Our Saviors Pattern for Prayer Part 1

By David Harrell Bible Text: Preached on: Matthew 6:9-13 Sunday !une " "#13

Calvary Bible Church $"%$ Hi&hway %1-' !oelton () 3*#+# Website: Online Sermons: www,-.-tn,or& www,ser/onaudio,-o/0*%6%1$6

1e -ontinue our study this /ornin& of Prayer, So if you will ta2e your Bi.les turn to Matthew 6, 1e are &oin& to .e loo2in& at a se-tion fro/ !esus Ser/on on the Mount that is in-luded in -ha3ters $-* of Matthew, 's we -ontinue to understand not only our Saviors 3rayer life .ut the 3attern of 3rayer that he has &iven to ea-h of us, Before we loo2 at this te4t -losely /ay 5 re/ind you that we are really in a series where were -ontinuin& to understand &reat .i.li-al truths that are essential to s3iritual &rowth and develo3/ent, S3iritual i//aturity is ra/3ant in evan&eli-alis/ today, 'nd one of the surest /ar2s of s3iritual i//aturity is our ina.ility to see it in ourselves, 5n fa-t the s3iritual .a.e will .e 6uite 3roud of his or her s3iritual 3rowess and that is the very essen-e of hy3o-risy, Bi.li-ally /aturity is /easured .y our love for 7od .y our willin&ness to 2ee3 his -o//and/ents es3e-ially our -o//it/ent to the &reat -o//and/ent as well as the &reat -o//ission, But /y friends s3iritual /aturity -an .e /ost effe-tively /easured .y our se-ret devotion to 7od in 3rayer, My friends who you are alone with 7od reveals who you really are, 8ou /i&ht .e a.le to fool a lot of 3eo3le .ut you dont fool 7od and there is no 3retendin& in the 3resen-e of our own -ons-ien-e, 5f you are a stran&er to 3rivate worshi3 if you have no ha.it of 3rivate 3rayer if you have no real lon&in& to -o//une with 7od in 3rayer the lover of your soul then you are a s3iritual .a.e and you have no .usiness fran2ly servin& in any tea-hin& -a3a-ity within the -hur-h .e-ause youre o3eratin& in the flesh not in the S3irit, 1e have learned thus far four &reat lessons fro/ our Saviors se-ret devotion to 7od in 3rayer, 9ast wee2 we loo2ed at Mar2 1:3$-39 and there we learned that 3rayer reveals an intense lon&in& to -o//une with 7od, 1e learned that 3rayer should .e the first 3riority to 3re3are our day, 1e also learned that solitude is really the san-tuary of 3rayer and that 3rayer is as i/3ortant in ti/es of .lessin& as it is in ti/es of distress, But now we -o/e to this issue of how we are to 3ray, 8ou /i&ht want to as2 yourself 1hat is the ty3i-al -ontent of /y 3rayer of /y 3rayer life: ;or /ost 3eo3le it .e&ins with a &eneral than2 you and then it very 6ui-2ly /oves to soli-itin& 7ods hel3 for 3hysi-al needs, Most of the ti/e si-2ness do/inates 3rayer re6uests es3e-ially on 1ednesday ni&hts, By nature we tend to loo2 to 7od for our 3hysi-al needs far /ore than our s3iritual needs, Seldo/ do we 3ray for 3ersonal holiness or for useful servi-e or for .oldness in evan&elis/ or for ri-her fellowshi3 with <hrist .e-ause a&ain .y nature

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our flesh tends to loo2 at our needs /u-h /ore than the needs of others and the &lory of 7od, 'nd unfortunately very often our 3rayers -an .e ritualisti- they -an .e re3etitious they -an .e rather /e-hani-al and throu&hout the Ser/on on the Mount !esus denoun-es hy3o-risy .e-ause 7od hates ritualisti- -ere/onial reli&ion, He hates that .e-ause its 3hony, 5t 3rovides /erely an illusion of s3irituality, 5t /i&ht .e i/3ressive to na=ve 3eo3le that are o.servin& it .ut its not to 7od, 'nd unfortunately /any ti/es this is /anifested in our 3rayers, 5 re/e/.er when 5 was a youn& /an a-tually a little .oy durin& the 1ednesday ni&ht 3rayer /eetin&s 5 would sit with so/e of the other little .oys and we would do so/ethin& that 5/ not re-o//endin& for you -hildren to do .ut we would -ount all of the >Dear 9ords? in one /ans 3rayer and for others it was >;ather 7od ? for others it was >O 9ord ? for others it was >Sweet !esus,? ;or e4a/3le the /an would 3ray >Dear 9ord we than2 you for this day dear 9ord and dear 9ord we than2 you for the o33ortunity to -o/e to&ether dear 9ord with all of these 3eo3le dear 9ord, 'nd dear 9ord we 3ray for our /issionaries dear 9ord that you would 3rote-t the/ dear 9ord,? 'nd we would @ust start -ountin& the/, 1ell unfortunately su-h fli33ant re3etitions really .etray a 3hony senti/entalis/ desi&ned to 3ortray fervent love and its si-2enin& to those who are listenin&, 'nd /y friends it is offensive to 7od, 5 /i&ht also add that it .etrays a heart that is a stran&er to 7od in 3rayer, 1e never tal2 to ea-h other that way why would we tal2 to 7od that way: 5n Matthew 6:* !esus said >1hen you are 3rayin& do not use /eanin&less re3etition ? /eanin& thou&htless -hatter the /indless re3etition of s3iritual-soundin& words and 3hrases its offensive to 7od, By the way we see this es3e-ially in the e-stati- &i..erish in the Pente-ostal /ove/ent the <haris/ati- /ove/ent as well as other 3a&an reli&ions where Satan loves to de-eive and i/3ress other 3eo3le, But in !esus day Aa..ini- tradition had turned 3rayer into a reli&ious theatri-al 3erfor/an-e, 5t was /erely a /eanin&less ritual and /ay.e it is for you at ti/es as well, (he 3eo3le for the /ost 3art @ust /e/oriBed the 3rayers that they would 3rayer or they would read the/, Most fol2s durin& this ti/e 3rayed three ti/es a day: at 9 at 1" and at 3 3/, Ae&ardless of where they were they would 3ray, (hey would /indlessly re3eat the She/a whi-h is 3raise >Hear O 5srael the 9ord is our 7od the 9ord is One,? 'nd the really devout !ews would re3eat the She/oneh Csrei whi-h is the 1+ whi-h is a -o/3osite of 1+ 3rayers that they would 3ray for various o--asions, But none of this was an e43ression of the heart, 5n fa-t it was @ust a ritual and they would even rattle it off as fast as they -ould and then feel 3roud that they had 3rayed, But O dear friends the S-ri.es and the Pharisees now they -o/3eted for the '-ade/y 'wards, (hey were not /en of 7od .ut a-tors loo2in& for a sta&e loo2in& for an audien-e, (hey would loudly enun-iate every sylla.le when they 3rayed and they would always do it for an audien-e, 'nd the lon&er they 3rayed the .etter, 5n fa-t !esus

