5139 S. Dorchester Avenue — (773) 752-0469 — Services are Sundays at 10:00 AM.

The Lord's Prayer - Petition 2: Thy Kingdom Come

Dr. James Smith
Matthew 6:9-13
19 October 2003

We have found in our new teaching and sermon series this quarter on the Lord’s prayer that many evangelical Christians have been led to believe that the memorization, meditation and repetition of this prayer is somehow dead ritual.

But ironically, this model prayer was given in Luke 11, in response to the disciples’ earnest request, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

We have found that the early church itself insisted that all new converts to the Christian faith learn the Lord’s Prayer by heart and prayerfully repeat it at least 3 times a day.

Christians of the early church loved to preach and teach on the Lord’s prayer and by way of review, they saw a clear structure consisting of 6 petitions within the Matthean version of the prayer.

Let’s review the prayer structurally:

Now this morning, after Kurtis’ excellent message on the first petition, we want to pick up with the second petition . . . “Thy Kingdom Come.”

And as we consider this idea of the Kingdom, it strikes me that there are any number of ways of looking at it.

But this morning, I want to focus a bit on 2 aspects of the Coming Kingdom of God. First, I want to talk about some personal implications. And second, I want to discuss some of the corporate implications of the second coming of Jesus Christ.

In petition 2, Jesus passionately pleaded with His heavenly Father, that the Kingdom come.

The personal implications of this request by Jesus and His followers throughout history are staggering because this request invariably touch on a whole host of issues including evangelism and Christian ethics.

For example, you may be aware that Pope John Paul II celebrated the 25th year of his pontificate this past week. Scores of papers from around the world (including the Chicago Tribune & Sun-Times) had the frail Pope’s picture on the front page.

Now whatever you personally think about the current (& dying) Pope, it is clear that he has been a mighty force in the realm of proclaiming this idea of the coming of the Kingdom of God and for undergirding Biblical Christian ethics.

But I noticed that the New York Times, printed an extended discussion about the impotent & frail state of Christianity in Europe as well.

One Christian leader was quoted as saying, “Christianity is only holding on by its fingernails in Europe” unlike the United States and the developing world.

On an average, only 5% of the people of most European countries attend church regularly. Most Europeans believe that Christianity is entirely pointless & irrelevant.

And if Christianity has so few adherents in Europe today, what do you think that says about the evangelistic impulse of the church in Europe? . . . it is virtually non-existent.

And as the drafts of the constitution of the European Union have now come out, we find that the authors didn’t make one single, solitary mention of the place of the Christian faith in the history of European culture & civilization.

Absolutely astounding!

Now what does this have to do with, “Thy Kingdom Come?” I believe . . . everything. As Christians we believe that the Coming of the Kingdom of God into a person’s life is inextricably bound up with the claims of Jesus Christ Himself.

I am fond of reminding my Catholic students at Loyola, that the Pope has said, “God has no grandchildren, only sons and daughters by faith. Each new generation, must be evangelized again.”

As Christians, we fervently desire to see all men, women and children come to know Jesus Christ personally and experientially for themselves. And so we invest our lives and resources into the cause of world evangelization.

We believe that whole societies and cultures are affected and changed whenever and wherever the Kingdom of God breaks through.

Jesus said, “Thy Kingdom Come” and if that is to happen at all, it must happen in the lives of individual people. And if we are to expect Judeo-Christian ethics to prevail, then the life and person of Jesus Christ must come and take up residence in any given society.

And what I think is so tragic about the European scene today, is that like Esau, Europeans have forfeited their birthright for a bowl of soup. Evangelism and ethics are out.

And the cathedral spires that were built once upon a time, for the greater glory of God, have simply become quaint travel destinations for camera touting foreign tourists.

No longer can we afford to pray to the Lord, “thy kingdom come” for the lost of only Africa & Asia. We must pray that the kingdom would come to Europe.

When I consider this second petition of the Lord’s Prayer, my mind also turns to this precious belief that Christians have held since the resurrection and ascension of Jesus into heaven . . . the second coming of Christ.

Now, I believe that the second coming of Jesus Christ also has implications for evangelism and ethics as well.

I dare you to consider and study the history of this Christian doctrine.

Because it occurs to me that whenever and wherever Christians have firmly held to the belief that Jesus Christ would come a second time in glory as the creed says, to judge the quick and the dead, whose kingdom will have no end,

this blessed hope has invigorated the worldwide work of evangelism and called believers to live lives of honest and authentic Christian holiness.

In addition, there is a fascinating connection between the general wealth of Christians in any given time or place in history and fervency of belief in the second coming of Christ.

After all, if you are well fed and materially well off, of what real interest do you in having Jesus come and taking all that away.

And besides, Jesus went and promised a room in His Father’s mansion, not just for you, but your poor Christian brothers & sisters as well.

Times of material uncertainty and spiritual fervency have always meant a renewed emphasis on the second coming of Christ. And in Europe’s case, neither seem to be currently present.

In the second petition of the Lord’s prayer, Jesus said, “Thy Kingdom Come.” And we have found that this request has very practical implications on both personal as well as corporate levels.

Wherever & whenever the Kingdom of Heaven breaks into individuals lives and begins to obtain a beach head in any given society . . . we see a direct correlation in the rise of evangelism and of Judeo-Christian ethics.

We are currently witnessing the setting of the spiritual sun over much of Europe, while thankfully it is rising over many parts of Africa and Asia.

While Christians in the developing world (and to a far, far lesser extent, the U.S.) struggle to obtain their daily bread and material riches, they fervently pray that “God’s Kingdom would come” and that Jesus Christ will return in glory a second time to usher in the end of the age.

And they are the ones who are investing in evangelistic efforts and who desire to reflect the ethical teachings of Jesus as seen in the Sermon on the Mount.

So remember, when you pray, “Thy kingdom come,” you are praying words of both conquest and revolution that touch on the very heart of the evangelism, Christian ethical living and the return of Jesus Christ himself.

And so we say, “This world is not our home,” so let “Thy Kingdom Come.”

Let’s Pray

Sermons: