This week we come to the second petition of the Lord’s prayer. After we pray for God’s name to be “hallowed,” Jesus teaches us to pray “thy kingdom come.” But what does that actually mean? To answer that, we first need to answer, "What is this kingdom?"
Kingdom
A kingdom is a territory over which a king reigns. God is the creator of all things. As creator, He is, of His own right, the sovereign king over all creation. As king, the whole earth is the realm of His kingdom. So this is one way that the Bible talks about the Kingdom of God. It refers to God’s authority and right to rule.
But there is also a second way that the Bible speaks about this idea of "kingdom." John the Baptist said,"Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." Jesus told Pilate, "My kingdom is not of this world." The "kingdom" referred to in these verses is not the same thing.
Already/Not Yet
The Old Testament looked forward to a time in which the kingdom of God would be ruled by God's anointed Messiah. When we read kingdom passages in the Bible, there is an already/not yet aspect to them.
In a very real sense, Christ's Kingdom has begun (already). He is now seated at the right hand of the Father and is reigning and ruling in the hearts of believers. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He reminded us that, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt. 28:18).
But there is also a future (not yet) aspect of this kingdom. The apostle John says, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).
Here we see a distinction between what is “now” and what “will be.” One day, Christ will return. We will be made as He is. Though Christ is reigning now in the hearts of all believers, one day in the future all will be made to profess Him as Lord and bow before Him (Phil. 2:9-11). Though Christ is reigning now, there will be a future time in which all things will be brought under His subjection (Ps. 110:1).
Thy Kingdom Come
Having this already/not yet distinction in mind, how do we pray “thy kingdom come?
Question 123 of the Heidelberg Catechism answers that question this way…
Thy kingdom come asks God to “so rule us by Thy Word and Spirit that we may submit ourselves more and more to Thee; preserve and increase Thy Church; destroy the works of the devil, every power that exalts itself against Thee, and all wicked counsels conceived against Thy holy Word, until the perfection of Thy kingdom arrive wherein Though shalt be all in all.”
This petition is really the evangelistic portion of our prayer. We are praying for God to convert the hearts of His enemies, and bring them to confess that Christ is Lord. We are praying that He will put all those who refuse to submit to Him beneath His feet. We are also praying for the coming of the day when all evil, all sin, and all rebellion against God will be permanently and finally eradicated.
To pray “thy kingdom come” forces each one of us to examine ourselves. For God’s kingdom to come, that means that His will must be done (next week’s petition). We must examine ourselves to see whether or not we are doing the will of the Lord. Are we hindering kingdom growth or advancing it?
The second petition forces us to deal with our own self-seeking and self-serving will. We are praying “thy kingdom come” and not “my kingdom come.” Finally, this petition makes us long all the more for the return of our blessed Savior. When He returns, we will experience the fullness of the kingdom of God. In the words of the apostle John, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20)
Comments