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Religious or non-religious, atheist or agnostic, almost everyone finds themselves praying at one point or another in their lives. People pray in fear and distress, as part of some religious duty when they want something badly, or when they simply need answers to life's questions. But what is prayer? Prayer, at its essence, is talking to God. The God who with His spoken Word brought the universe into being. The God who holds the vastness of creation together in His power. This God actually listens to us and He listens as an attentive Father, as the Shepherd of His sheep, despite how unworthy we may feel in approaching Him or feeble we may think our prayers may sound. God has done what we could never do, and made access to His throne possible for us. We need to reduce our distractions and increase our interaction with God because true prayer is the means by which we align ourselves to God's will. It's the means that we draw nearer to a holy God, and so may we pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done".

And so today we continue our look in this subsection called: "Teach Us To Pray". This really is a passage taken from the Bible, in the book called Matthew, chapter 6, and this is the Lord's prayer. This is the prayer that the Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples in how we have to pray. This is a model prayer, beautiful prayer, and there are some statements here that are short, but very, very loaded and packed with rich scriptural truths.

We began looking at this prayer some weeks ago by noticing just one line: "Our Father in heaven". It's amazing that as Christians we can pray to God, not as a great and awesome and scary one, no, we call Him Father. Now we must balance that with reverence because He's a Father in heaven but nonetheless, we have this tremendous comfort, we have this access to God, accessibility unlimited in a sense, because He's our Father; because of Jesus Christ and what He has done for us, we call Him Father.

Then last week, we looked at the very first petition, first request and it is this: "hallowed be Your Name". This has nothing to do with Halloween or hollow or hello, "hallowed" means to set apart. So we learned that prayer is first and foremost asking God to glorify Himself. Maybe you're here, new here with us, and you're wondering what prayer is. You think prayer is asking God to give what I want. Well the Bible says prayer is first and foremost asking God to glorify Himself. Hallowed be Your Name, let Your worthy Name be set apart for praise and adoration.

Today we come to the second petition or the third line which is: "Your Kingdom come". What in the world does it mean to pray "Your Kingdom come"? I think of all the prayer requests here, of all the petitions here, this is probably the most technical one. In a sense, you probably need to know a lot of Bible truths to be able to pray this meaningfully, and my task is to help you understand, and be able to apply this meaningfully in your life and in your prayer life in particular.

Let me start with an illustration. I love chess, play chess, xià qí. I used to like Chinese chess when I was a primary school student, and then a secondary school student. After secondary school, never got to play very much until University, I play with my friends in between lectures; not in between lectures, during lectures actually. Hide behind the lecture hall, play chess, that, that is what I like to do. And then, when I got older, after working and so on, I became interested in international chess.

You say, what's international chess? For those who are really not very familiar with chess, this is what you see on the chessboard. Generally, the white plays against the black, and in this case you see the black nearer to you. That's where, that's who you are, imagine you're black playing against white.

What is the basic of this chess game?  Very simple. All black has to do is to capture white king. Doesn't matter how many pieces he has, or you have, as long as you can capture white king, black wins. So that's the goal. Very simple.

And what's the most powerful piece for black, or white for any matter, for that matter? The queen, it's always the ladies who are the most powerful, alright. The queen is the most powerful piece on the board and she is right beside the king to protect the king, the best defense of the king, and also she is the most powerful offensive piece. She's able to move up and down the board, across the board, as many squares as there are on the board, and she is also able to move diagonally. So she moves up and down, left and right, diagonally, she's everywhere, just like women alright, they are everywhere. Well, anyway, anyway, this is the queen alright, she is the most powerful piece.

So let's see a real game between white and black, and it looks like this.

So you notice that some pieces have already moved, the knight which is a horse, the bishop which is with the cross on its crown, the pawn which is the soldiers right in front, they've all moved somewhat, but the king and queen have remained where they are.

For those who are, how many of you love, are, are familiar with chess, can I see by a show of hands? Alright, now for those of you who have - those who never raise hands I don't bother to ask - well for those of you who are familiar with chess, black now plays his next move. What would it be ?

I think - I asked that so that you may just think about it - but I think probably none of you, within this short period of time would, would be able to believe that this is what black would play next. It's an absolutely stunning move, because black moves the queen right up to enemy firing line. This is a crazy move! Why would you give up your best piece to the opponent? This is like sending your wife to die! But that's what black did.

