King of Kings - “Your kingdom come!”
Unless you have been hiding in a cave somewhere, you probably noticed that yesterday was the coronation of King Charles.
TV cameras captured the events of the day as across the country and around the world, there were many activities and parties to commemorate the day.
In London, there were crowds of people lining the streets and celebrating as the King passed by. I did not see any Palm branches being waved, or people throwing their coats on the ground in front of the royal procession but I was reminded of Palm Sunday and the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.
While King Charles may have his kingdom, Jesus is the king of a different kind of kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.
Jesus is a different kind of king; Jesus is the messiah king. Jesus is the King of kings.
For years the people of Israel were waiting for their Messiah King to arrive, and arrive He did, but not in the way they were expecting.
Jesus did not enter into Jerusalem the way people expected the Messiah to arrive. Instead of entering into Jerusalem as a conquering king riding on a fine horse, he arrived like a lowly servant riding on the back of a borrowed donkey.
I am sure none of us would imagine that instead of being part of the royal procession, King Charles should have got on a bus, or hitch-hiked his way to Westminster Abbey.
We have a certain expectation about how a king should conduct himself, don’t we?
One of King Charles's roles is the military's Commander-in-Chief and he has vowed to serve the UK and Commonwealth with "loyalty, respect and love".
For all the love Charles may express for the UK and Commonwealth, it is nothing compared to the love expressed by God to us.
John 3:16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
And listen to 1 John 3:16, “We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us.”
Now I don’t know much about King Charles, but I think I am pretty accurate in saying he would not be willing to send one of his sons to die on the cross to pay the penalty for my sin.
I am also confident that while I believe that Charles is King, belief in King Charles will not give me eternal life.
The Bible is clear when it explains that the only way to eternal life is by repenting from our sins and accepting Jesus as our Lord, Saviour and King.
King Jesus is the only one who can save us, the only King that will enable us to experience the manifold blessings and grace of God in our lives.
If you watched the ceremony yesterday, you probably saw many people that the world would say are important or special – world leaders, bastions of industry, celebrities, and the great and so-called good of the world.
All of those people were invited to be there.
That got me thinking about another difference between King Charles and King Jesus. The only way to be in the presence of King Charles yesterday was by invitation, while King Jesus welcomes everyone with open arms.
To be in the presence of King Jesus is not something reserved or restricted to those with power, fame or position. A place is available for all who call Jesus Lord and Saviour - the meek, the broken-hearted, the gentle, the persecuted, the forgotten, Jesus freely invites all to come to Him. Jesus is available for all of us because all of us need Jesus.
Is Jesus your King of kings, and Lord of lords?
Have you repented from your sin and accepted Jesus as Lord, Saviour and King of your life?
Are you part of the Kingdom of God?
You have probably read the Sermon on the Mount. - many people had gathered to listen to Jesus, during the sermon, Jesus taught His disciples what has become known as the Lord's prayer.
The second petition of that prayer is “Thy kingdom come.” or in modern English ‘Your kingdom come”.
While every king has some kind of kingdom, the “Thy or Your” in the Lord's prayer calls our attention to the nature of the kingdom — it is the kingdom that belongs to and comes from God.
It is to our heavenly Father that we pray, “Your kingdom come.”
The “kingdom” of God is the dynamic reign of God as King.
Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God existing in both the present and the future. In Luke 17:21 Jesus affirmed to His disciples, “You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”
The word translated as “among” in the original Greek is ‘En-tos’ (??t??)
The literal translation of this word means “within or inside”
So, a logical paraphrase of this verse is the kingdom of God is present within the heart of the disciples of Jesus.
Jesus taught that the kingdom of God had already come to earth.
When we accept Jesus as our Lord, Saviour and King, we must allow Him to rule over every aspect of our lives. His will be done, on Earth, in Heaven, in us and through us.
Jesus pointed his critics to His miracles as a sign that the kingdom of God was already here,
Jesus also spoke of the kingdom of God as something future, as the coming kingdom.
So which aspect of the kingdom does the Lord's Prayer relate to?
Logically it must include both aspects.
Knowing that Jesus is King of kings and that God’s kingdom has already come, how should that influence our lives and our prayers?
Our prayers should be both a petition for:
The present rule of God in our hearts, and
The future rule of God in our lives and the world.
First, A petition for the present rule of God in our hearts.
This is a confession of our need.
In praying “Your kingdom come” we make an important admission to God. We acknowledge that He is the ruler of our lives, we are not the one in charge, He is the one in control of our lives.
Our world has never been without a ruler. Since the fatal act of disobedience in the Garden of Eden, humanity has been in the kingdom of darkness with Satan as its prince.
Simply put, for those without Jesus, the devil is the active ruler of the unsaved sinner. Satan will do whatever he can to build his kingdom through lies and deceit. Perhaps his greatest success is the lie that he does not exist.
Praying “Your kingdom come” is a petition for the replacement of the rule and deception of Satan with the rule of God the Father, through His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, Saviour and King.
“Your kingdom come” This petition has strong implications.
Those who accept Jesus Christ as Lord, Saviour and King are removed from the kingdom of darkness and placed under the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ in God’s kingdom.
When you are ‘in Christ’ then the kingdom of God is spiritually present in your heart.
Think about what Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter 3,
John 3:1-7, There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. 2 After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.”
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”
5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’
Friends, a spiritual birth is necessary to be transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God.
A prayer for the coming of the kingdom of God is a prayer that the rule of God will be extended to other hearts through faith in the truth of the gospel, through repentance and faith in Jesus as Lord, Saviour and King.
This prayer, “Your kingdom come,” also has important personal implications as it relates to the present.
When we receive Jesus Christ as Lord and know His saving power in our lives, we gain further insight into our position in Him.
No matter how long we have known Jesus, all of us would probably acknowledge that we have not allowed God to have full control of our lives.
In all of us, there is some incompleteness in God’s Sovereign rule over our lives because we have not allowed Him full control in every area of our lives.
Many Christians will acknowledge Jesus as Lord, yet find themselves struggling with the application of His lordship in their daily lives.
Perhaps, there is an inclination to withhold parts of our lives from His rule. Or maybe, we find ourselves resistant to His rule when obeying His commandments.
Need an example? What about one of the Ten Commandments - Deuteronomy 5:12-14, Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. 13 You have six days each week for your ordinary work, 14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.
Is your Sabbath dedicated to God? Or are there other things that you choose to do on the Sabbath that you should do during the other six days of the week?
I suppose the question is are you allowing God or something else to rule your Sabbath?
Satan may whisper in your ear “God will not mind if you do that on a Sunday”, but God has commanded, “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy… the Sabbath is day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.”
The prayer, “Your kingdom come,” is a personal acknowledgement of our struggle and a request that God’s rule will be imposed more fully in our hearts.
“Your kingdom come” is a prayer of submission to God’s rule and reign. “You kingdom come — in my heart, in my work, in my home, in my activities, in every aspect of my life.”
Second, Our prayers should be a petition for the future rule of God in our lives and the world.
The great theme of Revelation, the last book in the New Testament is the return of Jesus, our sovereign King.
God will intervene. The kingdom of darkness which Satan rules will be crushed by the almighty Son of God.
“Your kingdom come” is a prayer for God to act in that way.
“Your kingdom come” is a prayer for the King of kings to come and bind Satan and put him in the bottomless pit, to dethrone all enemies of God and to make them his footstool, and to close down every power that is opposed to God.
“Your kingdom come” is a prayer about the enthronement of Christ.
This kingdom is coming, this kingdom will involve the enthronement of Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord or lords.
Jesus will exercise His rule over the earth with a rod of iron.
Jesus will truly be the crowned Prince of Peace!
Can you comprehend what this means?
“Your kingdom come!” - This should be our fervent and earnest appeal every day.
“Your kingdom come!”
The coming of God’s kingdom is the hope of all creation.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:22-23, 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as His adopted children, including the new bodies He has promised us.
The coming kingdom will mean the removal of sin’s curse and the restoration of the earth. It will be a beautiful experience of redemption and healing for the earth.
“Your kingdom come!” This is our hope!
This coming of the kingdom is the hope of the nations of the earth. Nations will continue to be troubled with wars and rumours of wars until God’s kingdom comes.
But under the rule of Jesus Christ, they will turn their destructive weapons into instruments for humankind’s welfare, and the earth will know war no more. Peace will reign in God’s kingdom.
This coming of God’s kingdom is our hope. Until that kingdom comes in the glorious person of Jesus, the King of kings, our struggles will continue.
Until King Jesus comes again, sickness and death will continue, corruption will continue, and our struggles with the flesh will continue.
Then when we see the King of kings face-to-face, everything will change and we will reign with Him.
If you want to enter the kingdom of God, the only way to enter is by faith in Jesus. Jesus is the only way to forgiveness, the only way of salvation.
I encourage you to open your life to Christ, to place your faith and trust in Jesus as your Lord, Saviour and King of kings.
The sermon is finished - in a moment, the words of the Lord’s Prayer will appear on screen –
Will you wholeheartedly pray “Your kingdom come”?
Will you pray “Your kingdom come” over every aspect of your life?
Will you allow Jesus to be the rightful, fully crowned King over all aspects of your life?
May God help all of us to know, love and trust Jesus as our Lord, Saviour and King of kings.
Let’s pray.
Matthew 6:9-13 New Living Translation:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
and don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
Traditional:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Contemporary:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
