NAYLOR COMMUNITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 6:9-13
6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our
debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil
one.’
-- as we begin this morning, I want
to remind you of an event in the prophet Daniel’s life, recorded in the Old
Testament Book of Daniel, Chapter 2
-- Daniel had been taken into
captivity into Babylon, along with other Israelites from the nation’s royal
family and nobility and leading citizens -- as Daniel Chapter 2 opens, we find
Daniel serving in the court of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon
-- one day, the king has a dream of
a large statue comprised of different parts -- the head was made of pure gold
-- the chest and arms of silver -- the belly and thighs were bronze -- and the
legs were iron, with its feet made partly with iron and partly with baked clay
-- and, in his dream, Nebuchadnezzar
saw a rock smash into the statue and break it into pieces -- and the rock grew
in size and became a huge mountain that filled the earth
-- Nebuchadnezzar was troubled by
this dream -- and neither he nor any of his magicians could discern its meaning
-- finally, the magicians proposed that the captive Daniel might be able to
interpret the meaning of the dream
-- under inspiration from God,
Daniel explained to the king that the statue in his dream was an illustration
of the great kingdoms that would arise in the world over the course of time --
the head of gold represented the kingdom of Babylon -- the chest and arms of
silver stood for a lesser kingdom that would follow, which we know to be the
kingdom of the Medes and Persians -- this was followed by the bronze belly and
thighs, which represent the third great kingdom on earth, which we now know to
be the Greek kingdom -- and the legs of iron and the feet of iron and baked
clay represent the final great worldly kingdom, which we believe to be the
Roman Empire
-- the rock which came and struck
these kingdoms and destroyed them completely is the Rock of Ages -- the Messiah
of Israel -- the King of Kings and Lord of Lords -- who will establish a final
kingdom that will last for all eternity, under divine rule and not human rule
-- Daniel concluded his interpretation
of the dream by telling Nebuchadnezzar of the kingdom to come in Daniel 2:44-45
Daniel 2:44-45, “In the time of
those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be
destroyed, nor will it be left to another people -- It will crush all those
kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever -- this is
the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human
hands -- a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the
gold to pieces -- the great God has shown the king what will take place in the
future -- the dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.”
-- this morning, we are continuing our
series on the Lord’s Prayer -- as I mentioned when we began this study, the
Lord’s Prayer is a prayer that Jesus gave to us as a model for us to use as we
pray to God
-- in this prayer, there are seven
petitions that Jesus tells us to make before the Father -- the first three
petitions have to do with the name and glory of God -- they have to do with our
praise and recognition of Him
-- the last four petitions are personal,
as we pray for what we need and for our walk with Christ
-- last week, we looked at the first
petition in this model prayer -- “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be
Thy Name” -- this is a petition -- a request -- that the name of God might be
hallowed and revered and praised throughout all of the creation and in our
lives
-- this week, we are going to be looking
at the next two petitions in this prayer -- if you would, look back at verse 10
here in Matthew 6:
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
-- so, in this prayer, we are
praying for two things to be done -- first, that God’s kingdom -- the kingdom that
Daniel spoke about -- would come -- and secondly, that His will would be done
-- and I want to talk about each of these and how they relate together in
practice and in hope
II. The Kingdom of God
-- I had a discussion this week with
a friend who’s going through a difficult time in his life -- he comes from a
Calvinist background, that emphasizes predestination and the sovereignty of God
-- so, in his understanding of life, everything that happens is preordained by
God and is God’s will for him
-- and things aren’t going good --
he’s struggling right now with some trials -- and he told me that he’s angry
with God -- he said that he’s been trying to serve God and be a good Christian,
so why is God punishing him in this way? -- why is God allowing these things to
come on him? -- why is this God’s will for his life?
