'KINGDOM PRAYER'

Rev. Brent Russett

By Rev. Brent Russett

Pastor of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:

http://www.sunnysidechurchottawa.com/   

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PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, February 3^rd, 2013:

http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/11090/good_news_038_feb3.mp3
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‘Kingdom Prayer’

Good morning. And welcome to good news in the morning. My name is Brent Russett. I serve as the senior pastor at Sunnyside Wesleyan Church. It is my pleasure to look at some of life’s challenges with you, and then bring you some good news in the morning.

            This program is sponsored by Good News Christian Ministries, Box 184 Rideau Ferry, ON K0G1W0. Or you can find us on the web by Googling “Good News Christian Ministries.” 

           

            This morning I want to talk to you about Kingdom Prayer.

             All my life I have been surrounded by people who pray. But I have never found prayer easy.

            My parents are amazing people of prayer. My mother still gets up early in the morning to pray. She will sit in the easy chair with her bible in her lap and her prayer list in her hand and she will pray. She prays for me and for my family every day. When life hits those rough spots I will call her up, -and she will call a couple of her friends who know how to pray – and they will pray. God listens to my mom – she is an amazing prayer warrior. I have seen God give her some amazing answers to prayer. (Thanks mom and dad for praying)

            All my life I have been surrounded by people who pray. But I have never found prayer easy.

            One of the great places in our city is located not far from here.  It is called the National House of prayer. Rob Parker was a Baptist pastor out in B.C. He believed that God was calling him to take a prayer walk – across Canada. I know a number of you have taken a prayer walk in this neighbourhood but to take one across Canada is one long prayer walk.

            On that prayer walk, Rob had a sense that God was calling him to start a National house of prayer in Ottawa to pray for the government. They had no money and no way of seeing this happen. But in one miracle after another, God gave them this amazing building within walking distance of parliament hill. They got this 3 million dollars facility a lot less than that and it was paid off within the first year. They host prayer teams and have seen amazing answers to prayer.

            I believe in the power of prayer. I have always been surrounded by people who pray. But I have never found prayer easy.

            I have been at Sunnyside for over 20 years. Every week, summers excluded I have lead a prayer meeting in my office. There are usually three or four others who join me. Every week we note those things that we are thankful for and those answers to prayer we have seen. We will then take prayer requests. We have often seen God answer prayer.

            I believe in the power of prayer. I have always been surrounded by people who pray. But I have never found prayer easy.

            I have spent days at pastors’ prayer retreats, and prayer summits and I helped lead a transformational prayer movement in the city – but I have never found prayer easy.

            Prayer is hard work. It is a lot harder than preaching a sermon. I know I have preached some pretty bad sermons, but I have never fallen asleep in my own sermon. I have fallen asleep while I was trying to pray.

            So even though I find prayer hard, I keep on struggling with it. I wrestle to get there. I wrestle while I’m there – because prayer makes a huge difference.

Song – Does Jesus Care – Guy Penrod and George Beverly Shea.

Guy Penrod’s Album Hymns.

            Prayer makes a difference. But how is prayer for you? Does prayer come easy for you? I know it does for some. There are some who just naturally pour out their heart to God in ways that matter. But most people I know find prayer difficult.

            In fact, I know that when I started talking about prayer, the guilt meter in some of you was starting to ping, because you feel like you should be praying more than you do. For some of you, if I was to ask you how much prayer was enough – you would say just a little more. But this is not about guilting you into prayer.

            This morning I am hoping that I can expand your vision and that God will enliven your heart for prayer. I am hoping that God will prod your heart towards prayer. Because prayer matters.

            Now there are all kinds of prayers. There are prayers of meditation. There are prayers of intercession. There are prayers of worship and praise. I don’t have time to talk about them all so this morning I want to focus on just one kind of prayer. I want to talk to you about kingdom praying.

            Jesus in teaching his disciples on how to pray said this.

Matthew 6:9

This, then, is how you should pray:

'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'

Latter on the church added, “For thine is the kingdom the power and the glory for ever. “ Amen

– Matthew 6:9-15 (NIV)

           

            This is a great prayer. It is personal – it calls God our father. It has worship Hallowed be your name. It brings our needs of the day before God – give us this day our daily bread. It brings our spiritual needs before God – forgive us trespasses, don’t lead us into temptation, deliver us from evil: All great things.

