THE DISCIPLES PRAYER PART III

Text: Matthew 6:9-15

Today we come to an exciting part of the prayer, which reads:

“Thy kingdom come”

I wish that I had 2 hours to preach on this because I would be able to complete the phrase “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” – which would complete verse 10. I’m going to just talk about this first phrase today, “Thy Kingdom come,” because there is so much meat in these words.

We’ve already established in verse 9 who God is. Now we are ready to talk about His Sovereign rule over everything. Let’s begin with the fact that Christ is going to rule over His Millennial Kingdom (1,000 years) at the end of the Tribulation, as seen in Revelation 20. Satan is defeated, the Great White Throne judgment will take place, and then the new Heaven and the new Earth will be revealed – all to be discussed in another study in the future.

Christ’s Kingdom, where He alone will reign, according to this verse, will take place in the “future.” So, when I come to this phrase in the Disciples Prayer, “Thy Kingdom come,” my heart burns within me – a longing comes over my heart for this day to come, hopefully soon.

As the Disciples heard these words, I’m sure it warmed their hearts as well. The Roman government had overstepped their rule, which affected these Christian’s lives. Taxation, false religion mixed with government control, an army who obeyed a corrupt government – and persecutions, which included beatings and death for anyone who disagreed with or dared to speak out against the authorities who ruled. Does this sound familiar?? This so rightly describes the time we are living in today. Forty democratic socialistic decrees were passed with the stroke of a pen in the last ten days – most of which are against the Biblical standard that we hold to. Now our tax money will be spent for abortions, even in foreign countries. Free speech is being silenced. Our national security is now in question, and our free nation will now be reliant on other ungodly nations for our energy. The gay agenda is now being pushed down on our families, as seen in the public-school curriculum. The day is coming when the government will require churches to marry same sex couples in order to remain tax exempt (don’t worry, we will never bow to this).

If you are like me, you are tired and worn down about what is taking place all around us today. There’s no doubt that the disciples, when they heard Jesus talk about the coming Kingdom, their hearts were warmed, as they were reminded that there is coming a day when all wrongs will be made righteous. We will have a Righteous, Just, Loving King, who will reign over us – forever and ever!

So why did Jesus tell His disciples to pray concerning this coming Kingdom? There are a couple of reasons, I believe. First, it is a reminder that this world is not our eternal home. This corrupt world and leadership will pass away and will all be judged by the Righteous King who will rule. So really, by praying that Christ’s Kingdom would come soon, acts as a reminder that this is not the end – there is indeed a Kingdom coming that will be righteous and just. I love how the Greek text reads regarding this phrase. It says, “Let come the Kingdom of you.” Oh, how my heart burns when I pray to my Father how I long for “the Kingdom of YOU.” As Christians, what we see taking place around us is just wrong! It certainly is not a Biblical Kingdom, for it is corrupt in everything – we cannot even have a fair, honest election now.

The second reason for this being a part of our prayer life is found in the word “come.” The word “come” in the Greek language is erchomai, which is in the active imperative, which speaks of a sudden, instantaneous coming. Jesus was encouraging the disciples by reminding them that this Kingdom was going to come quickly and that they needed to live their lives in such a way to be ready to enter this Kingdom. All through the Gospels, this was the message that was preached. In Luke 4:43, Jesus said, “I must preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” In Acts 1:3, we are told how Jesus, after His resurrection, “appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of God.” The older I get, the less attached I become to this world that I presently live in. I’m so tired of this world’s system with its filth and corruption. I long for my future home, a place where King Jesus will rule.

Thirdly, this concept of praying for His Kingdom to come soon motivates us to share the Good News of the Kingdom – God coming to earth to redeem man by redeeming us through His death and resurrecting in glory to prepare a place for us. If I were before you today, I would ask for an Amen right now.

Christians, get excited about what’s to come. This world is not your home. The Christians spoken about in Hebrews 11 had this mindset:

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having knowledge that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”

The Kingdom (where Christ reigned) didn’t come in their lifetime – they didn’t receive it, but they certainly understood that it was coming, and embraced it from afar, and fully understood that the world they lived in was not their home. They were only “strangers and exiles on the earth.” This is exactly the mindset that we need to endure what we see taking place all around us. I can’t change the government. It’s really not even my calling from God. I am to be an ambassador for Christ by sharing the Good News of the Gospel.

Today, if you are so caught up with the “world” you are living in, you will either go crazy or give up.

Please allow me to give you a few practical things to think about.

*My future is not here!

I’m just a passing through. When I leave this world, I will leave all of my earthly possessions behind – and only what I have accomplished for Christ and His Kingdom will be stored up in Heaven. It’s time to get serious about the work of the ministry and building Christ’s Church. I can’t wait to meet together again as the Body of Christ, doing the “work of the ministry.”

*I must keep my mind focused on only “Truth.”

This present world has no Truth to offer me as a child of God. I am an ambassador here on a mission – nothing else matters. I cannot allow myself to be caught up in the enemy’s snare, which will take me away from doing the work I’m called to do. We all have this same calling, which is to “go into all the world and make disciples.” These are pretty simple instructions from our Savior. The Gospel is to go out. We are to make disciples and train them (build them up in the faith) to go out and make disciples – this is the work of the church, and since we are the church, this is our calling.

*There are temporal and eternal things; I must focus on the things that are eternal.

I’ve been convicted through this study that there is too much “temporal” stuff in my life that will not survive the Bema Seat Judgment – it will only burn up like wood, hay, and stubble. I don’t belong here – I’m a long-term missionary for King Jesus. I will strive to keep myself working towards eternal things.

*My prayer life must include “Thy Kingdom come!”

Not only does this type of prayer acknowledge Christ as the rightful King, it will be a powerful reminder of what the priorities should be in my life.

Church, you all are awesome! You all have a tender heart for Jesus and His Word, and are part of the remnant the Bible speaks of – those who will not bow to any other false king. Don’t give up! Stay in the Word! Don’t get caught up in what is taking place in this world around up. The Bible is full of Truth, and tells us exactly how it all is going to end. What a privilege it is to live during these awful times. It only reminds me of what is coming.

I want to close with words from the Book of Revelation concerning Christ as our King who will rule and judge, as seen through the eyes of the Apostle John in Revelation 19.

The Rider on a White Horse

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written that no one knows but Himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven (that’s us), arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh, He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords!”

Exciting times are coming! No discouragement allowed, for our King has it all under control.

In His Grip!

Pastor Doc Seuss