Your Kingdom Come
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5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Let’s pray.
Pastoral prayer
Missionary: Artioli's - Prayer for the new fellowship of reformed churches in Italy, they are now launching.
The Branch Church - Pastor Doug Payne
And for LWC
This morning, we come to the second petition in the Lord’s prayer - When Jesus taught his disciples how to pray he told them to pray like this, Your kingdom come…
We have good reason to long for God’s kingdom to come. You see, when kings abuse their power, people under their rule long for a new king. I’m sure we have all felt this desire for a new ruler regardless of where you might politically lean.
nations history finds its roots in longing for a different ruler
many of our families came to America for the same reason
But the longing for a better ruler is far from being unique to us Americans. Throughout the Old Testament, we read of Israel’s history where they repeatedly sat under the rule of terrible kings.
This longing for a good king in Israel began back in Exodus.
Exodus opens up with these words -
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
many of us remember the reign of that king. He oppressed the people and made them slaves. And not only that, but he killed the Hebrew sons.
God would rescue his people from their oppression in Egypt, and he would give them their own land. In that land, God would be their king and Israel would be his people. But God’s people were not content to have God as their king…
In 1 Samuel 8, the elders of Israel rejected God as their king, and wished to make another man one of their kings.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
Israel wanted a king like the rest of the nations… but Israels many kings were not much different than the kings of those nations.
You can learn about the history of Israel’s many kings in 1 and 2 Kings, but let me summarize what happened under the rule of these kings.
Under the rule of Israel’s kings, the nation was divided by a civil war
The kings did not obey the voice of God, nor did they worship the Lord alone
And after rejecting the Word of God from the prophets, the nation would be sent into exile to be ruled by foreign kings who would deal harshly with them and their children yet again.
But in the midst of Israel’s history, God gave his people glimmers of hope. God gave them promises and prophesies that spoke of a coming king who would rule his people with righteousness. Listen to one of these promises given by the Lord to David.
10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
God’s people longed for this king to come from the line of David, but many kings would come and go after David died and none of them lived up to God‘s promise. And when we open up the pages of the New Testament, we read of yet another wicked king named Harod, who sent his soldiers out to kill the baby boys through Israel yet again.
God’s people have known what it is like to long for a better king. Israel longed for this king to come…and it’s no wonder that when Jesus began his ministry, he did not simply preach about grace, nor simply about the love of God… rather, when Jesus came onto the scene he announced the good news of the kingdom.
This is the message that Jesus preached;
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The message of the kingdom of God was central to Jesus mission, both in word and in deed. Jesus proclaimed, and demonstrated that the kingdom had come.
When Jesus preached, he taught Israel what was required to enter into the kingdom.
When Jesus told parables, her further explained what the kingdom was like.
And when Jesus cast out demons or healed the sick, he was demonstrating that the kingdom pf God had come.
Upon seeing Jesus’ mighty deeds, Matthew records the people’s response;
23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”
In other words - has the promised king and his kingdom finally come?
Well Jesus answers their question just a few verses…
28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
Central to the hope of Israel, and central to the mission of Jesus is that of the coming kingdom of God. And when Jesus taught us to pray, he instructed us to pray like this,
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
In order for us to understand what this prayer means, we need to understand what the kingdom of God is.
So first, let’s lay the foundation of what it means for God’s kingdom to come.
1. When God’s kingdom comes, God will reign.
1. When God’s kingdom comes, God will reign.
A book by George Ladd called the Gospel of the Kingdom really helped me out in understanding this point.
Often times, when we use the word kingdom we refer to a realm. We think about kingdoms we have in mind a places with geographic borders. But this is not the way the Bible tends to uses the word kingdom. The Bible uses the word kingdom to describe the rule of a king.
When we pray - let your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven - we are not asking for a new realm to come replace the earth - when we are pray for God’s kingdom to come, we are not asking for a new land. In fact, when we pray, let your kingdom come, we aren’t even praying for heaven to come… when we pray, let your kingdom come… on earth as it is in heaven - we are asking for a new king/ruler to reign on earth. And that new king is God.
