Your Kingdom Come (sermon on Aug 1st, 2010-英語のみです)
Aug 9, 2010 Hello, my name is Satoru Nakanishi. I am mainly serving with the Japanese language ministries here at Presby. So I particularly treasure this rare occasion to deliver a sermon in English. And today, I am especially glad because it’s been exactly one year since I came on staff at Presby. Thanks for the opportunity.
Many of you know that my wife is pregnant. And our baby will be born in October. This past week we found out that the baby is a girl. Last summer, our congregation was blessed with 3 babies and they were all boys. Boys are great! But if a new trend is starting, that will be fun too.
Expecting a baby is such an interesting time, isn’t it. Because, in a sense, my daughter is already here. She exists here and now. But at the same time she is not here yet. She is already here because she is already living in my wife’s tummy, which is getting increasingly bigger. We can feel her movement. We can feel her cute kicks. We talk to her, assuming that she can hear us. A few days ago I asked my 3 year old son if he remembers hearing our voices while he was in mommy’s tummy, he replies, “no”. That’s ok…I still love him. And I still continue talking to her anyway.
She is already here, but at the same time she is not yet here because she is not born. We cannot see her face. We cannot hold her. She doesn’t even have an official name. She is already here, but not yet here. She is hidden, waiting to be manifested when the time is ripe.
Today’s verse is only 3 words long. “Your Kingdom come”….but it is in fact an overwhelmingly huge and important subject because announcing the coming of God’s kingdom is the focus of Jesus’ ministry and teaching. The kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven was the central theme of Jesus’ mission. “"I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent (Luke 4:43)." And he taught about God’s kingdom using parables: The parable of the muster seed, the parable of the yeast, the parable of the hidden treasure, the parable of the fine pearls…just to name a few.
Obviously, the kingdom of God is a very important subject in the Bible. But it is also an often misunderstood subject. After I became a follower of Jesus Christ, for a long time I thought that the kingdom of God was somewhere up there where I would go after I die. No…the Bible actually teaches that the kingdom of God is NOT somewhere we will go, but something that comes to us. This is why the Lord taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come”, and NOT “may we go to your kingdom.” Simply put, the kingdom of God is heaven arriving to earth. It is God’s reign on earth…that’s where God reigns, as he does in heaven.
God’s kingdom started when King Jesus Christ came on earth. Thus, the kingdom of God is NOT someday, somewhere thing, but it is here and now thing.
Let me read one of Jesus’ parables:
"What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.” (Mar 4:30-32 NIV)
The kingdom of God is here and now. But it is hidden like a tiny muster seed…like a treasure in the field. It is already here, but not yet fully manifested… we eagerly wait for its full manifestation when Jesus Christ comes back again in Glory…when the time is ripe…
So what does it mean us to pray this short, but extremely important prayer? First, it means that we desire God’s reign, His control, His will to be done on earth here and now.
I have a question…My question is “Do we really desire God’s kingdom?” I am asking this because historically the human race has repeatedly failed to desire God’s kingdom. Consider Adam and Eve…they disobeyed God and hid themselves. Consider the Israelites at the time of Samuel in the Old Testament. They demanded a human king…and God responded, “they have rejected me as their king.” (1Sa 8:7 NIV)
Let me repeat the question, “Do we really desire God’s kingdom?” We cannot pray “bYour kingdom come” lightly because necessarily the flip side of this prayer is “Our kingdom go.” We must let go of our kingdom first. Can we do that? How?
I want to be in control of my life and in my household and by the way, I want to control the world! I don’t want any king ruling over me….I want to be the king! I find it interesting that in many children’s stories in Japan or America or Europe, kings and queens are often depicted as bad and stupid. And as the story unfolds, the “Happy Ending” is that the main character becomes the new king. Maybe, these stories are reflecting the deep rooted human desire to rule, and not to be ruled.
So “Do we really desire God’s kingdom?” Is it even possible for us to pray this prayer and really mean it? My answer is that it is possible. And that is the good news. It is possible precisely because this kingdom we are praying for is our FATHER’S kingdom. Jesus Christ showed the world that God is not an evil tyranny like White Witch in the Narnia Story. But He is welcoming, loving, merciful, and just Father.
Obviously, I am not a king in any sense…but if I were a king, I would give my children the best that my kingship can offer them. Wouldn’t you? That is even so for our heavenly Father for his children. This is why the Bible does not tell us to go to the kingdom…or build the kingdom. The Bible says that we receive the kingdom. We inherit the kingdom as a gift. And this is why we can pray confidently and truly, “Your kingdom come, our kingdom go, Father reign more and more on earth here and now.”
Praying “Your kingdom come” means that we belong to our Father’s kingdom. How many of you have seen Toy Story? I recently watched Toy Story (1 of 3)…borrowed a DVD from Pastor J.P. In the movie, there is a character called Buzz. He is a toy, but at first he does not realize that he is a toy. He thinks he really is a space ranger. And being a space ranger was his identity and it drives how he lives. He sees the toy world from a space ranger’s perspective. He tries to fly, saying “To Infinity and beyond!” He tries to ride a spaceship. He shoots with a beam. But later in the movie, he finds out that he is just a toy—not a true space ranger. And what does he do? He gets depressed completely. He doesn’t have any energy…he cannot do anything even when his life is threatened. Let’s see the clip.
At this moment, Buzz found his new and true identity….it is the identity based on NOT what he is…BUT whose he is. He is indeed just a toy…but he is Andy’s toy. He belongs to Andy, the child who loves him deeply… and he has Andy’s name on himself! And this new, true identity now drives how he lives.
Let us ask ourselves….NOT what we are, or what we can do, or how we look, or what we have…but whose are we? To whom do we belong?
We are living in tension of many kingdoms today…. The kingdom of money and profit, the kingdom of 'feeling good', Anger, Fear…and so on. Which kingdom drives how we live? Which kingdom has its name on you? On us?
If you are in Jesus Christ, God has his name on you. You belong to the Father’s kingdom here and now. And the values of God’s kingdom drive how you live….love, joy, forgiveness, mercy, peace, justice, and wholeness….and we become the sign of God’s kingdom. The world will notice it because we are so indescribably different from the world.
A year ago, when I came to Presby, that’s what I thought…I could see, I could smell, I could hear God’s kingdom in this church because of WHOSE YOU ARE.
Many of us serve the poor in the community, we care for one another, the sense of belonging we enjoy, the uncontainable joy we have in this congregation is amazing, building the two houses to be a blessing to the neighborhood, and more!….we are doing these not because we have to…but because of whose we are…because we belong to our Father’s kingdom.
“Your Kingdom come” – let us continue to pray this prayer…you are the children of the KING! God has his name on you. May our lives continue reflecting the values of our Father’s kingdom….HERE and NOW.
Here and now at this open table, we will together taste our Father’s kingdom. It is the kingdom of grace and forgiveness, where sinners and outcasts are warmly invited. The church doesn’t own the table…..it is the Lord’s table. Are you a sinner and desire forgiveness? Are you an outcast and wants healing and restoration? Do you love Jesus and want to love him more? If yes, then this table is for you. The Lord Jesus welcomes you here and now. Let us smell, taste, and experience our Father’s kingdom together so that we live as the foretaste of God’s kingdom in the world…until our Lord Jesus returns.
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