PRAYING "THY KINGDOM COME"

Sermon by Rev. Steven R. Key

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-58

As we continue our study of the Lord's Prayer, we must remember the opening address which Jesus gave us to this prayer: "Our Father which art in heaven." A significant address that is. Not that we have to always pray using those words; but our prayers must be offered in the consciousness of Him to Whom we pray, namely, that He is our Father for Jesus' sake. If we approach God properly, and in that consciousness, we shall find little difficulty in bringing to Him the petitions which Jesus taught us to pray. But, oh, if we don't pray in that consciousness, our prayers are difficult, to say the least. If we acknowledge the living God as our heavenly Father, what is more natural than that the glory of His name is the object of our strongest desires? That, as we saw last week, is the prayer of His only begotten Son — "Father, glorify thy name." We who are sons and daughters by adoption, precious in His sight, certainly ought, in love for Him, to seek the same glory for His name. So the psalmist in Psalm 40:16, says, "Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified." Again, if the Lord God is our Father, Who is in heaven, it also is true that He reigns over all. It is our duty, then, to acknowledge Him as our King and to seek His kingdom. Seeing He is our Father, we have a strong attachment to His kingdom. And so it follows that the Lord Jesus teaches us to pray next, "Thy kingdom come." It is that petition on which we focus our attention this morning, the second petition.

PRAYING "THY KINGDOM COME"

I call your attention to:

I. THE KINGDOM

II. THE COMING OF THAT KINGDOM

III. THE PRAYER FOR ITS COMING

1.BECAUSE THIS PETITION CONCERNS THE KINGDOM OF OUR GOD, IT IS CERTAINLY NECESSARY, FIRST OF ALL, THAT WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THAT KINGDOM.

IMMEDIATELY WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT GOD IS KING OVER ALL, THE ABSOLUTELY SOVEREIGN LORD.

From that point of view we may certainly speak of His kingdom as embracing all things. It is a universal kingdom in which God's majesty, authority, power and wisdom is exercised over all. So we read in Psalm 103:19, "The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all." In this kingdom God has heaven for His throne, the earth for His footstool, angels for His servants, the clouds for His chariot, the winds for His horses, the wicked as His enemies, lightnings and thunders and earthquakes for His instruments of war, and devils as unwitting messengers of His vengeance. So the Scriptures tell us. A conviction of His sovereign government is unwillingly felt even by those who call themselves "atheists," those fools who say in their hearts, "There is no God," as we read in Psalm 14:1. The most rebellious devils, as well as all the empires of this world, even while engaged in acts of mutual hostility, are subject to this King Who rules over all. There comes a time, in fact, when even the wicked will acknowledge, though not as a confession of faith and repentant submission — even as Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:34,35: "I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" A similar confession is made, though from an entirely different, spiritual perspective, by the children of God in Psalm 145. And what these things tell us is that it is unquestionably true that God is King over all, and that His kingdom embraces all things

But this prayer for the coming of our Father's kingdom is focused on the kingdom in which God rules by His grace, a kingdom which is yet to see its full realization. This kingdom is not earthly and will never be realized or found on this earth, even though everything on earth is governed by God in subjection to this kingdom. And that it is not earthly is evident from the passage which we read, where repeatedly Jesus says, "The kingdom of heaven is like...." It is the kingdom of heaven. That is also the perspective in all the chapter where Jesus gives us this prayer. "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." "Seek ye first the kingdom of God." But that this kingdom is not earthly is evident from the very petition itself. "Thy kingdom come." Well, if we look at God's kingdom as that over which He exercises His power now, we cannot possibly pray this petition. God is King, whether we want it or not. God rules over this kingdom, whether we pray for it or not. But this prayer is that the kingdom of heaven, over which God rules by His grace, come and be perfected. Notice how the Catechism puts it: "Thy kingdom come; that is, rule us so by Thy Word and Spirit....till the full perfection of Thy kingdom take place, wherein Thou shalt be all in all." The prayer is that the kingdom come in such a way, so perfectly, that there is nothing left but that kingdom of heaven.

THEREFORE THERE ARE ESPECIALLY THREE THINGS THAT WE MUST SAY ABOUT THE KINGDOM FOR WHICH JESUS TEACHES US TO PRAY.