Well, you say, what's so crazy about this move? Well, number one, she is in danger right, very near the opponent, can be captured easily, and in practice, she is, she's going to be captured, actually, she can be captured by the pawn. Now, the pawns are the soldiers, the small ones there, and pawns capture diagonally alright, they move forward but they capture diagonally. So actually the pawn can capture the queen. Huh, lao po si le, my queen is gone!

But black actually knows what he's doing, because if white is to capture the queen, then the knight that jumps like an "L", the knight can recapture, and you know what this is? Checkmate. The knight would kill the king, because the king has nowhere to run. The king is paradoxically, ironically, trapped. So black knows what he's doing, black is very clever. Black knows that white cannot capture the queen even though she's staring at their face. So white bo pian (colloquial for No choice), what to do, cannot capture your queen, he moves something else, he moves the pawn forward.

Guess now the next move for black. Again, this is absolutely stunning because the black queen goes crazy again and moves to tempt the bishop to take her: "Come, take me!" Wow, what are you doing? Well the bishop captures diagonally, moves diagonally and so yes, theoretically the bishop can capture the queen. But then again, if she captures or he captures the queen, the knight will recapture and call this a checkmate. Ah, so the queen is taboo, the bishop cannot take the queen.

So now that the bishop cannot take the queen, the queen would soon take the bishop, right? The queen is able to move all kinds of directions, including taking the bishop. So the bishop has to zhao, has to run, and that's what the bishop did. He retreated to the corner, so that the rook is able to defend her. He's thinking, white is thinking, the queen will not do anything else now because it's all protected. But you know, this kamikaze queen, in Hokkien we say mg zhai see, don't know what is death, she goes and does a crazy thing by taking the bishop.

Now why would you take a bishop? A bishop is worth three points. A queen is worth nine points. Why would you give up six points and let the castle or the rook recapture you? But black knows what he's doing. Black now launches the knight and gives a check; it's not a mate, because there is a square now for the king to move. And the king can only move one step at a time, so he moves to the safety of the white square there, and he says, "Hah, I'm safe, I'm winning because the queen is gone and I've only lost one bishop!" But here comes the silent one; look at the bishop at the bottom for the black pieces. The bishop crosses over, and gives a checkmate.

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Wow, I never saw that coming. When I saw this game, I said, "This is, this is stunning!" From this position, who would have imagined that black had all this calculated, right up to the end, that he would say, "Let me sacrifice my wife, take her!" "No, you won't take her? Alright bishop, take my wife!" Bishop won't take her, bishop retreats to a corner. "You don't take my wife, I let my wife take you!" And that's what happened and eventually, there's a beautiful, brilliant checkmate.

Well, I've spent five minutes telling you about the chess game. Why? Because that's what I think about when I think Jesus teaching us to pray "Your Kingdom come".

You see, we live in a world that is really quite messed up, isn't it? You think about it. You Chris... you may ask, you Christians say you worship God, you Christians say that God is powerful, you Christians say God is good, you say Christian, you Christians say God is wise. If He is good and wise and loving and powerful, why will He let this world go to such a mess? Why would people die? Why would there be crimes and sufferings and sins? Your God is not wise, your God is not powerful, your God is not love, your God is no God. Why? Because sin rules this world. Evil rules this world. Satan rules this world. Your God is no God.

But you see, we think like that because we're watching a chess game. We are watching the brilliant black player sacrifice the queen for a moment. Temporarily concede, so that ultimately he will succeed, so that ultimately there is a brilliant checkmate right at the end.

We pray "Your Kingdom come", because things are not what it should be now, but we know things are exactly what God would have it right at the end. I want you to understand when I give this illustration of chess game, I'm not saying that God and Satan are of equal powers, equal resources and therefore it's like a tug of war. No, no, no, no. God is omnipotent, He's extremely, infinitely powerful; Satan is nothing before God. But this chess game is to bring across this illustration of the great mastery God has over the devil. That even though right now the world is in a mess, looks like it's all ruled by Satan, God has it all under His perfect sovereign rule, and one day it will all make sense.

So let me say this, if you want to pray "Your Kingdom come", you've got to understand "Your Kingdom come", right? There are four things I think you need to understand before you can start praying this meaningfully. So this part is going to be quite technical, doctrinal. But let me say this, the comfort for you is today's sermon will be short, I'm going to make it short so that you really can understand it without a lot of encumbrances around.

