Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Come
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Sermon on the Mount – Kingdom Come
Matthew 6:9-13
9 Pray then like this: “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,
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
1. Introduction – This morning we come to the 2nd petition of the Lord’s Prayer.
a. We’ve seen in the past 2 weeks that there is a whole lot of meaning packed in to just a few words.
i. Our Father in heaven…speaks of God’s closeness as a father…
1. But also of his infinite power, he is, after all, in heaven.
a. Hallowed be your name…hallowed – set part from a common use for a sacred purpose.
i. Name…and all the attributes and characteristics that stand behind that name.
b. And today, we come to this incredible petition…Your Kingdom Come.
i. 3 words…but 3 very impactful words.
1. And it flows naturally that if we want God’s name to be hallowed on earth as it is in heaven…
a. If we want God’s name, as he has revealed himself to be, to be set apart from common use for a sacred purpose…
i. Then it flows naturally that we will also want God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.
c. Here’s what we’re going to do today.
i. We’ll look at this request broadly.
1. What are we praying when we say this petition? What does it mean?
a. Do we really mean it when we pray it?
i. Then we’ll look specifically at the 2 main words of this petition “kingdom” and ‘come”.
1. We’ll zoom in on those words and see what they have to teach us.
ii. Hear God’s Word – Matthew 6:9-13.
2. Kingdom of God – So what is this requestion referring to?
a. Well, it’s referring to what Jesus called ‘the kingdom of God’. Matthew calls it the ‘kingdom of heaven.’
i. I was talking to a friend while I was researching and preparing this sermon, and I quipped that I should prepare a sermon series on the kingdom of God.
1. But as the conversation went on I realized that a series on the kingdom of God would really just be a series through the whole entire Bible.
a. Because the theme of God’s kingdom is a thread that weaves its way through the entire canon of Scripture.
i. Proclaiming the kingdom was John the Baptist’s entire preaching ministry.
1. Proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom was also Jesus’ entire preaching ministry.
2. Jesus told parable after parable telling his listeners what the kingdom was like and what it will be like when it comes.
a. The book of Revelation describes for us what it will look like when God’s kingdom comes to earth…and it is glorious.
b. But what is God’s kingdom? What kingdom are we praying to come?
i. To summarize it simply – God’s kingdom is God’s rule and reign.
1. So what are we praying in this petition is that God’s rule and reign will come on earth…like it is in heaven…we’ll expand on this more in a bit.
a. Last week, the petition taught us to have a burning desire and a burning passion for God’s name.
i. Hallowed be your name is a prayer for the whole world to see God’s greatness and holiness that way we have.
ii. Your kingdom come has the same effect.
1. We are praying 2 things simultaneously.
a. We are praying for the present. That here and now more people will recognize the Lordship of Jesus…
i. That here and now, more people will bow in humble submission to God’s kingship.
1. We are praying for more people to be saved and for the gospel of the kingdom to go to the ends of the earth.
2. However, when we pray this petition, we are also asking God to bring history to an end.
a. We are asking God to bring his full kingdom, his full rule, his full reign to earth.
i. We are petitioning God to bring to earth what we read in Rev. 20-22 – where all things are made new and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
1. It’s an astounding request.
c. But do we mean it when we pray it?
i. Sure, we want more people to be saved, yes, we want more people to recognize God as King and Jesus as Lord.
1. But do we really want God to bring history to an end?
a. We ought not pray these words carelessly or thoughtlessly.
i. We would love to see Jesus return – provided that he waits a little bit longer.
1. He holds off long enough for us to see our kids grow up…our grandkids to grow up…
b. For us to taste marriage…graduate, succeed in business.
i. We pray it…but do we really mean it?
ii. Jesus teaches us that when we pray, we aren’t to mindlessly repeat words about God’s coming kingdom.
1. We are to pray for it as a priority in our lives.
a. We are to have a burning passion for people to enter into God’s kingdom, and we are to long for God to bring history to its God-ordained end.
i. But it’s not really an end…but a new beginning.
1. The beginning of a life lived in the very presence of God…and what could be better than that?!
3. Kingdom – So God’s kingdom means God’s rule and reign.
a. We are praying for that kingdom t come – to be recognized the world over.
i. We are praying for God’s sovereignty to displace the name of any other earthly sovereign.
1. We are praying for God’s kingdom of light to come and wipe out the kingdom of darkness from the earth.
a. We are praying, not merely for changes in history, but for its complete end – and for the beginning of a new history lived in God’s presence.
i. It is a world-encompassing request – we are praying, not in isolation, not for our own kingdom, but for the world to recognize God’s kingdom on earth.
b. But what is God’s kingdom like?
i. Jesus spent the vast majority of his preaching ministry teaching on the kingdom of God.
1. Most of his parables in some way teach his followers what the kingdom is like and how the kingdom will come.
ii. So amongst other things – Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed.
1. Though the mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds…
a. The plant that comes from that seed is one of the largest bushes in the garden.
i. This is an incredible picture...and we see it play out in Scripture and throughout history.
1. When Jesus was on earth, he only had a handful of followers.
ii. At the time of his ascension, only a few dozen followers.
1. But as we read in the book of Acts, after the Holy Spirit come…the church, and the kingdom grew on earth.
b. They grew, they experience persecution…and they grew more. They experienced more persecution and they grew even more.
i. The Apostle Paul was converted, and he took the gospel of the kingdom to the far reaches of the Roman Empire.