In the first place, it is the kingdom of Christ. Christ is the only One Who can and Who does establish this kingdom. We speak now of the Son of God. We speak of Him Who is God in the flesh. He is the only One Who can bring reconciliation between God and men, and Who can realize the kingdom. And let us remember, for we studied that doctrine some time ago, and that is part of our confession — He is the One Who is exalted and Who sits on the right hand of God. Having humbled Himself unto death, and having been perfectly obedient even to the death of the cross for the accomplishment of His Father's will, we are told this concerning Him (Philippians 2:9-11): "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

So in the passage that we read earlier, Matthew 13, our Lord interprets the parable of the wheat and the tares. He does that in verses 37 and following. Notice, "He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man." That is Christ. "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom." Notice that too. The children of the kingdom live for a time in this world. Nevertheless, the parable speaks of that which describes the kingdom of heaven. And so we read that when the time comes to bring about the perfect realization of the kingdom, "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom — again, His kingdom — all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear." So the kingdom of our Father is the kingdom of Christ; and Christ Himself establishes and brings about the realization of that kingdom.

In the second place, this kingdom is spiritual. And by that I mean that this kingdom is of such a nature that it requires spiritual life in order to see it. For that reason, we may say that Christ rules this kingdom by His Spirit. This kingdom is realized spiritually in the hearts of its subjects. Already in this world, that kingdom is realized in the hearts of men, women and children. It isn't realized merely externally. It may seem quite pious to emphasize that we must work for the kingdom. The churches that are permeated with modernism, having lost the heart of the gospel, sometimes seem more godly than the others — when the spiritual nature of the kingdom is not understand. They often appear more Christian than those who are true believers. For they emphasize that we must work for the kingdom. So they involve themselves busily in all kinds of social activities and social works — all with the idea (even if not thoroughly thought out) that we must work for the coming of the kingdom on this earth. We must work to make all men one, to make all men better, to make all men partakers of a healthy kingdom life in this world. And when I speak of this negatively — for this is not the correct idea of the kingdom, but instead very incorrect departure from true doctrine, and a movement toward the kingdom of Antichrist — when I expose this as error, please don't misunderstand. I am not belittling the necessity to walk in all good works to the glory of God our Father. We considered that in connection with Lord's Days 32 and 33. We must do good works — not as if we can accomplish something for God, not as if by those works we can usher in the kingdom of heaven; but we must do good works as an expression of our gratitude to God for His precious gift, and for Who He is, and for the place He has given us in the fellowship of His own covenant life. And what works are good works are clearly defined in Question and Answer 91. It isn't the place to review that here. I only emphasize, the kingdom of heaven is a spiritual kingdom. And it is built and established by Christ Himself through His Holy Spirit as a spiritual work and by spiritual means. And the chief spiritual means that Christ uses for that purpose is the preaching of the gospel. That is why the Church is called to that one main task and calling. The Church — in which the kingdom of God is manifested on this earth — is not a social organization, a political action group, a lobbying agency, nor a business establishment. It is the body of Christ called to preach the gospel. So with that understanding of the kingdom as a spiritual entity, we pray, "Rule us so by Thy Word and Spirit."

And finally, the third characteristic of this kingdom concerning which we pray is that it is heavenly. Now I already mentioned this. But there are a couple more things that need to be said in this connection, different from what I have already said. That the kingdom of God is heavenly emphasizes that it is glorious. It came from heaven and returns to heaven. It will not be perfected until that day when heaven and earth are united as one glorious and heavenly kingdom. But that kingdom is and will be glorious exactly because it is the place where God dwells. He dwells there with His people in Christ. It is the kingdom where the citizens enjoy perfect fellowship, covenant fellowship, with the Triune covenant God. With that in mind we pray, "Thy kingdom come."

2.BUT WHAT IS INVOLVED IN THE COMING OF THAT KINGDOM?

LET US UNDERSTAND THAT THE KINGDOM IS COMING THROUGHOUT ALL AGES.

In the Old Testament God revealed Himself as King of His people. It began immediately after the fall, when God said to Satan, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." That is the promise of the coming of the kingdom, a kingdom that would be fulfilled in the way of victory over Satan and his spiritual seed. But as time went on in the Old Testament, God revealed ever more clearly the nature of His kingdom. He established His covenant with one people, that they might be seen as His kingdom people, His Church. They were the seed of Abraham, His friend. Oh no, that kingdom is not limited to the natural children of Abraham. And that kingdom of God is not seen today in the earthly nation of Israel. For Scripture makes plain that only the true children of Abraham were counted for the seed. And those true children of Abraham were the children of the promise, those who were in Christ by sovereign and eternal election. So, as Paul writes to us today (Galatians 3:29), "if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." And even in the Old Testament God reminded His people again and again that although He had given them a very privileged place as Israel, there would come a time when He would expand His kingdom, gathering His citizens from all nations.

