Becoming Kingdom prayers
Bible Reading - Luke 17: 20 18:8
Opening Prayer
Our God and father,
We come humbly to you and ask that you would overrule the weakness in me the speaker and in your people. Father we see through a glass dimly. Teach us the way of faith more perfectly. We come here with many concerns and burdens, with deep pain and sorrow.
May you cleanse us afresh and fill us with your spirit that we may discern what your spirit is saying to us your church this morning. Speak through Christ’s words; challenge and correct us where we need this.
Comfort us if we need comfort. Heal those deep hurts that cause us to be tempted to give up and disbelieve and be apathetic. Bind up those soul wounds. Heal us we pray.
Father come upon us now and change us deeply by your Spirit through your word that we may be refreshed and full of hope and joy. Oh father take from us any discouragement, disappointment and even depression that we may learn to be kingdom prayers for your glory and our good.
Amen
Introduction
It’s a cold winters night – your enjoying the comfort of your lounge room - the fire’s crackling and on your T.V screen there’s a man; He’s cold and your warm, he’s hungry – and your got your snacks. Why would he do such a thing? who is he? (Ask audience)
Yes, It’s Bear Grylls of the popular “Man versus wild” T.V Reality adventure show. On your screen is the former British Commando who has just been drop by helicopter with his film crew into some wild terrain – jungle, or forests.
Each week you marvel at his efforts to survive and find a way back to civilization, usually requiring an overnight shelter of some kind he has skillfully made.
Grylls is quoted as saying;”The show is how to deal if you fall into quick sand, if you get attacked by an alligator, if you have to make a raft.”
“I know there's a big river there, there's gonna be a great cliff climb there, there's loads of snakes in those rocks, watch out for an alligator. So I do have a good idea of 80 percent of what's gonna happen' cause textbook survival says you land, you get yourself comfortable, you wait for rescue, you don't do anything. It would be a very boring show.” End quote
Like Bear Grylls what are some of the dangers as we embark on our adventure?
There is the danger of legalism – made to feel guilty – if we wrench the passage out of context
What do we see? Like Gryll’s when we need to get up in the helicopter and we see Luke in Ch 1-9 tells us who Jesus is and now in Ch 10-18 What is a disciple of Jesus?
I’m not going to give you a detailed explanation of the parable as is often done. I want to try and prove to you that the the story Jesus tells his disciples is the application of the teaching he gives us his disciples on his kingdom and more importantly his second coming.
And that application is what does it look like to be a Kingdom prayer.
When we do that we immediately release ourselves from the danger of legalism. If there is one subject that a preacher can make his hearers feel guilty about it’s prayer.
I deliberately don’t want to do that this morning but show you that the shadow of Jesus’ teaching particularly on his coming again for judgement changes our whole outlook to this parable and particular the aspect of prayer Jesus challenges us about here.
We want to ask the Question: What is a kingdom prayer?
And we shall see a;
- 1.A kingdom prayer doesn’give up
- 2.Instead a kingdom prayer
- Believes Christ is coming to rescue them for Justice
- A kingdom prayer doesn’t give up –
In verse one Jesus gives us a summary statement of the problem we often face which leads to sin and his solution or if you like the antidote or the medicine we need for the disease to be neutralized. If we inject kingdom praying into our lives this will be the antidote or vaccine we face to kill the dead virus of giving up, or being discouraged and losing heart.
Then in the story he illustrate how the antidote or vaccine of prayer is to be administered so it will yield it’s the cure in kingdom praying and so glorify God.
Why does Christ say; “Don’t give up”? –
He knows the dangers/pitfalls that there’s a day of adversity coming – hasn’t he said as much
Luke 6:22 “Blessed are you when men shall hate you and exclude you from their society and insult you, and spurn your very names as evil things, for the Son of Man’s sake.
He knows us – our hearts and he cares enough to prepare us for that time
What is it to give up?
The word Christ uses means: to be afraid, to become discouraged, to become weary or tired, to despair, to lose heart, to tire of.
Proverbs 24:10 If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small
Why do we give up?
Often in us we give up because give in to fear or discouragement and guilt – Joshua – guilt because the devil whispers – you did that, you failed, how can you be a Christian or a good one.
- We have been wronged by others
Psalm 55:12 -14
For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him: But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.
- We are secretly trusting in our idols
There is the performance idol – see if this describes you
Someone has helpfully said; The performance idol constantly tells me I must meet a certain standard to feel good about myself. But where it slays me is it says back; “See you have failed again, you are not perfect. This causes a wrong motivation in me which presents in being driven to succeed no matter what. Hence I fail to give myself Sabbath rests as God commands me to do. Also it can manifest itself in my often trying to manipulate others into either achieving the success I have failed to achieve. This may include bossiness or bullying others.
