Saturday, October 10, 2009
Matthew 28:18-19 All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
COME, LORD JESUS
When we pray "Thy kingdom come" in the Lord's prayer, we are not praying that something should come but that Someone (Christ the King) should come and reign in our hearts and the hearts of others.
A kingdom isn't just a place; a kingdom is people being ruled. When we think of an earthly kingdom we tend to think of a place or at least a man governing a group of people in a particular place. But when we think of the Kingdom of God coming, we should think of Jesus coming to rule in the hearts of men. For when men are brought to trust in Jesus, His kingdom comes and in their hearts Jesus rules supreme. Jesus lived and died and rose again for you and made known these things to you. Because of this you happily call Him your King, and are considered by Him to be part of His kingdom, loyal subjects under His gracious rule.
Jesus wants His Kingdom to grow. If this is to happen, then Jesus' people are going to have to carry out His master plan. We've all heard our King's earnest decree. The words are familiar to us. He says you are His ambassadors. He has given you His name. He brought you into His kingdom and now he has appointed you to help Him bring others under His rule.
When an earthly king wants something done, he commands and it is done. I suppose in most cases those who carry out the king's orders do so out of fear, or at least because it is commanded. I suppose that some carry out the king's decree because they want to gain the favor of the king--and with his favor, power and authority for themselves.
Few earthly kings earn the allegiance of their people by doing something for them to endear their hearts and gain their loyalty.
Christ the King is different! He doesn't want us to carry out his loving commands because we are afraid, but because He has rescued us from a fate worse than temporal death. Therefore He gives us His powerful Gospel, which not only speaks to our hearts, but also moves our lips to speak and our legs to move, to carry the Gospel to others.