But as the Lord dealt with His people in Old Testament times as the kingdom of Israel, He richly revealed Himself as the God Whose heart is fixed upon a kingdom in which His name will be glorified. Israel was His kingdom, in a typical sense, as a picture of the tremendous spiritual reality. For that reason also Israel was entitled to be called a theocracy, a kingdom under God. The Lord is He Who regulated the affairs of His people. He governed them in war and in peace. He led His people into the land He had promised to their fathers. He arranged the whole system of government, gave them magistrates and judges furnished with His own laws, His own instructions. In short, He appointed everything in such a way as to depend entirely upon His own will and good pleasure. But, I say again, under this veil of Old Testament revelation there lay concealed a far greater realization. All these things prefigured the kingdom of God established in Christ. And the people of God even then laid hold of that better thing — by faith. The faithful children of God, though only a remnant at any given time, always laid hold by faith of that to which that Old Testament kingdom pointed. They laid hold of Christ, and the spiritual kingdom of which they were citizens. So they lived in the knowledge that God had brought them out of the slavery of sin and Satan, into the true liberty of the children of God, and united them with Him in covenant fellowship, that they might live unto Him, with the law written — not merely on the tables of stone, but on the fleshly tables of their hearts.

BUT THE COMING OF THAT KINGDOM MUST BE REALIZED IN THE COMING OF THAT MESSIAH, WHOSE NAME IS JESUS, THE SON OF GOD.

More particularly that kingdom is realized by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It is true, even as we say concerning all of salvation — it was ushered in with the coming of the Son of God into our flesh. But there is more that must be said. And that points us to the centrality of the cross and the perfect fulfillment of the work of God's dear Son. After Jesus was baptized by John, we read in Mark 1:15 that He began to preach, "saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel." Notice, the kingdom of God is at hand, i.e., near. But it was not yet in its fulfillment, because the Spirit was not yet — i.e., as the Spirit of the exalted Christ. The Spirit would not come until Christ had fulfilled all that was necessary to lay the foundation for the kingdom of heaven. That was done at Calvary. Jesus entered into our death, that we, the subjects of the kingdom of heaven, might have the remission of sins and be reconciled unto God. And having accomplished that perfect work, Jesus rose again from the dead, and ascended into heaven to take His place at the right hand of God, supreme over all things. The kingdom of heaven was realized.

Even so, the kingdom of heaven is not yet finished. After the exaltation of our Lord, He received the Spirit, as He was promised. And as He had promised His disciples, so He poured His Spirit into the Church. The Spirit ushers the kingdom of heaven into the hearts of all the citizens of that kingdom, regenerating them, calling them, justifying them, and sanctifying them, causing them to look forward to the final manifestation of the kingdom, and moving them to pray in gratitude to God, expressing their longing for the coming glory. We have the blessings of the kingdom already now, beloved. Do you live in the consciousness of that? All the blessings of the kingdom are ours — in the gospel, in the Word preached to us, as well as in the enjoyment, wrought by that powerful Word of God, of the blessings of His fellowship and love. By the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, through the Word by which He works, you and I have been taken into the kingdom of heaven, into the fellowship of our Redeemer, to live in the joy that belongs to the redeemed.

But there is yet something that would rob us of our joy. The powers of darkness are yet here. The devil and his hosts, and all those who are the seed of the serpent, are still here. We are yet in the world of which Satan is the prince. And so we see and are troubled by his works. We live yet among those who would trouble the Church, who would exalt themselves against God and His holy Word, and who would seek to disturb the joy and peace of those who would live as kingdom citizens to the glory of God the Father. And there is also our own sinful flesh that would war against us and rob us of submission to the Word of God. That is why the Catechism says it belongs to the coming of that kingdom of our Father that all the powers of darkness are completely destroyed. And that shall come fully in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. All the powers of darkness will be forever destroyed. The earth on which the powers of darkness have reigned, that which has come under the rule of the prince of darkness, shall also be destroyed. And the new heavens and the new earth shall be established in which righteousness shall dwell — the perfect fulfillment of the kingdom of which we have been made citizens by grace, the final realization of that kingdom for which we longed.

