God is, and always has been, the Sovereign King of His creation. From eternity past, He foreordained all that would ever come to pass, from the greatest, most dramatic events, down to the tiniest details. Every thought of man and every motion of every tiny atom was predetermined by our glorious God before the world began.

There is an allegorical sense in which we may speak of God's eternal, providential rule over all His creation as "The Kingdom of God". Indeed, the Old Testament sometimes uses the the expression "Your kingdom" in this way...

Ps 145:13 – Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

God's sovereign will is always carried out. However, the future, eternal kingdom will openly manifest God's sovereign rule over all things. It is a time when God's will on earth will be carried out the very same way it presently is in heaven. Sin will no longer be tolerated, and the curse will be removed. Righteousness, glory and love will be the hallmarks of God's kingdom, and He will be manifestly present with us at all times.

This future, eternal kingdom is the goal and consummation of human history, and was the principal subject of our Lord's earthly teaching. The eternal kingdom is the blessed hope of each of God's chosen saints, and the anticipation of it ought to be a powerful incentive to joyful, confident service for God.

In many ways and in many places, the Bible emphasizes the significance of God's kingdom. It was central to the teaching of Christ and His apostles. It was set forth as a primary basis by which we might be comforted through trials and spurred on to greater faithfulness and obedience.

Too often, we look upon the subject of prophecy as something unwholesome... something too controversial and too technical to be of much spiritual benefit. Partly to blame in this are certain "prophecy experts" who try to correlate current events with Bible prophecies. But Scripture does address the subject of the glorious inheritance God has prepared for us, and it does so with a sense of excitement and expectant longing. As we consider this often neglected subject, perhaps we too will begin to sense the exciting hope it sets forth.

The kingdom was the focus of our Lord's teaching

The kingdom of God was the theme of our Lord's earthly teaching. He began His ministry in this way…

Matthew 4:17 – From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

Matthew 4:23 – Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

Matthew 5:3 – "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:10 – "Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 6:33 – "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Matthew 7:21 – "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

Matthew 8:11 – "I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven;

Matthew 9:35 – Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.

Matthew 10:7 – "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

Matthew 13:10-11 –¹⁰And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" ¹¹Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.

Matthew 13:24 – Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

Matthew 13:31 – He presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;

Matthew 13:33 – He spoke another parable to them, "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened."

If our Lord had so much to say about the kingdom of heaven, then surely it is a central doctrine of Scripture. Should we not give serious consideration to this important teaching?

The kingdom was central to the apostles' teaching and evangelism.

It should not surprise us that the Lord's apostles also placed a great emphasis upon the kingdom. (And notice how often Paul speaks of the kingdom!)

Acts 8:12 – But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.

Acts 19:8 – And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.

Acts 28:23 – When they had set a day for Paul, they came to him at his lodging in large numbers; and he was explaining to them by solemnly testifying about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them concerning Jesus, from both the Law of Moses and from the Prophets, from morning until evening.

Acts 28:31 – preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 – ⁹Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 15:24 – then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.

1 Corinthians 15:50 – Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Galatians 5:21 – envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 5:5 – For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Acts 14:22 – strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."

1 Thessalonians 2:12 – so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

2 Thessalonians 1:5 – This is a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.

2 Timothy 4:18 – The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 12:28 – Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe;

James 2:5 – Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?

2 Peter 1:11 – for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.

When asked by His disciples how they should pray, our Lord replied by giving them what has come to be known as "The Lord's Prayer". Some prefer to call it "The Disciples' Prayer", since it was to be prayed by the disciples, and not by our Lord. Others refer to it as "The Model Prayer", for our Lord did say to recite the prayer word-for-word, but to "pray in this manner". In any case, the Lord's Prayer was given to show us how we ought to pray, and its emphases and organization are worthy of our attention...

Matthew 6:9-13 – ⁹"Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ¹⁰'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹'Give us this day our daily bread. ¹²'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]'

Hallowed be your name. This speaks of God's reputation. In Ezekiel 36:17-38, God promises that He will someday sanctify His great name when He establishes His kingdom and pours out His blessings, both spiritual and material, upon His people. God's great goal in history is to glorify Himself, and the consummation of history is the eternal kingdom.

Your kingdom come. The kingdom is viewed here as future, not present, for we appeal to God that it might come. There is a sense of priority and urgency in this request, since it appears at the beginning and serves as a theme for the entire prayer. Since this prayer is to be a model for all our prayers, it teaches that we are to be preoccupied with God's future kingdom and that an expectant longing for God's kingdom is to be characteristic of the Christian life. This mindset is to be a powerful incentive to godliness, devotion, faithfulness and service.

Your will be done. The kingdom represents God's will in two ways... first, it is God's ultimate goal, the consummation of all of history. Second, it is a time when God will no longer tolerate sin on the earth, just as He presently does not tolerate sin in heaven. Hence we pray "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Until God establishes His eternal kingdom, the earth will continue to be subject to sin and to the Adamic curse. The new creation will include a new earth (Revelation 21:1), and righteousness will dwell there (2 Peter 3:13).

We thus see that the first three requests have specific reference to, and ultimate fulfillment in the coming kingdom, when God will hallow His name by performing His will on earth the same way He presently does in heaven.

