Matthew 6:5-15
Beginning Prayer:
Father God, we ask that Thy will be done in our hearts today in Jesus' name. Help us to see Your Kingdom in the eyes of our own hearts. Thank You, Lord, for making us a part of Your Kingdom, making us Your children that we may serve You, and have a blessed life with You. Teach us this day that Jesus is the reason for the season, and not just a religious thing to do for profit. We honor our Savior and His birth always. We praise You, Lord, because it's important to us as believers. Lord, You are our Shepherd and we shall not want for anything because You supply all our needs through-out the year. Father God, bless every Prayer Warrior in this community. Bless their family, their finances, their jobs, their bodies with good health through-out the holiday. Help us to be a witness while we shop for family and friends. Show us how glorify Your Kingdom here on earth. This we pray in our precious Jesus' name; Immanuel, God thank You for being with us. AMEN.
Subject: "The Lord's Prayer" Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven (Part 2)
May I give you just one verse out of many found in the Old Testament: And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. (Daniel 2:44) That is the kingdom toward which God is moving. While this kingdom is not altogether spiritual, it has a spiritual aspect. Some will say, "Yes, but you know the Bible says that the kingdom of God is not meat or drink but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." Let me illustrate my point: The Preamble to the Constitu- 16 tion of these United States says that we are given freedom for the pursuit of happiness. It does not guarantee happiness, but it guarantees the right to pursue it in liberty. Now happiness, while an abstract term, is spiritual and is to be sought by us while we are in a physical world of mountains, rivers, seacoasts, deserts, plains, and valleys. With this in mind, let us go back to the thought of the kingdom. For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17) That righteousness is to cover the earth as the waters cover the sea, and it is a peace that only He, who is the Prince of Peace, can bring to this earth! This brings us to the all-important question: Is the church part of this kingdom? The Lord Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world…" (John 18:36). Someone will reply, "Now you see, it does not pertain to down here." Yes, but He said the same thing concerning believers— that they are IN this world but not OF it. His kingdom is to be in this world, but it is not to be established by the world‟s methods. It is not moved forward by the politics of this world. His kingdom will contain no Republican or Democratic platform. It will be established and maintained on a different basis from that of our world. Again we ask the question: Is the church part of this kingdom? Some of my good brethren say that the answer is no. So I want to be very careful at this point. When you say that the church is not the kingdom, I think you are accurate; but when you say that the church is not part of the kingdom, then I think you are wrong. May I illustrate: California is part of the United States, but California is not the United States. Nor is the church the kingdom; it is merely part of the kingdom. And how does she become a part of the kingdom? Well, she will be the bride of the King of that kingdom. Therefore, let us consider again the laws under which the bride must live in that new kingdom. They are to be found in the Sermon on the Mount. The church—the bride to be—is now under grace, living under new principles by the Holy Spirit. But that does not mean that she can flout the Sermon on the Mount and despise it. Come, my fundamental friend, my premillennial brother, and let us, as members of that church, go once again up to the top of that mountain where He gave the Sermon. Let us look into His face. We need to, you know. This is His law. I know that we are not under law, but—at the same time—we do not despise law. He values honor and integrity. Faithfulness and righteousness are things that He counts as valuable. And, my friend, purity still counts in the high court of heaven. How we have dipped our colors and come to the place in fundamental circles where we close our eyes to these things that we need to recognize. But the kingdom that is mentioned in Scripture—the one that we pray about—is coming in glory. It is that glorious kingdom that shall be established someday on this earth—His millennial kingdom. The kingdom in creation, the whole creation, is groaning and travailing, waiting for the day; even we, ourselves, are awaiting that day, for "it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him…" (1 John 3:2). The King will be revealed, His glory will be extended on this earth, and righteousness and peace will cover this earth as the waters cover the sea. Our prayer looks even beyond the millennial kingdom. "Your kingdom come." Whose kingdom? "Our Father in heaven, Your kingdom come"—that eternal kingdom that is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15 where we are given an order and a development of the kingdom. Let us notice it briefly: But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20) He is back from the dead, and after Him those that are His are going to arise. He is merely the first fruits. And then we read: Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. (1 Corinthians 15:24) Does that mean that the millennial kingdom is coming to an end? Oh, no, it is an everlasting kingdom. What shall be happening is revealed in the following: Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:28) After the Lord Jesus reigns on this earth for one thousand years, after Satan is put down eternally, after the lost have been judged—He returns to His place in the Godhead that God may be all in all. But He will continue to reign and this earth will continue to be the kingdom and the place of blessing. This is the day of His rejection; this is the day when men turn their backs upon Him. His glory is not manifested today, but it is a time when you and I can bow to His scepter. Everything is sweeping toward that kingdom. Do you have a passion for His kingdom? Are you looking forward to His coming in glory? It is that kingdom spoken of in Revelation 21 and 22—a kingdom in which there will be no tears, no death, no sorrow, no pain and no fear. I ask you, are you looking forward to it? Today you and I can say, "Your will be done on earth" if our hopes and longings are bound up in this blessed thought. Now the church is in the very heart of His program as He is sweeping events toward that glorious kingdom. Are you moving forward with Him? I think God‟s great men of the past moved with Him. When John Knox said, "Give me Scotland or I die," he was praying, I think, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." When the Puritans came to this country and established a place where they could worship God and propagate the gospel of Christ, they were saying, in fact, if not in word, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." And there are times when you and I arise to that high level and say from our hearts, when a passion is there, that His will might prevail here on this earth.
Week # 7
Weekly Pattern: Priorities
Prayers from the Bible:
Questions:
1). According to this lesson the Kingdom of God is not what?
2). Do you desire God's will in your life?
3). What is righteousness, peace, and joy in Holy Ghost?
4). What does Romans 14:17 says?
5). What methods the Kingdom of God is established upon?
6). Is the Church part of this Kingdom?
7). Is the Church the Kingdom of God?
8). Being under grace do we suppose to despise the law?
9). Whose Kingdom should come?
10). When the end comes who will deliver the Kingdom to God?
11). When the lost has been judged where will Jesus return to?
12). Do you have a passion for His Kingdom?
13). Are you looking forward to the Kingdom of God coming?
14). What will be absent from the Kingdom of God?
15). Now the church is in the very heart of His program as He is sweeping events toward that glorious kingdom. Are you moving forward with Him? Explain.
Weekly Song: (Matthew 26:30)
Weekly Praise: Blessings to the King
Let's Hallow His name by rehearsing Who He is:
Weekly Reading Assignment: (Acts 13-14)
Ending Prayer:
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