3.WILL YOU PRAY FOR THAT, BELOVED?

THE PRAYER FOR THE COMING OF THIS KINGDOM OF OUR FATHER MEANS, FIRST OF ALL, THAT WE ADDRESS OUR HEAVENLY FATHER AND PRAY, "RULE US BY THY WORD AND SPIRIT."

Is that your desire? This prayer only arises out of thankful hearts. This petition is motivated by the gratitude to God for all that He has accomplished toward the coming of His kingdom. It has been our privilege not only to see the beginning, by His revelation in the gospel, but to experience ourselves the blessedness of this magnificent work of God. With gratitude we are compelled to pray that He will be pleased to bring His work to completion, first, by perfecting His work in us, bringing us more and more into willing submission to His Word. If we have no desire to live in subjection to His Word, we cannot even count ourselves citizens of His kingdom! But when we are among the number of those who have been given the life of the kingdom, we desire above all else concerning ourselves that we are brought into submission to the Word of God. As Jesus said in John 14:21, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me."

Can you pray this, beloved? Oh, I know, not perfectly; but is this your desire? Do you have such a love for God, that it is your desire to submit to His Word in all things? Is it your desire that your whole life be a life in willing subjection to the Spirit of Christ? There is the acknowledgement in this prayer that we are unable of ourselves to break the cruel chains of our slavery to sin, or to rise to the liberty of the kingdom of God. Oh yes, we must already be free in order to pray this. But the weakness of our sinful flesh is so great! What remains for us as citizens of the kingdom, upon whose hearts God has written His law, is to flee to Him Who alone can save and strengthen us in the face of our earthly conflicts. "Thy kingdom come."

BUT THIS PETITION MEANS, SECONDLY, (ACCORDING TO THE CATECHISM), THAT GOD ALONE CAN GATHER AND COMPLETE AND BRING TO PERFECTION HIS CHURCH.

"Preserve and increase Thy Church." That means, you understand, that we ourselves must have a love for God's Church, and a desire that His Church be not only preserved, but increased. An antipathy for missions, and a desire that the local congregation remain just as is, undisturbed by new members, is a sure sign of not being able to pray, "Thy kingdom come." If we will join in praying this petition, there must be in our hearts such a love for God and His truth, and for the neighbor, that we long that others also come to see the riches of citizenship in the kingdom of heaven. Is that your desire? Do you pray for the Church? Do you pray for our Churches, and our sister Churches? Do you? Do you pray, "Lord, in gratitude to Thee for what thou hast given us, we pray that Thou wilt preserve our Churches and cause them to increase"? Do you? The Catechism points us in this connection to the prayer of David in Psalm 51:18: "Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem." Do we pray that for Zion and Jerusalem, God's Church? That isn't the expression of a carnal desire for more numbers. Scripture makes clear that there are times when, for God's honor and the truth's sake, the Church must get smaller. But with the glory of God and His truth as the foundation, with our love for that truth motivating us to desire that others also come to see the riches of this gospel, we pray that the King of the Church will not only preserve, but increase us — increase us spiritually and numerically. That is what it is to pray, "Thy kingdom come."

BUT THERE IS ONE MORE ELEMENT INVOLVED IN THIS PRAYER FOR THE COMING OF THE KINGDOM.

I refer to the express desire that God destroy all works of darkness. His kingdom is a kingdom of incomparable glory and dignity. The subjects of His kingdom are not only free, but are called to the honorable position of prophets, priests and kings in the office of believer. They are a "royal priesthood." But as we have pointed out before, this kingdom does not lack enemies. And this prayer seeks the destruction of all that would oppose this kingdom. You realize, don't you, that such destruction often takes place by means of God's judgments? You realize too, don't you, that God's judgments often touch His people? Are you ready, therefore, to pray this prayer? Can you pray, "Our Father Who art in heaven, cause the powers of darkness to be destroyed, even though it be in the way of the tribulation of this present time"?

This prayer, in other words, is a prayer that requires of us to seek the kingdom of heaven, and nothing else; to seek that kingdom, knowing that all other things shall be added unto us. That requires of us great humility, people of God. It requires willing submission to the will and ways of God, Who alone is King over all, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our service must be to the King. For He is the King of glory. Christ has the victory. And the promise is ours (Revelation 3:21): "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." In that confidence let us pray, "Thy kingdom come."
Amen.

 Preached: Randolph PRC 2/1/98 (am)
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