Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done…

Matthew 6:9-13 King James Version (KJV)

9 After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

One of the first prayers that we learn as Christian children after the “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” prayer, is the “Our Father” prayer. Many erroneously call this “The Lord’s Prayer” because Jesus taught His disciples to pray in this manner. The prayer is meant to guide how we should pray, not that this is all that we should say when we talk to God. Closer to a description of a real Lord’s prayer would be the one prayed for us by Jesus in John 17: 1-26. This prayer of John 17 is the most extended recorded prayer of Jesus.

For the next few moments, let’s discuss verse 10 of The “Our Father” prayer, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”

Kingdom. So, precisely what is a Kingdom? The Merriam-Webster dictionary says in one of its definitions that it is the realm in which God’s Will is fulfilled. It is the place where whatever God wills, His Will is always done. That is the definition upon which this message is based.

Heaven. The “Our Father” prayer of Matt. 6 teaches us to pray to God who is in heaven. Genesis 1:1 tells us that God created the heavens (more than one). The Bible speaks of three different heavens. The first heaven is the universe that we see with the natural eye. It is our atmosphere and where the fowls of the air fly. This is the heaven spoken of in Gen. 1:20 (KJV).

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

The second heaven is identified in two ways. Some references refer to it as outer space where the sun, moon, and stars exist. It is referred to in other references as the dominion of Satan and all of His imps. It is beyond the first heaven but beneath the third heaven.

The third heaven is God’s and Jesus’ domicile. Apostle Paul spoke of a man who was caught up into the third heaven in 2 Cor. 12:2

21 I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

The third heaven is also the home of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is here on earth right now doing many things for and through us.

He is teaching us, bringing things to our remembrance, empowering us, and making us witnesses. He is helping our infirmities, comforting, strengthening, and guiding us. He is also convicting the world of sin, filling us with joy and peace and other gifts and otherwise helping men and women to make it into the Kingdom of God. Although we don’t know precisely where the third heaven is, we know that it is above the other two heavens.

So, God, the Father, is in the third heaven, and we are to pray to Him, giving glory and honor to His name because He is our Creator, our Father. He is our God of love and mercy. He is long-suffering and patient. He is holy and sacred, and He deserves all that our little minds can do or think in honoring Him.

“Thy Kingdom Come. “Every Kingdom must have a King (Or Queen if it is an earthly Kingdom). In several scriptures, Jesus Christ is identified as the anointed one or the Messiah who will be the King of the Kingdom that the prophets spoke of. Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, is unquestionably the Messiah. The Old Testament initially said of Jesus Christ as the coming Messiah when it referred to the coming battle between Jesus and Satan in Gen. 3:15.

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

In the Old Testament, we are walked through the genealogy of Jesus Christ as the Seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is foretold that He would be from the Tribe of Judah and heir to David’s throne. The OT tells us where and how Jesus would be born. The Prophets prophesied His purpose, His prophetic and priestly status. In Matthew’s Book, he did indeed come, just as it was predicted that He would.

The gospels describe Jesus’ ministry, which began when he was 30 yrs. old. Mark 1:14-15 (KJV) states:

14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

15 And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

From this passage, we see that Jesus came, preaching to the Jews that God’s Kingdom had come. The Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5-7, including the Beatitudes, taught the Kingdom’s principles. However, the Jewish religious leaders rejected Jesus. What the Pharisees and Sadducees did not understand was that the Kingdom was to come in two parts. The first part involved Jesus’ preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of God (as in Mark 1: 14-15); and then His dying for the sins of the whole world. Romans 5:6-8 (KJV)

6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

His death, burial, and resurrection made it possible for humanity, through repentance and acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior, to be translated from the Kingdom of darkness into the marvelous light of the Kingdom of God. Colossians 1:13 says

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

The second part concerns His coming again. It relates to the time when He will return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and establish His physical Kingdom on planet earth. That is a future time, and it will happen.

The Old Testament tells us in prophecy after prophecy that God’s Kingdom will be established on earth. One of the Old Testament Scriptures that speaks of the coming Kingdom is Isaiah 2:2-4

Isaiah 2:2-4 (KJV)

2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.

3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

The gospel of John speaks of a coming Day of Judgment. John revealed how God grants His people a life with its origin, power, and end in Him.

But Saints, to those of us who have been saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost, let me remind you that we are already translated from the earthly realm into the Kingdom of God.

Col. 1:13 (KJV) states:

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

One of John’s distinctive teachings is that hope for the future is already being realized. We do not have to wait for the coming of Jesus to experience His Presence. His Spirit is already within us. We do not have to wait until the end of time to see God’s judgment. Judgment is already being determined by our response to God. Chap. 3:19-21

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

We don’t have to wait for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to experience the New Life. Eternal Life begins when believers are born from above. We have already passed from death into Life. John 5:24 (KJV).

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

“Thy Will Be done in earth as it is in Heaven.” In the “Our Father” prayer, Jesus tells us to ask God to allow His Will to be done on earth.

Let it be established that the Will of God is always done in Heaven. His Will was that Jesus come to earth to die for your sins and mine, and His only begotten Son did his Will. Jesus, while He was experiencing the agony of all agonies in the Garden of Gethsemane, said, according to Luke 22:42 (KJV)

Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my Will, but thine, be done.

Satan tried to defy the Will of God, and he was kicked out of Heaven. Satan deceived One-third of the angels, and they were kicked out as well, according to Rev. 12: 7-12. (KJV)

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the Devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

Adam and Eve tried or tested the Will of God through disobedience, and they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Thank God for His long-suffering nature and Jesus’ intercession for us.

We’re in the Kingdom based on the Grace of God, our repentance and acceptance of God’s Grace, and our acceptance of Jesus Christ as the propitiation for our sins. Saints, we made the cut. Now, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to learn the Word of God, live by it right now, live clean and holy lives and get as many people into the Kingdom as we can. We should be daily seeking the Will of God for our lives. We must be obedient to God and His Will, and, as the old folks used to say, “hold on ’till Shiloh comes.” By this, they meant that we are to occupy until He comes for us. Luke 19:12-13 (KJV) states:

12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.

13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

Romans 12:1-2 (KJV) says:b

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Jesus will come for us either on an individual basis or in the Rapture. We’re in the Kingdom NOW! We must not let anything change that. Satan cannot pluck us out of God’s hand, but it is possible to jump out. Whatever we have to do, we must stay in the Kingdom of God. We will be eternally glad that we did.