So four simple things for you to understand if you are to pray "Your Kingdom come". Number one, we pray "Your Kingdom come" because right now, Your Kingdom is not here, or rather God You're not ruling here, for Satan, according to the Scripture, is now king on earth. We need to pray "God, Your Kingdom come" because right now it is not God's kingdom. I know it shocks you and rocks you. "How, how, how can you say that?" But you see, this is the way God has allowed it to be. He has allowed for this season, for these thousands of years, that Satan will be king.

Ever since Satan tempted Adam and Eve to rebel against God, sin entered the world, and Satan now rules the world. That's why we pray "Your Kingdom come", because right now this kingdom, this world is not God's kingdom, in a sense, Satan is king. "Are you sure pastor?" I think so.

Look at some references to Satan. He's called "the ruler of this world", John 12:31. By the way, this is what Jesus calls Satan. Jesus gives the acknowledgment, Satan is the ruler of this world. Jesus Himself said so. Not only in John 12, later on, in case you think it's not so clear, John 14 he says, "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming". He's going to get Me, he's going to use the Roman soldiers and drag Me and bring Me to the cross and I'm going to be killed. By who? The ruler of this world, Satan.

And in case you think the word "ruler" is too exaggerated, let me give you a stronger word. 2nd Corinthians 4, the Bible calls Satan "the god of this world". You see, this world at this stage is Satan's world, he's called the ruler, he's called god and then in Ephesians 2, verse 2 he's called "the prince of the power of the air". He rules this world. And then finally, in 1 John chapter 5, the Bible says "the whole world lies in the power of the evil one". No questions, it's clear.

We need to pray "Your Kingdom come" because number one, Satan is now king on earth. He rules. Do you know why there's so much sin? Do you know why there's so much suffering? God lost His plot? No. But God has allowed Satan to rule that we may see the destructiveness of sin and Satan's rule.

But we pray "Your Kingdom come" because there is also a second reality. Not only we understand Satan is now king on earth, but we understand ultimately, God will rule over all. That's why we pray "Your Kingdom come", because we believe that God will ultimately triumph, God will bring a beautiful checkmate to Satan.

So that's why the Bible tells us in Psalm 103 that "His Kingdom rules over all", God's kingdom rules over all. He is the all reigning King. And then not only does He rule over all, He rules over all generations, Psalm 145, verse 13.

My sons, they, well both of them are not here this second service, Matthias was here in the first service,  both my sons they, we read a picture Bible together, and one of their favorite stories is, I think I've mentioned to you before, Daniel's prophecies about the four beasts and also the statue of Nebuchadnezzar. And they are always fascinated what they represent, and I say well, the statue of Nebuchadnezzar, the four beasts represent the four great kingdoms of the world. The first great kingdom is the Babylonian kingdom, second one is the Medo Persian, the third one would be the Greek Empire, and the last one will be the Roman Empire. These are the four great kingdoms God has revealed in the Bible. Alright they are, well you say, "Where's China?" Sorry not there. In God's scheme of things, the four are - the middle kingdom not there, alright - but these are the four great kingdoms with regards to biblical prophecy.

So these are the four great kingdoms and they are really, led by men, but also led in a sense, by the devil, and God actually reveals the fate of all these four kingdoms. In Daniel chapter 2: "And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people." This kingdom of God "shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end and it shall stand forever." So God is saying, "There will be My Kingdom that will destroy all other kingdoms, and it will stand forever."

Or maybe a clearer verse you may look at is Romans 16, that says: "The God of peace will soon crush Satan". No fight, no competition, no opposition at all. At the right time, God will crush Satan. So though Satan rules over the earth now, God will rule ultimately.

The third principle you need to grasp is that this will be accomplished through Jesus Christ. When we pray "Your Kingdom come", these are the concepts I think you need to. Otherwise it doesn't make sense. What do you mean by I pray that God will rule? Isn't He ruling over the world today? Not really, Satan is. Then why should I pray? Because you know one day, God will rule over this world. You say, how can I pray meaningfully? When you pray understanding it is through the work of Jesus Christ.