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e43osed the/ in Mar2 1":%# des-ri.in& the/ as those who >for a33earan-eDs sa2e offer lon& 3rayers,E So what we have here in Matthew 6 es3e-ially verse $-+ is !esus addressin& this issue of hy3o-riti-al 3rayin&, Ferse + he says therefore >do not .e li2e the/,? 5n other words li2e the hy3o-rites who are .ein& li2e the 7entile li2e the idolaters that would use /eanin&less re3etition .elievin& that so/ehow this would i/3ress 7od and &et an answer fro/ hi/, He &oes on to say >for your ;ather 2nows what you need .efore you as2 hi/,? 5snt that a/aBin& our ;ather 2nows .etter than us what we need to 3ray for, 5 /i&ht add that 3rayer is not /erely infor/in& 7od of that whi-h he does not already 2now nor is it -a@olin& an indifferent heavenly ;ather to &et hi/ to so/ehow hel3 us when hes relu-tantly not willin& to do so .ut rather 3rayer is an o33ortunity to &lorify 7od see2in& to ali&n our wills with his, 5t reveals our trust in his a.solute soverei&nty, 5t reveals our faith in his 3erfe-t will, 5t reveals our de3enden-e u3on his /er-y and &ra-e, ;or this reason !esus said in !ohn 1%:13 >1hatever you as2 in /y na/e that 5 will do that the ;ather /i&ht .e &lorified in the Son,? 5f you as2 anythin& in /y na/e 5 will do it, )ow this doesnt /ean that you @ust /indlessly ta-2 on the end of your 3rayer >5n !esus na/e? as if its so/e ritualisti- for/ula, 1hen he says >/y na/e ? hes .asi-ally sayin& >5 want you to as2 2nowin& that .e-ause of /y na/e .e-ause of who 5 a/ you have a.solute -onfiden-e in the totality of /y attri.utes that is in-luded in /y na/e, My na/e en-o/3asses the su/ of all of /y &lorious attri.utes, (he self-revelation of all of /y wor2s,? So when we 3ray in his na/e were .asi-ally sayin& >5 as2 these thin&s .ased on the -onfiden-e that 5 have in the totality of who you are that is en-a3sulated within your na/e,? So we want to .e -areful not to 3ray with hy3o-risy we want to 3ray with full -onfiden-e that our ;ather 2nows what we need .efore we as2 hi/ and then in our fee.leness we -an -ry out to hi/, 'nd isnt it interestin& that /any ti/es we dont really 2now what to 3ray how to 3ray yet were -o/forted 2nowin& a--ordin& to Ao/ans + .e&innin& in verse "6 that the S3irit also hel3s our wea2nesses, 5snt that 3re-ious to 2now: (he S3irit also hel3s our wea2nesses, He inter-edes for the saints a--ordin& to the will of 7od, So we have this /arvelous -on-e3t here this /arvelous .lessin& this /arvelous o33ortunity to -o/e .efore the 9ord in 3rayer, 1e have a--ess into the 3resen-e of 7od we -an -o/e .oldly .efore his throne .e-ause we have .een hidden in <hrist and then the S3irit who dwells within us hel3s ali&n our wills with the will of the ;ather, )ow 3rayer was a hu&e 3riority in the life of !esus and the dis-i3les saw this, 5n fa-t we learn in 9u2e 11:1 that the dis-i3les -o/e to !esus and they as2 hi/ to tea-h the/ how to 3ray and he then 3ro-eeds to re3eat the sa/e .asi- 3attern for 3rayer that we have here in Matthew, )ow .efore we loo2 at this let /e re/ind you that he did not tea-h the/ a 3rayer, He tau&ht the/ a /odel or a 3attern for 3rayer, Many ti/es this is -alled the

