August 19, 2007
Rev. Terry D. Campbell

The Living Prayer: God’s Kingdom
Matthew 6:10

“’This, then, is how you should pray: ‘. . . your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’”

What does it mean to pray for God’s kingdom to come? Is it asking for the Second Coming of Jesus to happen? “Marana tha” is the oldest Christian prayer of which we have record.^[i] Do we have to wait until Christ comes to live this part of the prayer?

I. What is God’s kingdom?

What is a kingdom? And more to the point, what is God’s kingdom? A “kingdom” is very similar to a “will”. In a kingdom, the king exercises his will over the territory. What is done is what the King wants done. Things are done the way the king wants them done.

It is that way in heaven. Heaven is heaven, not because of it’s location, but because God is there and God’s will is perfectly, completely done there. Think about it. We talked last week about holy God—that in Him there is no wrong thing. Wherever God rules completely, wherever God’s will is done perfectly, it is heaven.

As we pray “Your kingdom come, Your will be done”:

• We must examine our hearts. First and foremost, we are to petition our heavenly Father to expand His rule over the territory of our hearts. Every aspect of our lives. What percentage of my heart completely belongs to God’s kingdom?
• We must examine our witness. So God can use our witness for the expansion of His kingdom. What do we project to the people around us? What are they seeing through our lives?
• We must examine our world. We recognize that Christ has already won the war, but the reality of His reign is not yet fully realized. We are between D-day and V-day. What part of our world need to be transformed by heaven coming to earth? Where is God calling “you” to make a difference in this world and help God’s kingdom come a little more?

There is a war going on between two kingdoms on earth! “In The City of God Augustine describes these kingdoms as the kingdom of God and the kingdom of man. ‘Each of these two kingdoms has its own ruler, its own people, its own desire, and its own destiny.’”^[ii] We need an accurate evaluation of where our hearts, our witnesses and our world stand. That is the beginning of living God’s kingdom.

II. Am I living “Amen” to God?

When we say, “Amen,” we are in effect saying, “May it be so in accordance with the will of God.”^[iii] Summarizing “Amen” in our vernacular, we are saying, “Yes, God. Yes!”

Jesus is the personification of “Amen” to all of God’s will. That should be our goal as we walk in His steps. John 4:34-“’My food,’ said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.’” Jesus also said in John 6:38-“’For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.’”

It is important to be living my praying—otherwise I am a hypocrite or worse. I must decide that whether anyone else lives for God, I will!

Are we JUST asking for God’s kingdom and will to come, or are we seeking it with our whole being? What about in my home life? In my relationships? When I am at work or school? When no one but God and I will know what I have done?

When I sacrificially act so I meet a need my spouse has, I am the “Amen” to God’s will and living my prayer.

When I choose to defend someone being picked on or made fun of, I am the “Amen” to God’s will and living my prayer.

When I decide to forgive someone who has hurt me or my reputation terribly and to not hold it against them in the future, I am the “Amen” to God’s will and living my prayer.

I become the “Amen” to God’s will and living my prayer when I live Christ’s principles.

III. My Christian discipleship makes heaven more real on earth!

Christian discipleship prays for and lives out the making heaven more real on earth! We each need to ask ourselves, “Is that what I am doing?” Christianity is about transforming life to look like Jesus’ life—the perfect “Amen” to God’s will. It is not about just going to church, being on a committee or even just making a singular profession.