See, what did Christ do, why is Christ central? Because right from the start, God said Jesus will be the One who will crush the serpent's head. You say what's the whole Bible about? The whole Bible is really about this, about how God will bring into effect, Jesus Christ His Son, the Seed of the woman, to crush the serpent's head, deal him a fatal blow, a glorious checkmate.

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Now throughout history, man waited for this Savior. They thought it might be a Moses, they thought it might be a David, they thought it might be a king Solomon, they thought that it might be a Isaiah, they thought that it may be some men, but only right some 2,000 years ago did we realize, and the Bible confirms, that He is none other than Jesus Christ.

So God is going to reclaim His Kingdom on earth through His Son. That's why in Isaiah 9, we are told that this Son, this birth of this Son is so celebrated. People celebrate Christmas, well today I think it's quite messed up, people celebrate Christmas because of Santa Claus, because of presents, but really Christmas for some is a reminder. Now we know Christ is probably not born on December 25, but for some it is a reminder that there is a Savior born into this world, and He will rule over God's Kingdom from this time forth and ever more. It's Christ.

Luke 1 tells us, it's Christ: "you shall call His Name Jesus", and He will have a Kingdom that has no end. So God is going to bring in His Kingdom through Jesus Christ, and again the same verse you've looked at, John 12: "the ruler of this world be cast out", Satan will be cast out. How? When Christ is lifted up. The death of Christ on the cross dealt Satan a crushing blow. Victory is secured.

Now, the victory is not yet claimed. You have already won, but it takes some time to claim the victory, and so that victory is fully claimed when Jesus returns the second time. Nonetheless, the deal is done, the victory is secured, Satan is bound in a sense, in a measure, he's now like a dog on a leash, he's allowed in a sense to roam, but he's always on a leash.

So Christ, with what He's accomplished on the cross has won the victory, and when He returns the second time - so Christians, we know first coming came 2,000 years ago - in an unknown period of time He's going to return again, and when He returns, He's going to restore all things, He's going to reclaim the kingdom and the Bible says in 1Corinthians 15: "Then comes the end, when He delivers the Kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power."

Christ at that time will put down all rebellion, everything will be given back to God, who is the rightful King, for He created all and blessed all. All this is done by Christ.

1John 3:8: "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."

Now I think these verses are very, very clear, don't you think? Very clear to explain the concepts behind what it means to pray "Your Kingdom come". Number one, we pray "Your Kingdom come" because we recognize today Satan is king, but there's this deep assurance and confidence that God will rule ultimately, and we know He's going to do it because Christ has already done it on the cross. He has died on the cross, He's resurrected again, Satan is now a defeated foe, Christ is the conquering King.

So you ask, how is the kingdom come? Well I say last principle is this, that this rule of God is first in our hearts, the hearts of those who follow Jesus, and ultimately one day over all of this earth.

Now, today Christ is King of my life, but He's not king of Singapore, correct? Halimah Yacob and Lee Hsien Loong are, they rule. This is not a theocracy, even Israel is not a theocracy, but individually, Jesus is my King, Jesus is many of you, for you, your King. So right now, the Kingdom of God is come in such a way that it is not on the outside, it's not in societal structures, but it is in the hearts of those who believe Christ. But one day, Christ will really be King inside and outside. It will really be United Nations, all nations will be no more nations in a sense, all under one King, Christ.

So now in hearts, and then over all. These are some of the verses for you to consider. What, where is the Kingdom of God, you say? That's the question they asked. Jesus says, "'Look here it is, here it is!' or 'There!'" - no. Jesus is saying, "No, it will not be: 'Look there!', 'See here!', 'See there!'", you can't see it! "[F]or behold, the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you" - it's within you. It's not like the Vatican City or Rome or Malaysia or Singapore, no, you can't see that, because it's in your heart. We are those, because we repent and believe in Jesus Christ, God has delivered us, saved us from the domain of darkness, of sin, of wickedness, of pain and suffering in sin. He has saved us from this darkness, and transferred us to the Kingdom of His beloved Son. We are now citizens, people of the Kingdom of God.

I still live in Singapore, I still have a Singapore passport, but my heart belongs to Christ. That's why He's King. You get that? But one day He will rule over all. There will be a new heaven, new earth. There will be once again, the dwelling together with God. God will be here with man. Right now, in a sense, He's not. He's in our hearts, but not in a way that is described like as in Revelation. But one day it will be.

