The Lord’s Prayer
5-18-2011 Vol. 4 Part 6
Psalm 35:1-9 NKJV A Psalm of David. Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, And stand up for my help. Also draw out the spear, And stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, "I am your salvation." Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor Who seek after my life; Let those be turned back and brought to confusion Who plot my hurt. Let them be like chaff before the wind, And let the angel of the LORD chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery, And let the angel of the LORD pursue them. For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, Which they have dug without cause for my life. Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly, And let his net that he has hidden catch himself; Into that very destruction let him fall. And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD; It shall rejoice in His salvation. Father God you are an awesome God and words can’t describe you. Send your Spirit to teach us how to pray in a fashion that pleases you and gives you all the Glory. Thank you Jesus! Amen!
Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven.
What is this part of the Lord’s Prayer all about? There is a lot of thoughts and meanings contained in this statement. Basically it is all about our priorities in life. What we place first in our life, how we look at life and what we do, and aligning our will with God’s will. Here is a letter written to Ann Lander, in which Ann nailed the root of the problem this time.
Dear Ann Lander: I hesitate to write to you about this because the questions sound stupid, but I need advice.
I’m a 38-year-old man, happily married for eight years, and have two young daughters. I’ve been at my job since 1974, the year after I graduated from college. It’s not the biggest business of its kind, but it’s been good to me and I’ve become the proverbial big fish in a small pond.
The problem is this: Over the years I’ve run into several college buddies, and most of them have done much better financially and career-wise than I have. When I compare my accomplishment to theirs, I always come up short and wind up feeling inferior and depressed.
I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t been as aggressive as some of the guys I used to run around with. I should tell you that I’ve turned down a couple of job offers with better pay in order to stay in this city with my family, because we like it here. I also confess that I lack self-confidence.
I’ve never attended a college reunion because I feel like a failure around these guys. I haven’t spoken to the ones who were my closest friends in 15 years because I’m ashamed to tell them I’m still at my first job. To be perfectly honest, an 8-year-old car doesn’t quite cut the same swath as a new BMW or Ford Taurus.
How can I prove to my old college friends that I’m not a loser? What can I do to how them I’m OK, too?
Dear Class of ’73: Since when does having a new BMW or Ford Taurus and a sizable bank account make a man a big success? You need to sit back and take a good look at your priorities, mister.
It sounds as if that “small pond” suits you just fine, so stop looking longingly at the ocean where life might be much more hazardous and not nearly as rewarding. All that glitters is not gold. The guys you are envying may be envying you.
From time to time we all get down and start feeling our life isn’t what we think it should be. When this happens we need to take a time out and sit back and reflect on what is presently going on in our life, what our past has been, and where we need to be. In other words, what’s our present priorities in life? Is our will aligned with God’s will? How do we set our priorities? How do we know which priorities we can let slide? What Jesus taught the apostles in the Lord’s Prayer, also applies to us and how we are to pray God’s priorities that he has for each and every one of us. “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. Since I’ve started praying and living in a fashion of letting God’s will take control of my life, I’ve been blessed many times over with joy, contentment, peacefulness, etc. With God in control you have peace and comfort knowing that all things will work out, there is no need for worry. Proverbs 12:25 NKJV Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad. Luke 12:22 NKJV Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Phillipians 4:6-7 NKJV Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
When you pray “Thy kingdom come”, what does that mean? It has a twofold meaning. First as a Christian you have the kingdom of God living in your heart. You are asking God to reign in your life with Heaven’s principles and purposes to be part of your daily living. Being a Born Again Christian you experience a touch of what Heaven will be like. How can this be you ask? It is because Jesus is in control of your life and you don’t have to worry about anything. The Holy Spirit is living within us, our body is a temple. 1 Corinthians 3:16 NKJV Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? When I lost my job in December of 2009, I had a calm peaceful reassuring feeling, knowing God would provide for me. This kind of experience is a small taste of Heaven and what it will be like.
