Anchor My Faith

Your Kingdom Come

Scripture: Matthew 6:9-11, 13; Luke 11:2, 4

In the previous lesson we learned about the meaning of “hallow be your name.” In this lesson we will look at “Your kingdom come.”

^{Lk 11:2} “And he said to them, “When you pray, say: ^{Mt 6:9} Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰ Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ^{Lk 11:4} and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. ^{Mt 6:13} And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”’

This is the second petition of the Lord’s prayer; the first being “hallow be your name.” Why the importance of praying for his kingdom to come to earth? How might praying that affect us? Consider Matthew 6:33 ESV: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” This verse about what is important to seek is found at the end of a section in which Jesus is teaching about not being anxious about our life. That which is most important is to seek for and find the kingdom of God his righteousness, but what is the kingdom of God?

In an attempt to answer that question, one might respond by saying, “A kingdom is that territory over which a king reigns, and since God created everything, then the kingdom of God must be whatever God reigns over.” I don’t think that is quite what John the Baptist had in mind when he “came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, [saying] ² “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”’ (Matthew 3:1 – 2). It should be noted that the kingdom of heaven is found only in Matthew’s Gospel but is interchangeable with “kingdom of God” found in the other gospels. For example, in Mark 1:14 – 15 ESV: ¹⁴ “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, ¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”’

This kingdom that is at hand must be a different kind of kingdom than those that exist here in the world. It is a kingdom that will be ruled by God’s appointed Messiah, who will be both a redeemer and a king. At the time of John and Jesus, the Jews thought this kingdom referred to the kingdom of Israel, but they were wrong. Jesus told Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” (John 18:36 ESV).

God sent his Son, the Messiah, into the world in the person of Jesus to be our redeemer. Through belief in Jesus the kingdom of God is populated over which Jesus Christ then reigns in the hearts and lives of believers and thus over the church. Through the redemptive process the kingdom of God has penetrated into the world. Today God’s kingdom continues to come into the world as believers are added to it. This kingdom, over which Jesus rules as king, is a kingdom of believers that extends from heaven to include believers still living in the world.

One day the kingdom will be fully populated and the work of the church on earth will be complete. At the end of the tribulation period, Jesus will return and will rule with this kingdom on earth for a thousand years. After the judgment that occurs at the end of the thousand years, there will be a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness is the norm. There will be a new Jerusalem and the everlasting presence of God will be among all the redeemed.

Conclusion

It is God’s will that people hear the gospel and find salvation in Jesus Christ and thus grow the kingdom of God. In that way the kingdom comes into the world and the lifestyle of its heavenly citizens is to influence the people they live among. How well are we doing in bringing God’s will from heaven into the world?