Okay, test time. When you pray "Your Kingdom come", what do you understand? Number one, Satan is king over the earth. Number two, God will rule ultimately, very good. Number three, through Jesus Christ His Son and what He's accomplished on the cross. Number four, now in our hearts and then over all. I bet you next week you'll forget but anyway this is the best shot alright, this is the best shot I can give, and I hope you remember this.

So understanding this truth, I said this is technical, doctrinal, I understand. But let me just run through very quickly the practicals. So if I understand that Satan rules now, God will rule ultimately, He's going to do it through Jesus Christ, first in our hearts, and then over all, how can I pray?

I understand it's already quite difficult to process all this today, but let me just try to give you and you can go back and think through. How can I pray "Your Kingdom come" meaningfully?

I think for me, "Your Kingdom come" as a petition in the Lord's prayer is meaningful because number one, I care about it, we care for this. In other words, another word for you is: "I want this". I pray "Your Kingdom come" because I really want Your Kingdom to come, that's what I want.

I'm sick and tired of my sins against God. I'm sick and tired of the world's sins against God. I'm sick and tired of how the devil is blinding people away from the Creator God. So I say enough of all these darkness and all these sins against God. Lord let Your glorious righteous, joyous Kingdom come. May You be King, I really want You to be King.

That's what it means to pray "Your Kingdom come", and that's why that's the echo of Paul, right at the end of his epistle to the Corinth church. He says, "Our Lord, come!" That's his desire, that's his longing. He's not someone who says, "Oh actually, I pretty much like this world. I like the lifestyle we are having, I like the sins I'm enjoying, I just want a ticket to heaven, so God don't come too soon." Some of you are like that: "I believe Jesus already, I'm going to heaven, but let me enjoy my life here, let me party here."

No, the believer says no, I long for my Master's return, I long for Christ's return because I long for righteousness, it is enough in all these sins and I know that all these sins will persist until Jesus comes back. That's why he longs, O Lord come.

It's the same for John when he ends off in Revelation 22, "Come, Lord Jesus!" That's the, that's the desire.

So let me ask you, do you think about these things when you pray? That you have such a longing for the righteous, glorious rule of Christ in your heart and over all this earth. That's what this gigantic prayer encompasses.

You know what, it's just three words, you know, "Your Kingdom come". But it's such a cosmic concept. But in case you think this is so cosmic, I just want to bring it down, very simply.  If you really care for righteousness, if you really care for God's holy rule in your life, then I say practically it means: God make me holy. I really care about Your Kingdom and I want to start right here in my heart. May You be King in my life. I don't want to mess around with sin, I will sometimes stumble into sin, I understand that, but genuinely, please help me to grow in holiness, so that I will sin less. Purify me God, even as Christ is pure, I long to see Him, and I hope I will be like Him, more like Him.

That's what someone who prays "Your Kingdom come", will think and pray about as well.

I think when you pray "Your Kingdom come" and you really want God's Kingdom to come, you will be praying for others to know God in their hearts. When you pray "Your Kingdom come" you are saying Lord, may You save him, save her, save my neighbour, save my classmates, my colleagues. You will be going about with the message of the Gospel. You will go around like John the Baptist and Jesus Christ saying, "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." You know, one day Jesus is going to come, He's going to come and save His people, but you know what, He's also going to judge those who don't belong to His Kingdom. That's what John said, He will gather those who do not believe, He will gather those who do not repent and He will burn them in unquenchable fire.

You know God is a Holy God. Yes, He's a God of amazing love, so much so He sacrificed His Son to save you and purify you. But if you remain rebellious and unrepentant for all your life, in spite of hearing this amazing love of God, you know this will be the fate of those who refuse to repent. They will burn, for all eternity. And so the child of God, knowing the gravity of this message, goes around telling, sharing with others, the message of the Gospel, repent because God is coming soon. I think that's what you should think about when you pray "Your Kingdom come": I care about it, we care about it.

Number two, not only should we care about it, not only do we really care about it, but we are confident about this, we are confident. Your Kingdom come, is not as if aiyoh God, I don't know sometimes I, I think Satan is too powerful for You. I'm not sure if You can make it, but if I pray I add more power to You. You know like those Chinese kungfu, you one person very siong (colloquial for difficult), but wah you a a lot of people stand behind, poop, put the hands there, transfer power then that super guy becomes very powerful.