The second thing this statement means is asking for Jesus to come and reign on earth, which he will some day. With current day events I don’t think that day is far off. Jesus second coming will be when he returns on a white horse with his saints and the battle of Armageddon takes place. Right after Jesus and his army of saints wipe out all the sinful people and locks Satan up, then the millennial reign begins. During this millennial reign, Jesus is the ruler.
Here is a couple scripture describing what it will be like during those 1,000 years. Isaiah 2:4 NKJV He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. Isaiah 11:6-8 NKJV "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den.
Not only are we praying for God’s kingdom, we are also praying for God’s will to be done. When we say, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Do you think that pertains to you? Have you ever thought about what that really means? Praying for God’s will could be a frightening concept for some people. Some people might think they could end up in some mission field abroad. Here again it has two meanings, one being that God will rule here on earth, just like he is ruling in Heaven. We are praying for that to take place. It also means for God to rule you in your life. How can we ask God to come and rule over earth when we won’t give our heart to Jesus and allow the spirit of God to come and live inside us. If we are serious about this part of the prayer, shouldn’t it start with us by being Born Again and start walking in a Christ like manner? If God would answer the prayer today it wouldn’t be a pretty sight. God hates sin and since we all are born with the sin nature, there would be a lot of people wiped out. Would you be ready for something like that? If you’re Born Again you wouldn’t have to worry about that, so I have to ask you this. Are you Spiritually Born?
Just how is the will of God done in Heaven? Haven’t really thought about that have you? If God tells an angel to go do something, do you think the angel replies gee God can’t you get Gabriel or Michael to do that? They are a lot better than me, or do you think when God commands something to be done it is done without hesitation? I think they are done without any hesitation, questions asked, whining, and in a joyful manner. They do it because of the authority God has, after all they were just given a command by God almighty, creator of all things. God is omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (all present), and omnipotent (all powerful). He is the alpha and the omega, Revelation 1:8 NASB "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
If we are praying that God’s will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, then shouldn’t we as Christians be modeling that kind of obedience at home, work, church, etc.? After all we will be doing things for God in Heaven, we won’t just be sitting around doing nothing. If we don’t respect authority here on earth, then we are disobeying God here on earth. Titus 3:1 NKJV Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, Rom 13:1-7 NKJV Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. 1 Peter 2:13-17 If we are being disobedient to God by not respecting authority, aren’t we sinning? Will people living in sin go to Heaven? No, they won’t, and besides why would God want anyone in Heaven that won’t obey and respect authority? If you have issues with authority, it might be time to ask Jesus to come into your heart and allow his will to rule you. This is the only way to conquer sin and get to Heaven. John 3:17 NKJV For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God!
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth,
Unless you are Born Again, you cannot enter into Heaven, the Kingdom of God."
Bill
Last Week’s Trivia: How did the death of Absalom actually happen? By neck or hair?
Answer: Read the verses below and decide for yourself. I personally think the massive head of hair that he had, got tangled in the thick boughs of the tree. Being a horseback rider and riding through thick timber I’ve had to duck under tree branches and sometimes I think I’m low enough, but still snag my hat or jacket. The head of hair that Absalom had, must have stuck up enough where it could have very easily gotten tangled in the branches. After all it does state in verse 9, thick boughs/branches. So what he was riding through was very dense. Two hundred shekels calculates out to be over 5 pounds.
2 Samuel 14:26 NKJV And when he cut the hair of his head—at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him—when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king's standard.
2 Samuel 18:9 NKJV Then Absalom met the servants of David. Absalom rode on a mule. The mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth tree, and his head caught in the terebinth; so he was left hanging between heaven and earth. And the mule which was under him went on.
Samuel 18:9 NLT During the battle, Absalom happened to come upon some of David's men. He tried to escape on his mule, but as he rode beneath the thick branches of a great tree, his hair got caught in the tree. His mule kept going and left him dangling in the air.
This week’s Trivia: What kind of rock killed Goliath?
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