What Are We Praying For?

Intro

On earth as it is in heaven.

How many times has that phrase been spoken in your life time?

Have we ever stopped to really think about that that means?

There is a reason the Lord’s prayer moves from our Father’s name to asking for God’s kingdom to come to earth.

When we are His children we should reflect God Himself.

ON earth as it is in heaven means God’s will to be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

What does that look like?

WHat does God’s will on earth look like?

Here is what God’s will on earth looks like.

Here is a man who had his son taken from him by a murderer. He forgives him and they end the hearing with an embrace.

Main Point

God’s will on earth won’t always make sense to people who don’t know God. That doesn’t mean it isn’t right.

Why It Matters

When we follow God’s we will stand out. Both in the Church and outside the Church. Our passages today will focus on these things.

If we claim the Name of Christ then we had better reflect His family well.

If I work in the service industry...

Let’s see what scripture has to say about this...

Scripture

1 Peter 2:11 NIV

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

We are supposed to stand out. We are supposed to not fit in. We are not to believe to be citizens of this world.

When we forget this truth is when we see loads of trouble.

The world should look at us and know there is something different about us.

John 13:35 NIV

By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

We will be known by the way we love. That is what sets us apart.

2 Corinthians 5:11–21 NIV

Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

11 - We are not afraid of God but we are under His Scrutiny. 1) Our knowledge of our accountability to God moves us to be dilligent. 2) In our persuasion we must be careful not to pervert the Gospel to apease other's ears. We must speak the truth.

12 - Be careful not to brag about ourselves but to be humble outwards trinkets and praise pales in comparrison to the pride God has for what's inside, your heart.

13 - We might come off as crazy but if we are in our right mind then maybe they should listen!

14 - Because Jesus died for all of us, HIS love should be our motiviation.

15 - Our desire to love others is born from our desire to Love Christ for what he did for us on the cross.

11-15 - The world may criticise us for how we treat others but the only one with a vote is God. Our integrity is checked by Jesus and no one else. He has a healthy fear of God and the desire to love Christ. That is what should guide us

16 - Paul judged Christ from the human perspective before he was saved and came to the wrong conclusion. Once he understood the cross and Jesus position Paul changed his understanding. He had inadequate knowledge of Christ but is no longer limited by a human point of view. Paul went from believing Jesus was a false prophet to Jesus being God's Messiah.

17 - Acceptance of Christ makes us a new creation meaning the way we see the things around us. The whole person is renewed. We won't be perfect but it is a change in focus. We are no longer lost and therefore can focus on what's to come.

18 - God initiates reconciliation. If we move to be reconciled to God it is because He is calling us. This reconciliatoin is complete and it is ours but we have to choose to accept it. We have to respond to the call of reconciliation.

19 - All creation is reconciled to God. God doesn't hold our sins against us. Not a single one. We are God's messengers of this good news.

20 - We are ammbassadors of Christ. God reconciled the world to himself then uses us as his ammbassadors to appeal to the world to accept this reconciliation. Paul speaks the Gospel boldly and some people didn't like that. They called him mad or crazy,

21 - Jesus carried the weight of our sin and destroyed it. We can't become God's Righteousness unless Sin is dealt with in our lives. Jesus possibly experienced for the briefest of moments separations from God or something like it. This is one of the great mysteries of the Bible. What actually happened upon Jesus' death.

We know this Jesus' actions at the cross reclaimed us into God's kingdom and we became God's righteousness.

Applicatoin

Simple actions that grow into huge testimonies:

Don’t yell at cashiers or people in the service industry

Always pay what you owe. Just because they forgot it doesn’t mean we get it for free.

Tell the truth even if you coudl get away with it and you get in trouble.

Forgive. We will be talking about this next week . But the way we forgive reflects the way we love God.

Speak the truth in love - Explain this...

My favourite question “what is the most loving thing I can do in this moment?”

Conclusion

They will know we are Christians by our love. On earth as it is in Heaven means we are asking for God’s will to be done here. That LARGELY centers on how we love one another.