INTRODUCTION
Lord, teach us how to pray. This was the request from the disciples in Luke
chapter 11. During the past several weeks, we have paid special attention
to Jesus' answer to that question. We have taken an in-depth look at the
Lord's prayer as a blueprint for our own praying. Speaking for Drake, we
are so glad you have received these messages well and are putting the information
to good use as you spend time with God.
Today's message deals with the final request from that great prayer. It
functions as the conclusion, For Thine is the kingdom and the power and
the glory forever. Although this phrase is not found in the earliest manuscripts
of Matthew chapter six, the salutation of the Lord's prayer is certainly
Biblical in concept, for it presents the heartbeat not only of prayer, but
also of life in general. There is reason why we end the prayer this way.
The 400 year-old Heidelberg Catechism states that we pray this conclusion,
because God is our king, is willing and able to give us all that is good,
since He has power over all things, and that His name may be glorified forever.
Why pray? You might ask. For one, we should be encouraged to…
I. PRAY, BECAUSE GOD RULES THE
WORLD.
Matthew 6:13b, For Thine is the kingdom…. This sort of statement
conflicts with our human nature. We sometimes think we rule over our own
world, or that we have the ability to manipulate the world of others.
But the Bible says that regardless of how things might appear, God is
sovereign over human affairs. If we are not careful, we end up like Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon. In Daniel 4:28-37, Nebuchadnezzar said, Is not this the
great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power
and for the glory of my majesty? As we read earlier, God answered his
question mark with an exclamation point. Nebuchadnezzar was sadly mistaken.
So are we when we think this world is in the hands of anyone else besides
the ultimate hands of God. Sure, there is sin in our world. The devil
is very active. But these do not supercede the ultimate governing of God.
He is ultimately in charge.
We see this in Matthew 28:18 where Jesus appears to the twelve after His
resurrection and says, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given
to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age. This must have been very comforting
to Jesus' disciples. They had been brought low after seeing Jesus die
on the cross. They experienced elation after seeing him raised from the
dead. Now He commissions them to be His ambassadors to a lost and sinful
world. He makes two promises with the instructions given. The first was
that all authority belonged to Him. Secondly, He would be with them always.
Jesus makes the same two promises to every believer today. Maybe you are
here this morning and you're wondering about the purpose of your life.
Do you realize that Jesus rules it all? Maybe you are incredibly lonely.
All the people in the world that you counted on the most are no longer
with you. In your darkest hour, Christ is with you.
Some of us struggle with anxiety in the deepest and darkest way. Tomorrow
terrifies us with so many questions and concerns. Let this thought comfort
and strengthen you: God rules the world. He rules your life, too. He can
so order your life that nothing can happen to you that he has not first
permitted. Psalm 37:23 tells us, The steps of a man are established by
the LORD; And He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled
headlong; Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand. We must pray
because God rules the world. Secondly, we must…
II. PRAY, BECAUSE GOD IS NOT LIMITED IN ANY WAY.
Jesus taught us to pray, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power,
Here, we must understand that our God can do anything. Psalm 115:1 Not
to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your
love and faithfulness. 2 Why do the nations say, "Where is their
God?" Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. This is
so hard for us to understand, for we are limited in so many ways. We can't
get to work on time. We can't drop the extra ten pounds we've been trying
to for the last few years. We can't get our unbelieving relatives to trust
Christ. Time, space and ability hamper us. But not so with God. He is
one who is able to do anything He desires, in fact, He …works all
things after the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1:11). Someone once said,
Why worry, when you can pray? How true, that God would give us the outlet
of prayer to remind ourselves that He is able to do exceedingly beyond
all that we could ask or imagine (Eph. 3:20).
I want you to think of this the next time that your situation seems impossible.
When you're feeling like your back is up against the wall, don't forget
you serve a God of the impossible. If He can speak the universe into existence,
He can help you. If He can part the Red Sea, He can do anything for you.
If He can raise Jesus from the dead, he can deliver you. But this does
not mean that your every wish is His command. It could very well be that
His plan is greater than yours is. And it could be that what is causing
you misery is a passageway into greater awareness of His grace. In 2 Corinthians
12:7, Paul commented on his own life. To keep me from becoming conceited
because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a
thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I
pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My
grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
Some scholars believe that Paul had an eye condition. Some believe he
was referring to a dissenter to his work as an apostle. For you, it could
be your job that is on shaky ground. Maybe your marriage is struggling,
or has ended. Maybe you're having a hard time with an obstinate child.
Whatever your situation or worry is, remember to pray because, after all,
God is not limited in any way. He will either change the situation or
change you! Finally, let us be encouraged to….
III. PRAY, BECAUSE GOD ALWAYS KNOWS BEST.
Jesus taught us to pray, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and
the glory, forever. If there is anything that I think is stressed in this
prayer is that God knows best. His objectives are never thwarted. Someone
very wise once told me that God's chief purpose is to glorify Himself.
While doing it, He blesses us by making us more like Christ. That is why
the prayer begins, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it
is in heaven. This is hard for us because so often when we pray, we want
to force the hand of God. We ask for things and when they don't turn out
the way we'd hoped, we lose faith, become angry or let disappointment
grip our lives. But know that God will be glorified. When we make His
glory our chief purpose, we are one step closer to more meaning and peace
for our lives. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and
his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
A valuable lesson in glorifying God can be learned from a local pastor.
A few years ago, the Christian community lost a wonderful man of God.
Dr. James Boice, pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Center City for
32 years, died of cancer. His preaching and writing ministry was known
the world over. He was especially known for His work in uniting the evangelical
church, being one of the founding members of the Alliance of Confessing
Evangelicals. On the morning he announced his cancer to his congregation,
he had this to say.
This testimony is found at: http://www.tenth.org/articles/000507jmb.pdf
What a wonderful perspective in the midst of what seems
to be tragic. What a valuable lesson for all of us that when you put your
trust in Christ, you are not assured of smooth travel, but of safe landing.
CONCLUSION
Today, you have learned a good way to conclude all prayers. Jesus taught
us to pray, For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Would you see the application in it for your life? Would you relinquish
the thought of your absolute control to the thought that God rules the
world? Would you cease to be frustrated at your restriction while knowing
that God is not limited? And would you place your priorities second to
His, recognizing that He knows best? May these principles shape not just
the way you pray, but the way you think and live. To all of this, use
the word VAmh,n which means, truly indeed, or so may it be.
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