New York Stockbroker had just purchased a brand new porsche. He parked it in front of his office to show it off to his colleagues. As he’s getting out of the car, an SUV comes speeding along too close to the curb and takes off the door before driving off. The man gets very upset. He grabs his cell phone and calls the police. It takes them five minutes to show up.
Before the office has a chance to ask any questions the man starts scream hysterically, “My Porsche, my beautiful silver Porsche is ruined. No matter how long it’s at the body shop it’ll simply never be the same again!
When the man finally finishes his rant, the policeman shakes his head in disgust. “I can’t believe how materialistic you are,” He says, “You are so focused on your possessions that you don’t notice anything else in your life.”
“How can you say such a thing at a time like this,” sobbed the Porsche owner.
The policeman replied. “Didn’t you realize that your right arm went with the door.”
The stockbroker looked down in horror and screamed, “My rolex!”
So many people are like that stockbroker, they’re priorities are out of whack. But God’s desire for us to to have balance in our lives and to know which things are important and which things are more important. When Jesus gave us a model for prayer, one of the things that He addressed was priority.
Let’s stand and read the Lord’s prayer together.
Matthew 6:9-13, “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’”
We are continuing today to look at the Lord’s Prayer and how this model applies to our lives. See prayer is more then just making requests to God. Last week we talked about how the Jewish people compared your spiritual life to the circulatory system. They felt that there were spiritual arteries, just like the ones in our bodies, and just like the ones in our bodies when your spiritual arteries are clogged your spiritual life suffers.
Last week we talked about the beginning of this prayer. “Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.” That section dealt with the artery of relationship. We are invited to have a personal relationship with God. He chooses to call us His children because of His love and His grace. He paid the price for our sins so that we can have a relationship with Him. But it is a relationship that we have to accept and we have participate in. God is always here, but we don’t always live as if He is. But we also need to remember who He is. God desires a relationship with us, but He is the exalted one, He is the One who is high and lifted up. It is a blessing to know Him. We have a relationship with God and we need to take it seriously.
Today we are looking at those words, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.” This section is concerned with the artery of priority. Let me ask you this question what are your priorities in life. Here’s a simple quiz to see if your priorities are in line.
How often do you feel rushed?
Do you feel the pressure to get more done in less time and with fewer resources?
Do you feel there are multiple things competing for your attention?
Does the word overwhelmed seem synonymous with your life?
Do you find some really important things remain undone?
Do you ever find yourself feeling you are working hard but not sure its worth the efforts?
Do you struggle with keeping first things first?
How did you answer those questions? The answer should help to reveal how you are doing with your priorities. The reality that all of us face in life is that we simply can’t do everything. There just isn’t enough time in a day. What we do reveals what our real priorities are.
Life is a Matter of Priorities
Life is a matter of priorities, and our real priorities will come through in every area of our lives. This includes the area of prayer. When we pray we need to understand that the purpose of prayer is to change us, not God. Think about the normal prayer, in it we follow the instruction of Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God.” We’re allowed to bring our requests to God, and He listens to our request. But you realize God doesn’t change. God knows the end from the beginning.
Our prayers don’t change God. Just because we ask doesn’t mean that He has to answer the way that we want. Look at what Jesus said as he was introducing this model for prayer, Matthew 6:8, “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” God already knows what you need, But He wants to hear the request, He wants you to ask Him. It is a sign of faith, it is a sign of submission and need. It reminds us of who He is and of our need for Him. But it also transforms our focus. When we have needs and problems, we tend to focus on our ability to solve them. But when turn to God in prayer it reminds us that we have a relationship with someone who has more power and more resources then we could ever imagine. He can save and He will save. When we learn to trust in Him we find rest and our priorities begin to get in line. The most important thing we have to do is not a race for possessions, it is in allowing Him to transform us into His image.
Lots of people have a lot of thoughts about priorities in life. If you do a Google search for quotes on goals or priorities you’ll find that there are lot’s of people who have said lots of things on the subject. Go to a book store and you’ll find that self-help is a whole section. But here’s the thing, choosing goals in life is important, but choosing your direction is even more critical. You’ll notice that Jesus is moving in a direction even in this prayer.
The first thing to get straight is your relationship with God. That is the one thing that you can’t leave the planet without. When you die you either have a relationship with God or you don’t the difference is literally Heaven or Hell. If you don’t have a relationship with God then fix that today. That is the starting point. If you do have a relationship with God, then the next step is to live and pray like you do.
