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THE COMING KINGDOM OF CHRIST

We are told in the Bible to pray for the arrival of God's Kingdom. This coming kingdom will be four things:-

1. The kingdom of God's government

It is the place of God's sovereign authority. We are not trying to bend God's will to our will. See 1 John 5:14-15. God wants us to pray in His will. We are to pray for God's will to be done. There are three principles we can use to know that we are praying in the will of God.

The surrender principle - You must be willing to say "thy will be done". We need to recognise that God is supreme in our lives. God is sovereign. He does not reveal His will to rebels. You must be willing to do the will of God.
The scripture principle - See John 15:7. We need to test our prayers against God's Word. How much time do you spend studying the Word of God?
The Spirit principle - See Romans 8:26-27. The Holy Spirit helps you to understand the Word of God and articulate your prayers. The prayer that gets to Heaven, starts in Heaven.

2. The kingdom of God's grace

See Hebrews 4:16. God rules on a throne. It is not a throne of judgment. It is a throne of grace. We can find mercy at this throne of grace. It is our need that brings us to this throne of grace. Don't stay away from the throne of grace if your spiritual life is weak. It is the fact that we are weak that means we need to come to God's throne of grace. You cannot buy God's grace. It is a gift of God. It is received by faith.

3. The kingdom of God's goodness

See Romans 14:17. There are three things to look out for:-

Righteous - How straight do you walk. Has Christianity changed your life?
Peace - It is a peace that passes all understanding.
Joy. The joy of the Lord is your strength.

Are you experiencing these things now? Is your King upon His throne? We are to pray for God's kingdom now in our lives. The Kingdom of God is yet to come here upon this Earth. See Luke 1:32-33. Jesus will rule upon this Earth. It will literally, physically, bodily happen. Why else did Jesus teach us to pray "thy kingdom come"? Jesus is an outcast in the governments of this world. See Psalm 2. God laughs at the attempts of this world to cast him out. Jesus will reign. See 1 Timothy 6:15. It will happen in God's time.

4. The kingdom of God's glory

See Revelation 19:11-16 & 22:20. We request, in our praying that the kingdom of God's glory may come, that his kingdom of glory may be hastened, which will appear and be manifested unto the whole world at the second coming and appearance of the Lord Jesus to judgment.

How vain are all man's efforts to resist God. "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against Jehovah and against His Anointed." The armies of the beast have been summoned to "make war with the Lamb." To such giddy heights of madness can human pride and presumption climb. But God's decree remains unchanged: "Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion."

In spite of all man's feeble efforts He hath "a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords;" for God hath "given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." See Philippians 2: 9-11.