It might help to understand this about heaven… heaven is only heavenly, because God rules there perfectly and everything in heaven submits his perfect reign. But if God did not rule in heaven, well then heaven would not be good. If God did not rule in heaven, well then heaven would no better than hell.
If we think that the kingdom of God is a realm, won’t understand what it means to pray, your kingdom come. In fact, if we think the kingdom of God is a realm, then we won’t really know how to understand so much of Jesus’ ministry.
Take for example the command to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness from a later teaching here in Matthew 6…
This is not a command to look for heaven on earth…
This is not a command to seek some hidden utopia
This is not a command to find another promised land
or a hidden kingdom like Atlantas…
To seek first the kingdom means to seek a life that totally submits to God’s rule and righteousness. In other words… seeking first the kingdom, looks like ending our rebelling against God rule by obeying him.
This definition of kingdom might lead to a bit of confusion at first, because doesn’t God already rule and reign over all creation? Isn’t he already sovereign over all? And didn’t Jesus’ ministry bring about the kingdom on earth?
the simple answer is yes…
19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
So yes, God rules over all his creation… God is sovereign over all
But if that’s the case, then why do we pray… let your kingdom come? Well, when Jesus tells us to pray, “let your kingdom come” he isn’t denying the sovereignty of God over all creation.
If we just stop and consider the state of the world, we will come to the conclusion that God’s kingdom has yet to fully come. Though God is sovereign over all… and even though he is the King of kings and the Lord of lords not every knee has bowed, nor tongue confessed that he is Lord…
So even though he rules over all - there are still rebels against his rule…
So when we pray for God’s kingdom come, we are asking for more people to submit to God as Lord of all.
Even for those of us who have already confessed that Jesus is Lord… that is to say, even those of us who are Christians, still need God’s kingdom to come in our heart even more than it is right now… We who gather here together to Worship God, are a small expression of God’s kingdom on earth, because we have confessed that Jesus is Lord… but that expression of God’s kingdom on earth if far from perfect, because we still sin against God and against one another. So when we pray, let your kingdom come, we are asking God’s Word to rule in our heart, and for us to treasure him as king above all else.
But not only that’s not the only area where we want God’s kingdom to come. When we pray - your kingdom come - we are asking that the Lord would rule in the hearts of those who have yet to submit to the lordship of Christ. When I pray for the salvation of my children, or other loved ones who do not believe in Jesus - I am praying this same prayer - I am praying for God’s kingdom come in the life of those who do not submit to his reign - I am asking God rule in their hearts so that they would love and obey all of your commands.
But we don’t stop there in this prayer… when we pray - let your kingdom come - we pray that God would reign in Vancouver through the work of evangelism in the church as the good news of the kingdom is proclaimed among those who have yet to believe…
And don’t we don’t stop in praying for Vancouver, but even to the unreached parts of the earth… we pray - let your kingdom come, in Asia, in Africa, in North and South America, in Australia, Europe and Antartica, we pray, let you kingdom, your rule, and your lordship, come on earth as it is in heaven. This prayer is a missionary’s prayer.
While there are believers all around the world who submit to God’s reign, his kingdom has yet to fully come, because there are many who have yet to bow before the Lord. And until every knee has bowed and every tongue confessed that Jesus is Lord, and until sin is rooted out of our life entirely - we will continue to pray that his kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven. And one day, this will come to pass - one day every knee bow and confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And one day, God’s people will be free from sin all together. But until that day comes, we will continue to pray - Let your kingdom come.
This leads us to the next point. All of our hope in this life ought to be wrapped up in the future coming of God’s kingdom. In other words, the coming of God’s kingdom is something that we eagerly should long for and look forward to!
