Repent and Believe

December 5, 2010
Matthew 6:9-13
Your Kingdom Come

Where is the kingdom of God? People often think of it as in heaven. In Matthew, there are many references to the kingdom of heaven. In Luke, similar passages refer to the kingdom of God instead. Some of the Psalms mention God's throne in heaven, and the everlasting kingdom. This is why we often think of His kingdom as "up there." But there are clear passages in the Bible that say God's kingdom is on earth, too. Jesus announced the coming of the kingdom in Mark 1:14-15, saying it was "near."

When Jesus announced the kingdom, why did He tell people to "repent and believe"? The kingdom is to be within us. This happens through repentance and belief. Repentance means turning away from one thing and turning to another. In this case, it means turning from ways that are opposed to God's plan and turning toward Him. As we believe more strongly (by learning what God has done and what He offers), we are more likely to repent. And repentance is ultimately all or nothing.

Did Jesus tell us to repent in order to bring in the kingdom, or so that we could join the kingdom? Matthew 13 gives several parables that begin with "the kingdom is like." Most of them describe gathering and winnowing. In farming, winnowing is the process of removing the non-nutritious parts of the harvest and leaving just the good grain. The Greek word for repent is metanoia, related to our own metamorphosis. We are changed, and our actions are changed, as Christ's righteousness (goodness) is actually given to us ("imparted" is the term theologians use). This suggests that we are invited more to join the kingdom than to create it.

"I'm going to teach you some things. Turn away from your old ways and follow me . . .," Jesus seems to be saying.

The kingdom is often described as a gathering to a specific place. But we are nearer to the kingdom than that would imply. We can join it without waiting for the final gathering. Jesus said that the kingdom was "near." It is all around, but not yet recognized. And it can be described as being in enemy territory, since this world is often opposed to God's intentions.

"Near" may indicate a time frame as well as physical closeness. When Jesus announced that the kingdom was near, He could have meant both. "Look! Here I am! The promised kingdom is arriving now!" as well as "Change your ways and join me as I establish the kingdom in people around you." As people are transformed by God, they have an impact on the world around them. In fact, people have an impact (influence, help, hinder) on others all the time; followers of Jesus should have a positive impact.

When we become Christians, it is almost like finding a secret society. The church, when it is persecuted, flourishes. Ignoring the church is a more effective strategy if one wants to limit its effectiveness.

Jesus is the embodiment of the kingdom. It was made available through his death and resurrection.

If being a follower of Jesus Christ doesn't define you, you aren't a follower of Jesus Christ. David shared an introduction someone once made of herself: "I am Dianne Jones, a follower of Jesus Christ brilliantly disguised as a bank teller." Each of us is invited to become as close a follower as that.

The kingdom has a past, when it was begun by Jesus. The kingdom has a present, when any believer opens her or his life to allow God to work. The kingdom has a future, when Christ returns and all is placed under Him (meaning there will be no more enemy territory).

When we pray "your kingdom come," what are we praying for? We mentioned the expansion of the kingdom, justice in our world, removal of difficulties (especially those caused by evil), and holiness. When we deliberately pray for the kingdom corporately (as a group, knowing that we are joining with others to pray for the same reasons), we are asking God to bring about His plan and purpose for our universe. This prayer helps us to gain God's perspective for the world. And we hope to become messengers of the kingdom.

There are competing kingdoms. The kingdom of God is different from the kingdom of the world. We certainly want to identify ourselves with God's kingdom, but too much separation can keep us from connecting with those who are in the world's kingdom. Besides competion with the world's kingdom, the kingdom of God also has competition with our own lives. This part of the Lord's prayer asks Him to help us shift from selfishness to God's designs. This expresses our willingness to let God win, defeating our personal kingdoms.

Summation of the first part of the Lord's prayer:

• Recognition and adoration of God comes first (He is in heaven)
• There is intimacy and mystery in prayer (our Father has a hallowed name)
• God is not confined to a place (kingdom is everywhere)
• We can be resigned to God's will or cooperative

In the morning worship service, Pastor Brad emphasized many of the same points we'd discussed. Especially, some of us noted his declaration, "When we repent, we agree with God that the past will not have power over our future."

