Praying God’s Kingdom
07/25/10
Luke 11:1-4
Pastor Greg Smith
We are already well into planning for “Better Together.” One of the goals of the campaign is to serve the community and to do it together. We have been praying for and exploring ideas of what we could do. And if you have ideas we’d very much like to hear about it.
It’s got me thinking, “What’s the point?” Doing good things, being helpful, generous, all that is good. What’s so important about that?
Very simply put, we are continuing Jesus’ ministry.
Jesus’ ministry was focused on proclaiming God’s reign. “God’s Reign” is another way of saying the Kingdom of God: God powerfully present, changing lives, bringing peace.
Luke 4:16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus proclaimed God’s reign by his spoken message. Jesus also proclaimed—demonstrated— God’s reign through his actions.
• Healing the man with the withered hand.
• Healing the demon possessed man.
• Calming the storm.
• Lazarus.
We all know that actions can say much more than mere words alone. Actions give words authority. They show that a person is genuine.
Jesus’ model prayer is about praying for— and living out— God’s reign.
I really like the how Jesus’ prayer is translated in the new Common English Bible translation.
2 Jesus told them, “When you pray, say:
‘Father, uphold the holiness of your name.
Bring in your kingdom.
3 Give us the bread we need for today.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who has wronged us.
And don’t lead us into temptation.’ ”
Jesus gave us a powerful example as a person of prayer.
No one was closer to the Father than Jesus, yet he found extended time for prayer. It was on one of those occasions that the disciples came to Jesus with a request (verse 1):
“Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Jesus gave the disciples an extra-ordinarily brief prayer outline. Luke's version is the briefest of all:
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”
Matthew's version is just a little longer. It's in Matthew 6, beginning with verse 9.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘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 today 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 the evil one.’
And, of course, the traditional version, the version we often say together in worship, is just a little longer, mainly by adding an ending that rounds out the prayer:
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen."
Even very important things can become routine and boring just because we repeat them so often and sometimes without really understanding what we are doing.
● I remember becoming the pastor at St. Luke’s UMC in Richmond and every Sunday they would sing a response called the “Gloria Patri.” It may have been very traditional, but I had never heard it before. And I didn’t understand it either.
● Yes, I got the part “glory be to the Father." But it was the ending: “world without end, amen.”
● What world?
● Without end? I thought Jesus was coming again!
● Later, a kind person explained to me that “World without end” simply means “Forever.”
● Aha! Glory be to the Father forever! That made sense.
I wonder if the same thing happens with the Lord's Prayer: like the child that thought the prayer went, “Our Father who art in heaven, HOWARD be thy name”! When we don’t understand, we tend to just mumble our way through and we don’t even think about what we are saying or doing. We repeat the Lord's Prayer until it becomes routine and dull.
I have found that when I think through and meditate on the meaning of what we do, the dull and routine can become fresh and alive. This helps me to stay fresh with most parts of worship. And this has especially helped me to appreciate the Lord’s Prayer, and more importantly, to really pray the Lord’s Prayer.
1. First, I want us to look at how Jesus begins the prayer: Father!
Maybe you remember 1 John 3:1.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
We are God’s children because we have been adopted into God's family. Of course, like so much else, the only reason we have been adopted into God's family is because of what Jesus has done for us. Jesus has opened the way so that we might share in his relationship with God the Father.
Jesus addressed God as Father using a special word: Abba.
● Abba is an Aramaic word. Aramaic was the day-to-day language of Palestine. It was the language that Jesus spoke in daily conversation.
● Abba was the most familiar term for father in Jewish family life and what small children used to address their father.
● Listen to a one-year-old, babbling away. Along with “mama” and “dada,” “Abba” is a word that her little mouth can say. It means “Papa" or even “Daddy.”
● When Jesus prayed, he prayed to “Abba.” Even when he struggled in Gethsemane on the eve of the crucifixion, he prayed, according to Mark 14:36, “Abba, Father.”
