Your Kingdom Come
There is no thought which is given greater prominence in the word of God than that expressed in the above sentence. All through the pages of both the Old and New Testaments, it stands out prominently as a leading thought in the minds of prophets and the apostles.
Paul in Titus 2:13, calls it "the blessed hope." It was that to which the church in all ages looked forward, as the brightest prospect which their faith revealed, and the realization of their fondest hopes.
In the heart of every true Christian this thought, this hope, will be uppermost. We are taught to give it this prominence by the Lord himself. The very first petition of the "Lord's prayer" is: "Your kingdom come." (Matthew 6:10)
And this prayer is one for all Christ's followers. In the sermon on the mount, also, the first utterance is one concerning the coming kingdom: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3)
Other sentences which follow allude to the same thing. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5)
This inheritance cannot be until the coming of the kingdom, by which the wicked shall be destroyed, and the earth made ready for its future inheritors. "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power." (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9) "For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, you shall diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." (Psalm 37:10-11) "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4)
The time of comfort of the saints is when: "The tabernacle of God is with men, ... And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying." (Revelation 21:3,4) "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." (Matthew 5:8)
They shall see Him at the coming of His kingdom. "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:10)
The blessings which come to the poor in spirit, the meek, the pure in heart, and other possessors of heavenly graces, are many in this life; but they are not to be compared with those that will be realized at the coming of the kingdom of God.
The very first prophecy that was ever uttered by inspiration, so far as we have any record, is a prophecy of the coming of Christ in His kingdom. We find the record in: "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold the Lord comes, with ten thousands of His saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him." (Jude 14-15)
Note the very last prophecy of the Bible is also a prophecy of the same event. "He which testifies these words says, Surely I come quickly." (Revelation 22:20)
The sacred writer adds, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (Revelation 22:20)
This is the prayer of every Christian heart, the goal toward which he strives, the event for which he labors. Let others make their pilgrimages to Mecca, or to the shrine of "our lady," or to Rome; the Christian's pilgrimage is to Mount Zion. And the one inspiring thought that leads him on over the rough and narrow passage is: "That blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13)
Would you be of the mind of Enoch, and of John, and of Paul, and of Christ? If so you will say with them, "Your kingdom come." (Matthew 6:10)
For that you will hope, that you will pray, for that you will work. And in the hour of trial you will find comfort in the thought, "Your eyes shall see the King in His beauty; they shall behold the land that is very far off." (Isaiah 33:17)
Your Kingdom Come
Your kingdom come! thus day by day,
We lift our hands to God and pray;
But who has ever duly weighed
The meaning of the words he said?
Your kingdom come! O day of joy,
When praise shall every tongue employ;
When hate and strife and war shall cease,
And man with man shall be at peace!
Jesus shall reign on Zion's hill,
And all the earth with glory fill;
His word shall paradise restore
And sin and death afflict no more.
Then bears and wolves, no longer wild,
Obey the leading of a child;
The lions with the oxen eat,
And dust shall be the serpent's meat.
God's holy will shall then be done
By all who live beneath the sun;
For saints shall then as angels be,
All changed to immortality.
--Unknown, ~1840
--Present Truth, November 16, 1893--Timeline: IV-15 (Sermon on the Mount)--Matthew 6:10.
Your Kingdom Come
We are taught to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10)
The only part of this earth in which we are directly responsible that the will of the Lord shall be done is in our own hearts. Therefore it is impossible to pray this prayer unless the heart is surrendered to the Lord for the working of His own will.
As It Is in Heaven
One Scripture which shows how the will God is done in heaven is "Bless the Lord, you His angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word." (Psalm 103:20)
The attitude of the angels is that of waiting and listening to catch the first word of the Father's command, then hastening to do His will. There is no hesitancy; for they go and return "as the appearance of a flash of lightning." (Ezekiel 1:14)
So in Earth
The believer's attitude is to be the same:
• The heart yielded in willing obedience to the Master;
• The clamor of self silenced;
• Ears open to hear the first whisper of the Divine voice; o Then with feet swift to run in the way of righteousness.
