As it is in Heaven
Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy Will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven.”
First, let us consider that this is a prayer that our Lord Jesus taught for us to pray.
It is repeated in Luke 11:2 “And He said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.”
In Matthew, it is to the crowds which followed Him (so much so, that He had to sit on a mountain to be seen and heard)
But in Luke, it is only to His disciples,…..after one asked that He teach them to pray. They had seen Him pray many times….and here, He had just finished a time of prayer….so they asked Him to teach them a prayer.
The second thing to consider, is that in both places….it says, “in earth, as it is in Heaven.” In earth….in us; for it all comes down to His Will done….in me, as it is in Heaven.
(And how is it done in heaven? It is done immediately….with reverence and honor to the Lord! Psalm 103:20, 104:1-4. For the angels, there is no hesitation,…only immediate action!)
In us,….in earth….it is never in sinless perfection that we see the Lord’s Will done….but it is a willing subjection to our King Jesus.
Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
And surely here, we deal with the issues of life…both for time and eternity. For we speak of the heart matter….diligent following after….which has to do with our personal relationship with the Lord.
As born again ones, we come to a relationship of creature to Creator….we must come to reverence Him.
Then it is as servant before His Master.
As disciple before His Lord.
And as friend with Friend.
As a creature….created to honor God, we have been given light…”the Light that lighteth every man” (John 1:9).
Everyone has a God-consciousness. They may refuse it….or they may yield to it….but this light within themselves, is the measure of their creature responsibility to God.
They know….therefore they can seek Him.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
We will be judged by the Light we have been given and how we have used the grace offered.
(My husband once had a conversation with a missionary about accountability to God….and mentioned that in this country we are blessed with so many ways of hearing the Gospel. So much light is given out….T.V., radio programs, church services, and Bible studies. So many ways presented….that our accountability is high. Where the Gospel is banned, or barely given out….they are indeed accountable….but not so much as where you can hear the Gospel anytime, if you want to.”)
But as the saved creature before the Creator, we must recognize that we have been placed in a position to receive abundant Light….and abundant life and grace to shine that light forth!
We must enter into this, where our personal circumstances on this earth is concerned.
Psalm 145:1 “I will extol Thee, my God, O King; and I will bless Thy name for ever and ever.”
“Extol” here means to raise up…..we should raise up our God, our King….as a banner!
That all may see, then come and shelter under Him.
“In earth, as it is in Heaven.”
Servant to Master (Luke 17:7-10)
It is the servant’s duty to serve. To serve in the “fields” of our everyday life….but also to serve the Lord in our personal devotions and prayer times.
The full price of every soul to be saved, and the price of the work to bring them to the Lord….has already been paid by our Master.
We have but to be obedient…..letting Him do the rest.
But we must also serve Him, personally, by becoming molded into our Master’s image. We must be like Him, if we would serve completely…this takes personal fellowship and communion….as it is pictured feeding Him in the house.
“In earth, as it is in Heaven”
Disciple before His Lord. (Matthew 16:24-25)
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
“Learn of Me”….and to learn of Him, we must come to the place of surrender to Him as Lord.
(Usually this comes once, and then worked out in many “agreements” with Him. Amos 3:3 “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” We agree that He knows best….that His Will will be done. Certainly there are many times we “reason” (Isaiah 1:18) with Him, but we come to agree with Him about whatever.)
In earth, as it is in Heaven.
And then friend to Friend.
John 15:15 “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you.”
True friendship with the Lord Jesus Christ is abundant light. We know, because we have come to the place in our experience that the Lord by the Holy Spirit within, makes things clear.
Understanding and the knowledge of His Presence with us in peace and grace are like the Arm we hold on to. We have come to the place where we are in constant contact with Him….and where we seek to only know more.
In earth….in us….as it is in Heaven.
That is what we should pray….and that is what we can have.
In the very last verse of the fellowship book, John seeks to remind all Christians that anything which takes the place due to God in our lives….anything….is an idol.
Idols are not just images…..but any substitute for Him.
That first place in our lives belongs to Jesus.
1 John 5:21 “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.”
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 