Harvest Pointe Christian Church, Milford Ohio is a non-denominational Christian Church (Church of Christ) on the Eastside of Cincinnati OH

Seeking God's Will | Series: Teach me to Pray | 03-07-10

Seeking God's Will
(Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done)
Series: Teach Me to Pray (The Lord's Prayer)
Matthew 6:10

Public Prayer - Matthew 6:5-6
Private Prayer
Continuous Prayer - I Thessalonians 5:17;

Matthew 6:9-10

 I. Your Kingdom come. Matthew 3:2, Mark 9:1

    The Church is the kingdom. Colossians 1:9-14

II. Your will be done. I John 5:14-15; James 5:16; Romans 8:28; Ephesians 3:20; Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 12:2

    A. Pray for God's will to be done in our Church. Acts 4:19-21, 29 

    B. Pray for God's will to be done in our Country. I Timothy 2:1-3

    C. Pray for God's will to be done in Haiti.

    D. Pray for God's will to be done in your life. Ephesians 1:11; Philippians 2:13; Ephesians 2:10; Matthew 26:39,42

Full Text 

We're in a series on what is often called "Lord's Prayer.  In reality it is a model of prayer that Jesus gave.  Most people want to grow in their prayer life, so we are seeing what Jesus said on the topic.
Now, there are 3 different types of prayer.  There's Public Prayer.  We have several people here who will lead in prayer during a worship service.  All of them are not comfortable doing it, but they do it.  There are others who would not lead a prayer during a worship service, but will in one of our small group settings.  I hope that those people will gain confidence and one day be leading prayers in worship services.
When we lead in public prayer we need to be aware that the thoughts are for everyone there.  And when someone leads in prayer all of us join together, sending the same thoughts to God.  All of us are uplifted and God honors the requests.
Now, in Jesus' day there were people who would go out into the busy streets to pray so everyone could see how spiritual they were.  So Jesus said in Matthew 6:5-6, "5And 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 men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Now, Jesus is not saying that we should never lead in public prayer.  For one thing, Jesus often led in public prayer.  So we know he was not against it.  Also, the hypocrites were not leading others in talking to God.  It was simply a one man show.
Which brings us to Private Prayer.  God has wired each of us differently.  Just like there are some here that will never lead in public prayer.  And even so, people approach their private prayer in different ways. 
Personally, I just talk to God.  Sometimes I use a list to jog my memory, but most of the time I don't.  Depending on my schedule, sometimes it is in the bathroom, sometimes in my office, and sometimes it is kneeling at the bottom of our stairs.
There is one man that takes an hour long prayer walk every morning.  I couldn't do that.  I would be too distracted.  My mind would focus on something and the prayer would be gone. 
My brother-in-law journals.  He writes everything down every day.  I can't write or type nearly as fast as I think and it would distract me.  Besides, I hate to write.  It would be difficult for me to not be internally grumbling when I was supposed to be talking to God.
God made us all different and we need to do what works for us.  I'm a morning person and I'm most effective in the morning.  I have friends that their most effective time is at night.  You see, we are all different.  You need to do what and when works for you.
And then there's what some call Continuous Prayer.  I Thessalonians 5:17 says simply, "Pray continually."  The Quakers used to call it "practicing the presence of God." I like that.
This is a mainstay for me.  All through the day, whatever you are doing or is happening, talk to God about it.  I pray while driving.  I praise God for His creation and ask for safety for my family and ask God to be with Marsha as she teaches, that she can touch young lives.  I pray as I work.  I pray for the company and people and what I'm doing.  I prayed as I came up here!  Pray continually.
Our goal in this series is to help each one of us to grow in our prayer life.  Last week we looked at the opening phrase of Jesus' model prayer.  In Matthew 6:9 Jesus began, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."  Prayer begins with an understanding of the nature of God.  He is our loving Father that we respect and praise.
This week we're considering the next phrase.  Jesus continued in Matthew 6:10, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

