The Power of Prayer - Part 2

Introduction

We are moving to the meat of prayer. John Henry Newman said...Prayer is to the spiritual life what the beating of the pulse and the drawing of breath are to the life of the body.

 

Jesus understood this. He knew that the key to His existence here on the face of the earth was His communication to God the Father. Prayer was the secret to His power.

S. D. Gordon describes what prayer meant to Jesus. He said, "Prayer was not only His regular habit but His resort in every emergency however slight or serious. When perplexed He prayed. When hard pressed by work He prayed. When hungry for fellowship He found it in prayer. He chose His associates and received His messages upon His knees. If tempted, He prayed. If criticized He prayed. If fatigued in body or wearied in spirit, He had recourse to His one unfailing habit of prayer. Prayer brought Him unmeasured power at the beginning and kept the flow unbroken and undiminished. There was no emergency, no difficulty, no necessity, and no temptation that would not yield to prayer."

In essence Jesus Christ realized the importance of communication with His Father at all times.

Now Jesus comes and teaches us how to pray. He says that when you pray, pray like this: "Dad, who art in Heaven, hallowed by Thy Name." Now he moves beyond that and begins to pour out His heart when He prays, "Thy kingdom come!"

The Kingdom of God should be the desire of every Christian. We should stop using God for a constant sugar daddy and begin to see Him for the sovereign God that He really is. Every Christian knows what I am speaking of.

Have you ever played the game with your children where you put a coin in your fist and they sit on your lap and work to get your fingers open? According to the international rules of finger opening, once the finger was opened it couldn't be closed again. They would work at it until they got the pennies in their hands. Then they would jump up and down and run away filled with glee and delight. Just kids! Just a game!

Sometimes we come to God for the pennies in His hand. "Lord, I need a passing grade. Help me to study!" Or, "Lord, I need a job" or "Lord, my mother is ill." We reach for the pennies. When God grants the request, we push the hand away.

My friend, God wants to do so much more than just grant us pennies! He wants His best to be done in our lives. In order for that to happen, we have to quit worrying about the here and now and begin to see the Kingdom of God.

I. Thy Kingdom Come

A. The Reality of the Kingdom

So often we look at this world and believe this is it. Don't bank on this world because it is rapidly fading away! Think for a moment about a paradoxical mindset.

We look around and believe what we see is real and what we can't see is "make believe." I would say the opposite is true. The most famous kingdom on our planet today is Walt Disney World's "Magic Kingdom." It is a place where everything is clean, everyone is nice, and all news is happy. The only work is play and the sole object is fun. You can go and visit but you can't live there. The reason is it is not reality. Listen, it is a make-believe kingdom, a pretend paradise. We can see, feel, and for a time, experience, this make- believe kingdom. But it ends in a traffic jam at the end of the day. However, the Kingdom of God is often invisible but it is real. Let me describe it for you.

It has a real King. It has a certain characteristics. It has lasting peace and joy. Its wholeness and love are forever present. It is a Kingdom of eternal life and faith, not fear and death. It is a life embraced by the believer and is oblivious to the sinner. The Kingdom of God is real!

Jesus wasn't filling our minds with wishful thinking. Christ, in a great command, says . . .Seek ye first the kingdom of God... (Matt. 6:33)

If Jesus Christ placed a premium on the Kingdom, then we must as well. It is real!

B. The Ruler of the Kingdom

If there is a kingdom, then there must be a king. What a King we have-King Jesus!

John the Baptizer came preaching in the wilderness. His message was concise but powerful. Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matt. 3:2)

Our Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God.

When they beheld Jesus, they beheld the King of the Kingdom. Jesus has come to do one thing-usher in the Kingdom.

1. The Passion of the King

It was obvious what His passion was. His major theme of His preaching was the Kingdom. 49 times in Matthew, 16 times in Mark, 38 times in Luke, 103 times in those three gospels He talked about the Kingdom. Listen to Jesus before He went to the cross...I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose. (Luke 4:43)

He was nailed to the cross, buried in a tomb, and resurrected on the third day. After His resurrection the Kingdom was still His passion....over a period of forty days, and spoke about the kingdom of God... (Acts 1:3)

Jesus was passionate about the Kingdom.

2. The Purpose of the King

C. The King Calls us to Repentance

Listen, my will wants to go its own way. But being in the Kingdom means my will is bent to God's will. We must repent and believe the good news. (Mark 1:15)

For you and me to pray, Thy Kingdom come means we are willing to repent and invite the King into our lives. The King calls each of us to repentance.

D. The King Calls us to Commitment

In the Kingdom you cannot put your hands to the plow and look back. The Kingdom is for those who are totally committed to Jesus, the King. To pray Thy Kingdom come means Jesus will be the Ruler of our lives.

When we think of a kingdom, we think of territory or acreage of land that is governed by the king of a country. My friend, this King rules over the hearts of people. Have you ever noticed that your heart is a throne and the King is to rule our hearts and our lives? But each of us has a choice. We can allow Him to reign or we can assume the throne ourselves. But listen, Jesus paid the price to call us to repentance and demands commitment. So when we pray Thy Kingdom come we're saying "Lord, we commit our all to You."

E. The King Calls us to Pursue The Kingdom Above All Else (Matt. 6:33)

This is the call to be actively seeking in the Kingdom. What must we actively seek? We must be actively seeking to live for the King. We must be actively seeking to look like the King. We are to strive to be like Jesus!Where are we to strive to be like Jesus?

1. In the Home

Husbands being servant leaders. Husbands being sacrificial lovers. Having passionate love, purifying love, protecting love, providing love.

Wives functioning in the role the King as ordained. She is to be the heart of that home.

2. In the Church

3. In the Marketplace

We must be active in our pursuit to be like Christ.

E. The King Calls us to Total Dependence Upon God

We must come to the end of ourselves and totally surrender to God.

Thy Kingdom come! God, You rule in my life. If you so dare to pray this prayer, it will demand that you allow God to have all of you. You see, when we pray that simple prayer and surrender, it will drive us to impact our society and give us a kingdom desire for a redeemed society. It will energize us to share our King with our friends, relatives, associates, and neighbors. The call is for us to be Kingdom people. The world around us is waiting to see if it's real to you and me.

Conclusion

David Jeremiah says, "The Bible teaches that if you are a Christian the Kingdom of God is within you. The King has come to live within your heart. (Luke 17:21) So when you pray Thy Kingdom come, you are saying 'God, you are the King. You live in my heart and I want Your Kingdom principles and purposes to be lived out within my life.'"

The results will be staggering if you and I dare to live with the King reigning in our lives!