A Study of the Lord’s Prayer
Sermon # 3
“Thy Kingdom Come”
Matthew 6: 10a
“In this manner, therefore, pray:Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (10) Your kingdom come.”.
For our Lord the Kingdom of God was “the” priority. His message was primarily about the kingdom (Matt 4:17, 23, Acts 1:7). Over eighty times in the gospels Jesus refers to the Kingdom. It is not surprising then that Jesus taught us that the first order of business in our prayers, after entering into God’s presence through praise (hallowing his name) was to affirm the priority of God’s rule being established in our lives.
I. THE IMPLICATIONS OF KINGDOM PRAYING
The first thing to consider is, “what did Jesus mean when He taught us to pray for the Kingdom to come?”
Future Fulfillment
When we pray “your Kingdom come” this prayer recognizes that God’s kingdom is not presently ruling on the earth. You are asking for the second coming of Jesus to this earth. You are asking for Jesus to come and established His kingdom on this earth. We are looking forward to the climax of history when God’s will, shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. When the prayer, “Thy kingdom come” is answered He will take possession of the kingdom and “…the kingdoms (plural) of this world are become the kingdom (singular) of our Lord and His Christ, and He shall reign of ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
When Christ returns, Satan shall be bound and confined to the abyss for one thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3). During that time, Christ and his saints will rule the earth, establishing a one thousand year reign of righteousness (Rev. 20:4). The prophet Isaiah describes this millennial kingdom as a time when all the peoples of the world will live in peace and even the wild animals will live peaceably with each other (Isaiah 2:4; 11:6-9).
At the end of the thousand years, Satan will again be loosed from his confinement and allowed to again attempt to deceive the people of the earth (Rev. 20:8), those who have been born during the millennial reign will find it necessary to make their choice to follow Christ in faith and obedience. He will gather the nations of the world in one last attempt to wrestle control of the earth from Christ. When he does fire will fall from heaven and consume the enemies of the Lord ( Rev. 20:9). Satan will at last be cast into the fires of hell (Rev 20:11-15). Then the Lord will finally establish his complete and final rule over the earth forever (Rev 21:1-5).
Present Fulfillment
The first present aspect we need to recognize about our prayer, for God’s kingdom to come is that we are asking God to rule in our own lives. The kingdom in its fullness will have to wait for the ultimate return of Jesus Christ. But we can experience an increasing manifestation of the kingdom in our lives today. Jesus said in Luke 17:21 “… For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (NKJV) We have already been transferred into the kingdom as the Apostle Paul tells us, in Colossians 1:13, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,” (NKJV). Now it is our task to be those who manifest the kingdom on planet earth.
If we truly desire God’s rule over all men and women at a future time, then it follows that we desire that He will work His will out in our live now. When we pray, “thy kingdom come,” we are acknowledging God’s right to rule all people, including us. We dare not pray for his rule over others unless we honestly desire His rule over us. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to pray, “thy kingdom come,” unless we fully intend to cooperate with the establishment of his rule in our own lives. Obviously the more fully we submit to God’s reign in our own lives the more effectively God will be able to use us in manifesting His kingdom on the earth.
The second present aspect of praying for God’s kingdom is that we are asking for the spread of the gospel to those who do not know Christ. It is a prayer of soul winning and evangelism. You are praying for the kingdom of Christ to be expanded into the lives of people who are at present outside the kingdom.
II. THE APPLICATION OF KINGDOM PRAYING
As we pray for God’s Kingdom to come there are four major areas that you will want to include.
1. Pray for your own life. Pray that God will give you the grace to really seek his kingdom first in your life. You must submit yourself to Him by praying about the decisions you have to make.
2. Pray for your family. Pray for the overall direction of your family. Pray for your mate. Pray for your children.
3. Pray for your church. Pray for the pastors. Pray for the deacons. Pray for the Sunday School Teachers. Pray for the Youth Ministry. Pray for the Children’s Ministry. Pray for our outreach. Pray for a fresh touch from God.
4. Pray for your nation. Pray for the President. Pray for those who advise Him. Pray for the Congress. Pray for those in the military. Pray for the Governor. Pray for the State Legislators.
Conclusion
To really learn about prayer, you must pray. Take it seriously and set aside some time each day to pray. Jesus gave us the blueprint for prayer – we need to use it that way. Thus far we have learned that we are to begin praying, “Our Father in heaven,” so that our minds are focused on the privilege we have to speak to the God of the Universe as Father. Then we move on to praise of the Father, praying about his person, “hallowed be thy name.” And now we add praying about his program, “thy kingdom come.”