What's Missing in the Lord's Prayer

November 28, 2010
Matthew 6:9-13
More word studies from the Lord's Prayer

What's missing?

Jesus gave His disciples a prayer to help them (and us) connect more closely to God. The disciples already had several models of prayer from the Psalms and from traditions. The class listed several items that are sometimes included in prayers but which are not specifically mentioned in the Lord's prayer.

• "In Jesus' name" from John 14:13-14
• Holy Spirit
• Doctrines
• Vengeance, as in many of the Psalms
• "Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever" was not in the earliest forms of the prayer
• Health or safety, yet many of our public prayers concentrate almost exclusively on hospital lists
• Telling God what's going on
• "Teach me your word, teach me your way"
• Preaching or making announcements (sometimes a temptation when someone forgot to cover things earlier in the service!)

Of course, not having the words doesn't mean the ideas weren't covered. The prayer has been prayed in public settings for nearly two thousand years, and it was probably intended as a public prayer. But it has served as a model for private prayer just as long.

The phrases "Your kingdom come, your will be done" are perhaps another way of saying "In Jesus' name," and probably inspired "Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory." And of course, the words of the prayer are Jesus' words, so that praying them may indeed be considered "in Jesus' name."

Asking God for what is needed today is easily expanded to cover more than daily food, so may include teaching or health.

Vengeance may actually be forbidden by the prayer, though asking for God's will may be seeking His justice.

And preaching, teaching (even doctrine), and making announcements are focused on communicating with each other, not with God.

Last week, the class looked at "Our Father." We continued looking at specific phrases.

In heaven: Where is God? The Old Testament often focuses on God's presence in Jerusalem, and in the temple (Psalms 48, 123), though it also shows that God is not localized anywhere (Psalm 122, Isaiah 66).

In Roman times, there were different gods promoted, with a resulting fear among many that they may not be worshiping their own gods properly. This phrase, "in heaven," might have been a subtle declaration that Jesus' followers were acknowledging the one, true God. The God Jesus leads us to is not a localized deity, only in charge of the temple or city where He is honored. Heaven suggests overarching authority.

We reminded ourselves that God is not limited to a heaven "out there somewhere." We need to balance between "God is not the same as us; He is holy, and He is in charge" and "God is closer than a brother."

We talked about some of the ways we try to keep that balance. Some of us have pictured God sitting in a chair near us in prayer groups, to illustrate His nearness. Some have heard worship leaders who describe God as watching our involvement in the service and challenging us to be demonstrative to show God how much we care about Him. Both these can be helpful, but both have drawbacks. God is more than just another participant in the prayer session, and He is certainly more involved in our worship than as a spectator.

Hallowed be your name: Hallowed means holy, set apart, and sacred. Name becomes a description of who a person really is, including title, authority, and power. We were reminded that the Jewish people have been very cautious about misusing the name of God, refusing even to pronounce it carelessly. For Christians, to take God's name in vain is to live in contradiction to His holiness.

Do our own lives demonstrate the holiness and power of the Christ we are following?

Ancient Hebrew thought suggested that there was power in knowing someone's name. The attitude of Treebeard, in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, was mentioned: He found the hobbits a bit hasty when they gave him their names right away, and was reluctant to do the same. (As Dale began to address a new topic, Elliott simply said "Dale," stopping the discussion for a moment and causing Dale to look at him. This was a deliberate demonstration of the power inherent in using a name to attract attention and to change what was going on.)

Thy will, debts and trespasses: Our discussions took us ahead to other parts of the prayer, without going into great detail.

When we are thinking of living holy lives, the phrase "thy will be done" can be a challenge to us. How completely do we mean that prayer? All of our life is to be centered upon God.

The class continues to wonder whether "debts" or "trespasses" is the better description of what Jesus was teaching us to forgive. The Greek phrase usually translated "debts" implies moral debts. The word "trespass" suggests crossing boundaries, whether known or unknown. And straightforward financial debts were a burden to many, if not most, people in first century Palestine.