Matthew Chapter 6:10

See the previous lessons for the introduction, setting, and purpose for this prayer.

Outline for the disciples’ prayer Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 6:9-15

Jesus gives his disciples a model prayer specific for their ministry. There are three sections or parts to this prayer.

A quick glance at Matthew 6:10

1. The disciples were to pray that the kingdom promised through the prophets would finally come into existence on earth. Therefore, pray for faith acceptance of the Messiah, which must happen before Messiah takes His throne.

2. They were also to pray that God’s will be done, not only in heaven but on earth as well. This requires God’s king to rule on earth, and then biblical thinking and lifestyle become the normal thinking and lifestyle. Therefore, pray for faith acceptance of the teachings of God’s word.

1. “Thy kingdom come” refers, of course, to the kingdom that Jesus was preaching and the prophets had predicted and the disciples were soon to proclaim. This was the Jewish golden age messianic kingdom that they anticipated. Also see 2 Samuel 7:12-17; 1 Kings 9:5; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14; Isaiah 9:7; Mark 15:43 and Luke 11:2.

a. “Come” is 3^rd singular, aorist active imperative. The aorist imperative stresses a summary command, but when spoken to a superior is expresses a serious request. They are to pray that it will soon come to them. It will only come if and when the Israeli nation accepts Jesus their Messiah. He is the king, the priest, the savior. Without him there is no kingdom.

b. Truly, this was a prayer that the Jews would receive their message about the Messiah and would respond with repentance (Matthew 3:2, John the Baptist; Matthew 4:17, Jesus) and faith because of the OT commands and promises about God’s blessing or cursing on Israel (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 11:20). Repentance in context meant that they would change their thinking about God’s word, the OT, and pattern their earthy lives around that. This was required for national blessing. Faith, of course, means to believe in Messiah as redeemer.

c. John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2) and Jesus (Matthew 4:17 and 4:23) placed the OT kingdom as the central theme of their message. Acts 1:6-11 shows us that at the time of Christ’s ascension, the disciples expected him to restore Israel’s kingdom on earth. Matthew 6:10 precedes the Acts context by 3 years, but it does indicate how the kingdom was understood by the disciples.

2. What must be true of a kingdom? 1. a kingdom must have an authority vested in one who rules; 2. it must have a realm or people who make up the kingdom; and 3. someone must exercise rule. Compare Isaiah 9:6-7 and Isaiah 11, two Scriptures that illustrate these points.

a. Authority vested in one who can rule and that one is Jesus. The king has the right to rule. Luke 19:11-27 demonstrates this. In history Archelaus, the son of Herod, went to Rome so that Augustus could confer upon him the rulership of Judea. Jesus is the rightful king of this kingdom.

b. There must be people to make up the domain over whom the king will rule. Matthew 21:43 and Acts 1:6 demonstrate that people make up the kingdom. Israel will in the future promised people of the kingdom.

c. Not only is there authority vested in a king and a people to be ruled, but there must be the exercise of power. Daniel 6:1-3 illustrate this. Daniel as his subordinates exercised rule. In the kingdom Jesus is teaching about, he will exercise rule.

3. Jesus was teaching about the kingdom for Israel. It will be temporal and geographical on earth. It is a Jewish kingdom that was promised in the Old Testament. Jesus will be the king. Jerusalem will be the capital. The first phase will last 1000 years.

a. This kingdom is a part the eternal kingdom of God. The eternal kingdom is universal and timeless. It often governs through representatives. Of that eternal or universal kingdom there is the believing group and the unbelieving group. We in the church are not part of that prophesied OT kingdom, but church age believers are the believing part of God’s larger universal kingdom during this church economy or dispensation.

c. We also pray that it will soon come. But it will be the Jewish kingdom promised in the Old Testament.

a. Jesus was teaching about the kingdom for Israel. It will be temporal and geographical on earth. It is a Jewish kingdom that was promised in the Old Testament. Jesus will be the king. Jerusalem will be the capital. The first phase will last 1000 years in length. We can pray that Israel will turn to the Word of God and accept Jesus as the Messiah-Redeemer. Paul, in Romans 11, wrote that a remnant of Israel will be saved before the kingdom will come on earth. We pray for the salvation of Jewish people.

b. Before the Messianic kingdom comes, Daniel’s 70^th week for Israel must come and wrath will be associated with that week of 7 years. Near the end of the 70^th week the gospel of the Kingdom will have been preached throughout the world. Gentiles and many Jews will believe on the Messiah and be saved (Zechariah 12:10; Matthew 24:14 and 31).

c. We in the church are not part of that prophesied OT kingdom, but church age believers are the believing part of God’s larger universal kingdom during this church economy or dispensation. Furthermore, the church has no part of Daniel’s 70^th week. The church will be in heaven. But, we can now pray for Israel’s salvation and that the kingdom will come.

d. In summary, Jesus taught his disciples to pray that the prophesied kingdom will soon come. We also pray that it will soon come. But it will be the Jewish kingdom promised in the Old Testament.

