By
royal invitation we move into the
second of the three great state
rooms of this prayer, 'Your kingdom
come.'
On a
personal level, on entering this
awesome throne room, we do well if
we find ourselves holding our
breath, walking on tip-toe,
overwhelmed by the sheer
magnificence of the one in whose
hand is our breath. Like the noble
and godly prophet Isaiah of old, in
the presence of the glory of God, we
find ourselves unworthy, undone and
totally dependent upon his mercy.
In
our own over-casual society, we need
to be reminded of the awesome
holiness of God. The very nature of
our heavenly Father, the one to whom
we are invited to pray demands, not
a cheery greeting but a bended knee,
a lowered face . . . and wonder.
Here
in this great state room we are
brought face to face with the glory
of the Lord; he is the King of
Kings. The whole universe is his, he
is Lord over all beings, good and
evil, heavenly and earthly. The very
existence of earth's proud empires
is in his hand and he laughs at the
little human schemes that challenge
his sovereignty. The whole earth is
the Lord's, to him belongs all power
and glory and majesty.
Why
then, if the kingdom of God is so
great, are we taught to pray for the
coming of his kingdom? To him every
knee shall bow but until that day,
from a fallen world, a world in
rebellion, our heavenly Father is
calling out a people who will turn
and gladly, freely and willingly
submit to his kingly rule. By the
willing submission of his subjects,
God, the rightful Lord, has chosen
to re-establish his kingdom on
earth. It is both for that glorious
final day and for this free and
voluntary turning to God that
disciples are called to pray.
The kingdom of God is variously
described in the New Testament as,
'The kingdom of heaven,' 'The
kingdom of God,' 'The kingdom of
Christ and of God,' 'The kingdom of
his beloved Son' and in Revelation
as 'The kingdom of our Lord and of
his Christ.' We are called to pray
that this kingdom may come, but
called to pray not in terms of
armies and crusades, not in terms of
conquests, not, indeed, in terms of
human rule or territory at all. For
the kingdom of God is not of this
world. It is a kingdom that leaps
every kind of human boundary; it
cannot be contained by prison bars
or chains, it cannot be excluded by
iron or bamboo curtains, political
or religious barriers. It is not at
all like the passing and territorial
kingdoms and empires of this world.
It is, rather, like seed growing in
each nation. In some societies it
flourishes, in others it is crushed,
in some it all but withers away.
There have been seasons in British
history when the kingdom of God has
grown, thrived and been fruitful
beyond measure. But in our own day
widespread secular thinking, the
pursuit of pleasure and the drive
for material gain have all but
choked it.
Where
is the kingdom of heaven to be
found?
Firstly, the kingdom comes here on
earth where God the Father and his
Son, the Lord Jesus, are honoured.
As Jesus came to his own people, he
said, 'The kingdom of God is among
you.' He is the gateway, the door of
the kingdom, he is the source of our
forgiveness and wholeness. As people
came and honoured him, so they
became members of the kingdom.
Zacchaeus, a hated tax collector for
the occupying Roman overlords, was a
man whose life was totally changed
as he honoured the Lord; salvation
came to his house. The kingdom came
there. Or Nicodemus, the teacher and
leader, who came to Jesus at night
secretly searching for the truth;
the kingdom comes when men like
Nicodemus or Zacchaeus come and, as
Jesus put it, are 'born over again'
or 'born from above' by the Holy
Spirit. Such people are born of God;
they are changed by being made a new
creation. The kingdom of God is
within them, within their individual
lives.
Wherever God's kingdom or rule is
found, there will be totally changed
people; people who will live for
God; people who know the Lord Jesus
for who he is; people in whose lives
God the Holy Spirit has taken up
residence. The kingdom of heaven is
the joyful acceptance of the rule of
God within our individual lives. It
is a kingdom of grace and
forgiveness, giving us a fresh new
start as a disciple of Christ, as a
child of God and as a citizen of the
kingdom of heaven. The kingdom
touches us one by one and, through
our changed lives, touches our
homes, the affairs of those around
us and ultimately the affairs of
cities and nations.
