Your Kingdom Come
Matthew 6:10
Harry Stoliker
August 3, 2008 EBC
Listen
What can we say about the Kingdom of God? COME! Your Kingdom
COME! That is what Jesus told us to say about it! SEND IT,
LORD! Bring it here! Bring it soon! Bring it in its fullness!
Don't delay! Perhaps even today!
I love the urgency of the Lord's Prayer on this issue! We are crying out
to God to come and rule in His full power and sovereignty. We are not content
with things as they are now. We desire that Habakkuk 2:14 be fulfilled
immediately: "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the
glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." This is a future promise
that is not yet fulfilled. The kingdom of God as an "already" and
a "not yet" dimension. We are in the Kingdom of God, but we
are not in the final, full, completed Kingdom of God. We want more
and more of the "not yet" dimension to characterize the "already"
dimension, until the full
"not yet" dimension becomes the only dimension!
How do we know for sure that the "already" part of the Kingdom
is really here? Is the kingdom of God among us in some sense now? Yes. Listen
to what King Jesus said: Matthew 12:28 "But if it is by the Spirit of God
that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you."
Jesus certainly cast out demons when he was on earth, and that is when the
kingdom was inaugurated among us. Again, in Mark 1:14-15" Now after
John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying,
"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe
in the gospel." The kingdom was 'at hand' because the King was 'at hand.'
He was standing right there. The Kingdom is where the King is. It is a
present reality because it began when Jesus came to earth the first time.
It will become a completed reality when Jesus comes back to earth
the second and final time. We are in between the inauguration and the consummation
of the Kingdom.
Is there a future aspect to the kingdom? Yes. When Jesus instituted the Lord's
Supper he pointed to the future completion of the Kingdom. Luke 22:14-18
"And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with
him. And he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you
before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom
of God." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, "Take this, and
divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of
the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." After Jesus was
crucified we read this in Luke 23:50-51" Now there was a man
named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council,
a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and
he was waiting for the kingdom of God."
When we pray the disciple's prayer "Your Kingdom COME…" we
are crying to God for make more and more of His kingdom a present reality,
until Rev. 11:15 is fulfilled. It says: "The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever."
Practically speaking, what are we praying and asking for when we ask
God to send His Kingdom?
1. That His will should be done perfectly. "your will be done on earth as
it is in heaven." We are in effect asking that the Holy Spirit would do
a powerful work in our own lives and in the lives of others to make them obedient
to the will of God in Christ. In the Kingdom of God the will of God reigns supreme.
In heaven, all the angels, seraphim, cherubim and any other created beings
there that we don't know about, all do God's will flawlessly, promptly, humbly,
cheerfully and constantly. Not half-heartedly or grudgingly.
If you pray this prayer correctly, you are calling on God to transform your
life! You are committing yourself to hallow His Name, live under
His Kingship and do His will in a way that glorifies Him as your King. Do you obey
God's will flawlessly, promptly, humbly, cheerfully and constantly?
Answer? NO. So you think there is room in your life for spiritual growth,
do you!? None of us does the will of God perfectly, yet there is no reason
to set any lower a standard than that. There is never an excuse we
could make for not doing just what God commands us to do. We cannot use our spiritual
weakness as a justification for allowing ourselves to sin. So if you are making
some excuses for playing around with some sin, you must stop it today.
Bow your life to God's Kingship.
2. Seeking to spread the Gospel is a practically way of seeing God's kingdom
come into our present reality. The Lord's Prayer then, is a prayer for evangelistic
opportunities, it is a missionary prayer. You are in effect saying:
"Lord, give me opportunities to tell my friends and neighbors how to become a Christian
through faith alone in Christ alone." If they do, then God's kingdom reign in
their lives will begin. If you really want to see God's Kingdom come,
then you will begin to take the opportunities that are staring you in the
face to preach the Cross of Christ to others.
At basketball this week, one guy – whom I don't believe really understands
the true gospel- told me he likes to listen to CDs in his car when he drives
to work. He even mentioned that he had the Bible on CD. Now there's an opportunity
staring me in the face. I copied a few CD's from good preachers on the internet
and gave them to him on Thursday and will follow up by asking him what he
thought about them. I'm praying that the Kingdom of God will come into Joe's life.
We have to ask God to open our eyes to these opportunities and give us the
courage and boldness to stand up for the Truth of the Gospel of Christ.
3. Breaking down any strongholds of sin in our lives by the grace of God and
power of the Spirit is a practical way of seeing God's kingdom come
into our present reality. If you have a particular sin that dogs you relentlessly,
one that you seem to fall in more often than you care to admit, that is a
stronghold in your life. Satan is pounding that weakness because
you haven't brought the Kingdom and the King into that area of your life
yet. You need to take control of the thoughts and actions that are making
you so vulnerable in that area.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 "For though we walk in the flesh, we are not
waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the
flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy
arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and
take every thought captive to obey Christ."
4. Praying for Christ's Return is a practical way of seeing God's Kingdom
come into our present reality. When we pray that God's Kingdom will come, we are
ultimately praying for the Return of Christ and the establishment of God's
eternal reign on earth. God has promised this, Christ has promised this,
so it certainly is the right thing to pray for.
