Leader Packet
THE COMING GOLDEN AGE: “THY KINGDOM COME”
Matthew 6:10
Getting Started
1. When we turn on the news or read any headlines, it doesn't take long to see that the world needs God. Keeping in mind the central message of this week’s sermon, “Thy Kingdom Come,” how could the world look different under the influence of the coming Kingdom of God? We are all seeing the chaos of the world unfolding - the purpose of this question is to lay the foundation of “how it is” as compared to “how it could/ought to/will be.” Now, it could be easy for your group to get wound up and stuck in a space of swapping headlines and fears and things they’ve heard, etc. Do your best to keep the discussion from getting too mired in all of that, while understanding that your group may need to get some things off their chests. This question shouldn't take up a lot of time, but is necessary for getting the group “in the room.”
2. How does the state of things weigh on you? What do you do with that? Encourage people to make this personal, whether it’s how the current world events impact them, their personal difficulties as they walk through a fallen world, or just how it is that they personally maintain their grasp on hope. This should be a sweet time of empathy and reflection.
Digging Deeper
1. Read Matthew 6:10. How is the perspective of this prayer different from one that views the world as being in constant chaos? What kind of outlook does “thy kingdom come” promote? Pastor Jeremiah said, “There are two phases of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus. The first is the present reality of the kingdom of grace, the church of the Lord Jesus, which is growing in the world right now. Jesus is the king over the hearts of millions of people who are following Him in their homes and to the ends of the earth. But the ultimate fulfillment of this second petition of the Lord’s prayer will be answered as soon as Christ returns and sets up a visible, geopolitical kingdom [on earth].”
2. We heard the phrase, “Already but not yet.” How is the kingdom of God already
here? In what way is it yet to come? Those of us who know Jesus Christ as our
Lord are currently—at this moment—citizens of the Kingdom of God on this
earth. We are walking models of those who have allowed the Lord to reign on
the throne of our hearts. We are Kingdom people, infiltrating the earth for His
purposes.