I. Your Kingdom come. 

Cultures sometimes look at things differently.  In Thailand I spoke to a distraught father.  No man was ever going to even look at his daughter.  She would never be married.  No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fatten her up!  She was too thin!
The reality is that she has a very sweet personality, is highly intelligent, was in law school, and for our culture, has a nice figure.  But in their culture, where people do not eat as well as we do, the heavier the woman, the more honored the man because he was providing for her well.  I sometimes had to explain to people that I am not a wealthy person!!  Don't know why they kept assuming that!  Also, older people are respected in Thailand.
In our culture we try to imitate the "twiggy"-type models.  Twiggy was an extremely thin super-model a few years back.  And we worship youth and try to hold on to our youth.  Cultures have differences.
When it comes to this phrase in Jesus' prayer, there is a subtle difference in how we view the word, "Kingdom".  When you hear the word, "Kingdom", what pops into your mind first?  A castle in the middle of a city surrounded by huge stone walls and the country governed by the king?  When our culture thinks of kingdom we think of geography first, don't we.  We think of the subjects of the kingdom secondly. 
If you were to take a trip to China, you would still be an American!  If you go to Mexico, you are still an American.  If you fly to England, you are still an American!  No matter where you are, you are still an American and your allegiance is still to America.  You are the kingdom of America.
In New Testament culture, "kingdom" brought to mind the subjects first.  The kingdom was the people, wherever they were!  If they were governed by the king, they were the kingdom.
Now, let's bring that thinking to God's kingdom.  Jesus said to pray to God, "Your kingdom come".  In the Gospels alone, the four books about the life of Jesus, 114 times we see kingdom, kingdom of Heaven, and kingdom of God.
John the Baptist who prepared the way for Jesus, preached in the Gospel of Matthew 3:2, "…Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."  This is shortly before Jesus began His ministry.  The kingdom was near. 
In Mark 9:1, Jesus told His disciples, "… 'I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.'"  The kingdom was going to come during the lifetimes of all but one of the 12 disciples.
So, what is this kingdom of God that everyone was talking about?  What is it that is so important that it is talked about over 100 times in the Gospels alone?  If God is the King, then those He governs, His people, are the kingdom.  Who are God's people that were to come?  Remember, this is before Jesus died and rose again.  This is before the beginning of the Church.
Isn't the Church God's people?  Aren't we the one's who give our allegiance to God?  The Church is the kingdom that was to come.  We are the kingdom.  The kingdom is NOW!  In Colossians 1:9-14 the apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Colosse, "9…we have not stopped praying for you…joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."  Two kingdoms are at war.  We were prisoners in Satan's kingdom of darkness, but we have been rescued from Satan's kingdom and brought into God's kingdom, the Church.  The Church is the kingdom.
Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:10, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

II. Your will be done.

This is a very difficult part of Jesus' prayer.  It is so often over-looked.  We are to pray according to God's will.  The word, "Will" means decision, desire, want, or even command.  We are to pray that what is God's desire, what God decides, what God wants, what God commands, is what will be done.
You see, prayer is not just asking God for things we want.  It includes that.  But we begin with an attitude of respect and praise and then we seek God's will.  A part of prayer is aligning our wants with God's wants.  I John 5:14-15 tells us, "14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him."
John begins by writing that we have confidence in approaching God.  You know that something will happen when you pray.  James writes in James 5:16,
"…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."  You can be confident that your prayers are effective and powerful!
Now, asking according to God's will means that God does not always answer prayer just the way we ask it.  God answers our prayers according to His will, what is best.
We all hit periods in life where it seems that God just isn't listening to us.  It seems like we are praying and nothing is happening.  During those times we need to grab hold of Romans 8:28 and not let go.  Romans 8:28 promises us, "And we know that in all things [even the bad things.  In all things] God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
We can have confidence that even when it seems like God isn't listening He is, and John promises, in Verse 15, "And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him."  When we align our will, our wants and desires, with God's will, God's wants and desires, & commands, that's when things happen in prayer.

I don't know who came up with this but someone said, God answers prayer in one of four ways:  "Yes," "No," "Wait," and "You've got to be kidding!!"
Sometimes God says, "Yes" and as Ephesians 3:20 says, He does "immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine".
Sometimes God tenderly says, "No.  I know this would be good in the short run, but it is not what is best in the long run."
Sometimes God says, "Wait.  This is good, but the timing is off.  Later."
And sometimes God has to be sitting on His throne, laughing his head off saying, "You've got to be kidding!  If you only knew what I have in store for you, you would know how silly that request is!"
God has good things in store for you.  In Jeremiah 29:11 we read, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"  Even though it may not seem like it at the moment, God has great plans for you.  Whatever you are going through, God can use it for good.  Your tough times may be what helps someone else through a difficult time.  Maybe you can touch lives that no one else can.
In Romans 12:2 we learn, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will."  Even when life is tough, ultimately, God's will is good.
Sunday night, the small group at Dustin and Annette's was very interesting.  People shared experiences where they had prayed for something and were disappointed and even confused.  But later they that found God had something even better waiting for them.  Know that whether God answers your prayers yes, no, or wait, it is because He knows what is best.
With that in mind, we should
A. Pray for God's will to be done in our Church.

