Thy Kingdom Come

Part 1

29^th January 2009

The Lord's Prayer is found in Mathew 6v9-13. It starts like this:

Matthew 6v9-10
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

The phrase "Kingdom of God" occurs 65 times, and "Kingdom of Heaven" (which means the same thing) occurs 31 times. So we can see that this is an important element of Christian teaching. But what do we mean when we pray "Your kingdom Come"?

Firstly, The Greek word translated as "Kingdom" means "kingship" or "rule" rather than some geographical location. So we're praying for God's rule to come.

Secondly, The Kingdom of God is past, it is present, and it is future. To understand this, consider the following scriptures:

The Kingdom of God came when Jesus began His ministry

Matthew 21v31
... I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God...

"Are entering" - present tense!

Luke 11v20
But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you.

"has come" - past tense!

Luke 16v16
The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

"is forcing" - present tense!

Luke 17v20-21
Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you."

"is within you" - present tense!

So the Kingdom came when Jesus came!

The Kingdom of God comes to us individually when we give our lives to Jesus Christ and we are born again

John 3v1-7
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no-one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him."
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no-one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no-one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'

And this happens to someone every minute of every day. It's present!

The Kingdom of God is future

2 Timothy 4v18
The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

"will bring me" - future tense!

2 Peter 1v10-11
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

"you will receive" - future tense!

The Kingdom of God is constantly growing

The continual growth of the Kingdom of God was prophesied by Isaiah:

Isaiah 9v6-7
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

And Jesus told us that it would grow:

Luke 13v18-21
Then Jesus asked, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches."
Again he asked, "What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough."

This growth is both in the individual Christian and in the world.

As individual Christians, we should more and more welcome God's rule in our lives, and we should more and more live in agreement with His rule, to the glory of His name.

And God's kingdom is growing in the world - there are more Christians alive today than there have ever been. God is fulfilling Jesus's description of the Kingdom being "worked all through the dough" until "the Earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea" Habbakkuk 2v14.

What is the Kingdom of God like?

God's kingdom is a kingdom of righteousness, peace, joy and power. These are growing day by day in the world, as more and more people come to faith in Jesus Christ, and they should be growing day by day in every believer. See these scriptures:

Romans 14v17
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 4v20
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.