AS IT IS IN HEAVEN (51 OF 52)
Scripture: Matthew 6:5-7, Matthew 6:9-10, Matthew 6:13-15, Matthew 6
This content is part of a series.
As It Is in Heaven (51 of 52)
Series: Discipeship Part Two
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 6:5-15
We have inherited a tradition of talking about the gospel mostly in regard to eternity. We have often done this to the exclusion of the gospel's impact on life here on earth. While we often preached and talked about ''Pie in the sky, by and by,'' while Jesus spent the bulk of his teaching and ministry focused on life in the here and now. Sure, he raised issues of eternity and framed much of his earthly-focused teaching from a perspective of eternity. He did so, however, with the expectation of bringing God's will and a heavenly quality of living to bear among us amid our earthly existence. How can we pray the Lord's Prayer apart from recognizing that Jesus fully expects our lives to be transformed by God's will and purposes, right here and right now?
Most people look at prayer as a means to manipulate God. If that is the focus of what we seek to accomplish in prayer, we neither understand who God is, nor what a proper relationship with God looks like. We claim to accept God's sovereignty, power, and wisdom. We should likewise recognize any attempt to impose the human will upon God as laughable at best, and idolatry at worst. On the other hand, a healthy understanding of God calls us to reassess how we pray and our reasons for participating in the practice of prayer in the first place.
Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray, and he began with an admonishment in regard to some of the practices and public forms of prayer in his day. He discussed the hypocritical approaches of those who simply wanted to look good by their public prayers. He also addressed practices of prayer using lots of flowery language and the repetition of phrases, designed to impress and demand God's attention, somehow forcing or manipulating God into being more amenable to the will of those so praying.
On these counts, Jesus was pretty direct. They are practices and norms that miss t ...
Series: Discipeship Part Two
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 6:5-15
We have inherited a tradition of talking about the gospel mostly in regard to eternity. We have often done this to the exclusion of the gospel's impact on life here on earth. While we often preached and talked about ''Pie in the sky, by and by,'' while Jesus spent the bulk of his teaching and ministry focused on life in the here and now. Sure, he raised issues of eternity and framed much of his earthly-focused teaching from a perspective of eternity. He did so, however, with the expectation of bringing God's will and a heavenly quality of living to bear among us amid our earthly existence. How can we pray the Lord's Prayer apart from recognizing that Jesus fully expects our lives to be transformed by God's will and purposes, right here and right now?
Most people look at prayer as a means to manipulate God. If that is the focus of what we seek to accomplish in prayer, we neither understand who God is, nor what a proper relationship with God looks like. We claim to accept God's sovereignty, power, and wisdom. We should likewise recognize any attempt to impose the human will upon God as laughable at best, and idolatry at worst. On the other hand, a healthy understanding of God calls us to reassess how we pray and our reasons for participating in the practice of prayer in the first place.
Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray, and he began with an admonishment in regard to some of the practices and public forms of prayer in his day. He discussed the hypocritical approaches of those who simply wanted to look good by their public prayers. He also addressed practices of prayer using lots of flowery language and the repetition of phrases, designed to impress and demand God's attention, somehow forcing or manipulating God into being more amenable to the will of those so praying.
On these counts, Jesus was pretty direct. They are practices and norms that miss t ...
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