Westtown Church
Westtown Church
The Praise of Living and Giving
Jesus concludes The Lord's Prayer in Matthew with "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen." This closing praise to God our Father who is King, who is in control, and who gets the glory. Spoiler alert! It isn't us! But that is good news! Together we'll understand why as we venture Forward in Faith!
Good morning, westfield Church. We're going to be in Matthew 6 one more time this morning, and then we really are. Some of you may have thought I forgot about 1 Corinthians. I really didn't. We're going back there, starting next week, going back to the love chapter. So we put that on pause several months ago ago and we are going to go back there, but we are certainly not at the end of our Forward in Faith campaign. That's going to go on for a good many years to come, frankly. But, like I said, we're going to go back to 1 Corinthians.
Speaker 1:But for this morning I want to take a look at the doxology that's at the end of the Lord's Prayer, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Now there's a couple of things I want to point out to you about this doxology. First of all, if you have a King James Bible, a New King's James, the 1995 version of the New American Standard Bible those three popular Bibles you'll notice the Indian doxology. It follows immediately after the sixth petition about deliverance from evil. If you have an ESV which I have right here if you have an NIV New International Version or if you have the 2020 New American Standard Bible, the newer one, you'll notice that the doxology is there, but they stuck it in the footnote.
Speaker 1:Now I don't want to get lost in manuscript debates. I don't think that would be the best use of our time this morning, frankly. But I do think that it's worth pointing out a few things about this. First of all, I want you to know there's very few places in our New Testament where you have these kinds of manuscript debates. You'll see, for example, at the end of Mark's gospel, the 16th chapter, verses 9 through 20, you'll see some notations in your Bible. That's a debated section. You'll see over in 1 John 5, verses 7 and 8, you'll see another notation over there. There are relatively few of these. I want to assure you of this. None of these manuscript debates on these relatively few passages brings one fundamental truth of the Christian faith into question. It doesn't change any of that. And so, in fact, if you were to study the manuscript evidence regarding the New Testament in fact also with the Old, but with the New Testament you would be strengthened in your confidence greatly that we do indeed have the very Word of God preserved for us.
Speaker 1:We have, you know, the New Testament, of course, was written in Greek. We have about 5,800 New Testament Greek manuscripts. So that's sort of the fountain from where a lot of these manuscripts come from. There's about 10,000 New Testament Latin manuscripts. There's around 9,300 New Testament manuscripts that are written in all kinds of different languages, not to mention if you were to go back and read through the early church fathers, those theologians of the first several hundred years of the church, what you would find is you could virtually put the entire New Testament together practically from just all their voluminous quoting of the scriptures. So we have the Word of God preserved for us. You add up all those manuscripts, you're around 25,000 for the New Testament. Last time I looked and maybe it's updated by now the Iliad was the second most attested ancient book, at 643, I believe, manuscripts. There's nothing even close to the testimony of the scriptures, and so you could have that confidence.
Speaker 1:In a nutshell, I want to affirm this doxology is the very word of God this morning, and I believe you should too. I just want to give you a few reasons for the very word of God this morning, and I believe you should too. I just want to give you a few reasons for it, since it's a footnote and people might think. What's that about? I think you should affirm this as the word of God.
Speaker 1:First of all, the fact it's not over in Luke's version of the Lord's Prayer, luke 11, I think that is a not at all compelling case as to why the doxology wasn't here in Matthew chapter 6. Jesus was preaching and teaching to two different audiences there. He would preach according to certain themes, of course, so I don't think that's a very good argument. Secondly, jesus himself was Jewish and I think, jesus being a rabbi, I think he knew that Old Testament pretty well. What do you think? I think he did, don't you? And so listen, listen closely to the King James Version of 1 Chronicles 29.11. Thine, o Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine. Thine is the kingdom of the Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. So at least we know this doxology here in Matthew 6 is biblical, but I think I know where Jesus got that doxology.
Speaker 1:And then you see, in the Apostle Paul's writing to Timothy, 2 Timothy 4.8, you hear what's called an allusion to a doxology. An allusion is not a quote, but you can tell there's enough crossover that it's reflected in what he wrote 2 Timothy 4.18,. Remember the sixth petition of the Lord's prayer. It ends with deliver us from evil and then the doxology, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Well, listen to what Paul writes to Timothy here, and the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. You hear in this passage the crossover evil kingdom, glory forever, amen. And so where did Paul learn this? He would have been writing after the time of Christ. Where did he learn this? I think I know where he learned it. I think it was reflected in Jesus' prayer and also in Chronicles.
