Kingdom Come

Kingdom Come

(Matthew 6:9-13)

Yearly Theme:  “Goodness is… Governing”

Series Title:  “The Goodness of Prayer”

August 11^th, 2024

Something to think about:

“Walter Knight told of an old Scottish woman who went from home to home across the countryside selling thread, buttons, and shoestrings.  When she came to an unmarked crossroad, she would toss a stick into the air and go in the direction the stick pointed when it landed. 

“One day, however, she was seen tossing the stick up several times.

“‘Why do you toss the stick more than once?’ someone asked.

“‘Because,’ replied the woman, ‘it keeps pointing to the left, and I want to take the road on the right.’

“She then dutifully kept throwing the stick into the air until it pointed the way she wanted to go!”[1]

Some people use this approach to the Kingdom of GOD and His will.  They know what GOD wants them to do, and where they should go, but keep going back to Him for a different answer or a different way.

As we continue our series today on the LORD’s Prayer, we come to the next verse that Jesus instructs His disciples to pray.  Let’s look at the LORD’s Prayer again in the New Living Translation:

Matthew 6:9-13 (NLT),

⁹ Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,

may your name be kept holy.

¹⁰ May your Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth,

as it is in heaven.

¹¹ Give us today the food we need,^*

¹² and forgive us our sins,

as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

¹³ And don’t let us yield to temptation,^*

but rescue us from the evil one.^{* [2]}

As we focus on GOD’s Kingdom and Will today we come to our key point for the message:

Key Point:  “GOD’s kingdom and will are perfect.”

Let’s take a closer look at our verse for today:

¹⁰ May your Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth,

as it is in heaven.

There are two specific elements in this part of the LORD’s Prayer that are worth understanding at a deeper level as we pray.  The first is our prayer for…

• GOD’s  to come soon.

• GOD’s  be done on earth as in heaven.

Something to take home:

As you consider GOD’s Kingdom and Will in your own life today, is it worth everything for you to pursue?  Are you willing to lay everything down for GOD’s Kingdom to come in your own life, and His will to be done on earth through you as it is done in heaven?

GOD will not compete with the kingdoms of the world for His Kingdom is eternal and the world’s kingdoms are temporary.  GOD especially desires for us to lay down our own personal kingdoms that we all too often build our lives on like success, money, fame, reputation, and much, much more, and allow His Kingdom to reign supreme in our hearts and lives.  GOD desires our wills to conform to His good and perfect will so that we can know intimately the heart of the Father who desires for us to know His love and His peace.

Are you willing to truly and genuinely pray this prayer today with these things in mind?

Key Point:  “GOD’s kingdom and will are perfect.”

[1] Today in the Word, May 1989.

^* 6:11 Or Give us today our food for the day; or Give us today our food for tomorrow.

^* 6:13a Or And keep us from being tested.

^* 6:13b Or from evil. Some manuscripts add For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

^[2] Tyndale House Publishers. 2015. Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.