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“Prayer Lessons from Jesus", Part Three
Matthew 6:9-13

In Stuttgart, Germany, during the final, terrible days of World War II, a local pastor named Helmut Thielicke faithfully ministered to his confused and frightened church family as bombs fell day and night and the German resistance crumbled. The mighty Russian army continued their slow but relentless advance from the east. The Allies were steadily closing in from the west. Germany’s defeat was inevitable.

So, as a pastor, what do you say to your church family during such a horrific time? What words could possibly be adequate to comfort and guide people who are watching their world implode around them? During the final stage of that awful war, Pastor Thielecke preached a series of now famous sermons based on The Lord’s Prayer. Week after week his frightened church family sat before him, never knowing when the Allied bombs would once again begin to fall, and week after week he led them back to The Lord’s Prayer.

When the war was over the pastor was asked why he had chosen that particular text for that particular time. He said it was because, “The Lord’s prayer was able to contain it all.” There was not a single question raised throughout their awful ordeal that was not addressed in that remarkable prayer. He said that every concern of their heart was ultimately transformed as it was brought to that prayer.

This is the third week of our summertime journey into the depths of The Lord’s Prayer. In week #1 we looked at that phrase, “Our Father in heaven.” We talked about the incredible blessing that it is in our day to day lives to be able to know God and relate to Him and come to Him in prayer as “our Father.” What an amazing gift it is to have that kind of relationship with Almighty God.

Then, last week, we focused our attention on the phrase, “hallowed be your name.” We reminded ourselves that this God who invites us to call Him, “Father,” is also holy. He loves us. He cares for us. He provides for us. His actions toward us always reflect the heart of a Father. But He is still holy and that means that we must always maintain toward Him a attitude of respect, honor and reverence.

This morning, now, we move on to the next two phrases in the prayer, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Let’s begin with, “Your kingdom come.” What did Jesus have in mind, here, when he spoke about God’s kingdom?

The simple answer to that question is that the kingdom of God is that place where God is acknowledged as King; that place where God does what kings do. And what do kings do? Kings rule. Subjects follow and kings rule. So, the Kingdom of God is synonymous with the reign and rule of God.

Now, I want you to soak on that for a while and as you do, I think you’ll begin to see that this simple, brief petition, “Your kingdom come,” has enormous ramifications. This is not the kind of prayer request that we should ever voice lightly. And here’s why.

To begin with, the first person impacted by this prayer, is the one who prays it. When we pray, “Heavenly Father, Your kingdom come,” God’s immediate response is, “Great! Let’s begin with you.” In other words, before we ever offer this prayer as intercession—prayer that invites God’s involvement in someone else’s life; we must first offer this prayer as petition—prayer that invites God’s involvement in our own life. “Heavenly Father, Your kingdom come…and let it begin in me. Today, I acknowledge You as my king and I invite you to reign over my life and to be the unrivaled ruler in my life. Father, let your kingdom come to me.”

So, how does that happen? How, exactly, does God’s kingdom come to us? Jesus answers that question in Mark 1:14-15 where it says, “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‘The time has come,’ he said. ‘The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!’”

Do you want to see God establish His Kingdom in your life? Jesus says there are two keys to that process. “Repent” and “believe the good news.”

The “good news” is the gift of salvation that is offered to everyone through Jesus.

--It’s the good news that through Jesus all of our sins…past, present and future…have been completely forgiven and we can be made right with God.

--It’s the good news that all of our guilt can be completely washed away and we can have a new beginning with God through Christ.

--It’s the good news that through Jesus we can have the presence and power of God in our life today and we can live with Him through all of eternity in heaven.
And the first step in beginning this whole new life in God’s kingdom is to believe.

Lord God, I take you at Your word. I ask You to forgive my sins through Jesus and I believe that You have. I want to be right with You; I want a new beginning with You and I want to live in heaven with You forever; and I believe that through Jesus, I can.”

That’s believing the good news. And that’s the first step into the Kingdom of God. The second step is to “repent.” The word, “repent” means to turn around; to change our direction. To repent is turn our backs on what was and then move forward in a whole new direction into what will be. And, in this case, that means that we turn our backs on our old way of life in which we were the kings reigning sovereignly over the little kingdom called, “my life,” and then we move forward into a new way of life in which God is now the unrivaled king of this kingdom; the kingdom of “my life.”
I’ve never lived in a kingdom. But I’ve studied history and I know a little bit about human nature and one of the things that I know for a fact is that no king ever gives up his power without a fight. And that means that if you’re serious about inviting God to establish His kingdom in your life, you had better be ready for war because the king called, “self” is not about to be dethroned without a fight. So, “Your kingdom come,” is not to be prayed lightly because it invites God to do His Kingdom building work in us.