That strength that excels is for us also; for we are to "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." (Ephesians 6:10)
With "His glorious power" working in the heart "mightily", there can be no doubtful hesitating over the question of how the work can be done. "Whereunto I also labor, striving according to His working, which works in me mightily." (Colossians 1:29) As the Word is received the strength comes, and we may hasten joyfully forth to do His commandments.--Present Truth, September 5, 1895--Matthew 6:10.
Daily Bread: Faith and Work
A father prays, "Give us this day our daily bread," (Matthew 6:11) and God gives the daily bread. But the faith of the father leads him to use the strength and wisdom and all the means provided by God to enable him to earn his livelihood. And all the time he lives by faith. "The prayer of faith shall save the sick." (James 5:15)
This is the promise. But faith in this case no more neglects to make use of all the wisdom and means that Providence affords than in the matter of the daily bread.
The use of all the wisdom that may be available in supplying proper conditions for the body in illness is no more a denial of faith than is the use in faith of all the wisdom and means provided for earning a livelihood to supply the needs of the body in health.--Present Truth, November 4, 1897--Original title: The Prayer of Faith--Matthew 6:11.
Forgive Us Our Debts
"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." (Matthew 6:12)
One million eight hundred and seventy-five thousand pounds is a large sum,--and yet that is the amount owed by the servant who was called upon for his accounting in our Lord's parable in the latter part of the 18th chapter of Matthew.
Suspicion must attach to such an enormous arrearage. Either there was dishonesty in his transactions or at least extreme negligence and unfaithfulness. The discrepancy in his accounts was so great that not even the sale of all his property, and of himself and family into slavery, could suffice to return to his master anything more than a small moiety [Moiety: a part or portion, especially a lesser share.] of the great sum he owed.
Yet when, at last, in hopeless contrition, he pleaded in anguish at the feet of his master, he was forgiven. The immense debt he owed was freely and entirely forgiven him. The account was balanced. It was hopeless that it could ever be expected that he could repay it, indeed that was impossible. He was not asked to repay it. He went out a free man, relieved of any necessity of ever paying his debt, and still in possession of the property which he had acquired and retained--went out a free man to wife and children at home which he had forfeited and but for the gracious mercy of his master had lost beyond the possibility of recovery.
Yet notwithstanding this, almost immediately, apparently, as he went out from the presence of his master, he met with his fellow-servant who owed him but little more than three pounds, and, treating him with personal violence, refused to listen to his appeals for merciful extension of time in which to pay his debt, and cast him into the debtor's prison to remain there until payment should be made.
This was in strong contrast to the treatment which he had received from the Lord. And how insignificant was the sum which is fellow-servant owed him, compared with the amount in which he was indebted--nearly two millions of pounds as against a little more than three pounds!
No wonder his fellow-servants were sorry and came and told what he had done. No doubt they concurred in the justice of the punishment which then fell upon him.
So, unquestionably, at the last day will all agree as to the justice of the penalties which will be meted out when the last words of this parable shall be fulfilled: "So likewise shall my Father do also unto you, if you from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses." (Matthew 18:35)
Will that not be just? Who can say it will not, when they remember the words of the daily prayer: "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." (Matthew 6:12)--Present Truth, July 23, 1896--Matthew 6:12.
Yours is the Kingdom
"Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." (Matthew 6:13)
This is an everlasting truth, for the Lord himself has spoken it; yet to how many who daily utter the words are they little more than a form of speech.
As a matter of fact, it is a confession, which, if made with the spirit and with the understanding, brings the soul into the closest and most perfect relation to God.
The kingdom belongs to God. How exhaustive is it? "The Lord has prepared His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all." (Psalm 103:19) "The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before Him." (Habakkuk 2:20) "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." (Psalm 24:1) "The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomsoever He will." (Daniel 4:17) "For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding. God reigns over the heathen; God sits upon the throne of His holiness." (Psalm 47:7-8)
Wherever in the universe created beings can look up and see a canopy of space above them, there is God's kingdom. "O Lord, You have searched me, and known me. You know my downsitting and my uprising, You understand my thought afar off. You compass my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have beset me behind and before, and laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Where shall I go from your spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, You are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hides not from You; but the night shines as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to You." (Psalm 139:1-12)
People in general do not recognize God as universal King, but that makes no difference with the fact. A portion of God's dominion is in rebellion against Him; but that does not destroy the fact that the kingdom is His by right. Many people worship gods of their own making, but that does not destroy the fact that there is but one God.