Speaker 1:And then I want to just point out this the Lord's Prayer here in Matthew is embedded in a larger sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, which is Matthew, chapters 5, 6, and 7. And you may remember when we first did a sermon on the Lord's Prayer, it was a preparatory sermon, one of the major themes of the Lord's Prayer and the teaching of Matthew, chapter 6,. Jesus was concerned that the Pharisees were doing things praying, fasting, giving, whatever it may be for the wrong motive. If you look in chapter 6, verse 2, for the glory of men. He was rebuking them for doing things for the glory of men. So should it surprise us that Jesus, now he's teaching us disciples to pray, both beginning and ending with God and his glory. I frankly think it's stranger that the prayer would just end with, in this context, with evil. And lastly, not to weary you.
Speaker 1:But let me just point out the early Christian writings of the first several hundred years of the church. The Didache, late first century that's extremely close to the apostles may even had access to some of those original manuscripts or some of the very, very early copies. It includes the doxology with a very mild tweak. There's a famous Greek theologian and preacher called John Chrysostom. He was a golden tongue. They would call him latter fourth century. He has it in his sermons. It's also found in the apostolic constitution, late fourth century and others.
Speaker 1:Now you might think, why should you care? Well, we have some people up here that are going off to college, and what do some of the professors at college like to do with the Bible? Oh, do you see? You can't rely on that. Let me show you some things, and they'll go here and they'll go there and they'll plant seeds of doubt. And sometimes all you don't even necessarily Satan showed in the garden. You don't even have to necessarily so much convince somebody. You just have to plant that seed of doubt. And I want you to know that we have the very word of God. There are good reasons for including this, and even if it wasn't to be included, it's very biblical in its nature. So that's one reason. But I will tell you, probably even more important or just as important, by having this doxology at the end of the Lord's prayer.
Speaker 1:What Jesus is teaching us is all of our knowledge of God ought to end in praise. Our theology, that which we learn about God, should always end up in doxology praise to Him. You see this in so many places in the Scriptures. For example, how does the Psalms end? You know the psalmist is praying throughout the 150 Psalms there and of course there's praise mixed in there. But by the time you get to the end of the Psalter, what do you have? It's like the end of a firework show. The last four or five Psalms are just nothing but praise the Lord. Everything that has breath, everything that has breath trees, rocks, birds, everything, animals. Praise the Lord Everything in creation and in history is moving toward the pure praise of God.
Speaker 1:You see, in Romans 11, paul has given 11 chapters of theology and the longest explanation of the gospel. And we get to the end of Romans 11, what happens? He burst into doxology with God, right. So you also see it throughout Paul's letters. Have you ever noticed, when you're reading his letters, like Ephesians or Colossians or Philippians or whatever it is, he'll be writing along and as he's thinking about God and what he's done and who he is, all of a sudden he just bursts into doxology right in the middle of the letter. In Ephesians he does it several times. That's what our knowledge of God should do to us. You see, the devil has knowledge of God, but it never ends up in worship. True knowledge of God always leads us to worship, and I think that's one of the important functions of this doxology, not just here at the end of the Lord's Prayer, but you see it in so many places throughout the Scriptures.
Speaker 1:Well, let's pray and then we'll begin. Father, thank you for this time in your Word, and we thank you that you're patient with us and you teach us how to pray, and you teach us how to live, and I pray God now as we come to your word, your Holy Spirit would be at work in our hearts and minds and you would help us to see the glory of Christ in your grace. Help us by the Holy Spirit. We ask, even as we pray that prayer our Savior taught us, even as we pray that prayer our Savior taught us. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power forever. Amen. I'm going to give you four points Now I'm going to tell you something, so you don't panic when I go to point three.
Speaker 1:My first two points are quite large. My last two are quite small, so don't worry. So Jesus, I think, is packing some really wonderful things in here for us that are practical and will help us, I think, strengthen our faith. The first thing is arguing. Jesus is teaching us here to make an argument when we pray is arguing. Jesus is teaching us here to make an argument when we pray. Now I'm not saying he's saying give God our Father some lip with a bad attitude. It's not that kind of arguing, of course. It's the kind of arguing where which I think is ignored in a lot of modern prayers it's where you make a petition to God but then you follow it with reasons as to why God should answer that prayer or that petition or a series of petitions.
Speaker 1:So, for example, in Job, job was at a time where he was suffering horribly and terribly and he couldn't sense God's presence with him. Suffering horribly and terribly and he couldn't sense God's presence with him. And so listen to what he says in the 23rd chapter, verses three and four oh that I knew where I might find him. Oh that I knew where I might find the Lord, that I might come even to his seat. I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. He would pray with arguments, king David. I'll give you an example from the Psalms. You see this all over the place.
