If you grew up praying the Lord’s Prayer, you’ve probably said those words hundreds of times. But have you ever stopped to ask what you’re actually praying for?
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 KJV), He was teaching them to long for the rule and reign of God to come more fully into this world and into their lives.
But when Jesus began announcing the kingdom of heaven, it didn’t look like the kingdom everyone expected.
There was no palace. No army. No political revolution. Rome was still in power, and the religious leaders were already plotting against Him.
Instead, there was a Carpenter sitting in a boat telling stories.
Stories about a farmer scattering seed. Wheat growing beside weeds. A tiny mustard seed. Yeast hidden in dough. Treasure buried in a field. A pearl worth everything. A fishing net pulled from the sea.
We call them parables.
Beginning August 16, we’re starting a new five-week message series called “KINGDOM COME: How Jesus Revealed It in Parables.”
All five messages will come from Matthew 13, where Jesus used these simple stories to reveal the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. His parables were drawn from ordinary life, but they revealed extraordinary truth to those with receptive hearts.
The kingdom Jesus described was not primarily a place, but a presence. Not merely a realm, but a reign. Wherever Jesus the King is received, His rule begins transforming hearts and lives.
And one day, the kingdom that is now often hidden will be fully and visibly revealed when Christ returns.
Over these five weeks, we’ll discover what Jesus said His kingdom is like:
8/16/26 – #1 The Receptive Kingdom – Matthew 13:1–23
8/23/26 – #2 The Patient Kingdom – Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43
8/30/26 – #3 The Unstoppable Kingdom – Matthew 13:31–35
9/6/26 – #4 The Priceless Kingdom – Matthew 13:44–46
9/13/26 – #5 The Ultimate Kingdom – Matthew 13:47–58
We’ll begin this Sunday with “The Receptive Kingdom.”
Jesus tells of one sower scattering the same seed across four different kinds of soil. The seed doesn’t change, but the results are dramatically different because the soil is different.
And Jesus tells us the soil represents the condition of the human heart.
That means before we spend five weeks asking, “What do these parables teach us about the kingdom?” Jesus confronts us with an even more personal question:
Do we have ears to hear?
We can sit in church, hear sermons, read our Bibles, sing the songs, and know the right words while remaining resistant to what God is saying. The issue isn’t merely whether we’ve heard the Word. It’s whether we receive it, seek to understand it, and allow it to bear fruit in our lives.
So here’s how you can prepare for KINGDOM COME:
📖 Read Matthew 13 before Sunday. 🙏 Pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in me.” 👂 Come ready to listen for what Jesus is saying. 🌱 Ask God to make your heart good soil for His Word.
Some of the most important things Jesus ever said came wrapped in simple stories. A farmer. A field. A hidden treasure. They’re easy to overlook, but inside them is an invitation to something bigger than we’ve imagined.
Jesus is inviting us to live under the reign of the King.
So come explore the kingdom Jesus described, one story at a time.
Join us for KINGDOM COME.
And perhaps the best prayer we can pray as we begin is this:
“King Jesus, give me ears to hear, a heart to understand, and a life that bears fruit. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in me, as it is in heaven.”
