Matthew 6:10
The Kingdom of God
was central to Jesus’ preaching and teaching.
It should not be surprising he would mention the Kingdom in his model
prayer. A few months before I preached
the series on the Lord’s Prayer I preached a sermon focused on the Kingdom; I
chose not to revisit the subject during the series on the Prayer. For the sake of continuity, I am offering
these brief observations on this revealing request.
Keep in mind that
during much of early American history many Christians believed God’s Kingdom
would come to earth prior to the Second Coming of Christ. Called “post-millennialists,” these
Christians believed the Kingdom would come as a result of the preaching of the
gospel throughout the world. For this
reason, they encouraged mission activity and other work to spread the
gospel. Fundamentally, their faith was
in the supernatural power of God at work through the church’s message.
As the century
progressed and more liberal theology began to find a place in the church, there
was a subtle shift of emphasis. More and
more emphasis was placed on human efforts to bring in the Kingdom and Jesus’
Return was interpreted figuratively, if not neglected completely. The older post-millennnialists believed the
proper order was “save sinners and society will change;” the newer variety seemed
to believe “change society and sinners will be saved.” Though never entirely lost, the need for
individual conversion was often forgotten in the effort to build their vision
of God’s Kingdom.
This is a somewhat
simplistic description of what was happening in many American churches but it
is a starting place for understanding some of the preaching and hymns produced
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in America. More
important, the Lord’s Prayer reminds us that the Kingdom is never the product
of human effort.
“thy
Kingdom come…”
--the
Father to whom we pray possesses a Kingdom; as A. M. Hunter remarked, “the King
of God’s Kingdom is a Father.” Again,
this is a remarkable observation. God is
no oriental potentate, unapproachable and remote. He may be known as a Father.
--at the heart of Jesus’ message
was the announcement of the arrival of God’s Kingdom. Jews had long yearned for this Kingdom to
arrive; Jesus’ followers were to make
the coming of the Kingdom part of their prayer life. If we are sincere when we pray, we are
volunteering ourselves to continue the work that Jesus began, the work of
announcing and extending God’s Kingdom.
But this Kingdom was different than what the Jews had longed for; it was a Kingdom of the Spirit, not of raw military might. It
would be a Kingdom in which men and women lived under God’s rule, relating to
God as to a Father and to one another as to their brothers and sisters. Participating in this Kingdom was the product
of repentance from our sinful rebellion and belief in Christ as God’s appointed
Savior.
“...your
will be done on earth, as it is in heaven…”
--this phrase both assumes the
desire for God’s Kingdom to become a reality and expands upon it. When God’s Kingdom fully comes, his “will”
shall be fully done, as well. This makes
that clear.
--This is a strange request in some
ways. It seems to imply that God’s will
is not always done, that things don’t always happen as God wishes. Can this be true? Does the very idea limit his
sovereignty? It might seem to do just
that--unless God created a world in which he has temporarily limited his
sovereignty. The Bible takes human
freedom seriously. Humankind is free to
obey or disobey God. With one notable
exception, every human has chosen to use that freedom to rebel. When God’s will is done “on earth, as it is
in heaven,” there will be no pockets of rebellion remaining. When that occurs, earth will become like heaven.
This is a
revealing prayer. This portion of the request reveals something about the nature of the world we live in (God's will isn't always done) and it reveals something about us (we don't automatically do God's will and need God's help). In light of these revelations, the prayer...
...reminds us we have a choice: we may oppose
God’s Rule in the world or we may join with those who “seek first the Kingdom
of God” and order their lives in a way that aligns with God’s will.
...reminds us to
look honestly at our lives and to see how often we join forces with the rebels
against God. When we are honest we will
see how much the repentance that brought us into the Kingdom must be an ongoing
experience in our lives.
...reminds us that
“building” God’s Kingdom in a world like
ours must be a supernatural work. We
cannot do it with our own strength and wisdom.
We must depend upon God.
...reminds us to
look closely at Jesus—the one human who lived out the principles of the Kingdom
in his life as no other person ever has.
In fact, the fact Jesus lived in complete compliance with the Kingdom is
foundational for our hope of salvation.
Jesus’ experience further reminds us
that living out the Kingdom lifestyle can make a difference in this world but it can also lead to ridicule, misunderstanding;
and, possibly, suffering for the sake of the Kingdom.