            And when I am inclined to pray that is often how I am inclined to pray. I have a personal relationship with God. And often I will put worship music God and worship in it. I will bring the needs of my family or myself before God. I will look at my heart and make sure it is right  before God – and look at my need to walk well spiritually in this world. These things are all good.

            But after years of praying with people, I know my heart and I have heard are people’s prayers here is what I have learned. Often our vision is limited. We will pray for Aunt Jenny’s trip to the doctor, or safety for our family on a trip, or we will pray for finances. And all these things are right prayers, and good prayers, and we are praying the way Jesus taught us.

            But there is another kind of prayer, the kind I skipped over in Jesus’ prayer. But it is the big kind of prayer. The vision expanding, faith expending, hope exuding kind of prayer. It is kingdom prayer.

            Jesus said, “Father, Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

            That is the basis for kingdom praying. That is the kind of praying that brings the power of heaven to earth. For you are literally praying that God would so arrange things here, so they would start to emulate heaven.

            That is a big kind of prayer. But that is a holy kind of prayer. That is the kind of prayer that we are called to pray.

            So what does kingdom prayer look like. The kingdom of God is where God’s rule is acknowledged and followed. The reason why heaven is heaven is that God’s rule is acknowledge and followed and life flows from that.

            So when Jesus says, pray like this, “Father, Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

            So what does that look like. Where there is oppression the kingdom prayer prays for deliverance. Where there is bondage, the kingdom prayer prays for freedom. Where there is injustice a kingdom prayer prays for justice. Where there sexism and racism the kingdom prayer prays for equality and that we would all reflect the image of God. Where there is war and turmoil the kingdom prayer prays for peace. Where there is systemic evil the kingdom prayer prays for transformation.

            But more than that; For the kingdom of God is already and not yet. Jesus has defeated sin death and hell. That is true whether people submit to it or not. Jesus has defeated evil and the evil one, even though for a short time the enemy of our souls seems to have a long leash.

            So kingdom prayers proclaim the rule and reign of God even in the middle of a messed up world. Kingdom prayers declare the truth of hope in the middle of despair. Kingdom prayers declare the reign of God in the middle of rebellion.

            For God reigns over governments, and presidents and prime ministers. God reigns over corruption and corrupt people. God reigns over multinational and transnational companies. God reigns over unjust systems and over unfair practices. And when the people of God pray for the kingdom of God to brought to bear on such things as these, transformation happens.

            Governments may rise and fall. Economies may get better or worse. Companies may treat their workers with more justice or less. But God reigns over all. And when the people of God start to declare the truth of the kingdom of God stuff happens. When we pray, “Let your glory fall in this place- let it go from here to the nations” Transformation happens. Father, Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

            I know this to be true, and I know this to be difficult all at the same time. You see when the enemy rolls in like a flood, and when oppression is long and heavy, and when the battle has been hard, and you feel battered and bruised – it is easy to buy into the lies of despair. It is easy to lay down on the bed of hopelessness. It is easy to live out of your emotions that often run counter to the truth of the kingdom of God. It is easy to take Job’s wife’s advice and curse God and die,

            But I want you to know and I need to be reminded that God is able to make faith arise even in those dark nights of the soul. The reality is that whether you see it or not, the kingdom of God is on the move. And when the people of God, proclaim the kingdom of God, something happens.

            Now people I would urge you to pray into what God puts in your heart to pray. I know we can pray for all the people who were affected by hurricane Sandy – but the more specific you can be in your prayers the more effective your prayers will be.

            Now I know that God will put different people and causes on your mind. Some of you have a heart for issue of poverty or injustice or human trafficking. They are huge things to pray for. The more specific you can be the more effective your prayers will be.

            Pray the truth of God in the middle of your or your friends depression. Pray the kingdom of God in a work place with unethical work practices. Pray the reign of God over place that promote what is immoral and evil. Pray  - Father your kingdom come – your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

            This kind of prayer hard, but it is powerful and effective. When the people of God pray the prayers of the Kingdom of God awesome stuff happens.

Song “You Carried Me” – Heart of Worship Vol 3 CD Track 15 3:37 (CD #1)

            But I want to tell you about one kind of kingdom prayer I believe God is calling our church to right now.

            This is the kind of prayer that is specific. It is the kind of prayer that prays release for the oppressed. It prays for healing of the sick. It is the kind of prayer that prays for God’s will to be done. The kind of prayer that I am talking about is prayer for those who don’t know Jesus in a personal way, to come to know Jesus in a personal way.

            I am not talking about the kind of prayer that says God bless everyone in the whole wide world and God help everyone in the whole wide world to come to know you.