Because…
2. When God’s kingdom comes, the saints will be rescued.
2. When God’s kingdom comes, the saints will be rescued.
The rule of God, is good news for his people… and that’s a rather underwhelming way of putting it…
It’s not good news, the way our football team wining a game is good news
the coming kingdom is not good news, the way getting a raise at our job is good news
God’s kingdom coming on earth isn’t even good news like the union of marriage, the birth of a child, or the recovery from sickness - the coming of God’s kingdom is good news - because all suffering will come to an end forever.
Listen to the way Jesus’ public ministry began -
23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.
Notice the message that Jesus preached - Jesus proclaimed the gospel of the kingdom - v23…
Understand what that word gospel means - we use the word gospel all the time - but we might not all know what it means. Gospel simply means good news - So when Jesus began announcing the good news of the kingdom… but he didn’t just announce it with words… the gospel of the kingdom wasn’t just a concept for scribes and scholars - the gospel of the kingdom isn’t good news to be logged in scrolls or in textbooks… The gospel of the kingdom was a reality that was and is breaking into the lives of those who come to Jesus
The gospel of the kingdom came with healing for those who suffered from all kinds diseases and every affliction
The gospel kingdom came with deliverance for those oppressed by demons
So understand what it means for the kingdom to come… it means God will rule, and God’s people will be rescued.
With this in mind, consider all of Israels hope that was wrapped up in this coming king - this Messiah
Remember again the covenant that God made with David;
2 Samuel 7:10–11 (ESV)
10 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies.
Jesus is doing all these wonderful works among the people of God - they are being freed from their sickness and delivered from satan’s control - could this really be the Son of David?
When we pray Your kingdom come - we are praying that God would rule in a way that no other king could ever rule. We are asking God to rule for the good of his people by taking away sickness and defeating satan. When the kingdom comes - sickness won’t be a thing. When God’s kingdom comes, we will not be harassed by Satan any longer. When the kingdom comes, even death will be defeated. The coming of God’s kingdom is incredibly good news.
So understand, when we pray - let your kingdom come - we are praying that God would sustain our life here and now - that he would heal us from sickness - that he would free us from Satan’s bondage - and ultimately that he would give us life from this time forth and forevermore!
It’s no wonder the people rejoiced when Jesus would finally enter into Jerusalem…
When Jesus rode in on a donkey, Matthew tells us
4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying,
5 “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
And the crowds did not miss the significance of Jesus’ entrance, for…
Matthew 21:9 (ESV)
the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
At last… the hope of Israel was before them… their king had come… and he would rule forever.
This is incredibly good news. Especially for those who are under the rule another wicked kingdom.
And this brings us to the last point - when God’s kingdom comes, those who oppose his rule will be dealt with one and for all, because…
3. When God’s kingdom comes, the wicked will be brought to ruin.
3. When God’s kingdom comes, the wicked will be brought to ruin.
God’s people long for this day all the more when they suffer under evil and wicked kings -
In the OT, the prophets spoke about a future event called The Day of the Lord - On that day, God said he would come to destroy all the wicked kings of the world.
Our God rules with justice - which means that he will not let the wicked God unpunished… his judgment against such kings is spoken of in prophesies like Daniel 2.
The King of Babylon had a dream about a statue that represented the many kingdoms of the earth including his own kingdom - But a stone, that represented another kingdom - came from heaven and destroyed all the wicked kingdoms…
Listen to the prophesy from Daniel
Daniel, speaking to Neb said,
37 You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory, 38 and into whose hand he has given, wherever they dwell, the children of man, the beasts of the field, and the birds of the heavens, making you rule over them all—you are the head of gold. 39 Another kingdom inferior to you shall arise after you, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron, because iron breaks to pieces and shatters all things. And like iron that crushes, it shall break and crush all these. 41 And as you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom, but some of the firmness of iron shall be in it, just as you saw iron mixed with the soft clay.
44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever, 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from a mountain by no human hand, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. A great God has made known to the king what shall be after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”
Notice the similar language of the eternal kingdom from God promise to David that is here in Daniel’s prophesy as well… When the eternal kingdom comes, when the son of David rules - the wicked will be destroyed - at least, that’s what the people thought would happen.
