Happily Ever After – by Rev. Sjirk Bajema

 

Sermon on Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 48

Scripture reading – John 17

 

Dearly loved church of our Lord…

We consider the second request in the Lord’s Prayer. It is here that we pray, “Thy kingdom come.”

 

Now “kingdom” is quite an old-fashioned word. It suggests knights in suits of armour riding on mighty steeds. And, there, right in front of them all, is the king!

The good king. The leader of those who rescue maidens trapped by dragons and evil, despicable men. Those nasty creature are defeated. The people live happily ever after!

 

Sounds lovely, doesn’t it? What a dream world. It’s so different to what life’s really like.

Or is it? Okay, so when we pray this we aren’t expecting an earthly king to give us happiness and peace here and now. But don’t we pray to the Heavenly King? And isn’t He actually much stronger anyway?

 

The Lord’s Prayer begins, “Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name,” and so we see our position from God’s perspective. We know that’s the way to go! Having been brought into a saving knowledge of what this Father God did in His dearly loved Son, Jesus Christ, the last thing we want to do is to let this grow cold, or even die altogether!

 

That’s why, in genuine thankfulness, we also pray for all that God’s name represents to come to us. What is so gloriously present up there in heaven we plead for down here on the earth!

 

It has already touched our lives. Now we know we simply cannot be without it! You see, you are a citizen of God’s Kingdom. You are joined to the Kingdom which began in Paradise and, though mankind tried to take it away from God through sin, the LORD keeps putting His saving foothold on this world. It was this very same King who ruled through Abraham and Jacob and Joseph and Moses and David. It was God who was working through the line of Israel so that in His own Son the Kingdom came in its fullest revelation!

 

There were those knights in shining armour in the Old Testament, telling of the King who was coming. And though they themselves may have been badly defeated, and terribly despised, the message was clear for those who had faith, “The King is coming!”

King Jesus Himself makes it absolutely clear. He boldly declared in Mark 1:15, “The time has come. The kingdom is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

And we have repented and believed – haven’t we? We who thought we were once so great, are brought to know the only true King!

 

Prayer is for God’s power

 

No wonder, then, that we begin by putting our prayer in God’s perspective. What we had was shown to be completely bankrupt! We need to get with the real strength!

So, praying “”Thy kingdom come” is, first of all, PRAYER FOR GOD’S POWER. And that’s how Answer 123 begins. “Rule us by your Word and Spirit in such a way that more and more we submit to you.”

 

We can compare this with our earthly countries. You are a citizen of a country. For most of us that will be Australia or New Zealand. Some of us may have kept their Dutch nationality, and still others might be citizens of another country, like China.

So, what does being a citizen of a country mean? You can say it gives you a certain type of passport. And there are certain privileges you have.

Being a citizen, however, especially means something when you are united as a country. You might feel that during a sports event, like the Olympic Games. But isn’t it in times of war or hardship that you feel being a citizen especially strongly?

 

Then you knew your citizenship was more than just a piece of paper. It was a bond that held you together. It’s common spirit that you are doing the right thing. Then you gave your all for your King and country. Right and wrong was very clear! And you knew who was right. We were! The King was! The Queen was!

Do you see what’s happening? The hearts of the people are with their Ruler. More than ever before he or she has come alive to them.

 

Congregation, this is what we are now confessing spiritually. You see, if we really want to fight for the right, then the right has to be known so that we can fight! That’s why God’s Word and Spirit in our hearts joins us with the Mightiest Ruler of all! As you are joined to the supreme strength, and that more and more, then the PRAYER FOR GOD’S POWER is answered. For you then become increasingly the Christian who knows and who lives as the citizen of heaven right where you are!

This is the plea of our Lord in Matthew 6:33, as He calls us to leave the concerns of this world. “But seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

 

When our fathers and grandfathers fought in the War, they didn’t get all upset if they missed their daily shower. And grandmother wasn’t flustered if she wasn’t able to use make-up for a year or two! I mean, what were those things in contrast to what really mattered anyway? There was a much more important thing at stake!

 

But, congregation, do we see that right now? Is there amongst us such a deep desire spiritually for being fighters for the Lord? Do we know our Bibles? And not only that – how about actually being open to the Lord’s leading by His Spirit? As your workmate asks you a question he’s wondering about, are you ready – with the Word and the Spirit?

 

God has worked wonderfully in your life! That you, even now, are able to be here – amongst His people, worshipping Him with them – is a result of the new life God has worked in you. Your new life is the result of the most marvellous love in action! So let’s keep it up! Let’s go on growing in this amazing grace! Let’s change one word in John 17:7 and make it our prayer, “Sanctify me by the truth; Your word is truth.”

 

Soldiers in the Lord’s army – this is the battle-plan! We ignore it to our constant defeat. Couldn’t we at least pray that it might not be so? PRAYER FOR GOD’S POWER doesn’t fall on deaf ears.

 

Prayer for God’s people

Our prayer will not only be for the experience of God’s power. For inseparably connected with prayer for God’s power, by His Word and Spirit, there is… PRAYER FOR GOD’S PEOPLE.

 

Our Catechism is very simple. It says, “Keep your church strong, and add to it.”

A kingdom cannot be made up only of a king! Then he would be far from being a king. Rather, he is the king precisely because he rules over a nation. He’s the leader of a people. Jesus Christ demonstrated this so clearly through what He did for His people. The Church herself is the witness to the doing, dying, and rising of her Lord.

 

This was what Peter confessed in Matthew 16:16. That’s why Jesus said to him in verse 18, “on this rock (in other words, upon the foundation of confessing the truth in Christ) I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.”