-- and I pointed out to him that not
everything that happens in our lives or in this world today is God’s will --
bad things happen because we live in a fallen world -- bad people do bad things
and both believers and unbelievers suffer as a result -- it’s a consequence of
the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and the introduction of sin and death
into this world
-- for example, it is not God’s will
that little children be abused -- it is not God’s will that babies be killed in
the womb -- it is not God’s will that our youth be killed in school shootings
-- it is not God’s will that war destroys nations and lives -- it is not God’s
will that people experience violence and crime and all the others ills that
beset us -- that is not God’s will
-- we recognize that -- we know that
-- and that’s why we cry out for answers when these things happen -- it’s
because we know they are wrong -- but it’s not God that is causing them -- yes,
God does allow them to happen -- He will, on occasion, allow us to suffer
through trials and troubles -- but He is not the source of these wrongs in the
world today
-- so, when bad things happen -- when we
suffer the consequence of sin and living in a fallen world -- we cling to the
promise of Romans 8:28, that reads: “And we know that in all things God works
for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His
purpose”
-- this verse doesn’t say that all things
are good -- what it says is that in the midst of the bad, God works good for
those who love Him -- He brings beauty from the ashes -- He brings forth life
from what death and sin have touched
-- last week, we looked at the
petition where Jesus told us to pray for God’s name to be hallowed -- it is a
fact that God’s name is not being hallowed to the ends of the earth -- God’s
name and presence are not being recognized and lifted up in all places, even
here in our community -- maybe even, at times, in our own lives -- so, we pray,
“Hallowed by Thy Name”
-- in the same way, we recognize
that God’s kingdom has not been made completely manifest on earth -- that His
will is not always done -- and, so, we cry out to God in this prayer, “Thy
kingdom come -- Thy will be done -- on earth, as it is in heaven”
-- as Phil Newton put it, “These two
petitions ask for the Lord’s rule over our lives and the entire created order
to be fully manifested -- it is the longing of kingdom citizens – that the
kingship of our King might be honored and glorified -- and that the whole earth
might submit to his rule.”
-- so, what do we mean by the Kingdom of
God or the Kingdom of Heaven, as Matthew phrases it in his gospel?
-- the Kingdom of God is defined as God’s
comprehensive rule of all creation -- it is all-embracing -- it is His kingdom
-- His plan -- His program -- His will -- His complete and total sphere of
influence -- the Kingdom of God is God’s will and rule made manifest in our
lives and in this world and in all creation, including the heavens above
-- in other words, the kingdom of God is
the sovereign rule of Israel’s God on earth as in heaven, exercised through
David’s true son and heir
-- the Bible tells us that the Kingdom of
God is found in Jesus -- just as Jesus is the Word of God made manifest and
real in our world, so Jesus is the kingdom of God embodied -- the manifestation
of God’s ruling presence
-- in other words, the Kingdom of God is
defined by the presence of God -- where the King is, His kingdom is also -- so,
when you see Jesus, you are seeing God’s kingdom -- when you have the Holy
Spirit present, you are in God’s kingdom
-- we need to recognize that there are
different dimensions of God’s Kingdom -- so, we speak of God’s Kingdom this
way: It has come -- it is coming -- it
is to come.
-- “it has come” -- meaning, God’s kingdom
is currently present here on earth in the hearts of believers and in those who
do His will -- it is an invisible kingdom -- real, but existing spiritually in
another realm -- as I said a moment ago, wherever the presence of God is, we
find His Kingdom
-- as Jesus told Pontius Pilate, “My
Kingdom is not of this world” -- it exists beyond this world in a spiritual
realm -- and when we become believers in Christ -- when we submit to Him as
both our Savior and our Lord -- we enter into this Kingdom and it becomes real
in our lives -- we live in this Kingdom right now -- and our allegiance is to
it and to God above all else
-- next, “it is coming” -- this is
referring to the future millennial kingdom of Christ -- although the Kingdom of
God currently exists in the spiritual realm where His presence is within
believers and His church, we read in the Book of Revelation, that Christ will
return and set up a visible kingdom here on earth -- that Jesus will physically
reign from Jerusalem for 1000 years over those who remain after the Great
Tribulation
-- this is the great hope of the nation of
Israel -- this is the vision of the Messiah that Israel had, not understanding
that the Messiah would first come as our atoning sacrifice to pay the penalty
for our sins on the cross -- the hope of Israel has always been looking towards
the final King from David’s lineage who will vanquish all the other nations and
set up His kingdom on earth and rule from David’s throne in Jerusalem
-- and, finally, “it is to come” -- after
the 1000-year reign of Christ -- after Christ has vanquished all His foes and
sin and death are no more -- the eternal Kingdom of God will be made manifest
-- thus will begin the reign of God on the new earth and the new heavens for
all eternity -- then, finally, we will see God’s kingdom come and be made
manifest as Daniel prophesied -- finally, God’s Kingdom will be established on
earth as it is in heaven -- and His will and His plan will be made manifest in
our lives and in all creation for eternity
-- you can see how the will of God is
closely related to the manifestation of His kingdom -- God’s will is His rule
and His authority over His Kingdom and the Kingdom subjects -- when we pray
that God’s will be done on earth, as it is in heaven, we are praying that His
perfect plan would be accomplished in our lives and in the lives of those
around us
-- it means that we acknowledge that God
knows what is best for us and for this world --and that we surrender our will
to His -- It also expresses a longing to see His will acknowledged throughout
the world
-- we are praying that He would remove the
evil and the consequences of sin and death in our world today and replace it
with what He would have happen -- it is a prayer of submission of our will to
His -- of surrendering our desires and our plans and our wants for His perfect
will in our lives and in this world
-- Before we can pray, 'Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done', we must be willing to pray, 'My kingdom and my will go'.