This way of addressing God so impressed Jesus’ disciples that this Aramaic word was remembered and passed on, even when Greek became the language of Christians in the early church. So Paul says in Galatians 4:6,
6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus invites us into a relationship with God as “Abba.” What difference does this make as we pray?
A. First, it means that as children of our Abba Father, we can pray simply and confidently.
Notice how short and simple the Lord’s Prayer is. It is anything but wordy; there is no flowery language. There is neither a special prayer language nor some kind of “holy” voice that you have to take on when you pray.
Jesus was speaking to this very issue in Matthew 6:7 and 8.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Jesus was talking to people like you and me who sometimes struggle with trust in God. “Do not keep on babbling like pagans"— Pagan counsel rests on the conviction that God is reluctant to listen to our prayers, and in fact that God had to be cajoled into listening.
It’s just as true today as then: people believe that the right tone of voice or flowing tears in the eyes is the way to get God’s attention. Jesus has some good news! We have been invited into an ABBA relationship with the Father. And as the children of our Abba, Father, we can pray simply and confidently!
To pray simply requires confidence and deep trust in the grace and mercy of God.
B. Because we pray simply and with confidence, we know that we can pray authentically.
Look at Matthew 6:5.
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
It is the preacher’s temptation when praying in public to speak to the human audience instead of to God. Jesus is not ruling out public prayer here. He prayed publicly on several occasions. He just saying that if you do so, make sure it’s prayer and not a public display of brilliant oratory or deep spiritual insight. Just be real!
We can pray about our real needs, big or small. In the Lord’s Prayer the petitions range from the Kingdom of God to bread. God cares about global issues and our simple, daily needs.
2. Let’s look at the next phrase in the Lord’s Prayer: hallowed be your name! Or, Father, uphold the holiness of your name.
Names are important in the Bible. A name carries a person’s character and reputation. The name of God is especially important.
● One of the Ten Commandments warns against misuse of God’s name. God's name is not a lucky charm, nor is it a weapon to be used in anger as a curse.
● To be baptized into Jesus’ name means that you now belong to him.
● To bow at the name of Jesus is an act of worship.
Jesus had a passion for the Father's honor! Jesus desires that we share that passion! And so, he teaches us to pray, “Father, uphold the holiness of your name!”
It’s a declaration of what we want to happen in our own lives and in the lives of those around us. But we are also asking God to do something. We are asking God to make his name holy.
First, we are asking God to renew my Christian life, making me a person that would honor him with my whole life.
“Lord, I want to turn away from the compromises and ‘idols’ that have crept into my life.”
We are the Father’s children. We bear the name of God's son. We are called Christians. We are called to live a life that reflects well on that name. We are asking that God to transform our lives so that we carry his name with integrity and honor. “Lord, may my life lead to your name being given holy honor.”
Next, this is a prayer that God would bring honor to his name among his people.
We pray to our Father and we are asking him to “uphold the holiness of your name among us.” We are praying that God would make for himself a people, a community that would honor him with their whole lives. When we pray it together, we are asking that Valley Grace (and all God’s people) would really be the church!
Thirdly, when we pray, “Father, uphold the holiness of your name,” we are asking God to spread honor to his name through us.
This, then, is a missionary prayer, an evangelistic prayer. “Hallowed be thy name in the lives of those in my family … my neighbors … my nation … my world.” Jesus wants us to grow in our passion for the honor of God’s name!
When God’s name is honored, God’s reign is present!
Finally, let's look the heart of Jesus prayer from Matthew's version:
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Lines two and three explain the first: When God's Kingdom is present, his will is done on earth, just as his will is always done— without interference— in heaven.
What is the kingdom of God? God so reigns in the lives of human beings and the affairs of the world so that God’s will is done. What does that mean?
● physically: no more sickness. Death is overcome!
● Economically and politically: God’s reign means the end of oppression, the weak are lifted up, the poor are fed and clothed, the oppressors are thrown down.
● It means the power of Satan is overcome. We are invited to pray big!
● Is there war brewing somewhere in the world? Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
● Is there a problem with drugs and violence in our city? Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
● Is there sickness that threatens to take the life of someone you love? Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
This, too, is a missionary prayer. It’s is God’s desire and purpose for all people to have the opportunity to know him. It’s God’s will that all of creation would bow before him as Lord. Like it says in Philippians 2:9-11.