Then, secondly, the kingdom of
heaven is found among disciples as
they meet together locally. It may
be in great congregations or in tiny
house groups. Jesus said, 'Where two
or three are met in my name, I will
be there.' So, when we meet to pray
together as brothers and sisters in
Christ and to work together for the
kingdom of heaven, Jesus promised
that he, by his Holy Spirit, would
be with us binding us together and
giving a common mind. For example,
in 19th century England a small
group of wealthy and influential men
met in Clapham to encourage one
another in bringing about godly
social change. They worked towards
the abolition of slavery abroad, and
the provision of hospitals,
education and better working
conditions for the less well-off in
this country.
In a
very different setting, in Germany,
when Adolph Hitler and the Nazis
were rising to power and crushing
anyone who might resist them, little
groups of Christians met to pray and
encourage each other. There was the
kingdom; the kingdom that would
stand when the Third Reich had long
since gone. Such little groups are
typical of the kingdom of God under
oppression.
Thirdly, the kingdom of heaven is
among his people right across the
world. From every nation, language
and tribe God, by his Holy Spirit,
is calling out a people for himself.
Although our circumstances and
cultures differ very greatly, it is
thrilling to discover ourselves
brothers and sisters in Christ,
fellow citizens of his kingdom.
Finally, fourthly and supremely, the
kingdom will come when the Lord
Jesus returns. Then every knee will
bow. At present the Lord Jesus, his
kingdom and his people can be
sneered at, ignored and forgotten by
the world at large. But that will
not be so when he returns. To him
has been given all authority. He
will return, not this time in
humility, but with great power and
glory as King of Kings and as judge
of all people. He will return, and
then the kingdom will be plainly
seen. Then the King and his people
will be recognised for who they are:
Jesus the Lord of Lords, the One to
whom every knee shall bow, and those
most to be envied among human kind,
those on whom our heavenly Father
has set his love, the children of
the kingdom, the sons and daughters
of the living God.
'Till he comes,' is a constant
refrain of the scriptures. We are to
watch and pray; we are to be about
our Father's business; we are to
keep faith, we are to hold fast,
'till he comes.' That phrase should
ring in our hearts and minds as the
motivation for all we do and think.
Here, then, is the kingdom as it
touches this world. It is where
Jesus is honoured in individual
lives, among his people both locally
and internationally and when he
returns in glory.
In
practice, how should we pray, 'Your
kingdom come'?
The petition is very practical, for
under this heading should come all
our prayers concerning the shaping
of our own lives; all our prayers
for our loved ones and family; all
our prayers for the people with whom
we mix day by day at work, at
leisure and in our local community.
Only then, can we look out and catch
the magnificent vision of our town,
our country, our world won for the
kingdom of God.
Every great house has its particular
places from which can be seen the
most magnificent views. Views not
only over the formal gardens and
estate but sweeping on and over
woodland, farmland and maybe out to
sea. Such is the view given to us as
we pray, 'Your kingdom come.'
The
Great Commission to bring the gospel
to the world is here in the phrase,
'Your kingdom come.' Here is the
true heart of all mission and
outreach. How then should we pray
for missionaries of the gospel
wherever they may be? What should be
the content of our prayers? Pray,
certainly, for their provision and
safety and for God's overruling hand
on their circumstances - all the
subjects of this great prayer - but
supremely, pray that our Father's
kingdom may come:
- Pray that as they speak and seek
to be alongside people, men and
women, boys and girls may be touched
by the Holy Spirit of God; that the
Lord's presence and glory may be
known amongst that people.
- Pray that as they train, teach
and encourage local Christians, the
kingdom may come.
Here, within these few words, is the
whole true aim of missionary work;
that the kingdom of heaven may come
to embrace every nation. It includes
both the great sweep of prayer for
the whole world and also specific
prayer for individual missionaries
known to us in their particular
need.