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9ords Prayer .ut its really the dis-i3les 3rayer a /odel of 3rayer for all of us, 'nd 5 find it sta&&erin& to thin2 that in *# words our 7od is a.le to -o/3rehensively arti-ulate every -on-eiva.le ele/ent of &enuine 3rayer that is honorin& to hi/, )ow lets read what !esus told the/ and what he tells us, Matthew 6:9 >Pray then in this way : DOur ;ather who art in heaven Hallowed .e (hy na/e, (hy 2in&do/ -o/e, (hy will .e done On earth as it is in heaven, 7ive us this day our daily .read, 'nd for&ive us our de.ts as we also have for&iven our de.tors, 'nd do not lead us into te/3tation .ut deliver us fro/ evil, ;or (hine is the 2in&do/ and the 3ower and the &lory forever, '/en,? Here we have an outline that is very easy for us to re/e/.er and 5 want to .rea2 it down for you, 5ts divided into two very easy se-tions ea-h havin& three 3etitions, Se-tion one addresses 7ods &lory in verses 9-1#, (hese are areas of 3raise and 3etitions re&ardin& his na/e his 2in&do/ and his will, 'nd then se-tion two addresses our needs in verses 11-13, Petitions re&ardin& daily .read in other words our de3enden-e on 7od for today, (he issue of for&iveness our de.ts to 7od and also issues of 3rote-tion fro/ te/3tation where we 3lead for our defense .y 7od, 'nd 5 want you to noti-e the 3erfe-t .alan-e that the 9ord &ives us here a .alan-e of 7ods &lory and our needs, Gsually in our 3rayers we are out of .alan-e, 5ts /u-h /ore a.out ourselves a.out our needs than the &lory of 7od, Fery often our lives are very self--entered not 7od--entered and we fo-us /ore on ourselves than we do on hi/, )ow 5 want to -aution you here this is not to su&&est that every ti/e you 3ray you -over ea-h 3oint of this outline, '&ain noti-e he doesnt say >Pray these words ? .ut he says >Pray this way,? But this is an outline that 3rovides for us the essential ele/ents that need to .e do/inant in our thin2in& when we -o/e .efore 7od, '&ain not that we always 3ray every -ate&ory .ut we understand this overall the/e that should really .e a 3art of our thin2in& a 3art of our heart, 5 would also add that the 9ord 2new that this would hel3 us or&aniBe our thou&hts, 5f you thin2 a.out it /any ti/es when you &o .efore the 9ord in 3rayer there is no or&aniBation you @ust 2ind of win& it, So/eti/es you have to .ut there should .e su-h a ri-h and vi.rant 3rivate 3rayer life that even when you have to 3ray 3u.li-ly all youre doin& is @ust sayin& aloud what youre used to doin& 3rivately, <an you i/a&ine &oin& .efore so/e &reat 2in& havin& that o33ortunity, 5f you did you would -ertainly have so/e sense of what you wanted to say what you wanted to tal2 a.out, 'nd yet /any ti/es we -o/e into the 3resen-e of the 'l/i&hty un3re3ared, 1e .lurt out a few fa/iliar -li-hHs we as2 for for&iveness of sin in &eneral not in s3e-ifi- we su./it out little wish list and then we 6ui-2ly -lose .efore our /ind wanders onto so/ethin& that is /ore i/3ortant, But here we have a star2 -ontrast to ritualisti- /e-hani-al re3etitious 3rayers the 3rayers of a hy3o-rite, 1e have si4 /assive -averns of theolo&i-al truth ea-h one -ontainin& a /a&nifi-ent -a-he of s3iritual ri-hes, 'nd today we want to loo2 at se-tion one addressin& 7ods &lory: 3raise and 3etitions re&ardin& his na/e his 2in&do/ and his will, So first lets loo2 at his na/e the issue of

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his na/e Matthew 6:9, !esus says >Pray then in this way: DOur ;ather who art in heaven Hallowed .e (hy na/e,? Beloved here is where the 9ord wants us to .e&in, (his is so 3re-ious, 1e are to .e&in with an a-2nowled&/ent of 7od as our ;ather affir/in& the fatherhood of 7od, 1hat a hu/.lin& yet &lorious reality, 'nd this should sha3e our attitude it should sha3e therefore our 3rayers, (he idea of hi/ .ein& our ;ather denotes not only ori&in .ut also inti/a-y of relationshi3, (his was a -on-e3t that was utterly forei&n in 1st -entury !udais/, But also noti-e it is our ;ather in heaven re/indin& us of our future ho/e, 5f youve ever &one away es3e-ially in other 3arts of the world one of the thin&s that you will find is this lon&in& to &o ho/e, 8ou -ant wait to &et .a-2 ho/e to .e with your fa/ily and this is all 3art of this, But it also denotes the fa-t that 7od is /a@esti- that he is soverei&n that he is utterly trans-endent and &lorious, Heaven is his dwellin& 3la-e, He e4-eeds anythin& that we -an i/a&ine and yet we -an a-tually -o/e into his 3resen-e, But it also re/inds us that we should 2ee3 our 3ro3er 3la-e, He is 7od and we are not, Solo/on e4horts worshi33ers to dis-i3line their /inds and hearts and &uard a&ainst hasty and e/3ty words .e-ause of the issue of 7od .ein& in heaven, He says in C--lesiastes $:" >Do not .e hasty in word or i/3ulsive in thou&ht to .rin& u3 a /atter in the 3resen-e of 7od for 7od is in heaven and you are on earth therefore let your words .e few,? 5ts sta&&erin& to thin2 that 7od is a--essi.le to us li2e a &odly ;ather, (hat his -hildren -an -o/e into his 3resen-e to e43erien-e his love and his 3rote-tion and his 3rovision all of the thin&s that a &odly ;ather should do, 'nd so/eti/es we even e43erien-e his dis-i3line if we are truly his sons, (hrou&h faith in <hrist weve .een ado3ted as sons, Paul tells us this in Ao/ans + .e&innin& in verse 1% >;or all who are .ein& led .y the S3irit of 7od these are sons of 7od,? He &oes on to say >8ou have re-eived a s3irit of ado3tion as sons .y whi-h we -ry out I'..aJ ;atherJ (he S3irit Hi/self testifies with our s3irit that we are -hildren of 7od,? So .eloved it is -ru-ial for us to .e&in our ti/e of 3rayer with all of this in /ind with the 3rofound awareness that we are sons and dau&hters of the Most Hi&h 7od, 'nd do you realiBe that even as a son or a dau&hter would .ear the rese/.lan-e of the 3arent so too we .ear the rese/.lan-e of our ;ather, 8ou /i&ht say that we have his D)', 5n " Peter 1:% we are told that we have .een /ade >3arta2ers of the divine nature,? 5n fa-t so/e day we are &oin& to .e -onfor/ed into the very i/a&e of his dear Son the 9ord !esus, So when you -o/e to the 9ord in 3rayer do you have these thin&s in /ind: Do you -o/e .efore hi/ as a -hild who loves his or her ;ather: 'nd is aware of his &reat love for you: 5n 1 !ohn 3 .e&innin& in verse 1 we read >See how &reat a love the ;ather has .estowed on us that we would .e -alled -hildren of 7odK and su-h we are, ;or this reason the world does not 2now us .e-ause it did not 2now Hi/, Beloved now we are -hildren of 7od and it has not a33eared as yet what we will .e, 1e 2now that when He a33ears we will .e li2e Hi/ .e-ause we will see Hi/ @ust as He is,?