In the beginning God gave the dominion of this earth to man, but He did not thereby renounce His right to it. "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Genesis 1:27) God is the King of kings, and it pleased Him to rule this portion of this dominion through man, whom He had made in His image. Man was to be simply the agent through whom God would manifest His power on earth. The fact that man has refused to be the instrument of God's will, does not in the least impair God's original and eternal right to the kingdom.
But our confession to God comes closer home. When the unbelieving Pharisees demanded that Jesus should tell when the kingdom of God should come, He replied: "The kingdom of God comes not with observation; Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21)
There is a story of a king who visited a school and questioned the pupils. Taking up a paper weight, he asked them to what kingdom it belonged. They replied, "To the mineral kingdom."
Then pointing to a plant, he asked the same question, and they said, "To the vegetable kingdom."
Then he asked, "To what kingdom do I belong?"
The children were afraid to say that he belonged to the animal kingdom, and, as they hesitated, one said, "To God's kingdom."
That was a truth, for every created thing in the universe belongs to God's kingdom, and there is but one law for all, namely, God's law. Someone will say, "But God does not rule in wicked men's hearts."
Quite true, because His rule is love, which they reject; but the fact remains that every human heart is God's rightful kingdom. His right is demonstrated by the fact that: "He gives to all life, and breath, and all things, ... For in Him we live, and move, and have our being." (Acts 17:25,28)
It was with His life alone that we live, for we have none of our own; and since the life belongs to Him, He alone has the right to direct it.
That which may be known of God, that is, "His eternal power and Godhead" is manifest in men, even in the heathen, as well as in all the things that God has made: "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has showed it unto them. For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." (Romans 1:19-20)
But men, unlike the trees of the field, "hold down the truth in unrighteousness," (Romans 1:18) choosing rather to be their own masters than to allow God to rule. But, "The way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walks to direct his steps." (Jeremiah 10:23)
Man has no more power in himself than the grass of the field has, and therefore when he attempts to rule the kingdom himself, he makes a sad failure.
Who alone has the right to rule? He to whom the kingdom belongs. So when we say to the Lord, "Yours is the kingdom," we acknowledge that He alone has the right to rule, not only in our hearts, but in all the earth. But if we truly acknowledge the fact, we yield the kingdom fully to His control. Just here is where many make a fatal mistake. They say, "The kingdom is the Lord's, but people in general will not acknowledge it, therefore we must compel them to submit to Him."
Such a course as that is virtually a denial of the fact that the kingdom is the Lord's. To say the least, God is as able to use force as we are, and if He wished people to be forced to submit to Him, He would do it. The fact that He does not compel people to serve Him, is sufficient evidence that He does not wish man to seek to do so. His law is love, and therefore force is in direct opposition to His kingdom.
All that we are called upon to do, no matter who we may be, is to acknowledge God's right to the kingdom. Whoever acknowledges that the kingdom--that is, all mankind, including himself--belongs to God, will very naturally refrain from attempting to rule any part of it. He to whom the kingdom belongs has the sole right to rule, and if we are sincere in our acknowledgment of God's right, we will not meddle with His affairs. We will leave Him to deal with other people as He sees best.
By acknowledging His right to rule all the kingdom, we ourselves disclaim the right to rule any portion of it, even to our own lives. The only part of the kingdom, however, that we can yield up to God, is ourselves. When we have done this, then we may tell others how good His rule is, and persuade them also to yield to His dominion.