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The prayer, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," will only be completely answered when Jesus returns.
• Then, Jesus will have first place in people’s hearts and lives! Every knee will bow to Jesus as Lord!
• Then, sin, Satan, sickness, and death will be defeated forever. Like Revelation 21:4-5 says,
4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
This is a big prayer— not a prayer for the timid! When we pray those words, we are asking God to take this world with its suffering and pain, its sin and oppression, and transform it into a world that reflects God’s will.
This, then, is Jesus' great passion: the Kingdom of God.
Jesus preached the Kingdom. Jesus healed to show that God's reign had come in power. And Jesus transformed lives. Like Zacchaeus:
Luke 19:9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
When the lost are found, when lives are saved by and for Jesus, then the Kingdom has come in power.
The cry for God's Kingdom is the heart of prayer. So, what I need is a passion for God's kingdom in my heart!
● Like Jesus, I want my focus to be seeking and saving the lost.
● Like Jesus, I want to be aware of those in need of freedom, of joy, of healing, and I want to be ready to pray that God would work in their lives.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:6,
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Lord, give me a passion for your Kingdom! Give me a passion for the lost! Lord, build my faith in your generosity and willingness to come to this place, in this time, in power!
The remainder of Jesus’ model prayer is about about living God’s reign as well.
3 Give us the bread we need for today.
When God reigns in our hearts there is trust— trust that God will provide.
Luke 12:22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
When God reigns, broken relationships are reconciled.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who has wronged us.
From the beginning, God has been seeking to restore broken relationships. When we receive God’s grace, and when we give that grace to others, we embody God’s reign.
When God reigns, there will be spiritual battles, but God is victor.
And don’t lead us into temptation.
From the beginning, God has been seeking to restore broken relationships. When we receive God’s grace, and when we give that grace to others, we embody God’s reign.
So remember as we prepare for the “Better Together” service projects: We are seeking to embody God’s reign.
Pastor Greg Smith
We are already well into planning for “Better Together.” One of the goals of the campaign is to serve the community and to do it together. We have been praying for and exploring ideas of what we could do. And if you have ideas we’d very much like to hear about it.
It’s got me thinking, “What’s the point?” Doing good things, being helpful, generous, all that is good. What’s so important about that?
Very simply put, we are continuing Jesus’ ministry.
Jesus’ ministry was focused on proclaiming God’s reign. “God’s Reign” is another way of saying the Kingdom of God: God powerfully present, changing lives, bringing peace.
Luke 4:16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus proclaimed God’s reign by his spoken message. Jesus also proclaimed—demonstrated— God’s reign through his actions.
• Healing the man with the withered hand.
• Healing the demon possessed man.
• Calming the storm.
• Lazarus.
We all know that actions can say much more than mere words alone. Actions give words authority. They show that a person is genuine.
Jesus’ model prayer is about praying for— and living out— God’s reign.
I really like the how Jesus’ prayer is translated in the new Common English Bible translation.
2 Jesus told them, “When you pray, say:
‘Father, uphold the holiness of your name.
Bring in your kingdom.
3 Give us the bread we need for today.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who has wronged us.
And don’t lead us into temptation.’ ”
Jesus gave us a powerful example as a person of prayer.
No one was closer to the Father than Jesus, yet he found extended time for prayer. It was on one of those occasions that the disciples came to Jesus with a request (verse 1):
“Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Jesus gave the disciples an extra-ordinarily brief prayer outline. Luke's version is the briefest of all:
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”
Matthew's version is just a little longer. It's in Matthew 6, beginning with verse 9.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘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 today 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 the evil one.’
And, of course, the traditional version, the version we often say together in worship, is just a little longer, mainly by adding an ending that rounds out the prayer:
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen."
Even very important things can become routine and boring just because we repeat them so often and sometimes without really understanding what we are doing.
