingdom advancing in our lives and our world means, people coming into his Kingdom, his rule advancing in the hearts of men and women, His kingdom advancing in our homes and community.

The question we should ask ourselves, when we pray and humble ourselves before the Father, do we really want his Kingdom to come, or only our agenda to advance?

See for the Christian, we don't get to take a day off and not desire his kingdom to come. This is our ultimate desire.

We pray for the coming day where creation is restored, sin, injustice and death is done away with.

Provide Our Daily Needs

We go from acknowlding who God is, his character and his kingdom rule to the very practical of our needs.

Notice, Jesus tells us, to ask for what we need each day. Now, we have a hard time with this one because we have learned to be independent in many ways from the Lord.

For many, they open the fridge and pantry and have something. We are nor toiling in the field or looking to see where the crop may come in. While abundance is indeed a blessing, it can often lead to an attitude of ungratefulness and independence from the Lord.

Yet in our daily praying, this is our ask. Lord, you are the one who can provide for me and has been providing for me. So, I ask, as you promised, provide my daily bread and the needs I have.

“However, God has listened; he has paid attention to the sound of my prayer. Blessed be God! He has not turned away my prayer or turned his faithful love from me.” Psalm 66:19-20

God takes seriously his peteranity. He doesn't just sit back and say to the world, now you spin, I have no care for those who are on it. Yet it is the opposite, he knows the number of hairs on our heads, he calls us by name and provides for our daily needs.

Yet what happens when we pray and it seems, the thing I needed didn’t come through. Well first this does not change the character of God. We see first here that He is good, he is holy And he is just.

What may seem like an unswanwered prayer does not mean an unheard prayer by the Lord. However, in his goodness, God may not answers always in the way we desire. Unaswered prayer:

God has promised to never leave us or forsake us.

Continually trust in the Lord and not lead to our own understanding

Continue to pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circusmatnces.

Ensure you are not at war with God or in rebellion to him.

Do not forget his benefits

He forgives our sin and commands us to forgive others

Notice repentance is part of the Christian walk with the Lord. While we are redeemed and washed, placed into his family, we are still not yet glorified. What that means is that we still live in these fleshy bodies and we are imperfect.

We live in this fallen world and we still at times, while not making it our lifestyle we sin against the Lord and others. So what do we do, we come to the Lord and ask for forgiveness.

Notice the text says it is like taking on a debt. So God is steadily forgiving our debts. So, we are called to do that which God has done for us to others.

Could it be some of our prayers are hindered because we don't have this aspect of our lives right before the Lord. We are holding on unforgiveness.

See when we call him holy, this humilly should in turn help us see our constant need for his grace in our lives. So we look at the log in our eyes first.

He Protects and Keeps us

While many are looking to crystals, incantations, and candles to protect and keep them, we have our Father in Heaven.

His character tells us who he is and his power tells us how he acts in regards to his character. Our Father has promised to keep those who are his from being overrun by the evil one.

As one commentator wrote, Disciples recognize God’s power to protect us and keep us from succumbing to temptation, not because God wants to take us there but because he can keep it from “getting us.”

In fact, the Bible tells us that God Is one who gives grace to the humble, yet he resists the proud. The proud don’t take heed, but end up falling.

The Bible tells us to resist the devil, to flee. See being tempted is not a sin, it is giving into the temptation. Yet, God is the one who can strengthen us.

“No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

We must recongize that greater is He that is in us than he who is in the World.

So, you Don't have to pour a bunch of oil over your home, light candles, etc. Go to the Lord who is the maker of the heavens and earth. The one who neither sleeps nor slumbers.

The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side.[a] 6 The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night.

7 The Lord will protect you from all harm; he will protect your life. 8 The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever. Psalm 121:5-8

A PARABLE ON PRAYER VS 5-13

Jesus lays out for the disciples the how of prayer. This is how you pray and now with this parable he goes deeper into the why and how we pray.

Using a parable, Jesus lays out a story that those in the first century would have been quite familiar with. In our cultural context it would be hard to imagine this scenario happening. In fact, for some this would be grounds for calling the police on a neighbor.

Yet, Jesus sets up this story as quite a predicament the neighbor finds themselves in. A weary traveler comes to their door at night, a friend the text tells us. Yet Here is the problem, they have nothing to offer.

We see several problems popping up in the text. One, it is late at night and everyone is asleep, there is no where to get supplies from and cultural custom states this person is now your responsiblity.

Hospitality was a huge deal in the ancient east. Guest as one historian wrote had the right to a good host who would provide for their needs. So a guest showing up late at night with no food was a rock between a hard place moment for the homeowner.

Now in most ancient palenstian homes there was only one bedroom. So to knock on the door would mean to wake the Father and to wake the Father would mean to wake the entire house. Here was was the rub, if this man refused to help his guest, it would bring great shame on his family name and his village. He woul embarssses himself.

So we see the tension here, this man makes a bold move. He leaves his home and goes to his neighbor. Notice, this is at the most inconvent time of the night

‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ Luke 11:7

Yet, look at why he helps. Because of their relationship and the friends boldness.

shameless boldness or avodince of shame.He would not be deterred, but presetienly keep knocking until the door was opened.

Yet what is the Lord trying to show us here.

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek,and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10

We can often think of nicety when it comes to prayer, but this explantation shows us that the heart of prayer is humility, that is willing to have the shameless audacity to approach the Father with persistence and perseverance knowing it is His good pleasure to answer his people.

We are called to approach God with a not to be deterred attitude.

The text tell us to keep on asking, seeking and knocking . We dont just come to the Lord in the midnight hour, we come morning, noon day. We come when times are bad and when they are good as well.

We must underdstand, God is greater than the neighbor. How do we know, well the Lord is never bothered by our coming to Him. He is not in the bed and all of suddden is startled out of his sleep or if he gets up does it with an attitude of spite. He Is ready to help his children and he commands us to bring our needs to him.

Think of this, “prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance; it is laying hold of His highest willingness.” Phillips Brooks

Yet, Jesus goes further, working from the lesser to the greater.

“What father among you, if his sonasks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish?12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Fathergive the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Luke 11:11-13

We see his point here. If those who are in the flesh, those who are sinful men, know how in their imperfection give what is needed. They know how to supply their children that which is best for them, compare that then to the Lord who is holy, good and just.

See, how much more! The lesser to the greater. How much more greater is the Lord than the sleeping friend. How much greater is the Lord than a Father meeting the needs of a child.

He ends with this point! He not only gives good gifits, but to those who ask, he will give the Holy Spirit.

What a promise. The question then we should ask is how does one receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” In fact this promise of the Spirit was one the Jews knew the Messiah would fulfill in his coming.

Ezekiel 36:25-26 “I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your impurities and all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone[f] and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will place my Spirit within you and cause you to follow my statutes and carefully observe my ordinances.”

Ask, and he gives, liberally. He welcomes those outside of his kingdom inside by faith and trust in HIm alone. He responds by filling with the Holy Spirit. We are washed cleaned and set apart.

LIVE AND APPLY

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO PRAY ABOUT TODAY?

ARE YOU IN NEED OF THE SPIRIT TODAY?