There is strength in the heartfelt confession, "Yours is the kingdom," for God is able to protect His own. The battle is not ours, but His to whom we belong--"the King of glory." "Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle." (Psalm 24:8) "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's." (2 Chronicles 20:15)
In His hand is power and might, so that none is able to withstand Him. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might." (Ephesians 6:10)
His thoughts toward us are thoughts of peace, and He desires nothing so much as our welfare both here and in eternity. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jeremiah 29:11)
What a blessed thing to know that: "The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us." (Isaiah 33:22)--Present Truth, August 20, 1896--Matthew 6:13.
The Power and the Glory
"Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." (Matthew 6:13)
The kingdom is the Lord's, and it includes the whole universe. Nothing is outside His jurisdiction. Every creature in the heavens and on earth rightfully belongs to His dominion.
The Power
But a king without power is king only in name. God is really King, and therefore to Him belongs power. "God has spoken once; twice have I heard this: that power belongs unto God." (Psalm 62:11)
We must not fall into the error of limiting God, by thinking that power is divided, and that He has merely a share of it, even though it be the largest share. "Yours is the kingdom and the power." (Matthew 6:13) "His kingdom rules over all." (Psalm 103:19)
And wherever His kingdom is, His power is supreme. God alone has power. God is the Almighty One. That is to say, He has all might. Therefore no other being possesses any might in himself.
Because God possesses all the power in the universe, Christ, the only begotten Son could say, "All power is given to me in heaven and in earth." (Matthew 28:18) "In Him we live, and move, and have our being." (Acts 17:28)
Every motion that is made, every thought, every word, requires the exercise of power; but the power is not inherent in the man who moves, but in God. "There is no power but of God." (Romans 12:1)
The power which men have to fight and blaspheme God, and to commit all sorts of wickedness, is but God's power perverted, just as the performance of righteous acts, and the utterance of praise, is God's power given free course.
Light-minded persons may see in this occasion for charging God foolishly; but others will see in it His superabounding grace and His everlasting love. While some think that God's seeming non-interference is an evidence of weakness, or of complicity with crime, the well-instructed will "account that the long-suffering of our God is salvation." (2 Peter 3:15)
If God were not sure of His "everlasting strength," He could not the sit still and see men defy Him to His face, and even use His own power in opposition to Him. He has the patience of conscious omnipotence. Knowing that He really has power, He cannot, like puny man, be tempted to make an exhibition of it simply to demonstrate to scoffers that He possesses it.
God desires that men should be saved, and in the Gospel He manifests His power to save them. All God's power, and every revelation of it, is for the purpose of leading men to trust Him for their soul's salvation.
The fact that men misunderstand God, even willfully, and pervert the power which He reveals in them for their salvation, does not discourage Him or throw Him into a passion. Still He graciously manifests His power in them, in hope that at last they will allow Him to use it to His own glory in their salvation.
God's power is the power of love, and love does not use force; therefore He patiently waits, until He is positively and definitely rejected.
What wonderful joy comes with the recognition that all power is God's! "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God." (Ephesians 2:10)
Our salvation depends on Him, and He has the power. His kingdom is in our hearts, but His enemy has been allowed to come in and raise the standard of rebellion. Nevertheless, as soon as we definitely choose the Lord for our King and our Lawgiver, He will save us by His mighty power. "For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; He will save us." (Isaiah 33:22)
He has power to drive out every enemy. What comfort to rest confidingly in the almighty power of our God.
The Glory
His is the glory. Not only ought it to be, but it is. The last message before the coming of the Lord, calls loudly upon men to: "Fear God, and give glory to Him, [as the One who] made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." (Revelation 14:7)
We are to give glory to Him, because it belongs to Him. His is the glory, because His is the power. Whoever takes glory to himself for anything that he possesses or has done, thereby robs God. "Thus says the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; But he that glories let him glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth." (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
Wisdom, power, and riches, all come from the Lord; therefore, "He that glories, let him glory in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:31)
Take a single example, in the line of wisdom. On the day of Pentecost, and in any times thereafter, God gave His servants power on the instant to talk foreign languages. Unlettered Galilean fishermen suddenly began to speak intelligently in languages that before were but meaningless jargon to them. It was manifestly a gift of God, and one instinctively shudders at the thought of one with such a gift boasting of his possession, as though the glory of it were due to him. Very well; but: "The Lord gives wisdom; out of His mouth comes knowledge and understanding." (Proverbs 2:6)
If a man by study has acquired several languages, he has done it only by the power which God gave him, and therefore his knowledge is the gift of God just as truly as was the knowledge of the apostles.
