Pray like this: God's glory and agenda
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Transcript
Introduction:
Introduction:
Recap:
Recap:
So far we have seen how not to pray:
Praying to be seen by others (Jesus calls this hypocrisy).
The solution to this is to pray in secret as well as corporately.
Praying empty phrases: repeating the same things over and over again.
The way to avoid falling into this dangerous type of prayer is to be praying in sincerity. We need to understand that our heavenly Father knows what we need before we even ask Him.
With that being said it is easy to fall into the trap that we do not need to pray then because God knows what we need. He knows all things and we are to commune with our Father having a daily dialogue, an ongoing conversation with Him.
When it comes to prayer we are to acknowledge our need and dependence on Him. Prayer helps grow our faith too. The more we share and fellowship with God, the more we will know God and learn to trust and depend upon Him care and promises.
Last week we got into the introduction of how to pray.
When we pray we are submitting to the thing we are praying too. The only being worthy of our prayer is God. And when we pray, “Our Father,” it conveys a bending of our knees to Him, and submitting to His authority. It also gives us a sense of who is truly in control, as well as giving us security, warmth, intimacy and the care of a loving Father. Denying our humanism, that is our poor concept of self-sufficiency and all other gods that might be in our lives.
We also briefly touched on the topic of our God in heaven and the ramifications of what that means. The major point was that when we pray to our Father in heaven we are confessing that He is, in fact, sovereign over everything and everyone.
There are 6 petition within this picture of prayer and last week we saw the first.
Hallowed by your name: That God’s name would be hallowed—that God would be treated with the highest honor and set apart as holy.
The application of this is petition is that it is teaching us that we should begin our prayers with worship, ascribing praise and honor to Him who is so worthy of it.
v. 10) Your Kingdom come!
v. 10) Your Kingdom come!
What does this mean, “Your kingdom come?”
In a broad sense, the kingdom of God is the rule of an eternal, sovereign God over all things (period).
19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
3 How great are his signs,
how mighty his wonders!
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and his dominion endures from generation to generation.
Now a more narrow sense is that the kingdom of God is a spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who willingly submit to God’s authority. Those who defy God’s authority and refuse to submit to Him are not part of the kingdom of God; in contrast, those who acknowledge the lordship of Christ and gladly surrender to God’s rule in their hearts are party of the kingdom of God.
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
It is no surprise that we all want to guard our own name and reputation, but we must resist the tendency to protect and promote ourselves first and instead put God’s name, kingdom, and will first. The citizens of Jesus’ kingdom will want to see His will done as freely on earth as it is in heaven.
v. 10) Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
v. 10) Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[Your will be done]
What makes this statement so dangerous?
It is easy for us to say, “Your will be done” in different moods and ways. We might mean it with fatalism and resent ment, “Your will do your will, and there is nothing I can do about it anyways. Your will wins, but I don’t like it.”
In what way should we pray this?
This is a petition of acknowledgement that God knows what is best and that we surrender our will to His. Also expressing a longing to see His will acknowledged through the world.
“He that taught us this prayer used it himself in the most unrestricted sense. When the bloody sweat stood on his face, and ll the fear and trembling of a man in anguish were upon him, he did not dispute the decree of the Father, but bowed his head and cried. ‘Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.’”–Spurgeon
Those praying in the right way will have a pure motive in their pray, praying like this, “Do Your will, because I know it is the best. Change me where I don’t understand or accept Your will.”
Why does God ask us to pray that His will would be done?
God is more than able to do His will without our prayer or cooperation; yet He invites the participation of our prayers, our hearts, and our actions in seeing His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
On earth as it is in heaven modifies all three preceding petition. The worship of God, the sovereign rule by God, and the performance of His will are all a reality of heaven, The prayer is that these conditions might exist on earth as they do in heaven.
Three major points in this verse:
1) Many call God King, but they do not honor Him as King. They do not do His will. Their profession is false, and tragically it creates an image of a false and meaningless King to the world.
2)We must know God’s will if God’s will is to be done. This requires study: 2 Timothy 2:15
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
The only way God’s will can be done is for us to study His Word and as kfor the wisdom and strength to apply it to our lives: 2 Timothy 3:16
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
3) We are to ask for God’s will to be done on earth. The earth is the place where God’s will is so desperately needed. It is the place...
Where there is so much sin and corruption.
Where there is so much suffering and pain.
Where there is so much struggling and death.
Where the believer face trials.
1 chronicles 16:28-36
28 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
30 tremble before him, all the earth;
yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
32 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
34 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!
35 Say also:
“Save us, O God of our salvation,
and gather and deliver us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.
36 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting!”
Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.
Homework:
Homework:
Make a list of what your daily physicals needs are? And the God’s promises concerning those things.