We have this concept, as if God needs our prayer to win over the devil. No, not at all. This is not a prayer that we wish God will win, no, no. This is a prayer that knows God will win. It's a confident assurance that He will win, it's a confident assurance that even though I'm walking through the mess of Earth, the mess of life, the mysteries of life, I know at the end of the day, there will be a beautiful checkmate.

You see, some of you are going through mysteries. Why is this happening to me and my family? Why am I diagnosed with this cancer? Why is my child turning rebellious? Why is my life falling apart? If God is God, why would a good God allow suffering like this?

And many people, because they cannot understand this, give up on their faith because they're not sure if God has a plan. They think that all this suffering, all this sin is quite meaningless, it's almost pointless. It's almost as if God is no more sovereign, no more good, no more love. And so they say, "We might as well not believe in God because He's not real."

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But when you understand the chess illustration, it's all a temporary concession in a way. So that there's a beautiful, brilliant display of the genius of the chess player and likewise, it's a beautiful display of the grace of God, even through the mess of life, that we can say, "Lord we trust You, we know You are in control", that you can really walk through this mess of life lifting up your head toward heaven and having a joy in your heart and a song on your lips.

That's the only way. That's the only way we can look at Romans 8:28 and say yes, it is true, because God is going to triumph ultimately. So even right now till then, all things work together for good. I may not understand why, I may not really know how it works at the end of the day, but I know when I cross over to heaven side and look back at my life, I say, "God, it all makes sense now".

Now I know why the Queen must go to the firing line, now I know why the Queen must go to the bishop, I know why the Queen must be taken by the rook, so that there is a glorious checkmate at the end, You are worthy of my praise. That's what it means, when we pray "Your Kingdom come". Confidence in God through the sufferings of life.

I say also, this confidence is, it's applicable to the way we share the Gospel. Because God is sovereign, God is in control, when we share the Good News of Jesus Christ, we are confident He has His people who will believe the Gospel.

I look at the, the phrase in Luke 16 that says: "The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then, the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone forces his way into it." Look at that. People are pressing in to get into the Kingdom of Heaven.

I find it very encouraging, because many times in my life I share the Gospel, people shut the door, bang. They laugh, they mock, they ridicule, they have no interest, and you say, "Well, I have the greatest message in the world but it's so sad no one wants to hear." Not true. Many people want to hear. Why? Because God is in control. He has His people everywhere.

This is what God said to Paul in, in the city of Corinth, that there are many people who are God's people. So go, go and teach and preach the Gospel in Corinth, Paul, there are people, there will be people who will come.

We live in Punggol, we serve in Punggol. And this is my encouragement in Punggol. If I look at the, just merely at ourselves, are we capable of helping people come to Christ? Are we able to convert people? No, we can't. Salvation is of the Lord, we can only be messengers. But this is the great joy, God has many people probably in Punggol and as we share, we serve, we give them the Gospel, we trust in this town, there will be many people, not just in Punggol, but in Singapore and unto the uttermost parts of the world. Your Kingdom come, Lord, rule and reign in many more hearts.

So I pray "Your Kingdom come" because we care, that's what we want. We are confident, because we know He is in control, and we pray because we are committed. I pray this prayer not just that God will do something about it, I pray this prayer so that I will do something about it, Your Kingdom come in my life.

Alan Redpath has something very wise to say. He says: "Before we can pray 'Thy Kingdom come', we must be willing to pray 'My kingdom go'". So many of us, we pray, "God, do this, God do that, God do this, God do that", but you ka ki don't do. You are not, you say, "God save people in Punggol", but you're not sharing the Gospel. "God, rid this world of sin", but you're not diligently pursuing purity and sanctification your life. You're not reading the Bible, you're not getting accountable partners, you're not helping yourself, you are not growing yourself. So really to pray "Thy Kingdom come", you are saying, "Lord, let my kingdom go". Let me do what Jesus said, to seek first the Kingdom of God.

Many Gospeliters, many of us, I think this is where we fall. We come to church, but we seek our kingdom. You say, "No, pastor, you're not right, I seek God. I do seek Him when I'm not so tired, when I have time, when it's convenient, when I have some spare money, I seek God." Well, Jesus says, the issue is not whether you seek God, the issue is whether you seek first the Kingdom of God. And when we pray, "Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your Kingdom come", you are saying, "Let my kingdom go."

