Sermon Tone Analysis

02-10-06.02*

*vv*                           *zz*              *02-10-13.02

02-10-06.01*

*02-10-20.01

* *

*Title:           *“…on earth as it is in heaven”

*D-Theme:   *Praying for fulfillment of God’s plan and purpose on earth

*M-Thrust:   *What if?! What would really happen if we earnestly prayed according to this pattern?

How would things change?

How would they look different?

How would we be different?

*Comment:  *there really weren’t any since I had to go straight into meetings following the service

*Subject:     *prayer

*Date:          *78C5E1EC2B8B4445AF60F9FA94EB0C7C

*Text:           *Luke 11:1-4

 

1Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, /that/ one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

2So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done on earth as /it is/ in heaven.

3Give us day by day our daily bread.

4And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

• Introduction........................................ dominating theme

•   The centerpiece—the cornerstone of this prayer…

•   Is the addressing of God as “Our Father”

•   Knowing him in an intimate and personal way…

•   Not simply saying it in a repetitious, meaningless way…

•   But being moved by the idea that we who…

•   were once darkness, are now light in the Lord… [1]

•   Because…

•   He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed /us/ into the kingdom of [His] Son… [2]

•   Who is it that has done this?

It is Our Father in heaven…!

•   And to pray the Lord’s prayer addressing God as Father…

•   Without that evoking the deepest sense of gratitude…

•   Without that evoking an overwhelming sense of joy…

•   Without that evoking unbridled praise…

•   Means we likely have never known God as Father…

•   Knowing God as Father—as a child

•   The scriptures teach that the one led by the Spirit…

•   Is the one who is God’s child—who by…

Romans 8:15b-16a

15[…] the Spirit of adoption […] cries out, “Abba, Father.”

16The Spirit Himself bear [ing] witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

•   The one who has received the Spirit of adoption…

•   Doesn’t come to the Lord passively or quietly, but they…

•   Cry to the Lord “with a loud and raucous voice…” [3]

•   Father, my Father!

•   An expression of praise and thanksgiving…

•   For what he has done—the witness of God’s Holy Spirit…

•   Who are the ones who receive this Spirit of adoption?

•   But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name [4]

•   If you haven’t received him or believed in His Name…

•   If you aren’t led by the Spirit of God…

•   If you don’t walk after the Spirit but walk after the flesh…

•   Then the right to become God’s child isn’t yours…

•   And you haven’t nor yet can you exercise that right…

•   And I have said all of this to point out…

•   Knowing God as father—in order to pray

•   For us to not truly to have known God as Father…

•   Means we really can’t go on with the prayer…

•   The dominating theme of the message this morning is…

•   Praying for fulfillment of God’s plan and purpose on earth

•   Can we honestly say we are…

•   Praying for fulfillment of God’s plan and purpose on earth

•   If we are not his child—if we don’t know him as Father?

•   How can we really be…

•   Praying for fulfillment of God’s plan and purpose on earth

•   If we aren’t enabled and empowered by his Spirit

•   You have not received the spirit of fear which brings you into slavery once again, but you have received the Spirit of sonship, whereby from the very core of your being you declare God to be Father and the Spirit testifies to you in your life “that’s exactly right, you can call him your Father, for your Father he is.”

Now, that remains then the crucial question in considering this prayer… And I pose it to you once again… Ask yourself, is then God my Father?

Do I know God in this way?

When I sing the songs does the Spirit of God reach into my life and assure me that despite all of my wanderings and all of my futilities and all of my sometimes disinterest in these things, that @ the very center of my life I have been turned the right way up?

And God is now my Father!? /[5]/

•   O, we can go on, but without the understanding …

•   Of the Fatherhood of God and all that it means…

•   Everything that follows will seem extraneous @ best

•   Which may explain why the usage of this prayer…

•   Has become superficial—insignificant—routine

•   So we begin with…

• The reign of God

•   As we consider the petition…

!! • Your kingdom come…

•   And what is it exactly, that we ask God for when we pray…

!! • Your kingdom come…

•   We pray that God will reign… that he will…

*reign* (rān) /noun/

*1.*   Exercise sovereign power [6]

•   That he will be King upon his throne

•   That his dominion and influence will be felt and exerted…

•   And what is the nature of that kingdom for which we pray?

•   Not visible

Luke 17:20-21

20Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’

For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

•   To speak of the kingdom in human, earthly terms…

•   Is to rob it of meaning—of power—of purpose

•   If we understand the Kingdom of God to be where God’s…

•   Dominion and influence is felt and exerted…

•   Then the Kingdom of God is not a place, per se…

•   It is rather more like a sphere where that influence is felt…

•   If you have believed in Jesus Christ

•   If you have the witness of… the Spirit of adoption…

•   Then you have become the Kingdom of God…