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)ow so/eti/es you hear 3eo3le say >1ell were all 7ods -hildren,? )o were not, )o were not, )ot so for the unsaved, )o /atter how reli&ious they /ay a33ear if a 3erson has not 3la-ed their trust in the 9ord !esus <hrist they are not a -hild of 7od, 1e read in !ohn 1:1" >But as /any as re-eived Hi/ ? referrin& to <hrist >to the/ He &ave the ri&ht to .e-o/e -hildren of 7od even to those who .elieve in His na/e,? ;or this reason the unsaved will have no desire to honor the ;ather, (hey will have no 3assion to &ive hi/ &lory, 5n fa-t they are utterly in-a3a.le of refle-tin& his attri.utes in their lives .e-ause 7od is not their father Satan is, !esus /ade this very -lear, He s3o2e of the un.elievin& !ews in !ohn +:%% sayin& >8ou are of your father the devil and you want to do the desires of your father,? 5t &oes on to say that >he is a liar and the father of lies,? 'nd even the '3ostle Paul tells us in C3hesians ":" that the unre&enerate are -hildren of diso.edien-e, )ow 5 want you to thin2 a.out this: our ;ather in heaven has s3ared a.solutely nothin& not even his own Son to 3rovide for his -hildren eternally, 5n fa-t ri&ht now a--ordin& to 1 Peter 1:% we have >an inheritan-e whi-h is i/3erisha.le and undefiled and will not fade away reserved in heaven for you,? (hin2 a.out this this is what our ;ather has &iven us, (his was so e4-itin& to the '3ostle Paul that he e4horts the saints in <olossians 1:1" >to &ive than2s to the ;ather,? 'nd then he says this >who has 6ualified us to share in the inheritan-e of the saints in 9i&ht,? (he ter/ >6ualified? /eans to e/3ower it /eans to authoriBe, )ot .ased u3on our /erit .ut rather on the /erit of <hrist .e-ause of his i/3uted ri&hteousness the ;ather has 6ualified us, 'nd .e-ause it is in the 3resent tense it is so/ethin& that we have full 3ossession of ri&ht now, Do you realiBe that: 8ou have an inheritan-e that is waitin& for you, 5ts an a/aBin& thin&, 1e are fellow heirs with <hrist, 8ou see all of these thin&s should fill our hearts when we -o/e .efore the throne and 3ray to our ;ather, Paul &oes on to say in the ne4t verse that he delivered us fro/ the do/ain of dar2ness into the 2in&do/ of his .eloved Son verse 13, So thin2 a.out this: our ;ather has 6ualified us to share in the inheritan-e, 9iterally in the ori&inal lan&ua&e it reads >for the 3ortion of the lot,? ;or the 3ortion of the lot, 'nd here Paul is alludin& to the individual allot/ents of the 5sraelites that were &iven to the/ as an inheritan-e when they -a/e into <anaan, So what hes sayin& here is that ea-h of the -hildren of the ;ather have reserved for the/ an inheritan-e, 8ou ea-h have a 3ortion your own individual allot/ent of the total inheritan-e, (hats @ust a/aBin& isnt it: )ow you /i&ht as2 >1ell whats that &oin& to .e:? 5 have no idea .ut 5 2now it will .e .etter than anythin& that we have on earth, ;or /e the &reatest thin& you -ould &ive /e on earth is a .eautiful ran-h so/ewhere in the /ost re/ote wilderness of British <olu/.ia and a &ood strin& of horses and a vast wilderness to hunt in and to fish in, )ow he /ay &ive /e that 5 dont 2now .ut you 2now whatever he &ives /e whatever he &ives you will .e so /u-h &reater than any of that, Do you thin2 a.out this when you -o/e to 3rayer: (his is what the ;ather has done for you, But 5 want you to noti-e that this inti/a-y is also .alan-ed with reveren-e, Be-ause of all that the ;ather is .e-ause of all that he has &iven to us he deserves our undi/inished and

