Matthew 6:9-10 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.
Intro: We are familiar with all of these words. The Lord’s Prayer is not only a part of our Bible knowledge, it is a part of our culture.
The God above us is the Father of us all, the Progenitor, the Creator of the human race, the One with whom we have to do. The Name of the Father is Hallowed, revered, honored, sacred and holy. But, the Kingdom of the Father is not yet come. It has not been fully established in this earth. This is a tacit admission to the fact that the whole world lies in wickedness and sin.
The trouble and turmoil, the death and disease, the conflict and wars, the rebellion and blasphemy that convulse this world demonstrate that the Kingdom of God has not yet overtaken the world. And so, Jesus then states the petition of man, “Thy will be done.” The will of God is not being done in the world. The will of God is peace, holiness, truth, wholeness, and alignment with the nature and purposes of God.
Where does the will of God need to be done? “In earth.” So far, we understand what Jesus means.
Then, he says something about which we do not know by simple observation.
“Thy will be done in earth…as it is in heaven.” Who among us knows what is going on in heaven? How is the will of God being done in heaven? Why should we pray that the will of God would be done down here just like it is done up there?
Because the One who was speaking on earth was the Lord from heaven!
John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven:”
If anyone knows what is going on in heaven, it is Jesus Christ. So now, the question is what is going on in heaven? How is the will of God being done in heaven? You may ask, “How important it is to understand this?” Just this: If we are to pray that what happens in earth would be like what happens in heaven, we need to know what is happening in heaven! Once we understand what is happening in heaven, we can pray with greater assurance, greater confidence and greater expectation about what we want to happen down here.
Three conditions exist in heaven: The absolute sovereignty of God; the supreme authority of the Word of God; the focused attention of heaven upon God.
First, we must recognize the absolute sovereignty of God in heaven. Specifically, the God of Heaven overcomes all opposition and rebellion.
There was a rebellion in heaven with an archangel called Lucifer.
Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
The story of this rebellion is given to us in the next few verses:
Isaiah 14:13-15 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
It is significant that the prophet Isaiah quotes Lucifer as saying “I will” five different times. “I will ascend…I will exhalt…I will sit…I will ascend above the clouds…I will be like the most High.”
God responded… “There is a will that will be done in heaven, but it will not be your will, Lucifer!”
Jesus knew about this. Luke 10:17-18 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
Heaven is a place free from the ravages of Satan! Heaven is a place where Satan not longer deceives, lies, disrupts or instills fear in anyone! Now, it makes a great deal of sense to pray “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven!” You do not have to be at the mercy of Satan if you pray for God’s will to be done in earth. You are praying against Satan when you pray this way!
I am tired of the devil destroying lives. I am tired of Satan luring people into addictions, immorality, fear, dysfunctional relationships and death. Jesus went on to say,
Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
You need to rise up and say, “Satan, the blood of Jesus is against you!” You might say, “I’ve tried that and it doesn’t do any good.” That’s because you haven’t put it in the context of heaven and earth. You haven’t prayed with understanding of what’s going on in heaven. Ask Satan how much authority he has in heaven. NONE!
But, the devil might say, “But you’re not in heaven. You are down here and this is my realm. This is my territory.”
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The United States of America owns territories in faraway places. Guam, Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, The U. S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Wake Islands, Midway Islands and other uninhabited islands are all under the control of the US government.
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The US coastal waters extend out twelve miles from shore. Any vessel that enters these waters comes under the control of the US government.
- Not only that, but any vessel that sails under the flag of the United States in under the jurisdiction of the United States. If the flag flies, the US Constitution is in force.
If Satan has no authority in heaven because the will of God is done there, then wherever and whenever the will of God is done, Satan loses his power.
Matthew 16:18-19 And I say
also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
When I raise the flag, the blood-stained banner of the Cross over my life, Satan loses his authority over me!
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven!
Second, the question arises about the Word of God. In heaven, the Word of God has supreme authority. On earth, however, everywhere we look, the Word of God is being violated, ridiculed and denied. We live in a culture that is almost totally in rebellion against the precepts and practices of the Bible. The entertainment industry revolves around anti-God and anti-Christian ideas.
The sexual revolution has introduced perversion and confusion into the minds of people about the way we live our lives. The New Age movement has brought in a bevy of false gods and twisted beliefs about spirituality. The theory of evolution has paved the way for abortion, euthanasia, social engineering and the use of the human body for things that violate the divine purpose.
Now, these new ideas have started to penetrate the church. I am speaking of the new emergent church movement that holds up nearly everything the bible teaches to question.
I am issuing a warning about these things. They use terms like missional, revelancy, deconstruction and authentic in order to make things sound acceptable. But anything that substantially changes the intent of the Word of God needs to be opposed!
I believe that the Bible is the Word of God.
I believe that I believe:
- that God created the heavens and the earth
- in the Garden of Eden
- in the rod of Moses turning into a serpent
- that the sun stood still for Joshua
- that Jesus turned the water into wine
- that the axe-head did swim
- that Jesus fed the five-thousand with five loaves and two fishes
- that Elijah was taken up in a chariot of fire
- that Jonah was swallowed by the whale
I believe in repentance, water baptism in Jesus’ name, the infilling of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives the utterance, in living a holy life, in the soon return of Jesus Christ for the rapture of the church.
Do you know why I believe in these things? Because these are the things already established in heaven!
Psalms 119:89 For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven!
In the book of Acts, we find numerous accounts where it specifically says that the Word of God triumphed.
Acts 6:7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Acts 12:24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.
Acts 19:20 So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed.
The educational community, the scientific community, the media and entertainment industry, and the government itself may come against the Word of God. In the end, the Word will triumph. Paul said,
2 Timothy 2:9 Wherein I suffer trouble, as an evil doer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound.
The Word of God is not bound to man. The Word of God is not bound by man.
I want the Word to triumph in my life right now! That’s why I pray, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven!
Psalms 19:7-14 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.
12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.
13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven!
Thy Word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee!
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven!
It doesn’t matter how the rest of the world lives. Commit to living your own life by the Word of God. Declare yourself to be under the dominion and direction of the Word of God.
Proverbs 3:1-6 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven!
Third, something else is going on in heaven: Worship! All of heaven’s attention is focused on God Himself!
Isaiah 6:1-3 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
I don’t know exactly when this was written. Probably 2500 to 3000 years ago. Do you think this is still happening?
Yes! Worship is happening in heaven right now!
Revelation 4:1-11 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
4 And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.
5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Worship needs to dominate our relationship to God. Our corporate services need to be filled with worship. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven! If you cannot worship, you cannot pray this prayer with sincerity! If you withhold your worship, you cannot pray this prayer with sincerity! It is God’s will for you to worship!
Clap your hands. Raise your hands. Shout to the Lord with a voice of triumph. Sing the songs of Zion.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven!