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TITLE: Kingdom Bound: Your Kingdom Come – Matthew 6:9-13 AIM: Consider what it means to pray “Your Kingdom come.” INTRO: We prayed the Lord’s Prayer this morning, so we essentially read the Scripture passage at which we will look today. I’m not a fan of habitually reciting the Lord’s Prayer, tho it is beautiful & very meaningful. I think it becomes just words, if we’re not careful. In Matthew’s gospel, the context of what we call the Lord’s Prayer is the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was exhorting His hearers not to do whatever they did just to be seen/heard by men – giving, praying, fasting, etc. I think His intent was to give them an example of prayer that was not long, wordy, but deep w/purpose, earnest. He wasn’t necessarily saying “pray these wds,” but “pray in this manner. Luke records a similar prayer from Jesus (Lk11) in response to his disciples asking Him to teach them to pray. There were similar words, but not exactly like those Matthew recorded, indicating that it was not necessarily intended to be recited by rote, but, when pray, consider these themes, pray w/this understanding. In Barnes’ Notes, we read, “Some of these petitions [may have been] taken from those in common use among the Jews… [&] some of them are still to be found in Jewish writings, but they did not exist in this beautiful combination. [The Lord’s Prayer was not prescribed as form,] “but to express the substance of our petitions… There is no proof that either [Jesus] or His disciples ever used exactly this form of prayer. Let’s briefly look at the elements of the Lord’s Prayer, & then I’d like to spend time on the phrase “Your kingdom come…” Our theme for this year is “Kingdom Bound,” & we have stated that we are not only bound for the kingdom of God & eternal life w/Him, but we are bound by the kingdom of God here & now. What does it mean to pray for God’s kingdom to come? Think about that as we proceed. Jesus said, “Pray then like this…” – in this manner. “Our Father in heaven…” Immediately we see several things which could be considered in depth & take our entire time. The wd “our” tells us that this is meant for the body of Christ/family of God. It’s not just about God & me, but God & us, & we should think that way even when we’re praying alone. The wd “Father” contains a wealth of truth. God is called Father very few times in the OT. In Ps.68:5 He is called the “Father of the fatherless,” & in that famous passage quoted at Christmas (Is9:6), the coming Messiah (God the Son) is called “Everlasting Father.” But the Jews simply didn’t think of God as Father – they thought it too familiar/intimate. Jesus changed all that. I think I’ve said before that I love John 20:17, where after the resurrection Jesus appeared to Mary & said, “Go to My brothers & say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father & your Father, to My God & your God.’” It’s about relationship, made possible by what Christ has done for us in obedience to His Father. The wds “in heaven” keeps it in perspective. He is high & holy & to be reverenced, even as we draw near to Him w/boldness & confidence & crawl up on His lap as His children. “Hallowed be Your name” – The wd “hallowed” means “rendered or acknowledged as holy, separate.” God’s name is to be celebrated & esteemed as none other. He is to be praised & exalted & held in highest esteem in our hearts & gatherings & prayers. “Your kingdom come…” – The wd “kingdom” means “royal power, kingship, dominion, rule.” That’s from Strong’s Concordance, tho it also says that kingdom can mean realm, or “territory subject to the rule of a king.” “Your will be done…” – “Will” means that which is desired or determined to be done,” pointing here to the purposes of God. Jesus is saying that it is the Father’s will which is most imp & should take precedence over what I want, tho that is imp to God regarding His children. As Jesus prayed in the garden, “Not My will but Yours be done,” so should we, surrendering our will to God’s. “On earth as it is in heaven.” Obviously, God’s will is perfectly carried out in heaven. His commands are obeyed, His pleasure is sought & fulfilled. It should be our prayer that such would be true in this world & at this time & in our lives. That’s not a futile prayer. God can & does bring that about one life at a time & He does reign over all in reality & His will shall be done. Again in Barnes’ Notes we read, “The objects of these 1st 3 petitions is that God’s name should be glorified & His kingdom established; & by being placed 1st, we learn that His glory & kingdom (& will) are of more consequence than our wants, & that these should be 1st in our hearts & petitions before the throne of grace.” “Give us this day our daily bread…” – “Daily bread” is essentially that which is necessary, or which suffices for each day. Tho God knows what we need, He wants us to depend upon Him every day & look to Him for every need, which He has promised to supply – needs, not greeds. “And forgive us our debts” – “Debts” here refers to sins, offences against God, asking Him to put them away, let go of them, forgive. God certainly does that, based on the atoning death of His Son, Jesus. Hallelujah! He casts our sins away into the depths of the sea of His forgiveness. But pay close attention to this whole clause. “Forgive