Sermon Tone Analysis

Text: Heidelberg Catechism LD 48; Romans 8:18-27

Theme: pray for the kingdom

Doctrine: already, not yet

Image: Jesus coming into his kingdom

Need: comfort and encouragement

Message: the kingdom is coming, and it is here

 

*Preached*

Wayland CRC – ???, 2006

Kellogsville CRC – Apr 1, 2007

*Your Kingdom Come*

*Intro*

As we look around ourselves at this world, it would seem as though we are losing the spiritual battle.

Think about the major shows which are gaining popularity on TV.

Shows like Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives, even seemingly harmless shows like Bones and House flaunt and even promote lifestyles which are in direct contradiction to the way in which God calls us to live.

Many people claim that the Unites States is a Christian nation.

If that is so, then why are we, as a country, producing all this trash?

And why are Christians sitting idly by and allowing the name Christian be attached to a country which supports a multibillion dollar pornography industry, for example?

When we pray this request in the Lord’s prayer, “Thy Kingdom Come”, what is it we are asking for?

What does it mean to sit in the twenty first century and ask this?

The Christian community has been praying this request for almost two thousand years, what is our role in this request?

Let us read together the explanation given by the Heidelberg Catechism found in Lord's Day 48, found in the PH p 920.

I will read the question, please respond with the answer.

Notice that the catechism splits this request into four parts.

In praying this request we ask that (1) God rule us in such a way that we submit to him more and more, we ask that (2) God keep his church strong and add to it, we ask (3) that God destroy the work of the devil and those who oppose him, and we ask that (4) God do this until his kingdom is complete and he is all in all.

*Personally we do not evidence to kingdom.*

Why do we pray this request?

What does it mean to sit here in the 21st century and ask God's kingdom to come.

We have to pray this request because things are not how they are meant to be.

In our reading from Romans, Paul reminds us that the whole world has been subjected to frustration, to futility, to purposelessness, because Adam and Eve rebelled against God.

The curse of our sin and disobedience spread to the whole world.

The creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.

Well, we are the children of God.

The creation is waiting for release through us.

We are called out of the entire human race, and given the job of being a light to the nations; yet we seem to be smouldering softly, rather than burning brightly.

When you let a fire die down to the ashes, it does not give off much light, does it?

When you let things go for so long, and do not maintain the fire, it begins to die out.

Those who follow Christ are citizens of God's kingdom.

We pray that his kingdom come, yet often we do not work to bring it.

We do not live our lives as God's subjects, completely following his will.

Our lives should evidence God’s grace to the world, yet often they evidence vindictiveness, spite, hate, jealously, and envy.

In this passage Paul is looking forward to the future, when Christ will come back and reveal in us his glory, when creation will be liberated from its bondage to decay, when all will be brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

But we know that the kingdom of God is right here, right now, though not fully.

Part of the reason it is not here fully, says the Catechism, is because we are not fully loyal to God.

The first request in the catechism asks God to rule us by his Word and Spirit so that we submit to him more and more.

Too often we follow our own wills rather than looking to God's Word, for direction.

We live for ourselves, for our own goals, for our own pleasure and glory, rather than God’s.

We serve ourselves, rather than serving our saviour.

The 10 commandments are still rules for our lives.

They give us guidelines on how we are to live as God’s people.

How many of us follow them completely?

No one has.

We have not submitted our wills enough to our Father to let the Spirit guide us to obey his will.

Our own wills are strong in our lives, and they push us to do things which we know we should not do.

We struggle daily with temptation, and all too often, we lose.

Men, we may pride ourselves that we have not slept with a person other than our wives, but then we remember that Christ said, “Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully had already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Men, you know we struggle with this temptation, whether we are married or not.

We are bombarded with images daily which are designed to make us lust, designed to make us break this commandment, and they are hard to avoid.

Perhaps this temptation is not as strong for women, but you have your own weaknesses.

Remember the first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me”?

It means that God has to be first in our lives.

Is God truly first in your life, or is your family?

Perhaps you make having the perfect family into your idol.

Everything you do is directed toward this goal, toward serving your family, but you forget that you are to serve /God/ in everything.

Your life should not revolve around your family, but around God.

Whether man or woman, boy or girl, as God’s chosen people, we have been brought into his kingdom, but we do not fully submit to his rule in our lives.

We do not fully evidence your kingdom in our lives, God.

The creation is waiting for your glory to be revealed through us.

O Lord, rule us by your word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to you.

Lord, your kingdom come.

*The Church does not fully evidence the kingdom of God*

Now, we as individuals do not fully evidence God’s good kingdom, but neither does the Church.

The second request in the catechism asks God to keep his church strong and add to it, yet the Church seems to be weak; she is broken by schisms, she is broken by distrust, she seems to be elderly and disabled, she does not seem to be growing.

In fact, in our so-called “advanced” Western society, the Church seems to be shrinking.

She does not have the power she once did.

She does not speak with the same clarity she once did.

Her scriptural voice has been garbled by economics and politics.

The Church today seems to be less grounded in scripture, and more grounded in sociology, or economics, or politics.

There is more emphasis on making people feel welcome, than bringing people to repentance and conversion.

Our emphasis on being seeker sensitive is good, do not misunderstand me, but I think it may go overboard.

There is, and should be, something controversial about the gospel.

Paul calls it a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Gentiles.

If a sinner walks into a Church, and feels comfortable, there is something wrong.

The sinner is not a part of the people of God.

He is not a loyal subject of the King.

The sinner walks into enemy territory when she walks into a Church.

She should not feel comfortable, she should feel challenged.

Should he be welcomed?

Absolutely!

Should she feel loved?

Most definitely!

Should he feel comfortable?

I think not.

The gospel message is powerful, but controversial.

When we drain it of controversy, we drain it of power.

Your Church is weak, God, she is broken, she does not fully evidence your kingdom.

O Lord, keep your Church strong and add to it.

Lord, thy Kingdom come

*The World does not fully evidence the kingdom of God.

*

But, as you know, the Church exists in a sinful world.

She is surrounded by a fallen creation; a creation which has come under the influence of the Devil.