More Than A Prayer (4) - "thy Kingdom Come"

TEXT: Matthew 6:10

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

INTRODUCTION

The Lord"s prayer is much more than a prayer guide. It tells us who God is. God is my father. He lives in heaven. His name is holy. He rules over a glorious and everlasting kingdom. He is the King of kings. Thy kingdom come O Lord.

WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

Jesus preached predominantly about repentance and the kingdom of God during his earthly ministry. He repeatedly used parables to illustrate the concept of the kingdom of God.

What then is the kingdom of God? The word kingdom is derived from king and domain. A domain is the territory governed by a king. The kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven is the spiritual realm over which God reigns as King; where his ways, truth and order prevail. It is the fulfilment of Gods will on earth. The kingdom of God is both in the present and future. (2 Chron 20:6 NLT).

GOD IS SOVEREIGN

God is sovereign and has authority over everything he created. They are all under his influence. Psalms 24:1 says: "The earth is the lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him." The Almighty God is the King of kings. All kings and kingdoms are ultimately subject to his authority because all power belongs to God.

SATAN AND EARTHLY KINGDOMS

When Jesus said, thy kingdom come, he was talking about the eternal kingdom and dominion of God, not the worldly kingdoms under the influence of Satan, for God has given Satan authority over the kingdoms of earth for a period. Satan took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the earthly kingdoms and told Jesus he will give him the kingdoms if Jesus bowed and worshipped him (Matt 4:8-9). "And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?" (Matt 12:26). The carnal world is under Satan's influence.

PARABLES ABOUT GOD'S KINGDOM

In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus told his disciples several parables about the kingdom of God. The one about wheat and tares (weeds) in Matthew 13:24-30, 36-40 tells us concisely what the kingdom of God is all about. Jesus is the farmer. The field is the world. The good seeds (wheat) are the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the world. The enemy is Satan. The harvesters are the angels of God and the harvest is the end of the world. At the end of time, the weeds (ungodly people ) will be separated from the people of God. The kingdom of God will then be fully actualized as the will of God will prevail. The ungodly, Satan and demons will be thrown into the lake of fire for eternity. "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matt 13:43).

THE COMING KINGDOM

Jesus told the Pharisee that the kingdom of God was among them or within them when they inquired to know when the kingdom will come. They were expecting an immediate, earthly kingdom. He made them to understand that the kingdom of God cannot be detected by physical signs. (Luke 17:20-21). Jesus was the embodiment of the kingdom of God as he lived by the principles of the kingdom and displayed the power of the kingdom, he was among them but they did not realise it. "But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you" (Matt 12:28). The many that accepted him and began to follow him and live according to the principles of the kingdom became partakers of the kingdom. "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." (Rom 14:17). "For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." (1 Cor 4:20). Many saw the kingdom of God demostrated by the miracles of Jesus, but as he told the Pharisee, to enter the kingdom of God requires living a righteous and holy life.

GOD'S KINGDOM IS VERY VALUABLE

The kingdom of God is very valuable and should be the priority of every man. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matt 6:33). It will be hard for those who put other things before the kingdom of God to enter into it. The proverbial camel passing through the needle's eye. To enter the Kingdom of God requires one doing the will of God. "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" (Matt 7:21).