You are listening to a message from Southwood Presbyterian Church in Huntsville, Alabama.
Our passion is to experience and express grace. Join us.
Good morning. It is an honor and privilege for me to be here representing Mission to the World.
And before we hear God's Word, I just want to offer a heartfelt thank you to Southwood
for supporting Mission to the World missionaries and for your prayers and our joint commitment in seeing the Great Commission go forth to all the world.
Our scripture passage today comes from the book of Matthew chapter 5.
I'm sorry, chapter 6.
It's a very familiar passage and I'll be reading from verses 5 through 10,
really focusing on the last two verses of the Lord's Prayer.
I'm describing the first three petitions of the Lord's Prayer, but I wanted to read some of the context as well.
So if you have your Bibles, please turn to Matthew 6, verses 5 through 10, or you can see it up on the screen.
This is God's very own Word.
And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners,
that they may be seen by others.
Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go into your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do,
for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Do not be like them.
For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Pray then like this.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
May God add His blessings to the reading of His Word.
Please join me in a quick prayer before we hear the message.
Lord, we just pray for Your Holy Spirit
to come and to fill our time now,
that You would help us to understand Your Word.
And help me, Father, please, to speak faithfully from Your Word.
In Jesus' name, amen.
We were doing our family devotions one night, as we often do,
and it was my turn to pray the Lord's Prayer,
which we do each time we do our devotions.
And this particular night, I said to myself,
tonight I am going to pray so intentionally every phrase in the Lord's Prayer.
I'm not going to just run through it from memory like I normally do.
I want to think about each word
so that my kids can kind of see a model of this prayer.
Well, I got to about the third phrase, and there was a pause.
I forgot the next line.
The kids started giggling.
I must have been really tired, I think, that night.
And my kids had a field day with me.
Good job, pastor, missionary, coordinator.
Don't even know the Lord's Prayer.
I've always thought it was ironic
how Jesus teaches His disciples not to pray repetitiously.
But almost every week, we pray this prayer He's taught us
very repetitiously, almost mindlessly, religiously.
Well, the passage that we examined, that we read,
comes in the context of Jesus' disciples asking Him how to pray.
And after teaching His disciples how not to pray,
Jesus gives this model prayer.
But what is presupposed in this prayer
is a completely different way of looking at life
and our relationship with God.
You see, Jesus doesn't want us simply to utter this prayer mindlessly,
repetitiously,
but to adopt the worldview,
the set of values,
the kingdom perspective that this prayer assumes.
And you see, it's this perspective
that's almost behind this prayer
that helps shape,
I'm sorry,
helps shape our sense of purpose
and our direction in life.
And it also informs our collective call to world missions.
And so today,
we're going to be looking at
the first three phrases in this prayer,
the opening address,
Our Father.
And then second,
Hallowed be Your name.
And finally,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.
Well, what is the first thing that we pray?
Our Father in heaven.
And what is presupposed is that we have
a relationship with God
as Father.
You see, earlier in this chapter,
Jesus speaks against the hypocrites
who prayed in order to be what?
He'd be seen by men.
You see, their problem was
they didn't have a genuine relationship
with God as Father.
And even though they were religious,
their religion didn't go beyond
their culture.
They were just acting as if they knew God.
And so what we must recognize
before anything else
is the fact that we cannot engage
in any meaningful way
with mission.
Or for that matter,
have any lasting peace or joy
in our hearts
unless
we have a relationship with God
as our Father.
You see, much of the striving
that we experience in life,
whether we are conscious of it or not,
is really a striving to reconnect
with the One who has made us,
the One who has created us.
And so this prayer assumes
that we have a relationship
with God as our Father.
But maybe there are some
here today
who do not yet know God
as their Father.
And I'm speaking particularly
to the young people
here in the church
because you see,
having a genuine relationship
with God as Father
is different from
just growing up in the church.
It's different from just
knowing the right answers
to your Sunday school questions
or even saying
the sinner's prayer.
Having a genuine relationship
with God as your Father
is only possible
by the Holy Spirit
changing us
from the inside out.
