Do we Dare Pray:
Thy Will Be Done On Earth?

May you be so aware of the grace and mercy of God our Father that you desire and to see His will revealed in your life!

A Picture of God’s Will, made Complete in heaven:

I want to re-read the Revelation passage, that describe what God’s will looks like, when revealed in Heaven:

⁹  When this was done I looked again, and before my eyes appeared a vast crowd beyond man’s power to number. They came from every nation and tribe and people and language, and they stood before the throne of the Lamb, dressed in white robes with palm-branches in their hands. With a great voice they shouted these words: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb!”
¹¹  Then all the angels stood encircling the throne, the elders and the four living creatures, and prostrated themselves with heads bowed before the throne and worshipped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honour and power and strength be given to our God for timeless ages!”     Revelation 7:9-14 (Phillips NT)

It is the vision of the Nunc Dimitis, the incredible song Simeon spoke as he held Jesus. The song we will sing, having been given Christ’s body and blood…

²⁹  “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. ³⁰  I have seen your salvation, ³¹  which you have prepared for all people. ³²  He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” Luke 2:29-32 (NLT)

When we pray for God’s will be done on earth, as it is in heaven, we are asking Him to save the world, to bring us all into a relationship with God the father, through Christ.  To see the love of God revealed, to and in the people we know, to see them join the name of those whose names are written in the book of life.

What a thing to celebrate.

For every time a sinner is welcome home, cleansed and made a child of God, the heavens rejoice, and so should we!

Every time they learn to pray and trust to lay everything in God’s hands, including their very lives, the joy of heaven is inexpressible.  God’s will had been revealed in our midst.  Every time we approach this altar and share in His feast…. His will is seen again, for we take His body and blood into us, even as we have been joined to His death, and the resurrection, and added to the number whose voices will thunder His praises!

But Why Would We Hesitate?

       To see this happen, what needs to happen to us?
Do we dare pray this happen?

Do we realize what we are asking God to do?  How He will change us?

What will it take, for Jesus to be that well known here by people here, in our little corner of Cerritos?

it is the same question that Chris asked a couple of weeks ago, when He asked what it meant for God’s name to be Holy in this place.   We are going to have to let God, not Chris or Albert or I, meddle in our lives.

We will have to embrace being uncomfortable, as we have to make sure our traditions and practices work to draw people to Jesus, that what we do and say and think reveal that our lives have been changed by God, and that we are eternally grateful.

We will have to embrace change, as God cleans us up, ridding our lives of our desires, our words and actions that aren’t consistent with His will, strengthening us against the temptation, ridding our hearts of anything that isn’t loving towards anyone.

We are asking God to invade our lives, and rip out anything that isn’t loving, that isn’t reflecting His love and mercy.

Because if His will is to be seen in our midst, it has to be seen in our lives.

You resent others?  That has to go.
You hold on to things people have done and said to you?  Those feelings and thoughts have to go.
You are jealous and envious of others things or relationships or roles because you deserve better – that attitude has to go.
You would rather be safe and secure, rather than be willing to give up all, that some would know Jesus?  Time for that to change as well.
Frustrations, Anxieties, Lust, unrighteous anger, desire for revenge?

They all go, because they will stop you from realizing the will of God, and seeing what God desires happening in your life, in our life together.

Do you still want to pray this prayer?

Are you ready to?

Why We Pray this may be done among us.

So why do we pray this?

Go back to the vision, of people from every place and time, from every culture, from every language coming together in the presence of God – all of gathered as His people, as His family.

To a place where tears no longer flow, where there are no enemies, no adversaries.  Where we gather to celebrate His love, to see the miracle that we are, when we have been saved, and realize that God wanted to do this very thing.

To realize that when we pray this, that God’s will be done, it is being done in our lives, personally, and as a community.  Right now!  When see someone baptized, and united to Christ means they are united to us as well, they become part of that crowd that will be there in heaven, with each of us. This service is a foretaste of that To kneel at this altar with people, to be part of the great company of heaven singing His praises.

You and I, despite our selfishness, despite our sin, welcome into His kingdom, and not just welcome, but welcome as His children, His blessed children He wants to share His glory with.  His greatest desire, His will is that we would be with Him.
May it happen in heaven… and may it happen here and now….

For the Lord is with us, and we know we need to know His will, will be done here in our lives.  So let us spend the rest of this service talking in prayer with our Father…. Amen!