Then we come to this matter of priorities, it is allowing God to shape your life and the direction of your life. See being a Christian isn’t about praying a prayer long ago it is about following God with your life. If you really are a Christian you have to let God set the direction for your life. But you also realize that if you want the best in life you also have to let God set the direction for you life. Which way you decide to go, who sets the direction for you life will determine the quality of your life.
As you think about direction and priorities, I want to ask you this important question. What is the scarcest resource in your life? You see what can be accomplished is always determined by the scarcest resource. Most of us think that our scarcest resource is money. A woman was in bankruptcy court. Despite the fact that she had a good job and a good income she still couldn’t pay all of her bills on time. The judge asked her, “Can’t you live within your income?”
“No, your honor, it’s all I can do to live within my credit.” She replied.
Most people think that the scarcest resource that we have is money. But the reality is that we usually seem to be able to get more money, or to get by with less. It may take and adjustment period, it may not be exactly what we wanted, but we seem to be able to make it through. What is the scarcest resource in your life? We think it is money but the correct answer is time. Time is limited. Before we are born God already knows when our end will be. Time is limited. When we realize that then we can go about making our priorities according to what is really important. Someone once said that, “Time is money.” They were wrong, time is more critical then money because you can always get more money, you don’t get more time.
2. Understanding the Kingdom
So as Jesus begins to address the issue of priorities He begins with the Kingdom of God. What is the first request in this prayer, “Thy kingdom come.” Think about the list of priorities. The prayer starts with the fact that the name of God should be “hallowed.” It means that it should be lifted up. Then Jesus says our first desire, our first request should be that the kingdom of God come.
But even if we understand that our first desire, our first priority should be to see the kingdom of God come. Do we really understand that that means. As I look at this statement and reflect on scripture I see at least three meanings to the kingdom of God. The first is that the kingdom of God is in Heaven. When Jesus died and rose again He went to sit down at the right hand of the Father and that throne was in Heaven. In the beginning of Job when Satan comes to present Himself before God, the scene is in Heaven. When this world is done, we will dwell in Heaven with God. That is where the throne of God is. The ultimate kingdom of God is in Heaven because this world will pass away.
That is one understanding of the kingdom of heaven. But that isn’t the only one. There was also the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. Do we really understand what that means? The disciples didn’t they were thinking that when Jesus was here it was to establish an earthly kingdom. They were only part right, but they were also completely wrong. Think about what Jesus said in Luke 17:20-21, “Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, ‘The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.”
There’s a truth that when you grasp it will begin to change your life. It’s not just that God is with you, but that He lives within you. It’s not just that God goes with us wherever we go and whatever we do. We take God with us. God’s desire is to live within us. It’s not that He wants to live within our heart. It’s that He desires to change and transform our hearts. When we invite God in our heart become his throne room.
It sounds strange to us because we are Americans. We haven’t recognized a king over us since 1776. It is an independent streak that we were willing to back up with bullets. But in countries that have a sovereign king, this is a clear principle.
A man named Phillip Keller was born in Kenya and then moved to the United States. To describe this principle he tells the story of the growing up there. The majority of people did not really think of themselves as subjects of the King of England. After all they lived on the coast of Africa and were mostly black. The King was white and lived across the sea. But then one day it was announced that the King was sending his son the Prince of Wales to visit the country and to bring a piece of England with Him. In his city they arranged to welcome the Prince. When he arrived there was a large ceremony to welcome him. The Prince stopped and shook hands with and greeted as many people as possible. The Mayor presented the Prince with the keys to the city. It symbolically represented that they had turned not just authority but everything in the city over to the Prince. Why because when the Prince came, they felt that England came with him. They now felt and connection to England and the King because the Prince had come.
Do you see it? That’s exactly what God did. We were distant from God. We were cut off by the ocean of our own sins. His holy nature was different from ours. But then He sent His only Son to visit us. When He did, the kingdom of Heaven was not just the distant place where God sits on His throne, it is right here where we live. But the great thing about the King of Kings is that His Kingdom is also within each of us. The Prince of Wales eventually went home, but even though Jesus returned to Heaven, the Spirit of God still dwells in the hearts of believers. God is with us and within us every day. His desire is to transform us so that we are more and more like Him.
So the Kingdom of God is in Heaven, the Kingdom of God is within the hearts of believers, but there is one more critical truth. The Kingdom of God is coming. Yes, when Jesus had completed His work He returned to Heaven, but the good news is that Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t the only one who said, “I’ll be back.” Jesus return is promised through out the Bible. In John 14 we read Jesus saying, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” He told the disciples right up front, I’m going but I’m coming back again.
In Acts chapter 1 when he left the angles proclaimed, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” The return of Christ was foretold by the the prophets, promised in the Gospels, and proclaimed through the rest of the New Testament. When we look at the world today with all of the trouble that is happening. When we see the sin that seems to be spiraling out of control. As people work to even suppress the gospel in the very mention of His name. Just remember this, He is coming again. Because He is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. It doesn’t matter what anyone tries to do to stop Him or deny Him. He said He would come back from the dead, and He did. He said, that He would come back again and He will. He is Lord. When He showed His people how to pray, He said it starts with concern for my kingdom. That means we ask for it to come. It is a prayer where we say, Lord I want you to rule, not only in Heaven, but in my life as well. It is a prayer where we look at the state of the world, and we pray for His return, that the world would be turned towards Him. We know that living for Him will mean difficulty, because to live for Him is to be different from most of the people around us. We know that His return will also be His judgment. But we still desire both because we desire Him. So we look at the hardship and the difficulty, we look at the challenges ahead and we say with the John at the end of Revelation, “Even so, come Lord Jesus.”
3. Who’s Will
Jesus told us to pray for the Kingdom and then He taught us to say, “Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.” When we sincerely make this petition it identifies the direction of our lives. It should bring us to the choice of saying, “Not my will but thy will be done.” The problem is that it has to be a sincere prayer. Too many times we pray something like this because we know that we should, so we’re doing it, but in the back of our minds we’re still thinking about what we want. When we pray that way we’re not really being sincere, we’re praying thy will but we really mean my will. That’s bad but I think that there is something that is even worse. When people pray a prayer like this and they don’t even think about it. It’s when we’re praying but it’s really just out of habit. I know I’m supposed to do this so I’m doing it, but I’m not really even thinking about it. Think about it! These words are important, they say, “Lord I want what you want, if my will is somehow different from yours, I want your will to happen. You are in first place.” It is a matter of priority and when you pray this you are giving God the first priority in your life. This is a huge commitment, and too many times people pray it and it’s just words to them. But if you want all that God has for you, it you want God’s best for you then you have to pray it and mean it. When you do that it sets the direction in your life. That means that you’re going to choose to go His way, even if it’s different from your way.
When you do that, when you pray the petition and you mean it and you follow it, then this petition will define who you are becoming. It is a matter of will. Are you pursuing desires that you set, or the ones that God sets? The answer to that question is really a matter of trust. Do you trust that if you follow God He will bless you or not. Look at the promise that Jesus gave us if we would put the kingdom of God first. Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Jesus says, “If you let me set your direction, if you will make My kingdom your priority, I will give you everything else. You don’t have to worry about things. I’ll take care of it. You don’t have to worry about money. I’ll take care of it. He can give you all those things so don’t worry about them. You worry about the resource that is the scarcest, your time, and you dedicate it to leaving a legacy for Christ. You worry about His kingdom and He will build yours.
When we sincerely pray this prayer it sets the direction of our lives after Him. He takes that commitment and begins to make us more like Him. It is a powerful prayer but it also acknowledges a shameful truth. God’s will is always done in heaven, but it is not always done on earth. At God’s throne in Heaven, there isn’t a question of who’s will is done. But on the thrones of earth that has always been an issue. It’s not just the royal thrones of the earth is it? We sometimes battle with Him for the throne to our own hearts. We know what we should do, but we don’t do it. We know what we shouldn’t do, and we do that. It is a struggle, but it is one that we have to let Him win.
That means that when we pray, when we are following a model and we come to the point that we pray for His will, we stop and listen for Him to tell us what it is. We seek to find out what He would want us to do. Notice that in verse 33 Jesus said, “Seek.” We search for it, we listen for it. We have to let God speak into our lives and then follow what He says.
It sounds hard, but again, it is a matter of trust. Do we trust that God’s will is always for our benefit. We have to realize this truth, God is good therefore, God’s will is always good, and His desire is to bless us. Think about it, when you follow God you have access to His power and provision. You have His resources at your disposal. When you go your way, who’s resources do you have? That’s right, yours. Who’s are bigger. Listen God came down to dwell among us. To bring a piece of the Kingdom of Heaven to earth. He paid the price for your sin so that you could be with Him. He will come again so that we can live with Him. If He has already done all of that for you, don’t you think He wants to bless the other area’s of your life? Your spiritual life improves the moment that you let go and make God the priority in your life. When that happens all of your life is better. If you haven’t made Him your first priority yet will you do that today?