-- When we pray "Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done," we pray for three things:
-- First, we pray for the final and
ultimate establishment of God's kingdom. We pray for the day when all creation
will freely call Him "Dearest Father" - "Abba." -- we pray
for God to rule over all and for His name to be hallowed and lifted up
throughout all creation
-- Second, this prayer is a plea for us to
be conformed to His will in this world -- As we pray this, we hand ourselves
over to the grace of God so He may do with us as He pleases -- we are basically
saying, “Your kingdom come in my life -- your will be done in my life -- Use me
for Your kingdom.
-- Third, this is a prayer that God's rule
will come to others through us -- it is a prayer for restoration and renewal
and revival -- It is a prayer for Christ to work His revolutionary power in a
fallen world -- it is a prayer that God’s kingdom and His will would come and
be made manifest and real in our families, our jobs, our cities, our
communities, our nation, and this world2
-- as Kent Hughes points out, “This is a
big prayer that depends on a big God -- And when truly prayed -- [when truly
prayed and understood from the heart] -- it makes for a big life -- Is your
life -- is my life -- [is my belief and trust in God] big enough to pray,
"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done"?
-- most people don’t realize the
gravity of this prayer -- they don’t realize the power that is being requested
-- they don’t realize what we are really asking for when we pray this prayer as
Jesus intended
-- this prayer is a call for the
Rock of All Ages to smash the kingdoms of the earth -- to destroy sin and death
and their effects on this earth and in our lives -- it is a call for God to
move and to reign and to rule in us and through us -- it is a call for an
active invasion as we push against the very gates of Hell and bring God’s
kingdom power and glory and majesty to all corners of this world
-- to pray “Thy Kingdom Come -- Thy
Will be done” is to pray for God’s very power and presence to be made manifest
in all situations and for good to overcome evil once and for all
-- it is a powerful prayer that we
sometimes too glibly say or just recite without thinking of what we are asking
-- if God’s people were to fervently pray this prayer from the heart, things
would change -- our lives would change -- this world would change
III.
Closing
-- let’s bring this to a close
-- A story is told about a man who needed
to get his shoe repaired for an important event the next day -- he rushed to
the shoe repair shop, arriving there just a few minutes after the store closed
at 5:00 pm
-- in disappointment, he looked around the
parking lot, and saw that it was empty -- apparently there was no one there --
and it looked like the shop owner had already left for the day
-- knowing he only had one opportunity to
get his shoe repaired that day, he headed to the door to see if, by chance, the
store was still open -- to his surprise, the shoe repairman was there and let
him in, even though it was after hours
-- “I didn’t think anyone was here,” the
man said, relieved. -- the shoe repairman replied,“You came just in time. I was almost ready to go home.”
-- Remembering the empty parking lot, the
man asked, “How are you going to go home? I didn’t see any cars.”
“Oh, that’s easy,” the repairman said. “Do
you see those stairs over there?” -- He pointed to the corner of the shop. -- The
man looked and noticed the stairs. -- He nodded. -- “I live up there,” the shoe
repairman said. “I just work down here.”1
-- what a perfect illustration of what it
means to be in the Kingdom of God -- all of us who are Christians live up
there, too -- as it says in Philippians 3:20, “Our citizenship is in heaven” --
that is our home -- that is the kingdom to which we belong -- We just work down
here
-- we need to remember that -- we need to
understand that as we pray this prayer and as we live our lives here on this
mortal plane -- no matter where we live, work, travel, or vote, we are citizens
of God’s kingdom -- and our prayer is for His Kingdom and His will to be done
here, on earth, as it is in heaven
-- this prayer carries with it the power
and the authority of God’s presence and sovereign rule on earth and in all
creation -- with this prayer, we are praying for God’s hand to move and for His
Kingdom to expand and to grow until Christ returns and His kingdom is
established forever
-- so, when you pray this prayer, think
about what it means -- step into the promise that is inherent in this petition
to God -- know that when you pray for His Kingdom to come and His will to be
done, it will be made real in your life and in the lives of those around you
-- submit to God as your Lord and your
Savior -- trust in Him -- and pray His kingdom into existence in your life and
in this world today
-- we can experience the righteousness,
peace, and joy that are part of God’s kingdom by submitting to Jesus Christ as
the world’s rightful Lord3 as we pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will
be done, on earth, as it is in heaven”
-- let us pray
----------------------------------------------------
1
Illustration modified from original by Tony Evans, “How Christians Should Vote”
2
Hughes, R. K. Sermon on the Mount: The Message of the Kingdom. Crossway Books
3
Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola, Jesus Speaks: Learning to Recognize and Respond
to the Lord's Voice
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