Matthew 6:9 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.
John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
Psalm 145: 13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Luke 16:16 The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
Luke 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
I Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
MEMORY VERSE: For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. —Romans 14:17, 18
CENTRAL THOUGHT: The Kingdom of God is a wonderful blessing that Jesus Christ brought down from heaven and made available for the spiritual welfare and benefit of the souls of mankind. It is a treasure that everyone should welcome and receive in our hearts with joy and great rejoicing, thanksgiving, and praise to the Almighty God!
WORD DEFINITIONS
Matthew 6:10, “Thy kingdom come”: This expression in earnest prayer is saying to our Heavenly Father that the wonderful, precious, and beneficial power and grace of His authority and rule is truly welcome and earnestly desired.
John 3:3, “born again”: The real definition from the Greek text is “born from above”. From above definitely means from Heaven and by the work of the Holy Spirit of God! 1 Peter 1:23 expresses, “being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever”.
Daniel 2:44 relates the meaning of the king of Babylon’s dream as foretelling the kingdom that God was going to set up that would consume all of the earthly kingdoms and stand forever.
Luke 16:16, “observation”: outward show.
Luke 17:20, 21 “within you”: among you; in the midst of you.
LESSON BACKGROUND
Our lesson today, from the Saviour’s model prayer, reveals the heartfelt expression we need to have in our prayer and deep, earnest, wholesome desire before God. We can say from the depth of our inner man, “Lord, Thy kingdom is welcome and we want it to have full possession of our hearts and lives!”
We have included several other references spoken by our Lord Jesus concerning this everlasting Kingdom. In John 3:1-7 Jesus shows that the true entrance into the Kingdom of God is the spiritual birth of the soul. Then consider Christ’s words in John 18:36 to Pilate and His declaration in Luke 16:16 that we have to “press into it.” This relates to how He expressed it in Matthew 11:12: “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.” This is same meaning. We have to press into the kingdom of Heaven with violent (bold and determined) force, repenting and turning away from sin and ungodliness with unfailing decision.
Daniel 2:44 declares that the kingdom of God would never be destroyed but would stand forever. Let us also take notice of the expression in Psalm 145:13 of it being an everlasting kingdom whose dominion endureth throughout all generations.
All of these scriptures show the truth about this kingdom that we must welcome with all of our hearts and gain eternal entrance to its blessedness.
Oh, how thankful we are for the Kingdom of peace and joy and salvation that Christ has made available for us, so we can have eternal treasure and hope within! May the Holy Spirit enlighten our souls to its worth, which is far more than any thing of this old temporal and vain world around us!
—Bro. Leslie Busbee
DISCUSSION:
1. Kingdom appeal: What makes the kingdom of God so desirable and attractive?
2. Kingdom Access: How may we gain entrance into this wonderful kingdom?
3. Kingdom Warfare: Why did Christ’s disciples not fight to deliver Him from the Jews?
4. Kingdom in Us: Why must we give this personal welcome to the Kingdom of God?
5. Kingdom Provisions: What did Christ do and accomplish to make the kingdom available and open to us?
COMMENTS AND APPLICATION
Along with the scriptures we have included in today’s lesson, I am reminded of what our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 concerning taking thought for one’s life; what we eat, drink, or wear for raiment: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” God knows we have need of these earthly, temporal, perishable goods, but He wants us to put first things first. His kingdom of righteousness and holiness of heart and life is the greatest need for which we must seek provision. It is the power and victory of the kingdom of God ruling in our heart that is surely the number one need of a person. Along with reverence and hallowed recognition of Almighty God as our Heavenly Father, we need to give a hearty welcome to His great and wonderful kingdom of love, righteousness, and peace!
The other scriptures in this lesson all join together to magnify and hold high the values and importance of His blessed kingdom! Christ’s message to Nicodemus of the requirement of entry to the kingdom of God; Daniel’s declaration of its importance; Christ’s statement to Pilate concerning His kingdom being not of this present world; His declaration that every man needs to press to enter it; His Word that the Kingdom of God cometh not with outward show, but is “within you”; Paul’s sound teaching on the unrighteous not inheriting the Kingdom of God; and our Memory Verse that states what the Kingdom of God truly is—all of these things show the wonderful truth of this blessed and everlasting Kingdom that we need to seek for above all else!
—Bro. Leslie Busbee
REFLECTIONS
Earthly Kingdoms: Time travel is a concept which has captured the imaginations of men and women for….well, for a long time. To find a way to transport ourselves back in time–to meet different people, to witness famous historical events, to observe the education of a different era and how it influenced building and home construction, to experience how cooking, cleaning, transportation, and learning were accomplished—it would be enlightening and fascinating at the very least. In some cases we have gained an inkling of understanding about days gone by, but mystery shrouds much of the past when it comes to day-to-day living. Time, natural disasters, abandonment of towns and cities, economic failure, war, and/or death, among other things, have silenced and stopped the voices, activities, and kingdoms of ages past. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ONE.
Kingdom of God: What an incredible opportunity we have to be a part of the Kingdom of God! It will never disappear, become unsustainable, or be destroyed! No time travel is needed to find it or understand it. Today we, through the preserved Word of God and by the Spirit, can understand perfectly the Kingdom of Jesus Christ; the same kingdom the apostles of the early church preached way back in 33 A.D. It is not just a kingdom of the past, but is also a kingdom of the present and the future.
In Prayer, Thy Kingdom Come: So then, how does this apply to our prayers? When we pray, rather than rushing right into all our prayer requests, one of the first things we should focus on is an acknowledgement, acceptance, and invitation into our lives of all things pertaining to spiritual and eternal attributes of the kingdom into our lives. God knows we are earthly; therefore many of our requests pertain to temporal things subject to change and decay and which will ultimately come to naught — that is okay. He has given us promises pertaining to such things and furthermore told us to cast ALL our cares on Him. But first. Thy Kingdom Come.
—Sis. Julie Elwell
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