We are praying for more than just victory over habitual sins and the
salvation of individuals we love, we are praying for the earth to be filled with
the glory of God as the waters cover the seas. We are praying for the end of
human history in this fallen era and the beginning of the establishment of God's
eternal kingdom.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 "For the Lord himself will descend from
heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound
of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive,
who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord
in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another
with these words."
2 Peter 3:8-14 "But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the
Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient
toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the
heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and
dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people
ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and
hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens
will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!
13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens
and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved,
since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or
blemish, and at peace."
Try to remember this "already-not yet" structure to the Kingdom of
God. It will give you a strong desire to obey God in your life today and
a great hope that the future is going to be incredible! Jesus ascended to
the Right Hand of God's throne and He is reigning from there as the
resurrected King. You say: "Well, it certainly doesn't look like that
when I read the newspaper every morning! There are wars, poverty, political corruption,
murders in the neighborhoods, young people dying in car accidents…"
That only proves that we need to interpret history and circumstances
from the perspective of Scripture and not Scripture from the perspective
of our circumstances. The Bible says: "Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases
him." (Ps. 115:3); Psalms 103:19 "The Lord has established his
throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all." Hebrews 8:1 "Now
the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is
seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven."
Hebrews 12:2 "…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." This perspective
allows us to pray that God's kingdom will come in power and glory.
Application: I would say that the application of this text is simple yet profound,
easy yet extensive, obvious yet requiring much thought.
The call of this text is to BE KINGDOM-MINDED. That means think a lot
about the KofG! It means be preoccupied with the Kingdom of God.
Let this biblical theme be your favorite mental and spiritual pass
time. Let your heart and mind race to this theme any minute you are
not require to think of something else. Be obsessed with desiring
the Kingdom of God.
Perhaps you think that is a bit of an overstatement. But it isn't. Jesus said
it clearly in
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you." What should our life-priority
be? Should it be trying to get all the material possessions and comforts
we can get? Or trying to figure out ways of bringing the Kingdom of God to
earth in its fullness? Paul said it in another way in Col. 3:1-2 "Since, then,
you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where
Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above,
not on early things."
It isn't that hard to tell what a person's mind is set on is it? The whole
pattern of his life is headed in the direction of what his mind and
heart are set on. I was flying home from Texas this summer and sat next to
a young man whose heart and mind were set on becoming a major league umpire.
That's all he talked about. His plans for college and beyond were
all set toward that goal. He was willing to make any sacrifice to become
a major league umpire. He didn't care what it cost him or require of him,
it was just what he wanted to do in life. He found his identity in life in
his hope to become an umpire. Jesus said to us: "But seek first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added
to you."
How do I do that?
1. Learn to pray God's kingdom down to earth. Jesus is telling us that our
prayers have a definite part in bringing the Kingdom of God to earth.
Otherwise, why would Jesus tell us to pray "Your Kingdom Come!" A 'Kingdom-Minded'
person is always praying for God's kingdom to come into this world. He always wants
to see King Jesus become the master of people's lives. His prayer life is
strong. He prays specifically that God would reveal and exercise
His Kingship over people and situations. Can this be said of you and your
prayer life?
We have another gift for you this morning. It is one of the most powerful
sermons I've ever heard. We have offered it to you before, but I've asked Lou to
have some ready to offer again this morning. I've listened to it three times
this week. It is about how your prayer life brings down the Kingdom
of God. Please take one per family from the table in the foyer.
(John Piper's "Prayer and the Victory of God")
2. By getting to the point in your life where you are daily asking God to
give you opportunities to witness to the people around you. Rather than avoiding
opportunities, you are praying for them, looking for them, and taking
them. This will show a definite love for God's Kingdom to come. This also
could include asking for definite opportunities to talk to young
3. Familiarize yourself with the miseries and abject poverty in the world.
Don't insolate yourself from the harsh realities that sin has brought onto
this world. e.g.: Read about how young teenage girls in Kenya have
to sell their bodies five or six times a night to make a few dollars to support
their siblings because their moms and dads have been hurt in violence that is rampant
in that country. Walk through a children's cancer ward in a large hospital
and see with your own eyes the pain that sin and evil has brought into this
world. Don't stick your head in the sand and not be aware of the misery of
the world around you. That will make you cry day and night that God's
Kingdom would come to its culmination quickly.
These 3 suggestions won't happen in a vacuum. They have to take place out
of a deep heart desire to see God's Kingdom come in your own life first.
You won't pray down the Kingdom or pray for opportunities to witness
or rub shoulders with misery if you are not first deeply in love with
the King Himself.
4. So, my final suggestion is to pray that God's Kingdom comes more powerfully
in your own heart first. Ask God to restore in your heart that "first love"
that burned in you when you realized that Christ was the Resurrected Lord of the
Universe. The "first love" that burned in you when you realized
He forgave you of a million sins you had sinned against Him. Tell Him
that he will and does have complete control of your life in every area,
under every circumstance, in every season of life, until they lay you
in the grave.
Don't you just want to keep repeating in your heart: "Your Kingdom Come, your
will be done, one earth as it is in heaven…" I certainly do.
Let's pray,
H.