Speaker 1:Listen, psalm 6, verse 2, david's praying be gracious to me, o Lord. Now he could have stopped right there. But he says be gracious to me, o Lord, for I am languishing. Heal me, o Lord. He could have stopped there, but listen, for my bones are troubled. You see, he's given a reason why God should be gracious to him and why he should heal him. Now, of course, what's he appealing to? Be gracious to me, o Lord, because I am languishing. He's appealing. He knows God is compassionate to me, lord, because I am languishing. He's appealing. He knows God is compassionate, he knows God is full of compassion. He's appealing to God.
Speaker 1:You parents, you moms, you know the difference between a regular cry of your child, maybe a manipulative cry, and one where they're really hurt. And if you hear the cry where they're really hurt, does that not get your attention in a hurry? You see, that's the heart of God. David knows the heart of his God and so he's saying being gracious to me, lord, because I'm languishing. If your child called you and said help me, mom and dad, I'm really hurting, is that a powerful appeal? Our God is the same way.
Speaker 1:David's taken his knowledge of the compassionate heart of God and he's using that as a reason as to why God should answer his prayer. Notice, he finds the reason not in himself, but in God. God, this is how you are. Help me, heal me, for my bones are troubled. Same thing A little farther down in Psalm 6, listen to how he prays troubled. Same thing A little farther down in Psalm 6, listen to how he prays Turn O Lord, deliver my life, save me.
Speaker 1:Could have stopped, but he goes on and gives several reasons. For the sake of your steadfast love, save me. For the sake of your steadfast love. What does he mean? Save me so that people will see how loyal and faithful and merciful and loving you are to me, even when I fail. You're that kind of faithful God, even when I'm not. Glorify how great your faithfulness, lord, is. By saving me, show the world.
Speaker 1:You see, david was a king and as goes the king, goes the people. And so he doesn't stop there. He gives another reason for or we could say because because in death there's no remembrance of you In Sheol, the realm of the dead or the grave in Sheol who will give you praise? He's not saying there's no praise in heaven. That's not what he means. He just knows what a great privilege it is. He knows the purpose for why. He was born to praise God and glorify God with his lips before people. And he realized what a great honor and privilege it is to be living, to be able to glorify God before others and he wanted to be able to participate in that and continue to participate in that. Now you're just gonna find this thing everywhere. Once you see it and begin to note it, you'll see it all over the place and see God is trying to teach us how we can pray.
Speaker 1:Our faith, I think, is not strengthened as much as it could be from our prayers with God, because too often we don't give any arguments in our prayers. We just tell God what we want. Now you got to be careful. You don't want to get a legalistic spirit with prayer and you don't want to ever be sitting in a room and somebody prays and they don't use an argument after you're thinking oh there's, you know, violation. No, that's not the point. That's not the point. In fact, you don't have to legalistically put an argument every time you do a prayer. That's not what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:God doesn't need to be informed as to the reasons why we need help. He knows all things right. But as we're communing with God, god knows all the good reasons. But when we do this, rooted in his character and his goodness and grace and faithfulness, when we appeal to him according to his compassion, for example, as David did. That honors him, and not only does it honor him. At the same time, our faith is strengthened as we're remembering and meditating, as we commune with God on his compassion and we're thinking about his compassion, and so we commune with God in prayer. But it's not just a data dump. We're taking the knowledge that we've learned about God and putting it to work in prayer, and God is honored by it and our faith is strengthened.
Speaker 1:Let me give you an example. I can pray Father, save my friend Mike. Now that's a good prayer, nothing wrong with that prayer. But I can also say Father, save my friend Mike, for you're a fountain of love and compassion. Lord Jesus, save Mike, because I know that you're a fountain of love and compassion. Lord Jesus, save my, because I know that you're a friend of sinners. And as you're praying and you begin to think about the character of God and who Christ is, you can begin to sense that your faith is being bolstered.
Speaker 1:It's a form of preaching to your soul, even as you commune with God. You see this a lot. Martyn Lloyd-Jones pointed out Psalms 42 and 43 do this, that we need to learn to preach to ourselves, even in prayer. That little couplet, psalms 42 and 43, some of you may remember it. Why are you downcast, o my soul, right, hope in God? Then he'd go on to pray a little bit while later. Why are you down, casto my soul? Hope in God. He kept praying. Then he came back a third time. Why are you down, casto my soul? Pray in God. So even as he's praying to God, he's preaching to his own soul. But when we give reasons and arguments for what we're asking from God, that has the same effect as preaching to our own hearts.