us…as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Jesus is saying that’s the measure of forgiveness we will receive, & obviously there are some theological/doctrinal quandaries here. I think what this means is that an indicator of our relationship w/God is our willingness to forgive others. No one has ever sinned against us to the extent that we have sinned against God. If we are not willing to forgive, are we in Christ? We can’t have received God’s forgiveness & understood its depth if we are unwilling to forgive others. That should be a huge checkpoint in our lives. “And lead us not into temptation…” – “Temptation” means “testing or trial,” not necessarily that which prods us towards sin, tho that is included. Tho God will not tempt us to sin, He will allow us to be tested, by which we can grow. But it is good to pray that God would lead us thru the trial & accomplish His purpose & to help/enable us to pass the test. David prayed in Psalm 141:4, “Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself w/ wicked deeds…” In our daily battle, that is a good prayer! “But deliver us from evil.” Barnes reports that in the original texts it reads, “deliver us from THE evil” or “the evil one,” that is Satan. Our lives are battlefields in the war between God & Satan, the Holy Spirit & the flesh, good & evil. It is good & right to ask God to deliver us, & then to cooperate w/Him as He works w/in our lives. Some manuscripts & thus some translations of the Bible do not include the last phrase of the Lord’s Prayer. But the fact that it is found in some & certainly does not contradict any of the rest of Scripture is enough reason for us to consider it & pray it. “For Yours is the kingdom…” – the reign, dominion. “…and the power…” – the ability & might to accomplish all that is asked. “…and the glory forever” – honor & praise which belongs to God always. “Forever” indicates the truth that God has always reigned & will always reign, He is omnipotent from beginning to end, & He is always to be glorified, from now thruout eternity. “Amen” is a simple wd meaning “so be it!” From beginning to end this model prayer makes it clear that we should have, as David Gudzik wrote, “passion for God’s glory & agenda. His name, kingdom & will have top priority” (or should). Is that true in your life? What does it mean to pray “Your kingdom come?” We need to understand the phases of the kingdom of God. Before time & to eternity God’s reign/rule is over all. His creation is His realm. But He has given the rule of this world to Satan, for a time. Jesus called him “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31). Jesus was talking about the necessity of His atoning work, which included His death on the cross. He said, “…for this purpose I have come to this hour,” & He prayed, “Father, glorify Your name,” & the Father replied, “I have glorified it & will glorify it again.” That’s when Jesus said, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” When Jesus died & rose again, He broke the rule of Satan over this world, tho that will not be fully seen until He comes again. Jesus’ purpose in coming to this world was not just to redeem us, but all creation, & to reestablish the kingdom of God on the earth as it is in heaven. When Jesus said “the kingdom of God/heaven is at hand, He was referring to this. He was/is the kingdom come! He embodies the kingdom of God. And since His resurrection & ascension, His kingdom/reign has been spreading thruout the world as the gospel goes forth to conquer people’s hearts. Then Jesus will complete/ consummate the reestablishment of the Kingdom of God when He comes again. It is then, as Paul records in I Cor.15:24, that Christ will deliver “the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule & every authority & power.” So, for us to pray “Your kingdom come” is to pray for spread of His rule, or the influence of His reign; for His gospel to go forth & conquer, for the name of God to be honored & the will of God to be done. And to pray thus should mean that we are willing to be part of the answer. In our mission conference we were challenged, “What’s in your hand?” “What has God given you to use for His kingdom sake?” “What’s on your heart? What’s the burden that God has given, placed upon you?” How are you called to be a partner in/for the gospel? “What comes natural to you?” How can you give for the sake of the gospel, kingdom of God? We must answer the call. That means we should also understand that when we pray “Your kingdom come” we are praying for His rule in you/me – us, & therefore surrendering to His reign, Jesus & His kingdom being the priority of our lives. Is that true for you/me? Not always. What in your life doesn’t fit w/kingdom purposes, the rule of Christ? Those things must go! And I think also that praying “Your kingdom comes” means praying for the consummation of the kingdom/ages, the return of Christ, God’s eternal reign/rule over all – sin, death & Satan vanquished forever. But there are many yet not w/in the fold of God. If Christ would come today they would be lost, & that should burden our hearts. Would you pray today for those you know who are not in Christ, who are lost & headed to God’s judgment? And would you pray today for God’s kingdom to come, not only in this world, but in you? Brothers/sisters we are kingdom bound. Let us be kingdom minded & King Jesus focused!