Provision. Next, the prayer moves from a future focus to a concern with present needs, marked by the phrase "this day". There is also a shift from petitions concerning God and His kingdom to us and our needs. The first three requests concern "Your name", "Your kingdom" and "Your will". The last four requests are "Give us … our daily bread", "Forgive us our debts …", "Do not lead us …" and "Deliver us …".

Give us this day our daily bread. This first selfward request is an admission of our own poverty. We cannot exist apart from God's daily provision of all our needs. Those who reject God arrogantly suppose they can, by their own efforts, supply their needs. But if God were to withdraw His providential care for one instant, they would perish just as quickly.

This request is also a confession that God alone is the one who ultimately supplies our needs. It honors God to pray such a prayer, because it exalts Him as the Provider of all good things. Those who trust in themselves, their wealth, their efforts, their society or their government to supply their needs are sadly deceived. Societies and governments crumble, wealth can vanish in a day through theft, fire, flood, windstorm, earthquake or economic collapse. Our own abilities can likewise fail us, through infirmity or death. Only God is constant and faithful, and He is the Giver even of these intermediate things on which we so often depend.

The words this day are significant here. This day, and each day, while we expectantly wait for God's coming kingdom, we entreat Him for the grace to endure the day and to live it unto His glory. This includes the material graces of food and shelter, but also includes the spiritual nourishment provided by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. This is a daily request, reminding us of our continual dependence upon the Lord to supply our needs and give us strength.

Forgiveness. At the center of the prayer is forgiveness... first, a plea for God to forgive us our sins, and second, a concern that we will forgive those who have wronged us. These belong at the center, for both are mandatory entrance requirements into Christ's kingdom.

This request is an admission of our own corruption and guilt. A righteous man would have no need of forgiveness. By seeking forgiveness, we confess to God that we are guilty sinners who need to be reconciled to Him. Indeed, we sin daily and often, and stand in constant need of God's forgiveness.

This is also a confession of God's holiness. Why would we care that God should forgive us unless we recognize Him to be a holy and just God who cares what we think and how we live?

Forgive us our debts directs to the Cross of Christ, the only place where we can receive forgiveness. It seeks forgiveness from God, since all sin is primarily against Him. And, since God's justice requires that the sinner be punished, our only hope of peace with God is through the sacrificial suffering and death of the Son of God, who died as our Substitute.

As we forgive our debtors speaks of the Spirit's regenerating work in our hearts, for we cannot genuinely forgive others in our own power or strength. It is only those who have received God's Spirit who have any promise or hope of forgiveness. This is why the prayer bases our plea to God for forgiveness upon our own willingness to forgive others. (Those who misunderstand this point will suppose the verse to be teaching salvation by works.)

To enter Christ's kingdom, we must be both justified and sanctified... we must be pure in both standing and state. Our standing is already 100% perfect, because Christ's righteousness has been imputed to us. However, our state is still greatly polluted by sin, and though our sanctification grows daily, we will never be fully perfect in this life. One of the great promises of God, and one of our greatest hopes, is that, when we depart this life, we will leave our sinful nature behind and will then be fully sanctified.

Protection. The prayer ends with a request that we be protected from temptation and from the tempter himself.

These two requests are an admission of our own weakness and that we are defenseless against such great enemies as Satan, the world and our own fleshly desires. To trust in our own spiritual strength is to be prideful, self-righteous and deceived. God is our true strength, and it is with meekness we daily look to Him for protection and deliverance.

These requests are therefore a confession that God is our Protector. Scripture uses many metaphors to assert God's protection of His people... He is their Shepherd (Psalm 23; John 10), a Mighty Warrior (Exodus 15:3; Isaiah 42:13), a Strong Fortress, a Rock and a Shield (Psalm 18:2; 33:16-22).

Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. The individual who has experienced the grace of God is well aware of his own frailty and corruption. We constantly need God's grace to sustain and protect us physically, but our spiritual needs are at least as great. We would quickly succumb to temptation if the Holy Spirit were not actively working in us "both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:13). God has faithfully provided our needs and protected us from dangers on numerous occasions when we have failed to honor Him by praying for these graces. But we should never presume upon His faithfulness by neglecting to seek His kindness. It is in prayer that we acknowledge our dependence upon God and it is in prayer that we acknowledge His ability to provide all that we need.

Deliver us from evil is literally "deliver us from the evil" and should perhaps be translated "deliver us from the evil one". Satan is a powerful enemy, and is compared to a roaring lion which seeks someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Satan has been behind the bloody persecutions of God's people throughout history. In our own strength, we are powerless against this mighty enemy. However, Satan is powerless against our sovereign heavenly Father. Satan had to obtain permission from God before he could touch Job or any of his possessions (Job 1:12; 2:6). We need our almighty Father to fight for us against Satan. Thus, this final petition is most necessary.

The Lord's Prayer is a great summary of the Gospel. Indeed, it reflects a gospel-view of life, placing a pre-eminence upon God and His purposes, looking to Him to supply all our needs, and seeing the cross of Christ as meeting the need of justifying and sanctifying us that we might be made fit to live eternally in the glorious kingdom He has prepared for us. It is no accident that the kingdom and the gospel are both highlighted in this prayer, for the eternal kingdom is the glorious hope set before us in the gospel of Christ.