Speaker 1:So notice what Jesus has presented in the Lord's Prayer. He's given these six fundamental petitions. And these six fundamental petitions, in a real sense, are you can take all the prayer petitions in the scriptures and they can all kind of be condensed into this summary of these six petitions. They could fall under one of these heads or they're related to one of those heads. Similar, you can take all the commandments of the Bible and they can be condensed and they're related to the Ten Commandments. So that's what Christ has given us.
Speaker 1:So Jesus has taught us to pray that God would what. Hallow His name, father, hallow your name, glorify your name, spread the fame of your greatness and your goodness across our community, across our nation and the world. Jesus has taught us to pray that he would establish his kingdom, that his kingdom would come and that his will would be done. And you may remember his kingdom being his rule and reign in the hearts and lives of people. Let it be on earth as it is in heaven, lord, let you reign and rule in people's hearts down here on earth, just like it's ruling and reigning in heaven, in their hearts, where they're glorified and his wills being that which turns all things to good for his children, and that people would joyfully obey his commandments and his will in that sense. And then we? So we pray for God to hallow his name, spread his kingdom and establish his will on earth. Why, what's the reason? Why, what's the reason, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. That's the reason. And as you pray that to God, you're reminded of who God is. Even in your own soul, god is honored. Our faith is strengthened.
Speaker 1:Now Jesus has taught us to pray that our Heavenly Father would provide what Our daily bread. So of course that's making clear that it includes our physical needs. It also has a relationship to our spiritual needs as well. He's taught us to pray to our Father to forgive us of our sins, even as we forgive others of their sins against us. That's our fundamental spiritual need to have the forgiveness of our sins so that we can have that healthy and good and right relationship with God. And Jesus has also taught us to pray for what Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. And you may remember from last week, the reason is the fact is we've been weakened by sin spiritually and we live in spiritual danger.
Speaker 1:So why do we pray to our heavenly father? Why do we pray for daily bread? Why do we pray for the forgiveness of our sins and for protection and deliverance from evil? What's the reason? For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen. That's why I'll give you an example. Father, would you grant my brother, jerry, a good job, for you are the one who opens and closes every door and you delight to give your children good gifts much more than we give your children good gifts, much more than we. Father, would you destroy the drug trade and the drug cartels and kingpins and the drugs in our community and in our nation and in the world, because you are a just God and you hate wickedness and you hate violence and you hate greed and you hate the destruction of young people's lives and marriages and families and neighborhoods. Protect our children from drugs, lord Jesus, for it was you who said let the little children come unto me. And this is why I think we need to study the prayers of the Bible as we get to know God, our prayers.
Speaker 1:We can take that knowledge into our prayers and begin. We can keep it simple. We're not trying to impress God with our prayers. That's not the point. It's just honor Him and to strengthen ourselves by His grace and in His presence. You can take your Bible reading and use that knowledge in your daily Bible reading to turn it into prayer and so, and then, as you get to know God more and more, incorporate that into your prayer. Put your knowledge of God to work in your prayer life and I think you'll find that it will strengthen your heart, it'll strengthen your faith and you'll realize that not only do you need a preacher on Sunday up here during the week, you need to be a preacher to your own soul, in prayer and communion with God. So there's this idea of arguing in prayer.
Speaker 1:Then, secondly, jesus teaches us here to be confident. He's teaching us here to have great confidence when we pray. So when you look out on the world and you see so much rebellion against God in the world, in light of the reality of Satan and his army of demons that brings so much darkness and wickedness into the world, in a view of our own sinfulness, where does our confidence in prayer come from? For thine is the kingdom, father, for thine is the kingdom. You alone have the sovereign rule. You alone have the sovereign right to establish your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. You're the sovereign one. Kingdoms in this world rise and fall, they come and go, but your kingdom, your rule and reign, the rule and reign of King Jesus, cannot be shaken. Your kingdom can never be taken away from you, our God, our creator and our redeemer. For thine is the kingdom and thine is the power. Father, you alone have infinite power to carry out your good and holy and loving and just will and to bring to pass anything that you please.
Speaker 1:In the beginning, you were the one who said let there be light, and there was light. With a word, you created the heavens and the earth. You created all things visible and invisible. We agree with the psalmist, lord, that our God is in the heavens and that he does all that he pleases. Thine is the kingdom and the power, father. You gave Solomon wisdom that the heart of man plans his way, but it is the Lord who establishes his steps. We praise you that the Lord has established his throne in the heavens and your kingdom rules over all. We know, father, that you've declared the end from the beginning and from ancient times, things not yet done, as you said through Isaiah, you proclaimed my counsel shall stand and I will accomplish all my purpose.
