God, You Reign

Sermon Series, Teach Us to Pray: the Lord’s Prayer

We started last week talking about how Jesus begins to teach us to pray - first with how we come to God in prayer, trusting that he is personal and present. Dear Father, always near us.

We talked, too, about first request - Hallowed by Thy Name…we’re praying that the name of God be treasured and loved above all others name, that he be honored.

Today, we want to look at second request, which flows naturally from first request. Because we recognize the greatness of our Father, his wisdom, love, goodness - we want everyone to recognize it, too

And not simply to recognize Father’s wisdom, love and goodness - but to live in it. To enter willingly into reign God, to desire that his kingdom come.

Father, we want everything to be just the way you want it to be.

Prayer / Scripture: Matthew 6:10, Revelation 11:15-19

What’s a Kingdom?

Anschluss Osterreichs is title given to Nazi Germany’s annexation of its neighboring nation, Austria (which is where both my parents grew up). It happened on March 12, 1938.

Images from that day show German tanks and troops marching into Austria and crowds of Austrians enthusiastically cheering their arrival.

For many, they were seeing the return of the glory of the German people which had been dismantled following World War I. They were eager to see the Third Reich be established. Reich is reign, rule.

But not all Austrians felt that way - many did not like what they were seeing in Germany when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party came to power and their aggressive rhetoric. They did not want to be ruled by Nazi Germany.

That included Austrian Chancellor at the time, Kurt von Schuschnigg, who was compelled by threats of force by Hitler and pressure by Austrian Nazis to resign, paving the way for the Anschluss Osterreichs, the annexation of Austria.

This event gives us idea of what Jesus is talking about when he teaches us to pray in second request of Lord’s Prayer - Thy Kingdom Come. Because it’s all about what Reich, or whose reign, will be one that we live under - and not just us - but everyone, will live under.

A Kingdom is a reign, rule.

Reality is, we all live under reign, rule - in fact, we live in many.

What politics are all about. Here is United States, we have form of government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people, as Abraham Lincoln so aptly put it.

Our system is predicated on recognition of inalienable rights, based on principles of limited power -why we have checks and balances instituted throughout - three independent branches of government that have specific powers, electoral college.

Even within our system of government, we have different visions and priorities about how government should function - why we have various political parties who have different platforms (so when we vote, do we want form of Republican reign or Democrat?)

When you consider it, Cold War was war of kingdoms, of reigns with very different visions, United States versus Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, U.S.S.R. - which was fought in different ways around world.

Vast differences between those reigns exhibited in differences between North and South Korea.

Living as part of kingdom is not true just on national or international level, but smaller scales as well.

At the beginning of summer, we looked at Genesis 1, how God created each of us in his image, to be like him - including that we have will of our own. God gave each of us our own kingdom, our own reign.

Reign is essentially the range of our effective will. What we reign over is what we can effect by our will.

Reign of young child is very limited - as we grow into adulthood, we are to live out freedom of will God has given us.

Describing forms of government - range of effective will is limited in U.S. as opposed to authoritarian regime, dictatorship.

Any place there is will being enacted, there is kingdom, reign. They may be very limited in scope, but they have some authority.

Schools have authority and responsibility to educate children. We have homeowners association. Every company. Churches. Family.

Your Kingdom!

In teaching us to pray, Jesus is teaching us that one of the things that should be foremost in our hearts, what we would earnestly desire, is to see Kingdom of God come. That God would reign over everything here on earth in same way that he rules absolutely in heaven. That every kingdom (personal, communities, nation) would come under reign of God).

Thy Kingdom come, they will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

And that this is good and right - he created everything, after all. It belongs to him. Not only does it belong to him, he’s best one for job - we want God to rule over everything because as Romans 12 says, his will is good and pleasing and perfect. He’s a great King!

It’s why Abraham Kuyper wrote, There is not a single square inch in all of human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over all, does not cry out, “Mine!”.

It’s what early church declared in Philippians 2, talking about Jesus: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Prayer isn’t that this would happen by force - this does not happen by tanks and troops rolling into every town and village. There’s no compulsion here.

It happens by willing surrender. Jesus, you truly are Lord. I willingly acknowledge that. I willingly bow my name to you, because I recognize greatness of your name, of who you are.

You’ll see in this Philippians passage that natural progression - why second request follows first - recognition of Father, his glory and goodness and love and might, and willingness to come under that reign, to be part of his Kingdom.

Willingness to come under reign of God starts with us, our own personal recognition of his greatness.

Let’s acknowledge that it is not easy to be obedient to Jesus, to live faithfully according to his commands (to put in practice letting go of angry and condemnation, no longer living for approval of others, loving our enemies, laying up treasures in heaven rather than treasures on earth).

But it becomes easier more and more we see and recognize greatness of God. More experience love of Father. Bigger God becomes in our eyes, more readily we say, “Yes, Lord”, more we surrender our will to God.

We want to follow Jesus through narrow gate onto narrow road because we trust and believe that his way leads to life. We want to be able to say to Father like Jesus did, “Not my will be done, but thine.”

Life of follower of Jesus is our effort to live in greater and greater obedience to Jesus - in every square inch of our lives. Dallas Willard says it this way, “May your rule be completed in us.”