Taught a prayer like this, and given
the Great Commission to go into all
the world, every true disciple will
be involved in missionary work
either directly, by going and
sharing the gospel, or indirectly by
supporting those who have gone on
our behalf. We cannot truly pray,
'May your kingdom come,' without it
touching the way in which we live,
our career, our prayer life and how
we use our money. As we pray for
those who have gone out to preach
the gospel, pray for their safety,
usefulness and well-being, but pray
above all that the Holy Spirit may
use them, that God's kingdom may
come.
I shall never forget the impact of
the words of a Kenyan pastor who, on
coming to this country, was at pains
to thank us as a people for sending
out our finest sons and daughters to
bring the gospel to Kenya some fifty
years before. How far would the
bringing of the kingdom of God to an
unknown and perhaps dangerous people
feature in our hopes and ambitions
for ourselves and for our children?
We need to pray that God's kingdom
would come in our own land, too. We
live in a land where, by and large,
people have turned away from God,
regard him as irrelevant. Pray,
therefore, for spiritual revival;
that we may turn again to him. Pray
that God would raise up and
strengthen godly leaders in the
church, in politics, medicine,
education and in every area of our
national life. Men of God in times
past set up industries on clear,
godly principles. For example the
Frys and the Cadburys, the chocolate
manufacturers, very deliberately set
out to run their businesses with
godly, Christian integrity. That is
why we have places like Bournville,
a 'garden village', because its
founders were profoundly concerned
with the well-being of their people,
not just with 'cash flow'.
In Britain we have a church that
appears to be dying. Pray that God
would revive his church and raise up
those who will relevantly teach what
the apostles taught. Pray that
across our nation he will give
people a spiritual hunger. The
disciples were accused of filling
Jerusalem with their teaching. May
our cities and towns also be filled
with faithful, godly teaching. Jesus
taught that the kingdom of heaven is
to a society as yeast is to bread.
We need to pray that our society,
too, may be permeated by men, women
and youngsters living for God.
Our
churches, chapels and meeting places
are so often seen as relics of the
past, irrelevant to today's world.
But our buildings should be places
where God's kingdom is seen at its
very best and from which it grows in
every community; places where the
Lord is present among his people in
a very special way as they meet to
worship, pray, learn of him and
encourage one another. Pray that our
Father's lordship may be seen in our
dealings with one another. Pray that
men and women and young people might
bow the knee to the Lord Jesus. Here
is the grand purpose of fellowship
groups, Sunday schools and
youngsters' clubs - not just for
friendship or entertainment but for
the kingdom of God. Pray that each
group might be touched by relevant,
godly teaching and godly thinking.
Do we share this longing, this great
concern that God's kingdom might
come where we live? That the Lord
God might touch lives, by his Holy
Spirit, in and through our local
church?
Finally, and least comfortably, as
we pray, 'Your kingdom come,' we do
well to pause and think about our
own lives. 'Lord God show me where I
stand before you, that I might not
deceive myself, or wear a mask
before others.'
In
this great state room, if we have
eyes to see the kingdom at all, we
immediately find ourselves unmasked
and unworthy. We are challenged to
examine ourselves to see if we are
truly part of the kingdom;
challenged, also, to see if the rule
of God is touching and permeating
every part of our lives. We must
begin here for then, and only then,
shall we be increasingly able to
play our part for the kingdom from
our own homes to the ends of the
earth. We are called to be the
answer to our own prayer, to bring
each part of our lives under the
rule of God, and then to pray, work
and encourage those around us,
wherever God our heavenly Father
puts us, to bow the knee to the King
of Kings.
We
tend to put our lives in little
packets, little compartments, all
kept separately. The slot on Sunday
morning or evening may well be 'very
godly', but our heavenly Father
wants us to be a people of
integrity, all of a piece. Not just
Sunday, but Saturday night and
Monday morning; business, pleasure
and worship all brought under his
rule. It is too easy to pray on
Sunday, defraud on Monday, deceive
on Tuesday . . . . . God looks for
integrity, his kingdom and his rule
touching every part of our lives;
true godliness of living in our work
and in our leisure.