1. And throughout history, the kingdom has continued to grow.
a. God’s kingdom, Christianity, isn’t located on one continent or in one country – but is present the world over…with no real geographic centre.
c. The kingdom started small, like it has grown and is global in its reach.
i. Jesus said the kingdom of God is like yeast – you can’t really see it working, until all of a sudden – poof – there it is.
c. And Jesus said that the kingdom will come like a bridegroom.
i. In Jesus’ day, weddings could take place at any time of the day or night.
1. There wasn’t a set wedding day. So the bride and her bridesmaids always had to be ready for the grooms coming – because it could happen at any time.
a. And in the parable of the 10 virgins, Jesus tells his followers that his return could happen at any time, and we must be prepared for it, and not be caught unawares.
ii. Jesus also said that the kingdom of God includes those on the margins of society. When the elites of society reject and invitation to a banquet – those on the highways and byways of life are invited to join.
1. I could go on and on describing what the kingdom of God is like, because Jesus told so many parables about it.
a. But we must move on.
4. Come – Because I want to focus your attention now on this word ‘come.’
a. I think the easiest way for us to look at this word ‘come’ is to look at in the past, present and future.
i. What we have to know right off the bat when we look at this word ‘come’ is that God’s kingdom has already come.
1. In the person and work of Jesus, God’s kingdom was established on earth. The seed has already be planted.
a. Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand…that was the very first sermon Jesus ever preached.
ii. Through his earthly ministry, his teaching, his miracles, his saving death on the cross, his victory over death through his resurrection…
1. The kingdom of God broke through on this earth…and was established.
a. So when we pray, “your kingdom come…’ we aren’t praying for its establishment, as if it is not here already and we want it here…
i. No, the kingdom is here now.
b. So if the kingdom is already here…if it was already established in the past…it means it is currently working and growing in the present.
i. When we pray this petition – we are praying for God’s reach to expand in our world.
1. We are praying for more and more people to come to Jesus as Saviour – as was said earlier.
a. We are praying for our evangelistic efforts.
i. We are praying for our unsaved friends and family members to come to know Jesus the way we know him.
2. We are praying for missionaries around the world as they do God’s work in the parts of the world God has called them to.
a. This request is a prayer for the salvation of souls – your kingdom come.
ii. God’s kingdom, was established in the past…it has come already.
1. Its growth continues in the present…it is currently coming.
c. And you probably know where I’m going with this…we know that one day, the kingdom of God will come – in its full power, here on earth.
i. We know, as we’ve looked at before, that one day God will make everything new…and God’s kingdom will come to earth as it is in heaven.
1. Jesus promised his disciples that he would return and bring God’s powerful kingdom with him.
a. But he also told them that there would be signs leading up to his coming.
i. This is a weird thing, because he told them there will be signs, but also told them that they won’t be able to figure those signs out….
1. That they shouldn’t bother trying to figure them out…
2. They should try to figure them out, because only the Father knows when the end will come and when the kingdom will fully come to earth.
ii. Believers in every century have all felt a firm conviction that they were living in the last days.
1. The NT writers had a firm conviction that they would see Jesus return in their lifetime.
a. And on and on through the centuries. Are we living in the last days before Christ’s return?
i. Sure we are…but the Apostle Paul was living in the last days, Augustine was, the early church fathers were, the Reformers were, the Puritans were…
1. Christians in every age have rightfully been encouraged to live expectantly and of Jesus’ return…and never presume to know the mind of the Father.
d. The kingdom will come – God’s coming kingdom will be glorious and unlike anything this world has ever known.
i. We see a glimpse of this glorious kingdom in the book of Revelation. It is spectacular in its description…I can’t even imagine what it will actually be like.
1. We see this victory proclaimed and the kingdom established in 11:15.
a. After the 7th trumpet blew – at the end of that cycle…we come to the end of history…only to make another trip around with more details…
ii. But in Rev. 11:15, we have this wonderful verse…John heard loud voices shouting this…
1. Handel took this verse and turned it into the Hallelujah Chorus.
a. The kingdom of this world…has now become the kingdom of our Lord…and of his Christ…
i. And then the basses come in…And he shall reign forever and ever…and the tenors kick it up a notch…and the sopranos take it up the stratosphere….
iii. And this line bounces around from section to section…and he shall reign forever and ever….
1. Until they come to the climax, “King of kings and Lord and lords…”
a. A wonderful piece of music that reminds us of the gloriousness of God’s coming kingdom.
i. It has come, it is coming…and it will come.
5. Application – But how are we to live with this knowledge?
a. Knowing that God’s kingdom has been planted…that it is like yeast, we can’t see it working but it’s there…
i. Knowing that the kingdom of this world will one day become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ…how then shall we live?
1. In a word…confidently.
b. As God’s people we are not to live dejected live. We are not to lie in fer of what is going on around us.
i. We aren’t to have ‘woe is me’ or ‘woe is us’ kind of attitudes.
1. We are to live confidently.
a. The kingdom of God gives purpose and direction to history.
ii. History is not made up of random and chaotic events…our present isn’t made up of random and chaotic events…
1. But each event…the ship of history moves in the direction God intends…
a. Even when we live in the midst of destruction, horror, tragedy, and uncertain times.
c. As Christians we are to live with a quiet confidence that is anchored in God’s kingdom.
i. A kingdom that was established by Jesus. A kingdom that grows through the work of God’s people.
1. And a kingdom that will be fully established when Jesus comes gain and makes the kingdom of this world the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ…
a. A kingdom that will come on earth as it is in heaven.