On Earth As It Is In Heaven...

This Sunday, we continued our Foundations series with the second message in our mini-series on prayer, titled On Earth As It Is In Heaven.

Last week, we looked at the opening words of the Lord’s Prayer and saw that prayer begins with relationship and reverence. Jesus taught us to approach God as our Father in heaven and to honor His holy name.

This week, we moved into the next section of the prayer where Jesus teaches us to pray:
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

These words remind us that the Christian life is about much more than simply attending church or praying occasionally. Jesus was teaching His followers how to live in this world as citizens of another Kingdom.

The sermon centered around one guiding question:

How does Jesus tell us to live in this world?

First, we saw that This world is not our home. Throughout Scripture, believers are described as pilgrims, strangers, and sojourners. While we live here, our true citizenship is in the Kingdom of God. Like Nehemiah, whose heart longed for Jerusalem even while living far away, Christians are called to live with their hearts set on something greater than this present world.

Second, we saw that This world is not our authority. When Jesus taught us to pray, “Your will be done,” He was teaching us to submit our lives to the authority of God above every other voice. In a culture constantly trying to shape our values and beliefs, followers of Christ are called to be guided by God’s Word rather than the spirit of the age. Like Daniel in Babylon, we are called to live faithfully under God’s authority no matter where we find ourselves.

Finally, we saw that This world is not our hope. Everything in this life is temporary. Governments change, cultures shift, and earthly security can disappear in a moment. But the Christian’s hope is not found in the things of this world. Our hope is in Jesus Christ and the coming Kingdom of God. The promise of Christ’s return and the reality of a new heaven and a new earth give believers confidence even in a broken world.

The message concluded by returning to the story of Jewish exiles who would end their Passover meals with the words, “Next year in Jerusalem.” Even while living in foreign lands, they never forgot where they truly belonged.

In the same way, Christians are called to live with their hearts fixed on the Kingdom of God. We live here, but this world is not our home, our authority, or our hope. We belong to Christ, and we eagerly await the day when His Kingdom comes in fullness and His will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

​– Pastor Charley Munro
Living Grace Church, Tyler Texas