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eternal 3raise, 'nd for this reason !esus -alls u3on us to hallow his na/e, )oti-e verse 9 >Hallowed .e (hy na/e,? )ow this is an old ar-hai- Cn&lish ter/ used to translate the 7ree2 word ha&iaBo whi-h /eans >to /a2e holy,? So what hes sayin& here is >7od is to .e a-2nowled&ed as holy, Our heart is to .e filled with e4tre/e veneration when we -o/e .efore hi/,? 8ou see to hallow his na/e is to -onfess his su3re/e holiness, His na/e is to .e 2e3t holy so we /ust -o/e into his 3resen-e with ut/ost reveren-e and 3raise .owin& .efore his -onsu//ate 3erfe-tion and his infinite &lory, !ust thin2 of all the na/es and the titles and the /eta3hors used in S-ri3ture to define our (riune 7od and all of the/ really unders-ore different as3e-ts of his -hara-ter, 'nd these &reat -on-e3ts should resonate in our hearts whenever we .e&in to 3ray to our ;ather in heaven and hallow his na/e, (he Psal/ist tells us in Psal/ 13+:" >5 will 3raise your na/e for your love and your faithfulness for you have e4alted a.ove all thin&s your na/e and your word,? So 5 would as2 you Does this -hara-teriBe your heart when you -o/e .efore the 9ord in 3rayer: (his is so foundational to 7od honorin& 3rayer, (his is why we .e&in here, 1e a33roa-h the throne of &ra-e re-o&niBin& that we are true sons of a heavenly ;ather that loves us with a 3erfe-t and an infinite love an eternal love, 1e are -ons-iously aware that he is the sour-e of our life that every /o/ent of our life we live in his 3resen-e, 1e a33roa-h hi/ without any fear .ut with ut/ost res3e-t and reveren-e, 1e are -onfident of his love of his 3rote-tion of his 3rovision, 'nd we are hu/.led .y all that he is therefore we have a desire to o.ey hi/, 1e are unwillin& to do anythin& that would .rin& re3roa-h u3on his na/e .ut rather we will hallow his na/e .y livin& a life that honors and &lorifies all that he is, Does this -hara-teriBe the attitude of your heart: Se-ond !esus says that we 3etition hi/ for his 2in&do/, )oti-e verse 1# >(hy 2in&do/ -o/e,? )ow 2in&do/ refers to a do/ain a real/ that is ruled .y a 2in&, )ow as we thin2 a.out it -ertainly all the universe is the do/inion of 7od, He is the 'l/i&hty Soverei&n that rules over all that he has -reated .ut /y friends this is not the 2in&do/ for whi-h we are to 3ray, Moreover his 2in&do/ in-ludes a 3resent s3iritual 2in&do/ where.y he rules in the hearts of all that he has redee/ed .y his &ra-e .ut this is not the 2in&do/ for whi-h we 3ray, 8ou see the 2in&do/ that he has as2ed to 3ray for /ust .e understood in li&ht of the ne4t -lause, He says >(hy will .e done on earth as it is in heaven,? So this s3ea2s of a 2in&do/ that /ust e4ist u3on the real/ of the earth, 'n earthly do/inion that will hallow the na/e of the ;ather and do his will on earth as it is .ein& done in heaven, My friends this -an only refer to the lon& 3ro/ised Messiani- Lin&do/ the Millennial Lin&do/ where the Lin& of 2in&s the 9ord !esus <hrist the Son of David will rule and rei&n whose su.@e-ts will in-lude the restored and the re-on-iled re/nant of ethninational 5srael and the nations of the earth, (his is the lon& awaited -onsolation of 5srael, (his is what the dis-i3les wouldve understood, Cssentially when we 3ray >(hy 2in&do/ -o/e ? we are 3rayin& the sa/e thin& that !ohn 3rayed at the very end of Aevelation, 5n Aevelation "":"# he says ><o/e 9ord !esus,? (hats what it /eans, >9ord -o/e and esta.lish your &lorious 2in&do/ u3on the earth,?

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5 also find it interestin& that in all three 3etitions re&ardin& 7ods na/e re&ardin& his 2in&do/ and his will the 7ree2 ver.s are all in the e/3hati- 3osition and therefore that unders-ores the 3rofound i/3ortan-e of ea-h one, But it is also interestin& to note that in ea-h -ase the ver.s are in an aorist a-tive i/3erative, 5n other words the &ra//ati-al for/ of the ver.s denote a sin&le or instantaneous a-tion, 5n other words we are 3rayin& for so/ethin& that will suddenly e43lode u3on the earth, ' 2in&do/ to -o/e not so/ethin& that already e4ists u3on the earth as in the universal 2in&do/ or even the s3iritual 2in&do/ that -urrently e4ists, )or does it s3ea2 of the 2in&do/ that is &oin& to so/ehow &radually a33ear u3on the earth, )or -an it refer to so/e 2ind of a s3iritualiBed /illennial 2in&do/ that -urrently e4ists in the 3resent -hur-h a&e and will -ontinue until <hrists return, 5f were -urrently livin& in the 2in&do/ on earth ri&ht now then this te4t would .e& for relevan-e as would /any others, By the way those -on-e3ts wouldve .een totally forei&n to the dis-i3les, (hey were lon&in& for the 2in&do/, So /y friends we are to 3ray for the &lory of 7od to suddenly instantaneously .urst forth u3on this earth, (he late 'dol3h Sa3hir a &odly and learned <hristian !ew ri&htly o.served that the 2in&do/ of 7od /ust -o/e >on earth where 7od has .een denied and for&otten where his honor has .een disre&arded and his -o//and/ents have .een trans&ressed, 1here nations and 2in&do/s instead of see2in& his &lory and showin& forth his 3raise have not .owed to his authority and reveren-ed his law, 5t is on earth ? he says >that the 9ord shall rei&n, 5n@usti-e -ruelty and war shall .e .anished and instead of idolatry selfishness and sin the fear and love and .eauty of 7od will .e /anifested,? Dear <hristian to 3ray >(hy 2in&do/ -o/e? is to @oin with !ohn in Aevelation 1, 't the end of verse 6 he says >(o hi/ .e the &lory and the do/inion forever and ever, '/en, Behold He is -o/in& with the -louds and every eye will see Hi/ even those who 3ier-ed Hi/K and all the tri.es of the earth will /ourn over Hi/, So it is to .e, '/en,? 5n other words >9et it .e,? 9ittle -hild of 7od 5 3ray that this is the lon&in& of your heart, 9on&in& to see our 9ord our Messiah our Lin& &lorified, (o see hi/ -o/e to this wi-2ed sin--ursed earth and to see hi/ renovate this earth to turn it .a-2 to Cdeni- s3lendor and then rei&n in all of his &lory, ' ti/e when the whole earth will .e filled with the 2nowled&e of the &lory of the 9ord as the waters -overed the sea, 5 ho3e you live in li&ht of this, 5f you dont this wont .e a 3art of your 3rayer life, )ow te-hni-ally the 2in&do/ of 7od en-o/3asses the 3ast the 3resent and the future, ;or e4a/3le the 2in&do/ 3ast is des-ri.ed in 3la-es li2e 9u2e 13, (here !esus re/inded us that '.raha/ 5saa- and !a-o. and all the 3ro3hets were in the 2in&do/ of 7od, 'lso re/e/.er !esus said to Pilate in !ohn 1+ >My 2in&do/ is not of this world,? So there is a 2in&do/ 3ast there is also a 2in&do/ 3resent, !esus said in 9u2e 1* that the 2in&do/ of 7od is in the /idst of you, 5ndeed the Messiah was ri&ht there, Ae/e/.er that the 2in&do/ of 7od or the 2in&do/ of heaven as its so/eti/es -alled is at the very heart of the &os3el, 1hen we -o/e to <hrist in re3entant faith we enter into that 2in&do/, !ohn