God’s answer is that in the gospel - I have been made right with God. I am no longer under law or works.
The gospel liberates me to relax knowing that the greatest work – my justification – Christ making me right with God through his perfect life and taking my filthy works and nailing them to the cross – so I can rest in being forgive – forgiven from performance and works to basking in his grace – God’s riches at Christ’s expense
- We are ignorant – of his word
Luke 24:24–27
And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
So we need to know ourselves – talk to ourselves – play a new script in our hearts
What happens when we give up, lose heart? unbelief, apathy cf v8
Have you lost heart? How is your heart going to be healed? Jesus tells you.
Pray like the women in his story. Like you she has suffered some injustice
Christ never give up, lost heart, got discouraged?
Christ knows what it is to be betrayed – Peter betrayed him – then forgave him and restored him
Christ never gave up as we are see he is moving towards the cross – nothing will stop him
Christ felt the shame and disgrace –
Hebrews 12:2
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
so then lets
Hebrews 12:12 -13 “Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
So kingdom prayers never give up, but
2. Instead a kingdom prayer - prays - Luke 18:1 – 8
Why do we pray? Because Christ say to pray – perfect antidote – explain
We often fail in prayer – reasons (we give up – not persistent - unbelief apathy)
But Christ never stopped praying – doing it now for us
What do we pray?
What is the point of Christ’s story?
Pray Christ’s coming believing he is coming to rescue you
kingdom centred prayers – for his coming with justice
Read what Luke has said about prayer in the late Harvie Conn’s “Luke’s theology of prayer”
We need to pray
For justice
For His coming
How do we pray? -
persistently
believing
So let’s pray
Why do we fail to pray? – we give up, stop believing – become apathetic
Christ prayed - many times
What should we pray?
It’s interesting that the first recorded prayer in the Bible we read theses words Genesis 3:9-10 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
Adam expresses to God the emotion of fear and guilt. And here in our passage Christ says to us His disciples; “Don’t give up because this is often in us the fruit of fear and guilt
Listen to the last prayer in the Bible listen to Revelation 22 20
“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
This is to be our pray which is the vaccine for giving up my friend, believe it and
So a kingdom prayer doesn’t give up instead they prays, next notice…
3. Believes Christ is coming to rescue them with justice
The women had faith she would be heard
We struggle to believe;
- We are heard
- Christ is coming to rescue us and bring the justice we long for
Christ believed he was heard & coming – in his many prayers – In the wilderness, the garden and on the cross. He taught his disciples He was coming so they had hope for the future.
Believe God hears – 2 way communication – The circle of communication is God speaks to us and we speak back to God in prayer his words and thoughts
Believe Christ is coming –
He came the first time for salvation
He is coming again to rescue you and bring you justice through judgment
Eschatology of the gospel – the last things or end times of the gospel is as much a part of the gospel as the life, death, resurrection and return of Christ
We forget – we have a now but not yet or future focus – what is the book of revelation? It is the book end to the Bible because it tells us how to be conquerors in these end times!
When He comes will He find you believing? Luke 18:8
What is not of faith is sin? Hebrews
Luke 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Therefore we don’t believe it and have assurance??
Luke 24:31-32 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
Conclusion
So disciple of Christ will you become a kingdom prayer – One who doesn’t give up. Instead prays believing Christ is coming to rescue you with justice
Maybe you’re not a Christian?
Jesus is coming for a terrifying judgment. He must come,
You will not be able to withstand his coming unless you have surrendered to him in simple trust and turning from you rebellion.
Now is the moment to surrender to Him right here right now!
Tell him you are a sinner and you deserve His wrath and hell. Ask him to cleanes and forgive you through his bloody death, resurrection and soon coming.
Move out of your confort zone and into his embrace and he will hold you and make you new from the inside out. You will be a new creation. His child, in his family
He’s calling, look at him bleeding on the cross for you and come to him now
Amen
Concluding Prayer
Oh God,
Thank you that you are coming back for us. You have rescued us in Christ’s death and you will complete that rescue upon the return of your Son. You will finish what you have started. Help us now to mediate and believe this and put off giving up and being discouraged and losing heart. Forgive us we pray. Rather help us whenever we are tempted to give up to instead pray your coming believing that you are hearing our prayers and sending your Son quickly to bring justice and right the wrongs we have faced justly because they have been against you. So give us much grace as we suffer for your name sake and may we be a church of kingdom prayers who believe here our prayers - for your glory and our good, Amen