When
we pray the Lord's Prayer, we pray confidently that His Will Be Done
and His Kingdom Come on earth as it is in heaven! Accepting God's
sovereignty is critical in praying confidently! Today, we tend to think
that we should identify with a right worldly
kingdom. Ironically, those who say that really don't want a right
kingdom which is God's Kingdom with His rules. Rather, by identifying
with a right worldly kingdom they want an individualism to apply to them
in a worldly kingdom that they say God has willed. They do not want to
accept God sovereignty and that His Word is Sovereign and they
definitely don't imagine having to stand individually before the
Creator.
No, they tend to stand on the premise that every individual is
God's unique little individual to be worshiped just for being an
individual with special beliefs and
looks/behavior/preferences/tendencies and that His Will for them is to
be a special individual based on their individuality. And Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons ~ Acts 10:34. He made no distinction between them and us, because of their faith-cleansed hearts ~ Acts: 15: 9.
Yes, every member
of the Body of Christ is necessarily an individual but that does not
mean God's Will is different for each one. His Will applies to every
member in the same way. How? God's Will is sovereign in the same way for
everyone! How do we know that? We read it in His Word. The body is a unit, though it is comprised of many parts. And although
its parts are many, they all form one body. So,it is with Christ ~ 1 COR12:11. And, we observe
its rejection in the idea of free will theism which thinks it can deal
with sin and suffering individually based on the individual will God has
for every individual.
In saying the Lord's prayer, we accept
God's sovereignty, His Will for all of us and we know that in His
Sovereignty, God takes sole total responsibility for His Will. He has
ordained that all things exist, including sin and evil so that He may
show His Sovereignty. When we pray His Will be Done, His Kingdom Come,
we pray confidently because in the Lord's prayer is our hope, future and
purpose here and now. We pray in confidence that God has already
announced His Victory as He is in control of all things. So, we don't
have to wonder or hunt for His Will for us. And, certainly, we don't
have to wait for the last chapter in order to know that He through His
Will (not ours) will accomplish all that He set out to do. How do we know this? Though we are different parts of the same body, we are collective in His Will and His Will Be Done. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function, so in Christ we who are many are one body and each member belongs to one another ~ Romans 12:5.
Again, the individual is recognized in the body as a necessary part of its being. But, that does not mean that the leg's function is more important than the hand or should be treated 'individually' as we think of 'individual' treatment. Why would there be a need to have individual recognition if the goal is His Will? So...Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. From Him the whole body is fitted and held together by every supporting ligament. And, as each individual part does its work, the body grows and builds up itself up in love. So,
I tell you this, and testify to it in the Lord: You must no longer walk
as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking... Ephesians 4:15-17.
God's Will is revealed in His Prayer - the Lord's Prayer. We pray with confidence for what is true in
God's heaven to be manifest on earth. In respect of the individual parts members of one body, we can ask - where is the one place that This
is clearly demonstrated here and now... where is the visible evidence of
the rule and reign of God right now? It is in the Christian Family!
We should
see a little embassy of the Kingdom of Christ, a husband wife and
children in the right ordering. They are showing how the Kingdom is to
work. We declare against the powers and principalities of this fallen
world when saying the Lord's prayer, that we are overcomers, we are
obedient to His Will and we demonstrate His Will and His presence right
here and now in our family, in us! ~ A Summary of Albert Mohler's sermon
on the Lord's Prayer.
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work ~ 1 COR 12:4-6.
ReplyDeleteYes, we are precious in His sight because we are His, and He is Almighty God our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and He is a jealous God ~ Deu. 4:24. We are to put no other god before Him ~ Exodus 20:3. We worship Him and give Him thanks and in that we are special and special only to Him for He is our God! Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’~ John 8:54.
ReplyDeleteEssentially, we are very important as role assigned individuals in context of fulfilling God's social hierarchy: the unmarried, the married - husband, wife and children as well as the role of seniors/widows. God's social hierarchy prepares us for His Coming Kingdom!
ReplyDelete