            What I am suggesting is that you have four, five or six people that you are in regular contact with, that you would like to see them come to know Jesus.

            Maybe one of your co workers will make that list. Maybe a family member will make that list. Maybe it is someone who you hang out with and is a friend of yours – maybe they will make that list. I don’t know who will make that list –but I do know there is a list to be made.

            Depending on where you are at in your spiritual life, your name may be on that list to. You want to know Jesus – I would encourage you to pray. Lord Jesus come into my life, forgive me of my sin, I give you may life. I am going to follow you – Lord and in my life – I pray that your kingdom come and your will be done.

            It often amazes me when I hear people pray, when I hear myself pray, we often pray about the most mundane things. We pray for doctors appointments and safe trips and blessings on our endeavours. That is ok, because God can handle the mundane things of our lives. But would it not be better to ask God for your lost friends, your lost coworkers, your lost family members – would it not be better to ask God to work on their behalf so that they could enter into relationship with him.

            Prayer has a way of changing our hearts. When we start praying for the people around us by name it invites God to move in power in those lives as well. . But these are big prayers. When you see where people’s hearts are and where they need to be to receive Jesus – it is a  long distance. But proclaim the kingdom of God over them in prayer. Lord your kingdom come in Jan’s life, in Fred’s life in Pete’s life. Lord bring them to yourself. Call them by name.

            A few years back on the national day of prayer a number was set up so that people could call in and tell their stories of answered prayer.  There were stories of how people prayed for decades an then their friends or family members came to know Jesus. Here is just one story.

"Hi, my name is Shanah. I’m from California. Jesus saved me at 19 in July of 1994 and after that I realized how much bitterness and animosity I had towards my mom’s boyfriend and my dad’s fiancée. I asked their forgiveness for the hatred I had in my heart towards them not knowing why it was even there. After that, I started praying for their salvation. My first answer to prayer was the love Jesus put in my heart for them. I asked Jesus to save my dad and his fiancée before they got married in December. She got saved 1-1/2 months before the wedding and he got saved 5 days before. That was my second answer to prayer. I thank Jesus for always hearing our cry, even if we don’t get the answer right away. Thank you for your faithfulness."

            That is kingdom praying.

            What about you, what kind of prayers are you praying. Some of you would say, Brent, truth be told – I am not praying very much. I hear that. Like I said at the beginning I have never found prayer easy. But I am convinced that prayer is important. God responds to the prayers of his people. God does what he would not otherwise do because people pray.

            Can I suggest to you that you make prayer part of your daily routine. Start small. If you ride the bus, make the first part of you bus trip – a prayer trip. You can be talking to God and nobody around you has to know it.

            For those of you who are morning people – set 10 minutes aside to pray before you start your day. Or spend 10 minutes before you go to bed at night. You are smart people, figure out a strategy – but start small. Prayer isn’t easy. It is often hard work.o

            What kinds of prayers are you praying. There are those of you who are saying, I pray but it is normally about worship, or maybe about my needs or those around me. That is great. But will you expand your prayers to kingdom prayers.

            Will you pray for the places where you see God needs to break in.

Let’s pray together:

“Father, Thank you so much for teaching us how to pray; and Lord, help us to expand our prayer repertoire to Kingdom Praying, so that we could pray for your Kingdom to come, and for your will to be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.

May we see your rule and your rein come to earth, so that we are filled with life, and goodness, and love, and grace, and truth, and justice?

I pray for release from oppression.

Lord, Would you put on our hearts, the people you want us to pray for. Thank you, Lord, that you respond to our prayers, in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Thank you, Listeners for your words of encouragement, and for keeping us in your  prayers.,   Keeping this program on the air continues to be a work of faith. If you can help with that, please make out a cheque payable to Good News Christian Ministries, Box 184 , Rideau Ferry,  ON., K0G  1W0.

There now are several ways of accessing our programs. If you have Rogers Cable, you will find it on Channel 927 at 6:30 on Sunday mornings as well as over this radio station.  Also I encourage you to visit our website and follow us on Twitter or comment on our Blog.

May you know Jesus Christ personally and profoundly.  May the Holy Spirit reside deep within your heart.  And may the heavenly Father surround you with His constant and abiding and accompanying love

Song – Sandy Patti – Let there be praise CD – Morning like this – Track 1 3:05

- Rev. Brent Russett

To listen to the above broadcast, click on the following link:

http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/11090/good_news_038_feb3.mp3