This is process of repentance. Ongoing effort to come under the rule of Jesus Christ, for his will to be done in our lives.

This is paramount - because this is what it means to be part of Kingdom of God. When Jesus is inviting us to enter into Kingdom of God, that’s what he’s talking about.

Otherwise, we’re not living under the reign of Father, but under some other reign or kingdom - likely our own.

We’re saying to God, not Thy will be done, but mine.

Paul writes numerous times in his letters to churches what are often referred to as “vice lists”

1 Corinthians 6:9-10: Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Paul is simply saying that we cannot inherit Kingdom that we actively oppose in our motives and actions. We may be presenting ourselves as followers of Jesus, but we haven’t come under rule of God, we’ve resisted it.

This would be like traitorous behavior - like a spy selling out his country

In August story came out of 67 year old ex-CIA officer, Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, who lived in Hawaii, he was arrested for selling intelligence to Chinese government

In one of his last meetings, he was caught on tape saying that he wanted the “motherland to succeed”…He was acting as if his allegiance was to United States, he gave that appearance, but his heart was elsewhere, he was under reign of another kingdom.

If we are not actively coming under rule of Jesus Christ, his kingdom, we are bound to another rule, another kingdom.

Pay attention to how Paul talks about this in Galatians 5:18-25: But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;  idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Notice the language of being under rule of Kingdom of God…led by Spirit (versus being under the law). Belong to Christ Jesus. Living by the Spirit.

Process is everything we talked about in Kingdom Heart series - we live in obedience to Jesus, hearing his words, putting them into practice. We belong to him. Led by his Spirit.

That involves giving up anger and discord, selfish ambition, lust / sexual immorality. That’s crucifixion of flesh with its passions and desires. They don’t rule us anymore. We’re not under that kingdom.

That’s why we’re no longer under law. Because we’re not working to obey it. Our effort is in following Jesus, allowing him to change our hearts to those of heartfelt love for all, bearing in us fruits of Spirit. Then we’ll naturally do what law requires. Deeds come from that core personality of divine love.

To pray this request, Father, your kingdom come. Let everything be here on earth just as it is in heaven is always a checkpoint for our own hearts, our own willingness to surrender ourselves to Jesus.

Is this true of me? Do I desire to live out will of Jesus in every square inch of my life?

Do I want his Kingdom - his righteousness, his justice, his goodness to reign?

Not only a prayer about our own willingness, but we’re praying, too, for our families, our places of work, our schools, our communities, our state, our nation, world. We want Jesus to reign over every square inch of human existence.

George Washington’s favorite Scriptural reference (50 times in various writings) - Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and not one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken. (Micah 4:4).

“their own vine and their own fig tree, no one will make them afraid” is image of Kingdom of God, where everywhere has their own property, their own home, ability to make living doing good, honest work, providing for their families - not under fear or threat from others.

This is vision that we’re praying for in this prayer - Lord, we want your reign to come!

My sister sent out a couple of pictures of my niece, whose police officer in Dallas - pictures of her hand. Had big bite mark on her hand - she got while making an arrest of a man who was under influence of drugs.

Racial division and protest of the week was largely in response to grand jury’s decision in Breona Taylor case, where Attorney General of Kentucky announced that no charges would be coming against 3 officers for her shooting.

When we pray for coming of God’s Kingdom, we are praying for peace and justice for all. That worth and value of all people - black, white, brown - would be recognized and honored. That people would not seek to escape pain of their lives through momentary highs of drugs. Where tragic shootings or bitings don’t take place because communities are not infested with crime and drugs and need for police simply does not exist - because everyone lives joyfully under rule of God.

I was reading article recently about the federal government’s Superfund - funds set aside to clean up major environmental waste sites left by companies around the nation - there are 1,300 such sites on National Priority List, including one of them in Minden, WV, where a coal mining equipment company dumped machinery laced with PCB, likely carcinogen.

When we pray for coming of God’s Kingdom, we’re praying that companies would do right thing - wouldn’t pollute earth, especially in way that harms wildlife and people. That desire to make profit wouldn’t override responsibilities they have.

People can live in good, clean, safe communities - enjoy the wonders that God created.

We could go on and on. It doesn’t take long to look at news to reveal how broken world is, how it is not how God wants it to be. And that’s what we’re praying for when we pray Kingdom of God to come…that children would not be sexually exploited, that Wyghurs, Muslim minorities communities in China, would be forced into “re-education” camps, that Christians in Nigeria would not be abducted and killed. We could go on and on.

Why it’s so essential that it begins with us, our willingness to come under rule of God. If we’re not obedient, it we don’t live in willing surrender to Jesus, how can we with integrity pray for others to do so?

And how will world see what God intends, what it looks like when people come together living out God’s peace and love and justice? Purpose of church is to give world a foretaste of Kingdom of God.

Let me finish with this. When we pray as Jesus teaches us, we’re praying for the vision that Apostle John experiences to come true, Revelation: Sounding of the trumpet by angel, cry going out, loud voices…The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.

That’s what we’re praying for, that’s what we want, that day when this will be absolutely true

Dear Father, always near us, may your name be treasured and loved. May your rule be completed in us. May your will be done here on earth in just the way it is done in heaven.