● I remember becoming the pastor at St. Luke’s UMC in Richmond and every Sunday they would sing a response called the “Gloria Patri.” It may have been very traditional, but I had never heard it before. And I didn’t understand it either.
● Yes, I got the part “glory be to the Father." But it was the ending: “world without end, amen.”
● What world?
● Without end? I thought Jesus was coming again!
● Later, a kind person explained to me that “World without end” simply means “Forever.”
● Aha! Glory be to the Father forever! That made sense.
I wonder if the same thing happens with the Lord's Prayer: like the child that thought the prayer went, “Our Father who art in heaven, HOWARD be thy name”! When we don’t understand, we tend to just mumble our way through and we don’t even think about what we are saying or doing. We repeat the Lord's Prayer until it becomes routine and dull.
I have found that when I think through and meditate on the meaning of what we do, the dull and routine can become fresh and alive. This helps me to stay fresh with most parts of worship. And this has especially helped me to appreciate the Lord’s Prayer, and more importantly, to really pray the Lord’s Prayer.
1. First, I want us to look at how Jesus begins the prayer: Father!
Maybe you remember 1 John 3:1.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
We are God’s children because we have been adopted into God's family. Of course, like so much else, the only reason we have been adopted into God's family is because of what Jesus has done for us. Jesus has opened the way so that we might share in his relationship with God the Father.
Jesus addressed God as Father using a special word: Abba.
● Abba is an Aramaic word. Aramaic was the day-to-day language of Palestine. It was the language that Jesus spoke in daily conversation.
● Abba was the most familiar term for father in Jewish family life and what small children used to address their father.
● Listen to a one-year-old, babbling away. Along with “mama” and “dada,” “Abba” is a word that her little mouth can say. It means “Papa" or even “Daddy.”
● When Jesus prayed, he prayed to “Abba.” Even when he struggled in Gethsemane on the eve of the crucifixion, he prayed, according to Mark 14:36, “Abba, Father.”
This way of addressing God so impressed Jesus’ disciples that this Aramaic word was remembered and passed on, even when Greek became the language of Christians in the early church. So Paul says in Galatians 4:6,
6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus invites us into a relationship with God as “Abba.” What difference does this make as we pray?
A. First, it means that as children of our Abba Father, we can pray simply and confidently.
Notice how short and simple the Lord’s Prayer is. It is anything but wordy; there is no flowery language. There is neither a special prayer language nor some kind of “holy” voice that you have to take on when you pray.
Jesus was speaking to this very issue in Matthew 6:7 and 8.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Jesus was talking to people like you and me who sometimes struggle with trust in God. “Do not keep on babbling like pagans"— Pagan counsel rests on the conviction that God is reluctant to listen to our prayers, and in fact that God had to be cajoled into listening.
It’s just as true today as then: people believe that the right tone of voice or flowing tears in the eyes is the way to get God’s attention. Jesus has some good news! We have been invited into an ABBA relationship with the Father. And as the children of our Abba, Father, we can pray simply and confidently!
To pray simply requires confidence and deep trust in the grace and mercy of God.
B. Because we pray simply and with confidence, we know that we can pray authentically.
Look at Matthew 6:5.
And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
It is the preacher’s temptation when praying in public to speak to the human audience instead of to God. Jesus is not ruling out public prayer here. He prayed publicly on several occasions. He just saying that if you do so, make sure it’s prayer and not a public display of brilliant oratory or deep spiritual insight. Just be real!
We can pray about our real needs, big or small. In the Lord’s Prayer the petitions range from the Kingdom of God to bread. God cares about global issues and our simple, daily needs.
2. Let’s look at the next phrase in the Lord’s Prayer: hallowed be your name! Or, Father, uphold the holiness of your name.
Names are important in the Bible. A name carries a person’s character and reputation. The name of God is especially important.
● One of the Ten Commandments warns against misuse of God’s name. God's name is not a lucky charm, nor is it a weapon to be used in anger as a curse.
● To be baptized into Jesus’ name means that you now belong to him.
● To bow at the name of Jesus is an act of worship.
Jesus had a passion for the Father's honor! Jesus desires that we share that passion! And so, he teaches us to pray, “Father, uphold the holiness of your name!”