Remember: God is the King.  We are the Kingdom-the people He rules over.  Pray for the Church as a whole.  Seek God's guidance as we move forward.  Pray for the Leadership Committee.  Ask God to lead you as you do your part.  Pray for the growth of the Church as each person is precious to Jesus.
And pray for the individuals of the Church.  We have people who have loved ones who are ill and injured.  We have people looking for jobs.  We have people with family that disappoints.  There are those who are struggling financially.  Some have physical problems. 
And pray for the spiritual growth of the Church.  Have you ever lived in an older house?  It seems like every time you turn around something else needs fixed?  You fix the plumbing and replace the hot water heater.  You fix the electric.  Then you need to replace the windows and the roof.  After that is the floor and it never ends.  You live in the house but it seems like it is constantly under-construction.  It's your home but it's not yet what it's going to be.
I hate to say it, but that is just the way the Christian life is.  Jesus intended the church to be a community of people who acknowledge him as King and are completely submissive to his will, but the church is under-construction.  It's imperfect.  It's incomplete. 
But, the Church as a whole and as individuals should be continually improving and becoming more and more like the ideal.  Someone prayed, "I want to thank you, Lord, for being close to me so far this day. With your help I have not been impatient, lost my temper, been grumpy, judgmental or envious of anyone. But I'll be getting out of bed in a minute and I think I'll really need your help then."
Have you ever felt that way?  We don't wait until we have our lives in order before we give our lives to Christ.  We give ourselves to Him and then He helps us grow into our potential.  As long as we see progress, we need to be content with God's leading in our lives and in our Church.  Don't expect perfection over night.  Don't expect every moment to be a feel-good moment.  Making Jesus King of your life is not always easy.  Praying for His will to be done is not always convenient.
Last week we saw the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray.  They learned their lesson well.  Throughout the book of Acts, the early history of the Church, we find them praying and there was power in their prayer. 
For instance, soon after the Church began, Peter and John were arrested for preaching about the resurrection of Jesus.  They were commanded not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.  In Acts 4:19-20, "19… Peter and John replied, 'Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. 20For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.'"  Now, notice Verse 21, realizing that this is the same political power that had Jesus crucified.  "After further threats they let them go."
Ok.  Your life has just been threatened by people who have already murdered someone.  Now what do you do?  Well, the church gathered for a prayer meeting.  What would you be praying for, if you were there?  I think I would have been praying for protection!  But they didn't.  They prayed for God's will to be done.  In Acts 4:29 they prayed, "Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness."  And they went out and turned the world upside down!  It wasn't easy.  They all sacrificed for the Kingdom.  But they were awesome!  It is because of them that we are here today!  God's will for their lives was hard, but it was good.  And when we ask for God's will to be done in our Church, it may not be easy.  It may take sacrifice.  But it will be awesome!
In our text for today Jesus taught us to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."  We need to pray for God's will to be done on this earth.  That means we need to
B. Pray for God's will to be done in our Country.

In I Timothy 2:1-3 the apostle Paul wrote, "1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone- 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3This is good, and pleases God our Savior."
Our great nation is at a fork in the road.  Pray that we will return to the principles that made us strong.  Pray for our leaders, that they may have wisdom and make wise decisions.  Pray that we once again be known as a Christian nation.  May God's will be done in our country.

C. Pray for God's will to be done in Haiti.

If you have followed the updates, you know that large numbers of people are turning to the Lord.  May this terrible earthquake lead to many more in the Kingdom.  Pray for our people who are going there soon.  Ask God to bless them, to grant them safety and effectiveness.
And,
D. Pray for God's will to be done in your life.

Ephesians 1:11 says, "In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will."  Now, we're not saying that God has every detail of your life every day preprogrammed.  But God does have an overall plan for your life.  He has a reason for you to be alive right now.  There's something that he wants you to do to contribute to his plan.
Philippians 2:13 says, "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose."  Now, some of you know exactly what God's purpose for you is, and that's great.  But some of you haven't a clue, and you may not know until eternity.  You just have to trust God to lead you and that He can use you wherever you are.  There are lives you are influencing.  Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  It may not be easy.  Life may get tough.  But God will work good from your life.
Jesus not only taught us to pray, "Your will be done."  He showed us how.  Just before He was arrested and went to the cross, Jesus took His disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane and we read in Matthew 26:39, "Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.'"  Jesus was looking for another way, a way other than the cross to save us.  But He prayed, "Not as I will, but as you will."
Jesus returned to His disciples, but they were sleeping.  So Jesus went back a 2nd time and prayed, in Verse 42, "…My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."  Jesus said, "God, I don't want to go through this!  But your will be done."
And a 3rd time Jesus prayed the same thing.  It was hard.  Jesus didn't want to go through the pain.  But He loves you so much, He did it any way.  It was God's good, pleasing, and perfect will.
If you haven't surrendered your life to Christ, I know that is God's will for your life.  If you are ready to do so right now, come forward as we sing and we'll help you every step of the way.  Or if you would like to place your membership with us, come as we stand and sing.

Based on a 09/22/1999 sermon by Bob Russell of South East Christian Church, Louisville, Kentucky.