So when Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, the people expected Jesus to come to do just that… They expected Jesus to overthrow Rome like the rock in Neb’s dream that destroyed all the kingdoms of the world. They believed that Jesus would destroy the wicked kingdoms that oppressed God’s people.
We get excited at the thought Jesus doing this. We might think that the coming kingdom means the destruction of wicked men like this… the destruction of godless kings, and the ruin of those who rule unjustly.
If that’s what you think the coming kingdom is about, you would be right in part… but if you think that the coming kingdom is about destroying all of them out there… well then you might be missing a crucial detail of the gospel of the kingdom.
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem, he did not go to cleanse Jerusalem of its Roman occupation. Instead, when Jesus rode into Jerusalem where did he go? He went to the temple and cleansed it instead, because the house of God was defiled by sinners.
You see, if we think the coming kingdom is all about Jesus destroying those wicked people out in the world, without ever coming to terms our own sin , well then you will miss the main thing that you should recognize in regarding God’s coming kingdom.
God he will destroy every enemy of his… and those enemies are not those who oppose national Jerusalem… nor those who merely oppose the church… Those who he will destroy is those who do not bow to Jesus as Lord.
Do you remember Jesus message of the kingdom?
He did not preach by saying - rejoice for the kingdom of heaven is at hand… he said repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Remember what Jesus taught,
20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
In other words, the kingdom is not about all those sinners out there being judged by God… even the most righteous people - that being the pharisees, were not righteous enough to enter the kingdom!
When God’s kingdom comes, every man and every woman will stand before God. On that day, God will judge each of us for every deed we have done done, every word we have said, and every thought that is hidden in our mind will be revealed.
23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Understand, if we wish to be a part of God’s coming kingdom we are going to need some help. God’s kingdom coming, let alone entering into that kingdom is not a work that man can accomplish. If we wish have be rescued rather than ruined when God’s kingdom comes, well then well will need God’s help.
So all the more, we ought to pray… let you kingdom come… in my life… replace my sinful desires with a love for your righteous law… and replace my sin, with your righteousness record!
And God has made a way for us to receive that righteousness.
You see, Jesus taught about the kingdom by telling all sorts of parables… and in one of them compared the kingdom of heaven to that of a mustard seed.
31 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 32 It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
This simple little parable speaks of the humble beginnings of God’s kingdom… The kingdom is compared to a mustard seed… it’s small and seems insignificant from the beginning. But with time, it will grow into a great tree.
Understand the kingdom of God has humble beginnings as well… for Jesus did not come with splendor and might… he did not come like a warrior king. but instead, Jesus came in humility and weakness… he came as the suffering servant.
In Jesus first coming, he did not come to destroy Rome, or any of the kings of kingdoms of the world… much less a single sinner. Rather, when he came he destroyed sin and death.
And like a king, he wore a crown, and was exalted on high.
But his crown crown was not made of gold and jewels, but instead he wore a crown of thorns…
And he was high and lifted up… but not on a throne like every other king. Instead, he was lifted up onto the cross to die in the place of sinners.
What kind of king would die so that his people may live? No not even that, but even more than this, what kind of king would die so save his enemies?
God’s kingdom has come in part… he has began to defeat the wicked - that being satan and his demons, he has began to save his people -from sin and death, and he has begun to establish his rule - through his church.
But God’s kingdom is not fully realized yet. One day Jesus will return to establish his kingdom on earth. No one knows when he will return, but when he does, he will not come like a little mustard seed. Instead, he will come in splendor and glory. When Jesus returns he will destroy all of his enemies. When the end comes, God will judge the living and the dead.
So when we pray, let your kingdom come… we ought to do so with humility and repentance. When we pray for his kingdom to come, we should ask God to reign in our hearts and the hearts of his people. And as we pray for his kingdom to come, we can do so in hope knowing that when he reigns he will bring about our rescue.
His kingdom is coming. Our king has promised that we will return.
15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
and begun to reign.
18 The nations raged,
but your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name,
both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!