Please remember that sermon notes are meant to act as a guide and may not be exactly what was preached.

Colossians 1:9-13, 1 Timothy 2:1-3 

Last week we looked at Martin Luther and the reformation that changed and challenged the Church of that day. Luther was a man of prayer; he would spend 3 to 4 hours a day in prayer with God.  

Luther described prayer as, “The hardest work of all – a labor above all labors, since he who prays must wage almighty warfare against the doubt and murmuring excited by the faint-heartedness and unworthiness we feel within us…”  And, I would add, the busyness and distractions of the world. There are many things that keep us from prayer. But those things must be set aside in our relationship with God.

In prayer, first and foremost, we should always be seeking God’s will. The biggest question we need to be asking in prayer: What is God’s will, for our country, for our leaders, and in how I vote?

Since we are praying for our country and its leaders: From the notes of James McHenry, a Maryland delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, “A lady asked Dr. Franklin ‘Well Doctor what have we got a republic or a monarchy?’ ‘A republic,’ replied the Doctor, ‘if you can keep it.’” We are 244 years old, the Constitution of the USA  was, “Written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, the United States Constitution is the world’s longest surviving written charter of government. Its first three words—”We the People”—affirm that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens” (US Senate historical office). 

It is “We the People” that vote and decide who leads us, who governs us, and so on. You know the candidates, you know what they stand for and the platform they are endorsing… 

But first and foremost, we must remember that we are citizens of the Kingdom of God, we are to serve Him and His Kingdom in all that we do.

He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. 

Colossians 1:13

Lord’s Prayer… (Matthew 6:9-15) Where is a king’s will carried out? What is it called when you refuse to follow the laws of the land you live in?  What is it called when you refuse to do what the leader of the Kingdom tells you? We need to pray God’s will be done here and now!

Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God.

Romans 13:1

I am a firm believer in free will, I believe we suffer the consequences of our choices. But I also believe in the divine authority of God, that He will cause all things to work for the good of those that love Him (Romans 8:28-29, to see who it is that loves Him see John 14:15).

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. 

Ephesians 6:12

Digging Deeper

• Are you in prayer with God?
• As a citizen of the Kingdom of God, is it “Your Kingdom Come Your will be done” or does your will hold more sway?
• How should being a citizen of God’s Kingdom affect your day to day actions?
• Are you seeking His will or your own in prayer?

Further Reading:

• General: 1 Corinthians 1:10, 2 Chronicles 7:14-16, Matthew 6:33, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16, John 17:21, Jeremiah 29:7, Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:6, Colossians 1:9-13, 1 Peter 2
• On God’s Will: Micah 6:8, Ephesians 5:17, Romans 12:1-2, Romans 8:28, 1 Thessalonians 4:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:18, 1 Timothy 2:4, 1 Peter 2:15, 1 John 2:17