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the Ba3tist -ried out >Ae3ent for the 2in&do/ of heaven is at hand,? 'nd this was the very -ore of !esus /essa&e he -a/e to 3rea-h >the 2in&do/ of 7od? in 9u2e %, But he -a/e unto his own and his own re-eived hi/ not they re@e-ted and -ru-ified the Messiah the Lin& so he 3ost3oned the earthly 2in&do/ he as-ended .a-2 into heaven .ut he 3ro/ised to -o/e .a-2 a&ain as Lin& of 2in&s and 9ord of lords and esta.lish his earthly 2in&do/, (his was a 3reo--u3ation that the 9ord had at the final su33er the last su33er, 5n fa-t he /entioned the future 2in&do/ five ti/es: twi-e durin& the 3relude to the su33er and three ti/es durin& the su33er, ;or e4a/3le in Mar2 1%:"$ he says >(ruly 5 say to you 5 shall never a&ain drin2 of the fruit of the wine ? in other words 3arti-i3ate in this Passover /eal >until that day when 5 drin2 it new in the 2in&do/ of 7od,? 9u2e "":1+ he says >5 say to you 5 will not drin2 of the fruit of the vine fro/ now on until the 2in&do/ of 7od -o/es,? So what is he referrin& to there: Hes referrin& to the 2in&do/ future, (his will .e the -onsu//ation of rede/3tive history, (he Millennial Lin&do/ the Messiani- '&e when !esus will .e e4alted on earth as he is in heaven, 1hen that re/nant of 5srael will .e saved and &rafted .a-2 into the root of .lessin& fro/ whi-h they have .een te/3orarily re/oved, (his will .e the ti/e when <hrist will rei&n in !erusale/ for 1 ### years u3on a renovated earth at the end of whi-h he will un-reate the heavens and the earth and then re-reate the/ &ivin& us a new heaven and a new earth and then we will enter into that eternal state of heaven, Beloved it will .e at that ti/e that the ;athers na/e will .e hallowed and his will will .e done on earth as it is in heaven, (he 3ro3hets s3o2e /u-h a.out this thousand year rei&n, 5ts des-ri.ed si4 ti/es in Aevelation "# alone, (he dis-i3les and the early !ewish saints were very fa/iliar with these 3ro/ises, (heyre s3rin2led all throu&h the Old (esta/ent, 8ou -an read a.out it in " Sa/uel *K we -an see it in !ere/iah 3#-33K you -an read a.out it in Daniel " and *K you see it in Psal/ "K we see it in 5saiah 11 and "%K we -an read a.out it in Hosea 3K and !oel 3, 5ts all throu&h the Old (esta/ent: '/os 9 Mi-ah % Me3haniah 3 Me-hariah 1%, Cven the 9ord !esus in Matthew "% and "$, 5n Daniel * we have &iven to us a revelation of the -oronation of the Messiah Lin& as 7od the ;ather 3la-es the -rown u3on his head, Ferse 13 Daniel says this >E5 2e3t loo2in& in the ni&ht visions 'nd .ehold with the -louds of heaven One li2e a Son of Man was -o/in& 'nd He -a/e u3 to the 'n-ient of Days 'nd was 3resented .efore Hi/, 'nd to Hi/ was &iven do/inion 7lory and a 2in&do/ that all the 3eo3les nations and /en of every lan&ua&e /i&ht serve Hi/, His do/inion is an everlastin& do/inion whi-h will not 3ass awayK and His 2in&do/ is one whi-h will not .e destroyed,? Beloved a&ain when the 9ord returns in all of his &lory he will renovate this earth he will esta.lish his 2in&do/ he will rei&n for 1 ### years and that Millennial Lin&do/ will .e the -onsu//atin& .rid&e .etween hu/an history and the eternal state, Do you 3ray for this: 5s this the 3assion of your heart: Or do you @ust live for your little 2in&do/: 5f you do not lon& for the 2in&do/ you 2now little of the Lin& who has as2ed you to 3ray for his 2in&do/ to -o/e, 1orse yet you /ay love this world far /ore than