It
is very interesting to see how we
tend to think of whole areas of our
life as being quite outside God's
concern, areas that we couldn't
possibly pray about or ask for the
Holy Spirit's guiding or control.
For example, anger, resentment or
our family relationships; or maybe,
our use of time or handling of
money; our sex life, ambitions or
career. But should this be so? If we
are truly disciples of Christ should
we not be able to pray about each
and every part of our lives and say,
'Lord, I want to please you, honour
you, by your grace may your kingdom
come in this part of my life'?
Here is a very practical prayer.
'Your kingdom come.' Pause and pray,
letting your prayers move from God's
purpose for each part of your own
life, to his purposes for the
community, the land and the world.
'May your kingdom come.'
In
this simple petition our Lord
inspires the question that every
true disciple needs, constantly, to
be asking: 'What would my Father
have me to do for his kingdom? What
part can I play? What gifts has my
heavenly Father given me to help
build, strengthen or establish his
kingdom locally, nationally,
internationally?' Here, in so short
a phrase, is the whole purpose of
life! 'Your kingdom come.'
'Father, we thank you, again, for
your mercy towards us. In
thankfulness may we honour you, not
only with our lips, but in our
lives. Hasten the day when your
kingdom comes in every department of
our own lives, in our homes,
churches, cities and throughout your
lovely, but rebellious world, for
the glory of your great and holy
name.'
References
Isaiah before God - Isaiah 6:1-5
'Power and glory and majesty' - 1
Chronicles 29:11
'The kingdom of heaven' - Matthew
3:2, 4:17,10:7
'The kingdom of God' - Matthew 6:33
'The kingdom of Christ and of God' -
Ephesians 5:5
'The kingdom of his beloved Son' -
Colossians 1:3
'Not of this world' - John 18:36
'The kingdom among you' - Luke 17:21
Jesus, the door of the kingdom -
John 10:9
Zacchaeus - Luke 19:1-10
Nicodemus - John 3:1-8
'A new creation' - 2 Corinthians
5:17
'Two or three in my name' - Matthew
18:20
'From every nation, language and
tribe' - Revelation 5:9
'Until he comes' - 1 Corinthians
11:26
'Watch and pray' - Mark 13:32-37
'In power and glory' - Mark 13:26 &
14:62
'Every knee shall bow' - Philippians
2:5-11
The Great Commission - Matthew
28:19&20
Questions
1 In our culture have we lost the
perspective of the awesomeness of
God our heavenly Father? Are we more
likely to approach him with a cheery
greeting than with awe and wonder?
2 How has our heavenly Father chosen
to re-establish his rule on earth?
Could it be coloured on an atlas as
an empire?
3 Can you think of someone you know
whose life has been totally changed
by the coming of the kingdom of
heaven?
In what local group, known to
you, can the kingdom of heaven be
found?
In what way will the kingdom
eventually touch every nation?
4 At present the kingdom of God can
be ignored or sneered at - will it
always be so?
5 Why should, 'Your kingdom come,'
be most important in our praying for
our friends and family?
6 How can such a simple petition be
at the heart of all missionary and
outreach work?
7 'We cannot truly pray, "Your
kingdom come," without it touching
the way we live, our career, our
prayer life, and the way we use our
money.' Is this true? If it is, are
we truly praying it?
8 Is the grand purpose of our local
church, its groups and young
people's work, friendship and
wholesome entertainment or the
kingdom of heaven?
9 How easy is it to packet parts of
our own life quite separately? Would
we admit to having areas of life
that we have yet to bring under the
rule of Christ?
10 Does Christian maturity lie in
the direction of being disciples in
every area of our lives, of being
all of a piece, consistently
Christian?
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