LUKE 11:2–4
He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come’ ”
(Luke 11:2).
The second petition of the Lord’s Prayer is “Your kingdom come.” What does it mean to pray for the kingdom of God to come? Hasn’t the kingdom already come?
There are two errors of belief about the kingdom. One is to believe the kingdom has not come yet and is something that will only happen at Christ’s return. The other mistake is to believe the kingdom has come in its fullness already. The New Testament teaches that in some senses the kingdom has already come, and in other senses it is yet to come. The kingdom has definitely come in Jesus, but its full manifestation will occur in the future. Today we live between the advent and consummation of the kingdom.
John the Baptist announced that the kingdom of God was at hand. The decisive moment of history was about to break in. When Jesus appeared, He announced that the kingdom had come. He came eating and drinking, celebrating the kingdom, not fasting as John had. Jesus cast out demons, showing that in Him the kingdom had come, even though it was not yet public. At Jesus’ resurrection the kingdom became far more manifest in glory, and at His ascension Jesus was crowned. He sat at the right hand of the Father to rule until all things are put under His feet.
Before Jesus ascended, the disciples asked Him if He was going to restore the kingdom to Israel at that time. Did He say, “How many times do I have to tell you men My kingdom is not of this world. It is something that goes on in the hearts of men only”? No, that is not what He said.
Jesus said, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:7–8). In other words Jesus’ followers would make His kingdom manifest on the earth to the degree that they were faithful.
CORAM DEO
Job 26–28
Acts 11
What do you pray for when you say, “Your kingdom come”? You are praying for the manifestation of the sovereignty of God, that His kingship will be honored by the obedience of all men. List specific things that you should pray for that come under “Your kingdom come.”
For further study: Psalm 145; Obadiah 15–21; Prayer series
wednesday
july