It's a spirit
that convicts you
of your sins,
leads us to repentance
and faith,
helps make sense
of the Bible.
And it fills us
with the fruit
of the Spirit,
with love,
with joy,
with peace,
patience,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
and self-control.
It is the Spirit
that guides us
and comforts us
in life
and adopts us
as the children of God
and enables us
to cry out to God,
what?
Abba.
Father.
So do you know
the Father?
One of Ernest Hemingway's
short stories
tells of this
Spanish father
who decided
to reconcile
with his son.
Son had run away
to the big city
of Madrid
and the father
wanting to reconcile
with his son,
remorseful,
took out an ad
in the El Liberal
newspaper
hoping that his son
who had run away
to Madrid
would read the paper
and understand
his heart.
And so he took out
this ad
in this paper
and he wrote
Paco,
that was his son's name,
meet me at
Hotel Montagna
noon Tuesday.
Paco is a common name
in Spain
and so when the father
went to the square
he found 800 young men
named Paco
waiting to be reconciled
with their father.
Hemingway strikes
a chord in our hearts
with this story.
What child doesn't
want to be reconciled
with his father?
What child does not
want to be in good
fellowship
with his father?
Now if this is true
with our earthly fathers,
how much more
is it true
with our heavenly father?
The Gospel of John
tells us
that all who receive Jesus,
those who believe
in his name,
call upon his name,
will be given
the right to be called
the children of God.
You see,
all of our prayers,
all of our religion
is worthless
if we do not have
a genuine relationship
with God.
And so if you have
not yet received
Jesus
or called upon
his name
for the forgiveness
of your sins,
do not wait
another day,
don't wait
another minute.
Turn to him
in faith
and repentance.
Our father
calls to us
to come to him
and he writes
to us in the Gospel,
all is forgiven.
Love, Papa.
Now the second phrase
assumes that our life purpose
is not to hallow
our name
but to hallow
God's name.
It's not about
our reputation,
it's about
his reputation.
It's not about
our glory,
it's about
his glory.
You see,
the Pharisees
and scribes
prayed in order
to be what?
to be seen
by men.
What does this mean?
It means that
they were more
concerned about
their own
reputation,
their own name.
They wanted others
to speak well
of them
or to
hallow
their name.
Jesus tells us
that our orientation
in life
as the children
of God
is not to
hallow our name
but to hallow
his.
And so we exist
to honor,
to glorify,
to build up
the name
of our God
rather than
our own.
But you see,
it's much harder
than it sounds.
This past January
there was a
Mission to the World
mission conference
on the west coast
in the sunny city
of San Diego.
It was a very special,
it still is,
very special city
to me
and to my wife.
We used to live
in San Diego
for several years.
It's where I went
to seminary,
where I served
in the presbytery,
where my wife
went to medical school,
where we had friends.
And so I thought
finally I get to go
to a place
where people
will know my
name.
I was one of the
speakers in the conference
and so I go
to register
and I
come to the desk
and they say,
well,
what's your name?
I said,
well,
my name's Lloyd Kim.
Surely expecting
they would recognize
at least that I was
a speaker
and they said,
oh,
okay,
here,
here's your packet.
I was so offended.
During that conference,
the worship,
guest worship leader
came down
and he did a great job
and I said,
you know what,
I just really wanted
to thank you.
Just did an amazing job.
And he said,
well,
thank you
and tell me again,
what's your role
around here?
I said,
well,
I'm kind of a speaker
and,
you know,
coordinate things
with missions of the world.
Needless to say,
I was also again humbled
by that.
Finally,
the last day
of the conference,
I was rushing in.
I was a little bit late.
I didn't have my
conference tag on
and as I was going
through the doors,
someone stopped me
and said,
did you register?
They thought I was
trying to freeload.
Needless to say,
God was telling me
something about
my own preoccupation
with my name.
Jesus teaches us
to pray,
hallowed be your name.
But how often
do we live out the prayer,
hallowed be my name.
But you see,
this phrase also has
a missions thrust.
For we are asking God
that He would make
His name hallowed.
The reason that we go,
the reason that we send
people to the nations
is because the nations
are not yet
hallowing
the name of our God.
And so,
we pray that those
who do not yet know
the name of our God
from every tribe,
from every tongue,
from every nation,
would come to know Him
as Father
and would also
hallow His name.
The final phrase
we'll discuss today
is,
your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth
as it is in heaven.
Now,
what would be the opposite?
My kingdom come,
right?
My will be done.
This is what Jesus
was speaking against
when He criticized
those who would pray
repetitiously,
thinking that they would
be heard
for their many words.
What were these people
trying to do?
They're trying
to manipulate God
to give them
what they want,
to accomplish
their will
above all else,
thinking they would
be heard
for their many words.
But you see,
our Lord wants us
to orient our life
away from our own
personal agenda,
our own kingdom,
towards His agenda
and kingdom.
wisdom.
This is what it means
to be a follower
of Jesus,
a disciple of Christ.
People have often
asked me,
Lloyd,
what is your vision?
What is your vision
for mission
to the world?
And I often respond,
pretty simple for me,
my vision is
Jesus' vision.
What did Jesus
want to see?
What did He preach?
preach, repent for the what?
The kingdom of God
is at hand.
How is He teaching us
to pray?
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done
on earth
as it is in heaven.
Jesus' vision was
to see God's rule
and reign
fill the earth.
He wants to see
the heavenly kingdom
come
to the earth.
This isn't just
a prayer for the
second coming,
which we certainly
desire,
but a prayer for the
power and the presence
of God
to be known
even today
here on earth
as it is in heaven.
And we ask,
well, what does
this kingdom look like?
In any kingdom
you need citizens.
And so when a person
repents and believes
in the gospel,
submits himself
to the king,
the kingdom advances.
And when the church
lives out the ethics
of the kingdom,
an ethic of radical
self-sacrifice,
surrender,
and submission
to the king,
when the church
lives out this ethic,
the kingdom of God
is here.
And when those
from every tribe
and every tongue
and every nation
worship the Father,
the kingdom of God
has come.
This is the vision
of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
Is this our vision?
Is this Southwood's vision?
After a speaking event,
a young college student
came up to me
and she thanked me
for the message
and then she went on
to share how
how her mother
had passed away
just a month before.
She started crying.
She said it was
an accident,
something that could
have been prevented.
And she simply
couldn't understand
why God would
take her mother away.
She had,
this young woman
had just given
her life to Jesus
several months
before this.
And then she looked
at me and she said,
but now,
Pastor,
I realize
he wants everything,
even my mother.
And I'm okay with it.
I looked at her
and I said,
your faith
and your submission
demonstrates God's
rule and reign
in your life.
It's a picture
of the kingdom of God.
You have encouraged
and strengthened
my faith
more than you know.
You see,
our Lord teaches
us to pray
that God's
will be done
on earth
as it is
in heaven.
Because in heaven
there are no tears.
There is no sorrow,
no sickness,
no injustice,
no corruption,
no abuse,
no brokenness,
no sin,
and no death.
And so when we pray
this prayer,
we are praying
that Satan's kingdom
would be destroyed
and that the gospel
would go throughout
the world
and that the church
would grow
in grace
and in holiness
and that Christ's reign
would indeed extend
to the ends of the earth
and that He would return
in glory.
We pray
that people
lost in hopelessness
would find hope,
that marriages
that are broken
would be mended
by grace,
and that the glory
of God
would indeed
fill the earth.
Beloved,
Jesus teaches us
to pray this way
because
that's how He prayed.
He says,
Our Father.
He considers us
His brothers
and His sisters.
He prays,
Hallowed be
Thy name
when His own name
is mocked
and ridiculed.
He prays,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
and then establishes
the very kingdom
by submitting
to the Father's will.
Remember how He asked
the Father
to take
the bitter cup
from Him
in the garden
of Gethsemane,
but then prayed
with resolution,
not
My will be done,
but Thine.
What did it mean
for Jesus
to pray this prayer?
It meant that
He would willingly give,
willingly sacrifice,
and submit
to the suffering
and pain
of the cross.
Jesus gave up
everything
for the kingdom,
and He calls us
to do the same.
What are the implications
of this kingdom prayer?
The implications
are that we would live
wholeheartedly
for the kingdom,
submitting to our King,
seeking to advance
His will,
and His name
above all else.
And you see,
this is where missions
comes in.
Our great commission
mandate to go
and make disciples
of all the nations
is the means
by which the kingdom
of God advances.
And so,
if we want to see
this vision of our Lord
come about,
we need to take seriously
our mission
in sending
and supporting
and going
to the nations
with the good news
of the kingdom
of God.
Every dollar given,
every prayer
lifted up,
every person sent
or project supported
for missions
testifies
that the kingdom
of God
is real.
It declares
to the world
that we submit
to a living King
who rules the heavens
and the earth,
and it bears witness
that the kingdom
of God
has come
and that we seek
its advancement
here on earth.
Can I suggest
maybe some practical
ways in which
Southwood might consider
being involved
in missions?
It was wonderful
last night
to talk
with Sarah
about what the church
is doing
in the community.
And I would say
amen to that.
those who are engaged
in mission here
will be the best
missionaries
overseas tomorrow.
But one thing
that has been
in my mind
in terms of how
I might encourage
the churches
is to consider
tithing your members.
Oftentimes,
churches give a tithe
to missions,
but very infrequently
would they think
of actually tithing
their members.
And what I mean
by that is
to have as a goal
as a church
to send
10%
of your congregation
to long-term
foreign missions.
If you have
500 adults,
consider sending
50,
25 unit,
25 families.
What does this mean
practically?
Instead of waiting
for the one
or two odd members
who feel a personal
call to missions,
the church actually
encourages,
challenges,
and prepares members
to go.
If the mission field
says we need
three families
to start a new
church planting work
in Myanmar,
then the church
begins asking people
in the congregation
to prepare.
For those of you
who are parents,
if you have three kids,
you know,
send one of them.
And don't send
the one you don't like.
That goes for the
church leadership too.
Don't send us
the troublemakers.
Send your best.
Send your elders,
your deacons,
your pastors,
your best evangelists,
your best disciples.
Send them and see
how God will bless
this church.
Maybe you're thinking,
we can't afford
to give away
our people to missions.
We need every soul
to make this church
healthy and strong.
Here's the thing,
beloved.
You can't out-give God.
I've seen it again
and again.
I have a friend
who's a church planter
in Northern California.
He was struggling.
The church was barely
able to support him.
But one of his members
says,
I want to go.
And he wrestled
with it for over a year
but finally he said,
I can't keep you back
and let that family go.
And guess what God
did right after that?
Flooded that church
with new people.
Another church
in Southern California
sent their pastor
to missions.
After he left,
the church grew even more.
It wasn't because
he was a bad pastor.
Afterward,
the church sent an elder
and the church
grew even more.
And finally,
they sent another elder
and the church
grew even still
and then people
didn't want to become
elders at the church
because they thought
if they became an elder
they would have to go
to missions.
missions.
But of course
there is another way
to participate
and that is to go.
Have you ever asked
if the Lord
is calling you
and your family
to go
and invest your life
in making disciples
among the nations?
You see,
Jesus,
he's entrusted us
with the gospel.
And he gives us
authority and power
to proclaim
the good news
of the kingdom.
It's not about us.
And he gives us
his spirit
which enables us
to go forward
with confidence
and if you are afraid,
beloved,
his perfect love
casts out all fear.
Your life
will never be the same.
And so let me ask you,
Southwood,
what is your vision?
may our collective vision
be that the nations
would call upon God
as their father
and that the nations
would hallow
his name
and that indeed
his kingdom
will come
and his will
be done
here on earth
as it is in heaven.
Amen?
Let's pray.
Father,
as we pray
this prayer
week in
and week out,
remind us
of the kingdom
perspective
that this prayer
assumes.
Help us,
Father,
be a people,
your people,
your citizens
living in the kingdom
here on earth,
testifying to the kingdom
in our decisions,
our relationships,
all that we do
and say.
May Southwood
be a church
that truly seeks
your kingdom first.
Amen.