Prayer - Week 5

Sermon Series on Prayer  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  42:40
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Prayer is Christ-enabled, Spirit-helped, conversation with God. In Matthew 6, Jesus teaches us how to do it.

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Preacher: Erik Meyers

Date: May 10, 2020

Text: Matthew 6:10

Topic: Prayer

Introduction

It is something else that we have access to God.

Through Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit, we have access to God in prayer, by which we approach God and speak to Him in response to what God has spoken to us in His Word.

So prayer is Christ-enabled, Spirit-helped, conversation with God. And in Matthew 6, Jesus teaches us how to do it.

He begins, in Matthew vv5-8, with some preliminary thoughts – teaching that prayer should never be motivated by a desire to please others or impress God. Prayer should always be sincere, prompted by a desire to encounter God.

God does not hear people based on how they pray; God hears people based on who they are. God is a Father, bending down to listen to his beloved children.

And so it’s no surprise then, that in verse 9 Jesus teaches us to begin the conversations by approaching God as “Our Father in heaven.” “Our Father” reminds us of the goodness of God, and “in heaven” reminds us of the greatness of God.

Every prayer, just like every conversation, has a beginning, a middle, and an end. And it’s important to note that the beginning Jesus prescribes is praise – “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” That is, “May you receive the worship you alone deserve.”

When we pray, it is good to begin with adoration – We praise God for who He is, and we thank God for what He has done. And then, we move on to our lists, or our requests; our petitions.

We move from upward to outward. We shift our gaze to the day before us and the world around us and we’re filled with the reality of our needs and the needs of others, and so we present them to God.

And so in Mat. 6:10, which is our chosen text today, Jesus moves on to petition.

There are several of them in His prayer, and here in Mat. 6:10 I think there is one. Many commentators see two here, but I think they are so closely related that they can be identified as one petition.

And I think you’ll see, Jesus moves us in our prayers from praise to surrender. The way I’m going to take us into this verse and through this sermon is by three steps:

We need to understand how we’re being directed to pray in verse 10. What are we being told to pray for?

We need to examine our hearts. Do we find a desire to pray for this?

We need to consider what this looks like today.

That’s where we’re going, but before we go there, I should pray.

Let’s read today’s verse, but let’s read it in context. Matthew 6:5-10

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

And now, verse 10, here is the first petition:

10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

And now the First thing we want to do is understand this petition. What are we being told to pray for? Understand how we’re being directed to pray.

While it’s one petition, there are obviously three parts and we’ll take them one at a time. The first part is “Your kingdom come” – “Father in heaven, may your kingdom come.”

Your kingdom come

The word “kingdom” is used 53 times in the gospel of Matthew, which is more than it’s used in any other book, and it refers simply to the royal rule of God. Here are four ways to think about God’s kingdom:

God’s kingdom may refer to God’s rule over all of creation for all time. Everything and everyone belongs to God, and nothing happens without his permission.

Our God is in the heavens (Psalm 115:3) and he rules. He does all that He pleases. The puritan William Perkins defined this as God’s “general kingdom” referring to “God’s absolute power and sovereignty, whereby he ruleth all things in heaven, in earth, and in hell.”

The kingdom of God may also refer to God’s rule over His chosen people. William Perkins defined this as God’s “special kingdom.” In a very special way, God is King over His children and they (we!) willingly submit to Him. It is a kingdom of grace, where God is making men willing to submit to Him.

In that sense, we as Christians are a part of God’s general kingdom and His special kingdom.

(ESV Study Bible) The presence of God’s kingdom in this age refers to the reign of Christ in the hearts and lives of believers, and to the reigning presence of Christ in his body, the church—so that they increasingly reflect his love, obey his laws, honor him, do good for all people, and proclaim the good news of the kingdom.

The kingdom of God may also refer to God’s rule in heaven. In heaven now, God rules there over His angels and His people who have lived on and left this earth (like Moses and David and Paul and your believing great grandparents).

The kingdom of God may also refer God’s future rule in the new heavens and the new earth where He will one day rule over His people forever. That is a kingdom of glory. It is the kingdom of glory this kingdom of grace will one day become.

So what are we praying when we pray “Father in heaven, may your kingdom come?” We are praying for the expansion of God’s rule. We are living within the kingdom of God, and it is better than what it once was, but it is not as good as what it will one day be. And so…. We pray!

We are praying that this kingdom of grace would grow, until the kingdom of glory arrives.

We pray, based on texts like Matthew 13:31-33, that God’s kingdom would grow like a mustard seed planted in the ground. And we pray (Rev. 22:4) “Come, Lord Jesus!”

We pray for and long for the day when King Jesus returns and establishes His kingdom of glory. And in the meantime we pray that this kingdom of grace would expand – that is, we pray for more and better disciples; we pray for more people willing to surrender to God as King.

John Stott: To pray that his kingdom may ‘come’ is to pray both that it may grow, as through the church’s witness people submit to Jesus, and that soon it will be consummated when Jesus returns in glory to take his power and reign.[1]

Stuart Weber: This prayer is not only for the future coming of Christ (although this can be included), but it is also for the spreading of God’s kingdom around the world through his kingdom servants. [2]

That brings us to the next part of this petition.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

When it comes to the will of God, the Bible speaks of a secret will (God’s decrees) and a revealed will (God’s commands).

God has a secret will that only he knows. It cannot be resisted, and it always comes to pass.

Acts 18:21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.

James 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. (as opposed to Eph. 5:17)

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted.

Romans 9:19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?”

God also has a revealed will. It refers to the way God wants people to live, and it can and is resisted.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Peter 2:15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. (Matthew 22:37)

Jesus surrendered to God’s will, His plan, in the garden when he prayed in Matthew 26:42 “Your will be done.” And Jesus obeyed God’s will. He said in John 14:31 “But I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.“

God’s secret will is what God will do, and God’s revealed will is what God wants you to do. As Christians, we surrender to God’s secret will and we obey God’s revealed will.

So what are we being told to pray here? “Father in heaven, in heaven your will is perfectly obeyed. There is no resistance. May there be less and less and finally resistance to your will on earth.

Leon Morris: In heaven God’s will is perfectly done now, for there is nothing in heaven to hinder it, and the prayer looks for a similar state of affairs here on earth.[3]

Now you see, put this all together, Jesus has moved us in our prayer from praise to surrender. God, I praise you for who you are and I thank you for what you’ve done. And God, I pray that you would rule. Rule over my heart. Rule over my family. Rule over my community and church and nation. And may we turn to you and willingly surrender our resources, our agendas, indeed, our lives, to you!

Let’s move on now to the second step of this sermon and examine our hearts.

Examine our hearts

Is there a desire in your heart to pray like this? Remember, vv5-6, the importance of sincerity when we pray. Can you sincerely pray for this? Only if it’s the desire of your heart.

Craig Blomberg writes: “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” expresses the desire that the acknowledgment of God’s reign and the accomplishment of his purposes take place in this world even as they already do in God’s throne room. The first half of the prayer thus focuses exclusively on God and his agenda as believers adore, worship, and submit to his will before they introduce their own personal petitions.[4]

If this doesn’t seem important to you, I would encourage you to look around. Maybe you don’t need to look outside your house. Maybe you need to look down the street. Maybe you need to watch the news. Maybe you need to download the VOM Pray Today app. Look around and see the pain and suffering due to rebellion against God.

If you’re lacking this desire, I would encourage you to meditate on the gospel. Meditate on the good news of who Jesus is and what he has done until there is the kind of gratitude and peace in your heart that you want for all people.

And now finally, and in conclusion, let’s move on to the third step of this sermon and briefly…

Consider what this looks (may look) like today.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

You can certainly pray this for yourself and for your family and for your church. That’s good, and close to home, but this petition seems to have a much wider scope.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth.”

Think about this crisis we’re in. God has a plan, and we don’t know exactly what it is, but he also calls people everywhere, Christian or not, to submit to Him; to bow their knee before Him; to surrender to Him.

And few do. God is dishonored horribly as people all over the earth curse or ignore Him. And we understand that human life has a trajectory and it is the glory of God.

And in this petition we pray that every knee would bow and tongue confess.

Father in heaven, May you reign in the heart of our City Manager. May you reign among our county’s supervisors. May you reign in Governor Newsom. May you reign in the White House. May you reign in the World Health Organization. May you reign in China. May you reign in South Korea and Italy.

And may you reign in this heart of mine.

Footnotes

[1] John R. W. Stott and John R. W. Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7): Christian Counter-Culture, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 147.

[2] Stuart K. Weber, Matthew, vol. 1, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), 82.

[3] Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 146.

[4] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 119.

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