5. Besides praying for the kingdom promised in the Old Testament and offered by Jesus to the Jewish nation, how do we now relate to God’s kingdom? We are in God’s eternal kingdom.

a. Romans 14:17 says it is about “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

c. 1 Thessalonians 2:12 says “so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

d. Colossians 1:13 says “For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”

6. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” can only happen with God ruling his kingdom on earth in the person of Christ. This is another prayer for the rule of Christ on earth. Jesus will execute the Father’s plan for earth and mankind. This will take place during the kingdom period predicted in the OT. The NT identifies the first part of this as the 1000 year reign of Christ in Revelation 20.

a. “Be done” is the 3^rd singular aorist passive imperative of erchomai. The aorist imperative stresses a summary command, but when spoken to a superior ii expresses a serious request. Satan ruled when Jesus was on earth and he rules now during the church. The request can only be partially fulfilled during the time before the Messianic kingdom.

b. Earth is now the location for mankind’s present part in the great spiritual battle that we may call “the angelic conflict.” “In heaven” refers to the paradise or the third heaven of 2 Corinthians 12:2-4, where God lives; it is his seat of authority. Refer to the study of Matthew 6:9 and the doctrine of heaven for a discussion of heaven.

7. What about the nature of this coming kingdom where God’s will is done? I refer you to the more detailed doctrine of the Millennial Kingdom.

d. Israel will worship with a sanctuary, priesthood, feasts, and sacrifices and offerings.

e. Nations of the world will recognize Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple (Zechariah 14, Ezekiel 27:38, and Ezekiel 36:36).

f. The Church and Old Testament believers in resurrection bodies will participate in the Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 20:4).

8. Quote from Things to Come, J. Dwight Pentecost, page 494. “By the establishment of the theocracy on earth for a thousand years, under the Messianic theocratic king, God has accomplished His purpose of demonstrating His rule in the sphere in which that authority was first challenged. By merging this earthly theocracy with the eternal kingdom God’s eternal sovereignty is established. Such was the purpose of God in planning the theocratic kingdom and developing it through successive stages throughout history until it reaches the climax of the program in the theocracy under the enthroned Christ in the millennium. That authority, which Satan first challenged, Christ has now demonstrated belongs solely to God. God’s right to rule is eternally vindicated.”

9. Satan, demons, unbelievers, and even believers operating under their sinful natures hinder God’s will being done on earth—not just now, but even when Jesus was present on earth 2000 years ago.

a. Satan was ruling during Jesus time on earth (Matthew 4:5-11; Luke 4:3-13; 8:12; John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).

b. Satan is ruling now during the church age (2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 2:2; 6:11; 1 Peter 5:8).

c. Satan will be imprisoned (jailed) at the second coming of Christ to earth (Revelation 20:1-3), and he will be released at the end of the Messianic kingdom to lead a rebellion against Christ and his kingdom (Revelation 20:3, 7-9).

d. Satan will be defeated by the Messiah and sent to the lake of fire and brimstone to be tormented for every (Revelation 20:10).

a. when He overrules Satan’s will and man’s will (Matthew 16:22-23, Jesus told Satan to leave Peter alone; Acts 12, Peter released from prison and Herod Agrippa I painfully died);

b. when the disciples obey him throughout their ministry (Matthew 10 and others).

c. when the God’s kingdom is extended through evangelism and Bible teaching (Matthew 28:19-29);

d. today, when believers are being equipped and serve and build up the church (Ephesians 4:11-16).

e. today, when believers obey him (see the many command Scripture passages, e.g. Galatians 5:1, 16, 25; Ephesians 4:25-5:2; 5:15-6:19; Colossians 3:17-23; and many others).

11. In summary, this part of the prayer is the request that God’s physical kingdom and God’s will shall be accomplished on planet earth. That will take a lot of changes within people and on the earth.

a. While Psalm 8 charts the position of man in God’s creation, Hebrews 2:8 recognizes that all authority has not yet been returned to God’s ruler, Jesus.

b. First Corinthians 15.24-28 also recognizes that the judgment and restoration of creation is yet future. That time will occur at the conclusion of the promised OT kingdom, otherwise known as the millennium kingdom.

12. Liberalism’s social gospel does nothing to further God’s will. The social gospel of good works rejects Jesus’ saving gospel and replaces it with social action works. These often take the political form of regressive taxes, government welfare programs, disarmament and peace programs, redistribution of wealth from the producers to the consumers. For individual and local communities the emphasis is often on local needs of food, shelter, clothes, jobs, health care—which are good things, if they do not force people to contribute, and if they do not replace the saving gospel and the biblical Christian way of life.

a. The disciples were taught to pray that the promised OT kingdom would soon come. For this to happen, the Jews would have to accept Jesus as the Messiah and his kingdom as the one promised by the prophets.

i. Church age believers can pray for the same thing—the Jews as a people to trust the Messiah and then the kingdom can come. Pray for Israel.

b. The disciples were also to pray for God’s will to be done on earth. This means that Israel would return to their biblical roots and to their priest nation function and to receive Jesus as the Messiah. Through them, the knowledge of God and obedience to God would spread over the world.

i. God’s will is seldom done on earth at the present time due to rejection of him and his son, the savior.

ii. Furthermore, the angelic conflict rages on earth. Satan is the dethroned present day ruler.

c. This prayer is a request for the promised kingdom to finally come into existence on earth.

a. God has his plan for the future of human history and Jesus and the Jewish people are the center of that plan. Human history is moving toward a wonderful goal. Knowing this gives us stability and confidence during our lifetime.

b. We can pray that history will unfold in God’s timing and so participate in what God is doing in history.

c. At the present time we, believers in Christ, are a part of God’s larger kingdom and have the privilege to live as his citizens and enjoy his spiritual and material blessings. We can practice God’s will now on earth.