So this is a majestic prayer. This is not child's play in prayer. Three words, but it's a gigantic, cosmic concept behind it all, that recognizes today, Satan is ruling, but we believe God will come one day and rule over all because of Christ and what He has done. So we ask God's Kingdom to now come in our hearts, purify me, save me, use me. We are praying that God's Kingdom will come into more lives, so we share the Gospel. We preach: "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand". And it is a confidence that gives us a focus and an anchor of hope as we swim through the sufferings of life. I think that's what it means to pray "Your Kingdom come".

Most of all, I think this is a prayer we pray willingly. You know, many kingdoms of this world are won by the sword and by force. People may become a subject of your kingdom, but they don't do it willingly. They are forced to be part of your kingdom. But the Kingdom of God is different. It's a kingdom made possible by love. We who have seen the sacrificial love of our King. We who have seen Jesus give His life on the cross, this Gospel, this Good News of Christ. We who have witnessed all that, received all that, we say we willingly surrender ourselves and say, "Lord, Your Kingdom come."
So bring it all back together, this is the Lord's prayer. We have only just begun, and we are saying the Person of prayer is the Father in heaven. The priority of prayer is that God's Name be hallowed, that He will glorify Himself. And the plan in God's prayer, in the Lord's prayer, is that we believe His Kingdom will come. God has a plan, He has not lost the plot.

What a joy, that you and I, mere mortals, now children of God, can be part of this cosmic change in this world, can be part of how God will bring in His Kingdom. Now, it's not as if we are of any credit or worth, not that we earned it, but God has given us the privilege to participate in this coming of the Kingdom.

I hope you will pray in your life: My, Your Kingdom come, in my life, in my company, in my school and in my church, in my city. Lord, may You be King for the whole universe.

Think about it, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven". The whole heaven is God's Kingdom, but only one small speck called earth, is rebelling against God. We are praying, God put that small speck called Earth down in it's rebellion, may You rule over here.

I think this is a joy of a Christian, to pray "Thy Kingdom come". And one day, all this will end. All this, all life's history, from the day creation started, to the day Jesus returns, all this will be chapter 1 of a great book called: "Life with our King". All that we will go through here on this earth is chapter 1, and it will only bring you to chapter 2 and 3, to a book where there is no end, to a book where every subsequent chapter, life with the King is better than the chapter before. Let's trust our King. He will give a beautiful checkmate and everything will make sense. Till then, let us all pray "Thy Kingdom come".

Let's bow for a word of prayer together. I appreciate your attention, this is a difficult sermon, I understand. Technical concepts that may be a little bit foreign to some, but really, this is the theme of the Bible. God is King, and whilst He has temporarily conceded rulership of this earth to Satan, there is no issue with Him reclaiming it again through Jesus Christ.

Today, the Kingdom of God is growing, heart after heart, soul after soul, life after life, and we can say the Kingdom of God is in the midst of you. But one day, the Kingdom of God will be over all. What a day of rejoicing that will be.

Till then, would you faithfully pray: "Your Kingdom come, my kingdom go." Would you faithfully pray and labor towards a greater rule of Christ in your heart and life. A greater rule and reign of Christ in your family, that you will go and share the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven, and that we today would trust God even through our deepest sorrows and sufferings.

There is no pointless sufferings. Why would a good God allow sufferings? I don't always have the answer, but I do know at the end of the day, His Kingdom will come and it will be all beautiful in His time. Some of you today are struggling in your faith. Hang on there, right to the end. Some of you today are struggling with sin. Oh, you need to have a fresh glimpse of Kingship of Jesus Christ. Would you pray together, "King of my life I crown Thee now, Thine shall the glory be".

Perhaps today you are here and you do not know Jesus as your Savior. I beg you today to see your sin and your offense against the Holy God and that you see that you can never make yourself right before God. You are sinful, you're filthy, whatever you do will not be accepted. But herein is the love of God; He gave His Son to die and pay for you. The call of God today is for you to repent and believe in Christ. Would you let Christ be the King of your life? Turn and obey the Gospel today.

Father we thank You for Your Word. Bless Your people, everyone seated here today, that they may really experience what it means to joyfully pray "Your Kingdom come". We ask this in Jesus Name, Amen.

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