PRAYER SERIES
Part 5
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 YOUR KINGDOM COME,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
When Jesus taught us to pray,
“Your kingdom come”
We are praying three things:
1. Let it come to me in a deeper way.
2. Let it come to those who do not yet know him.
3. Let it come on the Second coming on the last day.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
John the Baptist began his ministry announcing that the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN was at hand.
“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN has come near.’”
-Matthew 3:1,2
Jesus was baptized by John, then led in the desert to be tempted for 40 days. When he heard that John the Baptist was put in prison he took over preaching about the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.
“When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee… From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN has come near.’”
-Matthew 4:12,17
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, but only the one who does the will of my Father
[Believes in Jesus and follows him]
who is in heaven.
-Matthew 7:21
HIS KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD
“Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ 34 ‘Is that your own idea,’ Jesus asked, ‘or did others talk to you about me?’
35 ‘Am I a Jew?’ Pilate replied. ‘Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?’ 36 Jesus said,
‘MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD.
If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.’”
-John 18:33-36
THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS AN
INVISIBLE KINGDOM
Jesus is the King of the heart for those who follow him.
That is why Jesus rejected the use of worldly fighting to achieve his Kingdom.
That is why many people left Jesus’ church when he didn’t appear to them as a physical king.
Because he wasn’t the type of Pastor or should I say King that they wanted, many left him like in John 6 when they wanted another PHYSICAL miracle of the feeding of the 5,000.
MANY PEOPLE REJECTED JESUS BECAUSE OF HIS FOCUS ON SPIRITUAL THINGS RATHER THAN
THE PHYSICAL
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
John 6:2
“… a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the SIGNS he had performed by healing the sick… 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish…
11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish…
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, [The wanted to make him a Physical King, an Earthly King] withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
JESUS’ KINGDOM IS INVISIBLE
22 The next day the crowd… 26 Jesus… “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs [Spiritual] I performed but because you ate [Physical] the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for FOOD that spoils, [Physical] but for FOOD that endures to eternal life, [Spiritual] which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” [Physical works]
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” [“Believing” is a Spiritual work, not physical]
30 So they asked him, “What sign [Physical] then will you give that we may see it and believe you?
What will you do? [Physical] 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” [Jesus is talking about himself coming to earth].
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
36 But as I told you, you have seen me [Physically] and still you do not believe… [Spiritually]
41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered… 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna [Physically] in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, [Jesus] which anyone may eat and not die. [Spiritually]
51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, [Jesus is talking Spiritually, while they are interpreting it Physically] which I will give for the life of the world.”
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. [Spiritually]
54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna [Physical] and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” [Spiritually]
Many Disciples Desert Jesus
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. [It is always the Spiritual that is most important]
The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.”
Lyrics to the Song “Unshakable Kingdom”
They came to follow Him
Drawn by what He promised them
If they would sell all that they had
He said that God would send a kingdom
That would never end
Where all the poor would be so rich
And in their discontent
They heard what they thought He meant
They heard that the weak would be strong
Bread would be multiplied
And hunger be satisfied
And every servant a king
In his kingdom of God
A kingdom that would never end
A living unshakeable kingdom of God
But He went His quiet way
Giving himself away
Building what eyes could never see
While men looked for crowns and thrones
He walked with crowds alone
Planting a seed in you and me
Crying for those who cried
Dying for those who died
Bursting forth glorified! Alive!
And some of them looked for Him
Sad that it had to end
But some dared to look within and see
The kingdom of God
A kingdom that would never end
The living, unshakeable kingdom of God
Still some of us look for Him
Sad that it has to end
Do we dare to look within and see
The kingdom of God
A kingdom that will never end
The living unshakeable kingdom of God, of God!
LIVING AS A CHRISTIAN IS HARD
I love the line of that song which says;
“Do we dare to look within and see
The kingdom of God”
“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, [Physical things] but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” [Satan and Spiritual things.]
-Ephesians 6:12
JEWISH MARRIAGE CUSTOMS & JESUS’ WORDS
John 14
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You believe in God; believe also in me.
2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that
I am going there to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
-John 14
Jewish Marriage Customs and how they parallel Jesus’ relationship with us
1. The son leaves his father’s house and goes to the girl’s house to presents a glass of wine before her as a proposal of the covenant of marriage.
2. If she drinks it, then she accepts the proposal. At that point she is “set aside” sanctified.
3. He returns back home to his father’s house and begins preparing his new house for he and his fiancé.
4. Only his Father knows when the son’s new house is complete and will be given the green light to go and get his bride.
5. They come in the night with a shout and the party begins.
CONCLUSION
When we pray, “Your kingdom come” we are praying
1. Personally, for yourself.
“You are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and your spirit…”
-1 Cor. 6:19-20
2. For others,
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
-2 Peter 3:9
3. And literally for Jesus to come back and take us to heaven.
“’Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
-Revelations 22:20
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father…”
-Matthew 24:36
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood."
-1 Cor. 11:25
Communion.
Pastor Dave