But, the personal impact of this prayer doesn’t end there. When we pray, “Your kingdom come,” we are acknowledging that the kingdom of God is still growing and still expanding and we are volunteering to be used by God in the expansion process. In his book, Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis describes this current world as, “enemy occupied territory.” Then, he describes Christianity as, “the story of how the rightful king has landed in disguise and is calling us (Christans) to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.” Our assignment, in this campaign, is to infiltrate our neighborhoods, our schools, our workplaces and our communities with the specific intent of leading others to acknowledge God as king in their lives even as we’ve acknowledged Him as the King in ours.

1 Peter 2:9 says it like this, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Folks, “Your kingdom come,” is nothing less than a call to action to every one of us who claim God as our king.

Which brings us to the second phrase I want us to consider this morning, “Your will be done.” “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” I want to offer two observations about this petition.

First, notice the clarity that this simple petition brings to our lives. That one simple petition, “Father, Your will be done,” brings clarity, structure and order into the life of everyone who prays it honestly and sincerely.

--“Father, these are my plans for this day. But if Your plans are different show me and I’ll set my plans aside. Father, Your will be done.”
--“Father, this is something that I really want. I think it would make me really happy. But if it’s not what You want for me, I’ll let it go. Father, Your will be done.”

Instant clarity even for the toughest decisions we face. Do you remember Jesus’ prayer as he faced the painful reality of the cross? “Father, not my will but Yours.” It brought clarity to Jesus and it will bring the same kind of clarity to us as it gives God the freedom to work out His will in our lives.

“Father, I give You full authority to make plans for my life. I give you full authority to change plans that I’ve made if my plans are not compatible with Yours. Father, You know my hopes, my dreams, my aspirations, my fears and my concerns but, please, Father, don’t let any of those things keep you from accomplishing Your purposes in me. Father, with all of the sincerity I can muster, please, not my will, but Yours.”

Finally, notice that this petition, “Your will be done,” doesn’t just bring us clarity…it also confirms the foundation of our confidence. When we pray “Your will be done” we are asserting our confidence in God’s ability to always do the right thing. I couldn’t possibly pray, “Your will be done,” if I was unsure about God’s wisdom, if I was unsure about God’s motives or if I was unsure about God’s power. But because I have no such doubts I can confidently pray, “Father Your will be done,” in all circumstances and at all times.

--“Father, even if Your will is contrary to mine...Your will be done.”
--“Father, even if Your will makes no sense to me at the time…Your will be done.”
--“Father, even if Your will runs counter to my natural instincts and the advice of all my friends…Your will be done.”

Folks, when we live our lives under the banner of “Your will be done,” we are freed from the tyranny of doubt and second guessing because the foundation of our decisions…regardless the issue…has long since been settled… “Not my will, but Yours. And Lord, I trust absolutely that Your plans are perfect and Your will is right.”

It was that kind of confidence that was the foundation beneath one of the most remarkable statements of trust anywhere in the Bible. As his life is coming unglued before his very eyes that faithful suffering servant of God named Job said, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him…” (Job 13:15)

On April 20, 2001, Jim and Roni Bowers were serving as missionaries in Peru when a Peruvian Air Force jet mistook them for drug smugglers and opened fire on the small plane in which they were flying. More than 50 bullets struck the plane and both Roni and her daughter Charity were killed. Jim and their older daughter Cory survived.

A few days before her tragic death Roni had written her personal testimony, intending to send it to a few friends and family members. Since it’s discovery it has spread around the world. After detailing her spiritual journey and describing her strong sense of God’s will in leading them to serve Him in Peru she concluded her testimony with these inspiring and ultimately prophetic words: “Now I choose to trust God fully. He is in control; he knows what is best. He doesn’t owe me anything, rather I owe him everything. When we as believers finally get to heaven, we won’t have to ask, ‘why?’ It will be worth it all.”

In other words, “Father, Your will be done…even if.”

As He introduced the prayer, Jesus said, “When you pray, pray like this.”
“Call God your Father, that will help you be clear about His heart.
“Remember that God is holy, that will help you give Him the respect that He deserves. And invite God to establish His kingdom in you and accomplish His will in you, that will give your life meaning now and forevermore.”

So, let me ask you—
Who’s in charge of your life?
Who’s calling the shots in your life?
Who’s agenda are you pursuing?

Don’t worry about answering those questions for me. I invite you to use this time to answer those questions in the quietness of your heart before God.