It’s a declaration of what we want to happen in our own lives and in the lives of those around us. But we are also asking God to do something. We are asking God to make his name holy.
First, we are asking God to renew my Christian life, making me a person that would honor him with my whole life.
“Lord, I want to turn away from the compromises and ‘idols’ that have crept into my life.”
We are the Father’s children. We bear the name of God's son. We are called Christians. We are called to live a life that reflects well on that name. We are asking that God to transform our lives so that we carry his name with integrity and honor. “Lord, may my life lead to your name being given holy honor.”
Next, this is a prayer that God would bring honor to his name among his people.
We pray to our Father and we are asking him to “uphold the holiness of your name among us.” We are praying that God would make for himself a people, a community that would honor him with their whole lives. When we pray it together, we are asking that Valley Grace (and all God’s people) would really be the church!
Thirdly, when we pray, “Father, uphold the holiness of your name,” we are asking God to spread honor to his name through us.
This, then, is a missionary prayer, an evangelistic prayer. “Hallowed be thy name in the lives of those in my family … my neighbors … my nation … my world.” Jesus wants us to grow in our passion for the honor of God’s name!
When God’s name is honored, God’s reign is present!
Finally, let's look the heart of Jesus prayer from Matthew's version:
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Lines two and three explain the first: When God's Kingdom is present, his will is done on earth, just as his will is always done— without interference— in heaven.
What is the kingdom of God? God so reigns in the lives of human beings and the affairs of the world so that God’s will is done. What does that mean?
● physically: no more sickness. Death is overcome!
● Economically and politically: God’s reign means the end of oppression, the weak are lifted up, the poor are fed and clothed, the oppressors are thrown down.
● It means the power of Satan is overcome. We are invited to pray big!
● Is there war brewing somewhere in the world? Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
● Is there a problem with drugs and violence in our city? Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
● Is there sickness that threatens to take the life of someone you love? Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
This, too, is a missionary prayer. It’s is God’s desire and purpose for all people to have the opportunity to know him. It’s God’s will that all of creation would bow before him as Lord. Like it says in Philippians 2:9-11.
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The prayer, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," will only be completely answered when Jesus returns.
• Then, Jesus will have first place in people’s hearts and lives! Every knee will bow to Jesus as Lord!
• Then, sin, Satan, sickness, and death will be defeated forever. Like Revelation 21:4-5 says,
4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”
This is a big prayer— not a prayer for the timid! When we pray those words, we are asking God to take this world with its suffering and pain, its sin and oppression, and transform it into a world that reflects God’s will.
This, then, is Jesus' great passion: the Kingdom of God.
Jesus preached the Kingdom. Jesus healed to show that God's reign had come in power. And Jesus transformed lives. Like Zacchaeus:
Luke 19:9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
When the lost are found, when lives are saved by and for Jesus, then the Kingdom has come in power.
The cry for God's Kingdom is the heart of prayer. So, what I need is a passion for God's kingdom in my heart!
● Like Jesus, I want my focus to be seeking and saving the lost.
● Like Jesus, I want to be aware of those in need of freedom, of joy, of healing, and I want to be ready to pray that God would work in their lives.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:6,
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Lord, give me a passion for your Kingdom! Give me a passion for the lost! Lord, build my faith in your generosity and willingness to come to this place, in this time, in power!
The remainder of Jesus’ model prayer is about about living God’s reign as well.
3 Give us the bread we need for today.
When God reigns in our hearts there is trust— trust that God will provide.
Luke 12:22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
When God reigns, broken relationships are reconciled.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who has wronged us.
From the beginning, God has been seeking to restore broken relationships. When we receive God’s grace, and when we give that grace to others, we embody God’s reign.
When God reigns, there will be spiritual battles, but God is victor.
And don’t lead us into temptation.
From the beginning, God has been seeking to restore broken relationships. When we receive God’s grace, and when we give that grace to others, we embody God’s reign.
So remember as we prepare for the “Better Together” service projects: We are seeking to embody God’s reign.