Kingdom Come and Will Be Done

Februrary 28 2010

A little boy was asked if he prayed when he attended church, and he answered that he always did. On being questioned further as to the content of his prayer, he explained that he always said the same prayer when the others in the congregation made their silent prayer just before the sermon. “I just say the little prayer mother taught me–’Now I lay me down to sleep.’”

As we go through this Lenten Season, our Sunday sermons are all about prayer. In particular, we are looking at the Lord’s Prayer, what it means and how it can serve as a model for our prayers. Last week we talked about the Introduction and First Petition: Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.  Today we look at the Second and Third Petitions: Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

The most important thing for any of you should be where you are going to spend eternity. Water’s Edge in Frisco has a theme that they always put before the people who worship there: Eternity Matters Most. High on your list of priorities should be to live your life here on earth in a way that reflects the presence of Jesus Christ in you. Yet I find that often in my own prayer life, I spend a great deal of time and devotion on the here and now, immediate needs rather than eternal ones. The Lord’s Prayer changes that. It changes our focus from today to eternity.

That is assuming, of course, that you really pray it. To truly pray the Lord’s Prayer is more than knowing the words and repeating them along with everyone else. One of the things Luther laments in his writings is that the Lord’s Prayer is “prattled and prated all to pieces in all the world without any devout attention.” He is right on target. In the course of a year, you might say that prayer hundreds of times. But to simply say it and not pray it means you miss out on the beauty, the heartfelt sincerity of a true conversation with your Maker and Redeemer.

So when you pray  “Thy Kingdom Come” what do you mean? God’s kingdom consists of different aspects. It includes His good and gracious rule of everything, with God as the Preserver and Protector of the world. It is also the Grace in which we now stand before Him. God offers freely to all people the forgiveness of sins as a gift which you receive through faith in Jesus Christ. And God’s kingdom includes the glory of heaven that the faithful eagerly await as the reward we receive through the merits of Christ. Our prayer does not bring God’s Kingdom into existence any more that our prayer causes His name to be holy. What we are asking when we pray “Thy kingdom come” is that His kingdom would come to us, that we are a part of it,  that we remain in His grace as we eagerly anticipate our entrance into the eternal glory of heaven. We want to be part of God’s Kingdom, now and forever.

Luther put it this way:

Thy kingdom come.

What does this mean? The kingdom of God certainly comes by itself without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.

How does God’s kingdom come? God’s kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.

Moving along to the Third Petition, we pray…

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

What does this mean? The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.

How is God’s will done? God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die. This is His good and gracious will.

In each of these first three petitions, we are asking for Spiritual blessings. And in each of these we are asking that our lives be ever more conformed to God’s Word. This third petition, Thy will be done, is asking that we be given the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit so that we may do what God desires. In the Bible, we find what the will of our God is: that we believe in Jesus Christ, and believing, have life in his name.  God wants us to be saved, and those of you here today have been blessed with the message that you are saved by grace through faith in Christ. Having this faith and knowledge, it is the desire of Christians to give ourselves completely to God, following His laws, spreading His Word, living our faith. In His Word, God tells us that His will is done among His faithful when they do one thing: LOVE.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.  Love is the fulfilling of the law.  We are praying here that our lives may be lives of Christian love that comply with God’s will.

Part of praying for God’s Will to be done is setting aside our own desires, which can be a terribly difficult thing to do. We are used to having things our way. Burger King has used that slogan off and on since the early 1970s: “Have it your way.”  I conducted a funeral a while back for a non-member and the family wanted that Frank Sinatra song “My Way” (I did it my way) played. All I could think is that when we do things our way, we are bound for death and doom and destruction. Why would you want to brag about that? It is only because God sent Jesus to pay for sin that we can be assured of forgiveness and life. That should be our focus, especially at a funeral. But getting back to the topic of “Thy will be done.” How do we submit ourselves to God’s Will?

A man walks into a church in the middle of the week. He is by himself, which is perfect, because he wanted some alone time with God. He was resolved to turn his life around, and today was the day he was making a fresh start. He took out a piece of paper and started making a list. “I promise to be a better husband and father. I promise to be more faithful in church attendance. I promise to give a fair days work to my employer. I promise to…” and the list went on and on. After he had filled up the paper, he signed it, took it to the front of the church, placed it on the altar, then he sat down again. He waited. And he waited. And he waited some more. Then he heard a voice that said, “Go get the paper.” He walked to the altar, picked up the paper, and the voice said, “tear it up. “ So he did that. Ripped it to shreds. Then the voice instructed him, “Take out a blank piece of paper, sign it, and put it on the altar.” He did that, and the voice said, “That’s what it means to pray ‘Thy Will be done.’”

Lord, help us to rejoice in being your children, part of your kingdom now and forever. Give us hearts that want to live according to Your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.