Sermon: Thy Kingdom Come
Scripture: Matthew 6:10
In this week’s lessons, we learn what the kingdom of God is and how it manifests itself on earth.
Theme: The Coming Kingdom
Now it should be evident from the imperfect nature of the kingdom of God, as we see it today, that there is yet to be a kingdom in which the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ is totally recognized.
Christ Himself taught this. He had told His disciples that there was to be a spiritual kingdom throughout the Church age. But on several occasions He taught that there was to be a literal, future kingdom as well. In one parable He compared Himself to a nobleman who went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then to return. In the meantime, however, the nobleman left gifts in the hands of his servants, charging them to be faithful and to be ready to give a good accounting at his return (Luke 19:11-27). On another occasion, after the resurrection, the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). He answered, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his power [in other words, you are right about the fact of the kingdom; but it is none of your business to know when]. But ye shall receive power after the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judaea and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (vs. 7-8).
For us the work of the kingdom of God falls in the last of those great statements. We are His witnesses, and we are to bear the message of God’s rule through Christ throughout our cities, states, nation, and world.
What is God doing in this age? God is calling out a people to Himself. He is taking persons of every imaginable condition and from every part of this globe—ethical leaders, politicians, clerks, judges, workmen, housewives, savages and sophisticates, persons like yourself—and He is turning them into men and women in whom Jesus Christ is present and in whom His winsome and righteous character can be seen. In this spiritual aspect, the kingdom of God is the rule of Jesus Christ in the lives of those who have been spiritually reborn and who are being daily and increasingly transformed. Therefore, when we pray, “Thy kingdom come,” we ask first that God’s gracious rule may come in us, and second that it might come through us to others. We take confidence in the fact that it will one day come in power in the personal rule of the Lord Jesus Christ at the end of history.
Study Questions:
From Acts 1, what do we observe about how Jesus’ disciples viewed the kingdom of God?
How do we see the spiritual nature of God’s kingdom evident in the world today?
Application: In what ways does the Lord want you to serve as one of His witnesses to the present and future coming of His kingdom?
For Further Study: Download and listen for free to Philip Ryken’s message, “Kingdom Come.” (Discount will be applied at checkout.)