Whoever not simply openly, but in his inmost thoughts, continually gives God the glory, will be kept "To the praise of the glory of His grace." (Ephesians 1:6) "In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:6)
Men foolishly think that it is beneath their dignity, and a limitation of their freedom, to acknowledge that God alone has power, and that all glory belongs to Him; but how much better it is to acknowledge the truth, and thus be: "Strengthened with all might according to His glorious power," (Colossians 1:11) than to deny Him, and thus be left to our own disgraceful impotence. "Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and topresent you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." (Jude 24-25)--Present Truth, September 10, 1896--Matthew 6:13.
The Amen
"Amen." (Matthew 6:13)
There is probably no other word of importance in the language, that is used with less thought as to its meaning than the word "Amen."
It is used in prayer by all Christian people, no matter what their nation or language, and it is worthy of note that it is used only in Christian worship; yet to most it probably means little if anything more than a sign to indicate that prayer is ended.
True, there is so much knowledge of its meaning, that it is often used as an expression of assent to what is prayed or spoken by others, yet in the main people use it as the close of a prayer much as though they would say, "Now I have finished."
The word itself is simply the Hebrew root signifying "to be firm or established." It conveys the idea of stability and certainty. As a noun, we find it signifying "foundation," and in one form of the verb it signifies "to believe," as in the statements, "[Abraham] believed in the Lord, and He counted it to him for righteousness;" (Genesis 15:6) and, "Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation; he that believes shall not make haste." (Isaiah 28:16)
The words "believe" and "believes" are from the Hebrew word amen, which, in the form here used signifies to build upon, thus holding the root idea. To believe in God is to build upon Him as a sure foundation. "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:11)
In Him are all the promises of God: "For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." (2 Corinthians 1:20)
Therefore whoever accepts and follows His words is said to build on the rock: "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock." (Matthew 7:24-25)
Everything depends on Christ, for: "[He] upholds all things by the word of His power." (Hebrews 1:3) "For in Him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through Him, and unto Him; And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist." (Colossians 1:16-17,RV)
Read now: "These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God." (Revelation 3:14)
Christ is the Amen, the sure foundation, because He is all creation's source and supporter. When we pray in faith-and the prayer of faith is the only real prayer--we pray in the name of Christ; for the promise is that when we ask anything in His name we shall receive it.
If we do not ask in the name of Jesus, we have no promise of receiving anything; because to ask in His name is simply to ask for only such things as God has promised in Christ. It is to ask according to the will of God, and not according to our own fancies.
When we pray in such a manner, then we may be as sure of receiving the things we ask for as we are that God lives. Then we have a right to the word amen. The man who doubts when he prays, who is not sure that he is asking according to the will of God, and who doesn't know whether or not he will receive the things that he has prayed for, has no right to close his petition with the word Amen. His prayer is simply an experiment, and for him to say "Amen," is to take the name of the Lord in vain, for "Amen" is one of the Lord's titles.
He who uses the word amen understandably, closes his prayer in a tone of triumphant confidence. He has already the thing asked for. "For yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory forever. Amen." (Matthew 6:13)
The Lord as universal King possesses all things, He has all power and it is His glory to do deeds of kindness, and therefore we are sure of our requests as we are that Christ is the eternal Foundation. Amen: "so it shall be," is what we say, because Christ, the Amen, is the one in whom all things are. As long as the sun and moon endure, so long we know that His word of promise is sure.
The Christian is the only one who has this confidence. The heathen cannot know the word, for they are: "without Christ ... having no hope, and without God in the world." (Ephesians 2:12)
Truly, "Their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges." (Deuteronomy 32:31)--Present Truth, October 1, 1896--Matthew 6:13.