THE LORD’S PRAYER SERIES (Matthew 6:5-14; Luke 11:1-13) By: Michael Y. Obeng November 16, 2013 Time: 12pm-2:15pm. PART 2 (Matthew 6:10; Luke 11:2) “YOUR KINGDOM COME, YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN” This part of prayer begins the process of asking God to do something for us. It is a petition that comes after exalting and magnifying the holiness of God’s attributes specifically the attribute of omniscience. Again, God knows what we need before we ask. Jesus Christ wants us to ask five essential requests in the presence of God. It is significant to emphasize that the gist of the prayer series involves requesting these five specific things from God. I have been taught that the purpose of prayer is worship and not asking God for things. But Jesus wants us to ask and most of the subject matters in teaching about the prayer are embedded in asking God. We cannot just ask for anything we want. Everything we ask should and must relate to the Lord’s Prayer. There is nothing morally and spiritually wrong by asking; this leads us to the first thing Jesus Christ wants us to ask after worshipping God’s attributes, omniscience. “YOUR KINGDOM COME…” The Greek language transliteration of the word kingdom is BASILEIA, which refers to royalty, rule, or realm. The idea is triune God is sovereign over all creation. Since prayers are directed to our Father in heaven, God dominates and rules the domain or realm of heaven. Let me digress to make a point. For example, Satan is the epiphany of what evil is. Everything Satan does require God’s permission or authority. Satan is dependent on God for life. In order words, God is omnipotent and sovereign in everything. Jesus wants us to ask God the Father for His kingdom to come. This message of the kingdom of heaven being near began with John the Baptist. The gist of the message of John the Baptist was for people to repent (change direction of the mind) because the kingdom of Heaven was near or at hand (Matt. 3:2-3). We know that John the Baptist acknowledged that Jesus Christ was superior to him and how Jesus must increase and he should decrease. So after Jesus Christ’s victory over the temptation, He was informed that John the Baptist had been taken to jail. Jesus Christ did not bail or free John the Baptist; instead, He did something interesting. Jesus began preaching the same message as John the Baptist by informing people that the “kingdom of heaven is near.” According to the prayer, Jesus Christ wants us to ask God the Father for the kingdom of heaven to come. Jesus Christ has two natures: human nature without sin and divine nature with God’s attributes. The coming of Jesus Christ into the world revealed the kingdom of heaven. The character of Jesus Christ embodies and gives us great ideas about what type of kingdom of heaven would be like. Praying for the kingdom of heaven to come is therapeutic because it means that God is in the process of sanctifying our bodies, spirit, behavior, and attitudes. The reason He continued preaching the same message as John the Baptist was because of His omniscient understanding that the kingdom of heaven for believers would fully come after His second coming. This brings us to the second request of the prayer series. “…YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN”(verse 10). It is not enough for us to pray for the kingdom of heaven to come without asking God the Father for ultimately for His Will. In heaven, there are specific ways God operates rules and dominates. The teachings and character of Christ reveal the many wills of God. Nothing can glorify God without God first being glorified in heaven. God foremost gets glory first in heaven before getting glorify in the earth. For example, before humanity came into existence, triune God received worship, honor, glory, and praise in heaven. This is the will of God: heavenly will or purpose proceeds God earthly will. Jesus Christ wants us to focus on God’s kingdom of heaven and God’s will and pray for them to occur on earth. God has revealed the kingdom of heaven and His will through the person of Jesus Christ. The Bible contains and explains all the things in the kingdom of heaven (not in extreme details) and all God’s will for us. Let us pray that our lives continue to reflect the kingdom of heaven and the will of God while waiting for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Let us pray.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 14:13:34 +0000