Readings for such a time as this(3): - from: Read.Pray.Worship.Live.: Teaching the Fundamentals ____________________________________ Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done The next portion of the prayer found in Matthew 6:10 reads, Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. When we normally think of prayer, we think about asking for ourselves and about our own needs and wants, but it is here that we are taught contrary to that popular belief. Instead, Jesus is teaching us that we are to be praying for Gods will to be done on earth. We are not merely praying our wants and needs for ourselves or others, but rather praying for the will of God to take precedence in every situation. In order for us to properly pray this part of the prayer, we need to make sure that we understand each and every line, so we will do just that. First and foremost, we need to figure out what Your kingdom come means. In order to do that, let us first go to the Greek. For starters, we will see that the word kingdom comes from the Greek basileia (βασιλεία, Strongs G932) and it is the only word used to translate kingdom in biblical Greek. A close look at this word will show us that kingdom does not refer to a geographical territory, as most of us might think of when we think of great kingdoms like the Roman or Greek empires; conversely, this word refers to the dominion of God or His sovereignty. The word come is an even more interesting term as it comes from erchomai (ἔρχομαι, Strongs G2064), which indicates a sudden or instant coming when taking the verb tense into account. Putting those words together, we see the idea that Jesus is referring to His Second Coming. He is teaching us to pray for a quick and sudden return. This is not the notion that is popular in todays social and emergent gospels where humans are the active ingredient by which Gods kingdom comes to earth by doing works, but, instead, is referring to the literal physical return of the King (Jesus Christ) to establish His perfect kingdom here on earth. As a brief aside, this prayer for the Lord to come quickly is a future prayer, as we are praying for something that is to come in the future (but yet are prepared for every waking moment). But, there is also a sense in which we are to pray for Gods kingdom to come in a present state. The way in which this happens is when a new believer enters into the kingdom through the saving work of salvation. His kingdom comes because His will is being accomplished that all might be saved and come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), and this new believer is then also able to carry out the living out of Gods will in his/her own life. It is in this manner that His kingdom presently comes, as it is an inward kingdom that resides inside of believers. With this in mind, part of our prayer for Gods kingdom to come should include an evangelistic approach as we pray for the salvation of those who have yet to enter into the kingdom. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven is the next part of this prayer, and it is one that directly coincides with our praying for the Lords swift return and for the salvation of others. A part of praying for God to quickly return and setup His kingdom involves the outward working and completion of His will, which is what we are praying for here. We are praying and entreating God to have His will be done in our own lives, the lives of others, and in this world in general. In doing this, we are assuring ourselves that our personal plans and will are lined up with those of the Lord, instead of being self-seeking. Regardless of the need and want we have, our petitions to God should always line up in accordance with His will, and we can do that by praying for His will to be done in our lives and in the lives of others. The sovereignty of God comes into the picture in this part of the prayer. We understand clearly from Scripture that God is sovereign over all things and is in absolute control down to the most minute detail. It is evident that what He has set forth by His word will be accomplished, as shown in Isaiah 55:11. But there is an area where God allows human volition to come into play, as we are given the ability to make our own decisions concerning matters. An example of this would be salvation. As we already pointed out in 2 Peter 3:9, Gods will is for all to be saved; but, God gives us the choice whether we will accept or reject salvation. The same is true of allowing Gods will to be done in our lives, we decide whether His will is done or not. It is our choice whether or not we choose to walk in obedience to His Word and will through the process of renewing our minds (Romans 12:1-2) and becoming slaves to righteousness (Romans 6:16-18). We can choose to share the gospel or we can choose to live in sin; in these instances, and many others, the choice is ours to make and God lets us make it. The fact of the matter is that if we are praying for His will to be done in our lives, then we are going to do those things that line up with Scripture. What about the on earth as it is in heaven part, what does that mean? Simply put, the will and plan of God is and always has been perfectly executed in heaven. It is because of sin and the fallen state of humanity that the earth is no longer in alignment with His will. Therefore, we are praying that Gods will would be done just as perfectly here on earth as it is in heaven, which includes praying for His swift return. In this, we are also praying for His perfect will to be done in our lives and so forth. Nevertheless, His ultimate plan is going to be accomplished, so it is in the best interest of the believer to have their life line up with it and walk in obedience. It is through this that His kingdom comes on a daily basis as we wait for His physical kingdom to come in all its glory. Of the six petitions in this prayer, we have taken a look at the first three. It is of great importance that we realize everything up to this point has been pointed directly at God. So far we have: 1) sought & addressed Him as our Father and reverenced His holy name, 2) asked for His kingdom to come in order that His perfect rule might take place here on earth, and 3) asked for His will to be done perfectly in our lives and on this earth. Up to this point, we have not asked God for any of our personal needs, but have only sought to have His divine priorities take precedence in our lives and this world. How awesome is that?! Its not until the end of the prayer and the final three petitions that we even begin to start thinking about ourselves, but even with that, its not as you would think! - via WORDsearch10 #readingsforsuchatimeasthis #christjesus #vineofchristministries #theword #studyscripture #god #biblestudy #bible #jesus #faith
Posted on: Wed, 09 Apr 2014 20:55:52 +0000
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