By Ronald E.
George Jr. at the Fayetteville Baptist Chruch
A mother looked into
her young daughter's bedroom one night, to see her kneeling by her bedside and
reciting: "A B C D E F G..."
"Why are you reciting the ALPHABET, Sweetie?" asked her
mother. The little girl looked up, and said, "Shhh! I'm PRAYING! I just
say all the letters of the alphabet, and then GOD puts them together any way
He wants to!" Are you ready
to let God put all the letters together?
There
are some preliminary matters before you begin to learn to operate modern day
communication devices. First you
must have the belief that these devices (cell phone, computers, internet,
email etc…) really do work. Then
you can seek to become involved with these devices through purchasing or
borrowing them for your own use. .
After you get in touch with the communication device then you have the
opportunity to get in touch with those to whom you want to communicate.
Then before you can operate these modern marvels you must understand
how and learn to overcome the obstacles that may come into the equation.
Getting
in touch with the creator of the universe is a much simpler matter than
learning how to operate a cell phone, computer, or email.
Although it is much simpler, it may be more difficult, if you don’t
have faith in the Father in heaven. God
himself came down to earth to see you and become your friend.
Jesus came to provide the means of our communication with the Father.
He died for your sins and rose from the dead to become your direct line
of relationship with the Father. While
He was here he gave us the instructions for getting in touch with the Father. Remember that this Lord’s model prayer is given in answer
to those who want to know how to pray. Prayer
puts the pray-er on the line with the one to whom the prayer is addressed.
Are we on the same page with the Almighty?
Do we want to be? Can we
be? How?
Scripture
Text: Matt
6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in
heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in
earth, as [it is] in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And
forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
First of all, you
must recognize that there is a one, true living God who awaits your
prayer or conversation with Him. Not
only should you recognize that there is a God, but you should also understand
that He is so real and so close that He can be spoken to.
The only true living God is able to communicate with people and have a
relationship with His children. Thus
the title given in the prayer is Father.
We can know God the way that we can know our own earthly fathers.
He wants to be known by you.
He wants to be your heavenly Father.
Will you be His child? If
you do then you seek to get in touch with the One who loves you so much to die
for you.
Do
you want God’s kingdom to come to your life and his will to be done on earth
(home, church, job, and community) as it is in heaven?
1. What
is the kingdom of God? The
kingdom is the domain of the King. It
is the place where the king lives and rules all others.
Is this God’s kingdom?
The Bible says the kingdom of
God is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of real worth, he sells everything he has and
buys that pearl. Of course,
according to traditional thinking, man is the pearl of great price and Jesus
the merchant who sells everything to make the purchase.
Now I understand that He is the pearl of great price and man the
merchant.
So
when man finds Jesus, it costs him everything.
Jesus has happiness, joy, peace, healing, security, eternity.
Man marvels at such a pearl and says, "I want this pearl.
How much does it cost?"
a.
What does it mean that the kingdom to come? To
ask for the kingdom to come is to desire to have God to rule.
When He rules then He has a kingdom.
The kingdom is the domain of the king.
To ask for the kingdom of God to come is to seek to have God rule.
b.
Do you want God’s kingdom to come?
If you will invite him to take your life and subject yourself to the rule
of God in your life, then He will be your King. He is the King of kings.
If you will recognize His right to your life then you will have Him as
your King.
c.
When will God’s kingdom come to earth?
He will rule when He comes to establish His earthly reign, but can His
kingdom come today? The answer is
yes. His kingdom can come today.
He can be the king of your life, your home, your church, your job, your
school, and your world today.
2.
What is God’s will?
a.
What does it mean that God’s will be done on earth as it is in
heaven? The
desires of God in heaven are perfectly met.
On earth we have been given by God an opportunity to do His will or
not.
b. Do you
want God’s will to be done on earth, as it is heaven? Do we really want to God’s will? It God’s not will that anyone should perish but that all
should come to repentance. Repentance
is to come to the point in your life that you turn from doing your will to
doing God’s.
c. What
is God’s will for you? What is
the will of the Father for you? He
wants you to invite Him into your life to allow Him to be your King and your
Savior.
d. When
will “God’s will” be done on earth?
In a state of unbelief, a man in Providence, Rhode Island began to
pray. In this state it occurred
to him that he could say the Lord's prayer.
So he began, "Our Father which art in heaven." He said as soon as he uttered the words, he was convicted of
his hypocrisy in calling God his Father.
When he added the petition, "Hallowed be thy name, " he said
it almost shocked him. He saw
that he was not sincere, that his words did not at all express the state of
his mind. He did not care to have God's name hallowed.
Then he uttered the next petition, "Thy kingdom come."
Upon this, he said, he almost choked. He saw that he did not want the
kingdom of God to come; that it was hypocritical of him to say so, and that he
could not say it, as really expressing the sincere desire of his heart.
And then came the petition, "Thy will be done on earth as it is
done in heaven." He said his
heart rose up against that, and he could not say it.
Here he was brought face to face with the will of God.
3.
Will you ask for it today?