Thy Kingdom Come
TEXT - Luke 11:1-2
1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Last week we talked about having the mind of Christ. What was always on Jesus’ mind and in Jesus’ mind was the will of the Father. Because Jesus believed the Father, He had the will of the Father on his mind to the point that he said only what the Father told Him to say and did only what the Father told Him to do. If we have the mind of Christ to believe what Jesus believed, we’ll say what He said, we’ll do what He did, and we‘ll give what He gave. Jesus Christ gave His life. As Jesus Christ faced the fear of the cross, He said “Not my will, but thine will be done.” Jesus prayed for three hours in the garden of Gethsemane, but he did not get a peace for release until he said, “Not my will, but thine will be done.” You really haven’t prayed until you say “Not my will, but thine will be done.” Even if I don’t like it, thine will be done. Even if it hurts, thine will be done. Even if I have to do it myself, thine will be done. It’s called supplication. Everybody wants to pray “Thy kingdom come” because everybody wants the kingdom. Everybody wants to live under an open window of heaven. Everybody wants the promises, the provision, the protection of the kingdom but you can’t have the benefits and blessings of the kingdom without submitting to the King. You can’t pray “Thy kingdom come” without saying “Thine will be done. The myth of modern Christianity is to think that you don’t have to be holy to touch the Holy One. People want to live anyway they want to and still tap into the power of heaven. They want to do whatever they want to do and still hear from God. That’s why people are following preachers that they know are sleeping with the women and stealing the money and say “but he sure is anointed.” In their heart, they want to be able to do the same thing. They can’t discern the difference between a prophet and a psychic. They can’t tell the difference between a miracle and a lying wonder. They can’t hear the difference between a heavenly language and a demonic chant because they want the kingdom without the King. You can’t touch the hem of His garment without pressing your way in to Him because it’s all about Him. The “Him” I’m talking about is Jesus Christ. Christianity is not about a preacher or a personality. It’s all about Him. It’s not about God’s promises, provision, or protection. It’s all about Him. The bible is a “Him” book (not a hymn book, but a Him book). It’s all about Him!
In Genesis, the Seed of the woman that would bruise the serpent’s head – it’s Him!
In Exodus, the Passover Lamb – it’s Him!
In Leviticus, the High Priest forever – it’s Him!
In Numbers, the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night - it’s Him!
In Deuteronomy, the Prophet like unto Moses and the Lawgiver – it’s Him!
In Joshua, the Captain of the Lord’s host – it’s Him!
In Judges, our Judge and our Deliverer – it’s Him!
In Ruth, the Boaz man and the Near-kinsman Redeemer– it’s Him!
In Samuel, the Trusted Prophet – it’s Him!
In Kings and Chronicles, our reigning King forever – it’s Him!
In Ezra, the Resurrector of our worship – It’s Him!
In Nehemiah, the Rebuilder of the walls of our broken lives – it’s Him!
In Esther, the Mordicai that has prepared us for such a time as this and the Monarch that stretches forth His golden scepter giving us acceptance – it’s Him!
In Job, He’s our Dayspring from on high
In Psalms, He’s the Lord who is our Shepherd
In Proverbs, He our Wisdom, and knowledge, Who gives us understanding
In Ecclesiastes, He’s the answer to the question, “What is my purpose in life – it’s Him!
In Solomon, He’s the lover of the church
In Isaiah, He the Prince of peace
In Jeremiah, the Righteous Branch
In Lamentations, the Weeping Prophet
In Ezekiel, He’s seated high upon the throne
In Daniel, He’s the fourth man in burning fiery furnace
In Hosea, He’s married to the backslider
In Joel, He’s the baptizer with the Holy Ghost and with fire
In Amos, He’s the Burden bearer
In Obediah, He’s the Avenger of God’s elect
In Jonah, He’s the God of a second chance
In Micah, He’s the coming Messiah
In Nahum, He’s a Jealous God
In Habakkuk, He’s the Lord God my strength
In Zephaniah, He’s a Consuming Fire
In Haggai, He owns the silver and the gold
In Zechariah, He’s the coming King of prophecy
In Malachi, He’s the Sun of righteous who rose with healing in His wings.
He’s Abel sacrifice. He’s Noah’s ark. He’s Abraham’s ram in the bush. He’s Isaac’s well. He’s Jacob’s ladder. He’s Joseph’s coat of many colors. He’s Shamgar’s ox goad. He’s Samson’s jawbone. He’s David’s rock in the sling shot. It’s all about Him and you can’t get to God, the Father unless you come through Him. You can’t get the kingdom without the King. But, if you’ll say “Not my will but thine will be done” and if you’ll pray “Thy kingdom come, THINE WILL BE DONE”, you can get his kingdom to come. You can live under an open window of heaven. You can draw a circle around you and expect heaven to happen on earth, in your life, and then you can pray for it to expand. After you’ve prayed “Thy kingdom come, Thine will be done” then you can pray the prayer of Jabez. 1 Chronicles 4:9 says that Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, therefore he could pray what he prayed in verse 10.
1 Chronicles 4:10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
Say “No limits”
Say “No boundaries”
Say “I see increase, all around me”
Say “Stretch forth”
Say “Break forth”
Say “Release me”
Say “Lord, enlarge my territory”
Pray Thy kingdom come, thine will be done in my life, in my home, in my job, in my school, in my community, in my city. If women will pray this prayer, we can change families and generations. If men will pray this prayer, we can change communities and cities. If men and women will pray this prayer together, we can change nations for generations. Say “Thine will be done” then you can pray “Thy kingdom come.”