And later in his Pentecost sermon Peter declared this purpose of the church out loud. As we read in Acts 2:32, “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.”

 

He lives! He lives! But do we pray that! Do you really want the church to be strong? Are you right behind the Lord adding continuously those who are being saved? My friend, can you pray, “Your kingdom come” and not be in church as much as you’re able? Do you easily say it but don’t think of the Bible Studies or other activities you can join in? Could you pray this and put just a few dollars – if anything – into the collection bag? Have you been thanking the Lord for your minister and your elders?

You know, God does answer our prayers. But if we hold back from the Lord by not really wanting to pray for these things, can we expect him to give us a real sense of blessing?

 

That’s why we have to pray this prayer. In this prayer we are consumed with zeal for all the different aspects of God’s Kingdom upon earth.

Think beyond our local church. The Kingdom of Heaven also includes all people, and organisations, and human efforts, which recognise the authority and rule of Christ. So Christian political parties, Christian homes, Christian schools, Christian hospitals and hostels, and all those other Christian institutions and activities, are part of our prayer! Even as you do your everyday “secular” work with a Christian perspective it is Kingdom work.

 

It’s most urgent that we seek the strengthening and growth of all these different aspects of Kingdom work. To not do so with all our might will allow a pretty shady character to wreak the most terrible damage upon the Church of Christ.

I trust I don’t need to mention his name. Our Answer points to the devil very clearly. And much as praying “Thy Kingdom come” is for our being built up within Christ’s Body, it’s also a prayer against what is not of the Kingdom.

 

1 John 3:8 pictures this constant clash. The apostle says there, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

 

Prayer for God’s pulverising

Praying, “Thy Kingdom come” is, in the third place, PRAYER FOR GOD’S PULVERISING.

 

We are dedicated to evil’s defeat. That’s what lies between the Lord and complete victory.

If you ignore, or in any way diminish, the importance of this part of prayer, it’s the devil’s way. He would love that we think he’s not there. He’s in his element if Christian leaders speak only of positive response to their ministries.

 

In so many churches there can only be warm fuzzies. Cold pricklies are not in their vocabulary! And don’t you dare ask why; and that’s part of the problem! There is no asking of questions. There is no wondering how Satan will attack next. And that’s why we must pray this. We always have to keep pleading with the Lord, as the Catechism says, “Destroy the devil’s work; destroy every force which revolts against you and every conspiracy against your Word.”

 

Doctrinal deviation and sinful living might seem the furthest thing from our minds, yet in prayer we are ever vigilant. You have to be ready.

You put an alarm system in your house to keep yourself from being robbed. In the same way we are being prepared spiritually. You don’t wait until the thief has come. When you least expect it he will come. What if you didn’t prepare?

Does the soldier patrolling the battlefront have a few hours sleep because it’s quiet near his lookout? Of course not! Peter says in his first letter in chapter 5:8, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around looking for someone to devour.”

Watch out! Keep on that armour of God! The armour of God is the protection and weapon of God’s Word and Spirit. You can read about that in Ephesians 6.

 

But let’s note also that the rule of God’s Word and Spirit continue to flow through this prayer for His coming Kingdom. God’s Word and Spirit will be victorious.

 

It’s with this light, congregation, that we can understand some of the more difficult psalms. You know, those psalms that seem to be overly violent and vengeful.

Like Psalm 137, for example. In the verses 8 and 9, it offers up this prayer, “O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us – he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.”

 

We have to be on the Lord’s side! And though physically we wouldn’t do as Israel had to do in fighting the heathen nations to defend the Lord’s Kingdom, yet spiritually the battle rages even more bitterly! Don’t ever think otherwise!

 

Prayer for God’s perfection

 

All this leads to your last point. Dear believer, your praying “Thy Kingdom come” is also PRAYER FOR GOD’S PERFECTION.

 

Though the Kingdom has been shown in part, and even to a large extent in the first coming of our Saviour King, we are still awaiting His final return! We’re working for that! Like the early New Testament believers we cry, “Maranatha!” – “Lord, come quickly!”

 

Though it seems to take so long, we have to plead for it even more! Jesus Himself prayed to His Father in His words in John 17:24, “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” If Jesus prayed that, shouldn’t we pray it as well?

 

We have to be always looking to the end result envisaged by God’s Word and Spirit. There’s that great coming Day when Christ will complete His reign. Then the will of His Father will be done. That’s why we confess in our Catechism, “Do this until your Kingdom is so complete and perfect that in it you are all in all.”

 

Congregation, this is no fairy tale ending! This is no mere figment of fantasy! This is the ultimate reality! This is more real even than our present reality. The Lord’s words and expectations will be entirely fulfilled. The Good King will be triumphant.

 

This was what John saw in his vision in Revelation 19. As he says in the verses 11-14 there, “I saw heaven open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one but himself knows. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.”

 

There He comes, people of God! Citizens of heaven – welcome your King!

 

Could this be what we pray for in these three simple words, “Thy Kingdom come”? Indeed it is, dear believer. For as the whole of Scripture is summed up in the Word – yes, in Christ Jesus Himself – so the coming of His Kingdom must mean everything.

You know it does. That’s what you pray – every day.

 

Amen.

 

 

PRAYER:

Let’s pray…

Father God, You planned it so that we would be where we are, right now! You have so arranged history that our hearts would be changed and that we would have new identities as citizens in Your Heavenly Kingdom. You even sent your own Son as a ransom to pay the price to make it so.

Do help us by Your Word and Spirit to be with You. Help us to pray; teach us what to say; and make us live under Your rule everyday! In the Name of the One who will so soon bring us success, as He returns on the clouds of glory, Jesus Christ, we pray, Amen.