This
message concludes the series on the Lord’s Prayer. Some might argue the sermon shouldn’t
exist. Why that’s so should be clear in
a bit. As we enter the Advent season, we
will next turn to some of those themes.
Matthew 6:13 (You might have to look
hard for it.)
I really don’t have a text this
morning, though most of you could quote it.
Instead, let me tell you a story.
Francis Bellamy was a Baptist minister
in Boston. He was dismissed from his
church because of his socialist sermons.
But he isn’t remembered for his sermons—he wrote the Pledge of
Allegiance [used by many American schools and organizations] in 1892. He apparently wrote
it for a local school. Bellamy couldn’t
say all he wanted to say; he had to
leave out “equality” because some might think he meant African-Americans and
women were to be regarded as equal. The
pledge underwent a few other changes but the most notable has been the subject
of debate in recent years. It wasn’t
until 1954 that the words “under God” were added by Congress, after an intense
campaign by the Knights of Columbus.
Many were happy with the change because
they believed the words just belonged there.
Some people may have felt the same
about the familiar ending of the Lord’s Prayer, “for thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.”
Most modern translations omit the
final words of the prayer as we know it.
The best of the New Testament manuscripts do not have it, so the
majority of scholars believe it was never part of the original prayer. Roman Catholics have never used it. Still, it is a very ancient way to end the
prayer. Someone, ages ago, believed it
was appropriate.
Perhaps some reader jotted down a
devotional thought and a later copyist thought it was an omission that needed
to be corrected by including it in the new text. We just don’t know. Whoever wrote the original words was a thoughtful believer, one who thought of the implications of this prayer and of the Kingdom of God.
This morning I’m going to take these words,
not so much as a text, but as a starting point for summing up some thoughts
about the Lord’s Prayer.
[Some
writers make much of the “changes” in the New Testament text—they even describe
them as errors. They do exist. Hand-copied manuscripts would almost
inevitably have omissions, misspellings, changes in word order, and so on. At the same time, there were a few
additions—perhaps done in a scenario like that I described above. What’s important to remember is that we have
enough New Testament manuscripts that scholars have been able to essentially
reconstruct the originals and that none of the changes effect any doctrine or
assertion of the text.]
As we pray this prayer we should keep
in mind that
The Kingdom is God’s Kingdom.
--We are building a spiritual
kingdom, not a political kingdom.
--The Kingdom we are building is
governed by God’s rules. His rules are
far different than those of any earthly kingdom.
Entrance into this Kingdom begins
with humility and a confession of profound need. (“Repent and believe….”)
Greatness in this Kingdom belongs to
those who most seem like servants.
Charles Swindoll was on target when he said, “In God’s family
there is to be one great body of people: servants. In fact, that’s the way to
the top in his kingdom.”
The breadth of this Kingdom is
beyond our imagination. We are to echo
Christ in inviting the wrong sorts of people into the Kingdom. Groucho Marx once received a letter informing
him that he had just been accepted as a member in a certain club in
Hollywood. He wrote back to decline the
offer, saying, “I could never belong to a club which would have me as a
member.” The membership rules of the Kingdom
of God are even looser.
The Kingdom we
are building advances no matter how loud the critics, how powerful the
opposition, or how “powerless” its agents.
We think of Iran as a home for
radical Islam. It is also the home of
taxi drivers who risk their live to tell others about Christ, where men and
woman bravely and joyously submit to baptism to show their loyalty to
Christ. The police beat believers but
their threats cannot overcome the appeal of the gospel, their hate cannot trump
the love of Christ.
As we pray this prayer we should keep
in mind that
The Kingdom Relies on God’s Power.
Recognizing our limits is one of the
most important lessons in prayer.
Understanding that God is able to answer our prayers, to do what seems
to be so impossible, gives us a sense of security when we pray.
God’s power often moves through us to
accomplish the goals of this prayer.
--as we seek to become instruments
though whom God’s will is done in this world.
--as we struggle with the power of
temptation and the wiles of the Evil One.
--as we face the challenge of
forgiving our enemies. Corrie Ten Boom
was in her mid-forties when the Nazis invaded her homeland of Holland. She and her sister lived with their parents
above her father’s watch shop. They were Christians who felt they had to
help the Jews. They hid them in a
special room but were found out and sent to the camps. Only Corrie survived. This story comes from a few years after the
war. Corrie often traveled to tell her
story and share the gospel.
|
It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, a former S.S. man
who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at
Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since
that time. And suddenly it was all there – the roomful of mocking men, the
heaps of clothing, Betsie's pain-blanched face. He came up to me as the
church was emptying, beaming and bowing. “How grateful I am for your message,
Fraulein.” He said. “To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!”
His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the
people …. the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side.
“You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk, ” he was saying. “I was a
guard there. But since that time, ” he went on, “I have become a Christian. I
know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would
like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein-” again the hand came
out-”will you forgive me?”
Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin
of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more?
Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him. I tried to
smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the
slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent
prayer. Jesus, I prayed, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness.
As I took his hand the most
incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand
a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love
for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me. And so I discovered that it is
not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing
hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along
with the command, the love itself.
|
|
|
|
So, what for many is the
most impossible idea of the prayer, becomes possible because of God power.
|
As we pray this prayer we should keep
in mind that
The Kingdom Exists to Bring God Glory.
Whether we are bowing our head before
we enjoy a simple meal or thanking God that a prodigal has come home, we are
giving God the praise which is rightfully his.
The atmosphere of the Kingdom
reflects the atmosphere of heaven. John
gives us a glimpse of the praise that marks that holy place.
He describes for angelic beings who
seem to have the task of calling all of heaven to worship God.
4:8. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was studded
with eyes all the way round as well as inside; and day and night they never
stopped singing:
Holy, Holy, Holy
is the Lord God, the Almighty;
who was, and is and is to
come."
9. Every time the living
creatures glorified and honoured and gave thanks to the One sitting on the
throne, who lives for ever and ever,
10. the twenty-four elders
prostrated themselves before him to worship the One who lives for ever and
ever, and threw down their crowns in front of the throne, saying:
11. You are worthy, our Lord
and God,
to receive glory and honour
and power,
for you made the whole
universe;
by your will, when it did
not exist, it was created.
After praising God for the glory of creation they turn to his work of
salvation.
5:9. They sang a new hymn:
You are worthy to take the
scroll
and to break its seals,
because you were sacrificed,
and with your blood
you bought people for God
of every race, language,
people and nation
Though Jesus
invites us to pray for our daily bread, our praying ought to never be just
about getting stuff from God; it ought to be about bringing him the praise that
is rightfully his.
Conclusion:
Some scholars
believe the unknown Christian who added these words to the Lord’s Prayer was
inspired by David’s words recorded in I Chronicles 29.
Yours, O Lord, is the greatness,
The power and the
glory,
The victory and
the majesty;
For all that is
in heaven and in earth is Yours;
Yours is
the kingdom, O Lord,
And You are
exalted as head over all.[1]
David was
recalling a lifetime of experiencing God’s faithfulness. That faithfulness had been seen in many ways.
--It was seen
in God bringing the shepherd boy to the throne.
-- It was seen
in God’s power that defeated David’s enemies.
-- It was seen
in God’s provision in times of hardship.
--It was seen
in God’s grace that David had discovered again and again.
None of us
have had David’s experiences, but as we think of God’s faithfulness when we
pray this prayer, we wouldn’t go wrong if we were to join David and that
unknown, well-meaning editor in lifting our voices in praise.
