Sermon: Prayer #3 : ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου “Let your kingly rule come”
Bible Passage: Matthew 6:10a
“Let your kingly rule come”
I. Verse 10a implies the existence of more than one kingdom/rule “Your kingdom vs another person’s kingdom”
1. God’s reign is unquestionably accepted in heaven (cf. verse 9 “Our Father, who is in heaven”)
2. But Satan exercises his rule (kingdom) on earth where we live:
a. Satan appears to have authority over the world and its splendor (Matt 4:8-9)—materialism, hedonism
b. Satan appears to be behind human behavior and decisions (Acts 5:3)
c. Satan opposes the redemptive purposes of God (Mark 8:33; 2 Cor 4:4)
d. Satan sows evil in human being (Matt 13:38)
e. Satan snatches the word of the Kingdom from hearts (Mark 4:15)
f. Satan entered into Judas, leading him to betray Jesus to the priests (Luke 22:31)
g. Satan is opposed to God’s reign and everything of God
h. The NT recognizes the power of evil and how man is unable to escape his destructive power
i. And the NT teaches how God the Father redeems the helpless humanity through Jesus from the hand of Satan and establishes His kingdom
j. Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God, which is in conflict with the kingdom of Satan
II. Verse 10a: “Let your kingly reign come”
1. It’s Father’s exercise of His reign over a people of His sovereign choice with a set of His rules, guiding principles, and values which are just opposite of the Enemy
2. i.e., God’s reign prevailing over a people who He has sovereignly chosen
3. In this sense, the Assembly of chosen people (every local church is a kingdom where Father has the jurisdiction)
4. Jesus Teaches that prayer provides a platform to welcome and appreciate the Father’s kingly rule over the individual and members of the faith family
III. Jesus explains the kingdom with illustrations
1. Yeast/leaven (Matt 13:33)
a. The kingdom has change-properties
b. The kingdom influences, transforms, and makes difference—fermentation
c. It loosens the dough
d. Changes the flavor and it’s smell
e. Increases the quantity (leaven causes the dough to rise)
2. Mustard seed (Matt 13:31-32)
a. It grows, develops, and expands—often it is a gradual process
b. Kingdom of God is dynamic
c. A new release of life and growth
IV. God’s kingly rule comes to this world through Jesus
1. Jesus’ work invaded the kingdom of Satan (Mark 1:23-24 Have you come to destroy us?)—Through Jesus, God curbed the power of Satan
2. In Jesus, God’s kingly rule begins by destroying the power of the enemy (Matt 12:28 If it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you)
3. The Kingdom is a gift that the Father is pleased to bestow upon the little flock of Jesus’s disciples (Luke 12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom)
Prayer is a platform where you appreciate God’s rule in your individual and corporate life
Take Away:
Seek the kingly rule in your life (Matt 6:33)