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you should, (he 2in&do/ for whi-h we are to 3ray will .e a ti/e when the Messiah will ta2e .a-2 his ri&htful authority fro/ the -urrent ruler of this a&e who is Satan, 1ho !esus -alled in !ohn 1":31 >the ruler of this world,? 5n fa-t in 1 !ohn $:19 we read that >the whole world lies in the 3ower of the evil one,? Beloved 5 as2 you 're you li2e Si/eon in 9u2e " who was >loo2in& for the -onsolation of 5srael ? the /ena-he/ the Messiah <o/forter, 9i2e the dis-i3les learnin& to 3ray Si/eon and all of the !ews lon&ed for the fulfill/ent of the '.raha/i- <ovenant an everlastin& -ovenant that -ontained four ele/ents that will .e fulfilled in the 2in&do/, Cle/ents referrin& to the seed the Messiah that would -o/e fro/ '.raha/ ulti/ately, Pro/ises re&ardin& the land re&ardin& the nation re&ardin& divine .lessin& and 3rote-tion for his 3osterity, (hey were lon&in& for the Davidi- <ovenant that 3ro/ised a 2in& that would -o/e fro/ David that will rule over the world, (hey lon&ed for the )ew <ovenant where.y for&iveness was 3ro/ised a -leansin& a new heart the i/3lantin& of the Holy S3irit, 'nd you see now we -an loo2 .a-2 in history and we -an see that the Lin& has arrived, Hes &iven us a 3ortion of the 2in&do/ ri&ht now .ut he has also as-ended .a-2 into heaven and now we await his return, (herefore the Lin& tea-hes us to 3ray >(hy 2in&do/ -o/e,? Do you understand: 5ts an a/aBin& thou&ht, So the 9ord tea-hes us to address 7ods &lory .y first fo-usin& on his na/e and then his 2in&do/ and finally his will, )oti-e verse 1# >(hy will .e done on earth as it is in heaven,? )ow the dis-i3les 2new all too well that very few su./itted to the will of 7od, His will even to this day is i&nored it is /o-2ed it is diso.eyed, Cven a/on& the Lin&s -hosen su.@e-ts, Fery often those within the royal fa/ily have no re&ard for the will of the Lin&, He has &iven us a &reat -o//and/ent: >to love the 9ord our 7od with all our heart /ind soul and stren&th,? He has &iven us a &reat -o//ission: to &o into the world and to /a2e dis-i3les and to tea-h the/ to o.serve all that !esus has -o//anded, But very few <hristians -o//it the/selves to this, 5ts i/3ortant for you to understand there are three distin-t -o/3onents to the will of 7od, ;irst of all there is the will of soverei&n 3ur3ose, 5n other words its so/eti/es -alled his de-reed will, He has de-reed a soverei&n 3lan that -ontrols all of history, 5t en-o/3asses everythin& that o--urs in the universe in-ludin& heaven and earth and even hell, C3hesians 1:11 >He wor2s all thin&s after the -ounsel of his will,? (he 3ro3het 5saiah tells us in 5saiah 1%:"% >(he 9ord of Hosts has sworn sayin& Surely @ust as 5 have intended so it has ha33ened and @ust as 5 have 3lanned so it will stand,? My friends without this we would have no ho3e in the 1ord of 7od no -onfiden-e in it, Only .e-ause of 7ods de-reed will -an we have -onfiden-e that the 3ur3oses and 3ro/ises of 3ro3he-y will ever .e fulfilled, 'nd so his de-reed will his will of soverei&n 3ur3ose in-ludes thin&s li2e the sta.ility of the universe the seasons and .oundaries of nations the rise and the fall of rulers the duration of a /ans life even the /anner of our death has .een de-reed, 5t in-ludes the &ood and evil a-ts of /en, Ae/e/.er in 7enesis $# !ose3h told his .rothers >8ou /eant it for evil .ut 7od /eant it for &ood,? 5n Peter and !ohns 3rayer re-orded in '-ts % they s3ea2 in verse "* of how 7od 3redeter/ined history a--ordin& to his 3ur3ose, 5t

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says that he even anointed Herod Pilate the 7entiles and the !ews to 3erse-ute !esus, Ferse "+ >(o do whatever thy hand and thy 3ur3ose 3redestined to o--ur,? So there is the will of soverei&n 3ur3ose, (hats not what we are to 3ray for here, Se-ondly there is the will of his desire and this falls within the -ir-le of 7ods soverei&n or de-reed will, 5t never violates it its always -onsistent with it, (his is /u-h /ore s3e-ifi- and its often unfulfilled at least for now, !ust thin2 a.out it he -a/e to see2 and to save lost sinners and yet des3ite the astoundin& /ira-les the fa-t that he had .anished virtually all of the disease in Palestine over three years of /inistry still only a.out 1 ### -onverts .elieved in hi/ .y the end of his /inistry, See in his will of desire his attitude is involved, ;or e4a/3le in 1 (i/othy ":% we read >He desires all /en to .e saved,? (he >all? there refers to all in ter/s of so-ial and ethni-lasses, He desires that .ut we 2now that he has not de-reed it, >Many are -alled .ut few are -hosen ? Matthew "":1%, 5ts i/3ortant for you to understand that 7od has not de-reed all that he has desired and vi-e versa, He has de-reed so/e thin&s he doesnt desire, ;or e4a/3le it was not his desire for his Son to .e tortured and to suffer and to die .ut he de-reed that it .e so, !esus lon&ed to see /en re3ent .ut very few did, 5n fa-t in '-ts 1 we see that theres only 1"# in the G33er Aoo/ after our 9ord had risen, !esus desired !erusale/ to .e saved .ut they -ru-ified hi/, 'nd in 9u2e 13:3% we read >O !erusale/ !erusale/ 5 wanted to &ather your -hildren to&ether @ust as a hen &athers her .rood under her win&s and you would not have it,? But /y friends there is finally the will of -o//and what our ;ather e43e-ts of his -hildren, 'nd we are the only ones that have the -a3a-ity to o.ey it, 'nd this is what !esus has in /ind when he says >(hy will .e done on earth as it is in heaven,? )ow thin2 a.out it how is his will done in heaven: 5t is done without hesitation without any 6uestion without any ar&u/ent, 5t is done willin&ly and @oyfully and fervently wholeheartedly -o/3letely 3erfe-tly -onstantly, Psal/ 1#3:"# David sin&s a.out the an&els 3erfor/in& the will of 7od we read >Bless the 9ord you his an&els /i&hty in stren&th who 3erfor/ his word o.eyin& the voi-e of his word,? (here is a stunnin& 3i-ture in 5saiah 6 and CBe2iel 1 a des-ri3tion of the /a&nifi-ent -heru.i/ that hover around the throne, (hey are so &lorious that the ins3ired 3ro3hets have to des-ri.e the/ in lan&ua&e in order for us to understand .ut yet you -an tell theres no lan&ua&e to really des-ri.e what they see, But whats fas-inatin& is he tells us that the eyes of the -heru.i/ are riveted u3on the 'l/i&hty ever vi&ilant to do his .iddin&, (hats what were to 3ray for to ha33en here on earth, 'nd so/e day at the end of the 2in&do/ when there is a new heaven and a new earth thats how all of 7ods -reation will do his will, CBe2iel des-ri.es how that when the -heru.i/ are dis3at-hed to do the will of 7od that the 3ower of their holy servi-e /ay >the noise of /any waters li2e the voi-e of the 'l/i&hty a tu/ult li2e the noise of an ar/y,? 'nd when their win&s were sto33ed and their servi-e was -o/3lete he says that they stood still in utter silen-e .efore their <reator,

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Dear <hristian is this the 3assion of your heart: (o do the will of 7od li2e that: 5 ho3e so, !ohn M-'rthur has ri&htfully said >(o .e dedi-ated to 7ods will is .y definition to .e o33osed to Satans, (o re.el a&ainst the worldly idea that sin is nor/al and inevita.le and should therefore .e a-6uies-ed to or at least tolerated, 5t is to re.el a&ainst the world syste/ of un&odliness the dishonorin& and re@e-tin& of <hrist and also the diso.edien-e of .elievers,? My friends 5 ho3e that you lon& to do the will of 7od in this way that you desire for the ;athers will to .e your will, Dont 3ray this if you dont /ean it otherwise you 3lay the hy3o-rite, (o often 5 fear that we a33roa-h the 'l/i&hty e43e-tin& hi/ to -onfor/ his will to ours see2in& to .uild our 2in&do/, 5n essen-e sayin& >My will .e done,? S3ur&eon said >(hat will /ay -ost us dear yet let it never -ross our wills, 9et our /inds .e wholly su.@u&ated to the /ind of 7od, (hat will /ay .rin& us .ereave/ent si-2ness and loss .ut let us learn to say I5t is the 9ord let hi/ do what he see/eth &ood, 1e should not only yield to the divine will .ut a-6uies-e in it so as to re@oi-e in the tri.ulation whi-h it ordains, (his is a hi&h attain/ent .ut we set ourselves to rea-h it, He that tau&ht us this 3rayer used it hi/self in the /ost unrestri-ted sense when the .lood sweat stood on his fa-e and all the fear and tre/.lin& of a /an in an&uish were u3on hi/ he did not dis3ute the de-ree of the ;ather .ut .owed his head and -ried I)evertheless not as 5 will .ut as thou wilt, <an thy will O 7od .e done in earth as it is in heaven: 5t -an .e and it /ust .e for a 3rayer wrou&ht in the soul .y the Holy S3irit is ever the shadow of a -o/in& .lessin&, 'nd he that tau&ht us to 3ray after this /anner did not /o-2 us with vain words,? My friends /ay 5 -hallen&e you the ne4t ti/e you enter into a ti/e of 3rayer fo-us on the &lory of the one in whose 3resen-e now you enter re/e/.erin& his na/e re/e/.er his 2in&do/ and his will, 5 leave you with these thou&hts: (he universe is yours O 9ord 8ou alone -an rei&n, By the 3ower of your 1ord <reation is sustained, Hu/.le su.@e-ts of your &ra-e 8et -hildren we .e-a/e, 'do3ted sons your -hosen ra-e Hallowed .e your na/e, O 9ord triu/3hant we 3ersist May thy 2in&do/ -o/e, <ast the dra&on fro/ our /idst Ae-lai/ your earthly throne, Stir our souls for heaven sweet 1e lon& to .e at ho/e, 'nd /ay our 3rayers on earth re3eat O 7od (hy will .e done,

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9ets 3ray to&ether, Father, we praise you for these eternal truths. May they become such a part of who we are that you will be glorified, we will be blessed and others will be convicted that they, too, might embrace the glorious gospel of Christ and be transformed into those that will hallow your name. That will long for your kingdom and that will crave to do your will. I ask in Jesus name and for his sake. !men. 1e 3ray youve .e edified .y this 3resentation, 8ouve .een listenin& to Pastor Bi.le (ea-her and 'uthor Dr, David Harrell, ;or /ore infor/ation or for other /essa&es fro/ Dr, Harrell 3lease visit the Olive (ree <hristian Aesour-es we.site at ot-r,or&

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