Speaker 1:Risen, lord Jesus. You are wisdom and you granted it to Solomon, who said to us the lot is cast into the lap, but it's every decision is from the Lord and Father. We know from your word that, even though Jesus was crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men, and yet he was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of you, o God, for thine is the kingdom and the power. O Heavenly Father, may your kingdom come. May it come into the hearts and minds of those who visit our church and who are in our community. May the rule and reign of King Jesus subdue the hearts of sinners and saints alike, by the subdue, the hearts of sinners and saints alike, by the work of the Holy Spirit, because it was you who so loved the world, this dark and rebellious world, you so loved this world that you gave your only begotten son that whosoever should believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Speaker 1:Oh, father, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, in my life, in the life of my family, our church and in this community, indeed in our nation. For you are a sovereign God and you declared to your wayward people and I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you, father, it was you who declared and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh, a tender heart. And, father, it was you who promised that I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. Lord Jesus, you are the great physician, thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. And, father, would you give us our daily bread and meet our every need and grant us a spirit of peace and contentment with all that you have graciously provided for us, because you know that each of us. You know, lord, us better than we know ourselves. You know what we need, and it was you who fed the Israelites with manna in the wilderness for 40 years.
Speaker 1:It was you, lord, who brought water from a rock, for thine is the power and, father, would you forgive us of all of our sins as we draw near to you? You've promised to draw near to us, and so remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions, for, lord Jesus, you died for my sins, you died for our sins, and you are our Savior, who even prays for his enemies. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Father, forgive our sins, even within the Christian life, for there are many, and we have sinned against much light that you've given us by your word and your spirit. But you saved us by grace alone. You saved us by faith alone, as a free gift, so that no one may boast, even when we were dead in trespasses and sins.
Speaker 1:And so forgive us, father, for it was you who, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which you loved us, made us alive together with Christ, and it was you who have seated us in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. If you, o Lord, should mark iniquities, o Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared, that you may be worshipped and loved and served and revered, that you may be delighted in. So forgive us of our sins, for thine alone is the kingdom and the power and the glory. And Father, lead us not into temptation, for my spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak, sometimes very weak, and with Paul, there are times I do the things, those very things that I hate. Deliver me from evil, for it was you, lord Jesus, who overcame the devil in the wilderness. It was you who overcame the assault of all the powers of hell at that bloody cross, when you died for our sins and Christ. It was you, and you alone, who have lived that perfectly sinless life, anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit. And it was you, father, who sent forth, along with the Son, the Holy Spirit into our hearts to make us holy, that we could be a light in this world, that we could be the salt of the earth. And it was you, lord Jesus, who will cast one day that great dragon, satan and the beast, into the fires and pit of hell at the judgment. So protect us from sinning and protect us from all evil. Father for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Father for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory. Dear brothers and sisters, we have every reason to have great confidence as we go forward in faith together, in our personal lives and in this church. We serve a great and good God, amen. Now remember these two are short. Hopeful is the third thing. So Jesus is teaching us how to argue reverently. He's teaching us in this doxology this is how we strengthen our faith and confidence. And then he's teaching us here to be filled with hope as we pray.
Speaker 1:Remember this little word forever. My son was in the first service and I remember I think he was about five and I remember that time. You just remember things as a parent that stick out to you and, being a good Presbyterian, you know I was teaching my kids the catechism. You know Every Presbyterian kid learns. What is the chief end of man or what is your primary purpose? The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. One day I just said the chief end of man is to glorify and enjoy God. And I paused and after a few seconds, from the back seat, my five-year-old son, drew, said don't forget forever, dad. You're right, drew. That's absolutely right. That's a very important word because, you see, god will never change. It will always be his kingdom, it will always be his power, it will always be his power, it will always be his glory, aren't you glad? That can never change. These blessings go forever.
Speaker 1:We live on this side of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We live on this side of the one who suffered and died for our sins, who's risen from the dead, who ascended into heaven, who sits at the right hand of God, the Father, right now and is ruling and reigning over all things, working out God's perfect eternal plan. Yes, it baffles us, but what a blessing to be under his protection. And one day he's going to come again and he will clean up the mess we've made, and it will be a great day, and he'll make all things new. Clean up the mess we've made, and it will be a great day and he'll make all things new. That's who's teaching us this prayer. Is the Lord Jesus Christ, our savior, the elder brother of all of us Christians, of us who believe in his name, and so we pray and we live and we give in light of eternity.
Speaker 1:This life does not get the last word. Satan does not get the last word. This world does not get the last word. Satan does not get the last word. This world does not get the last word. Our death does not get the last word. This doxology reminds us God gets the last word. He gets the first word and he gets the last. Aren't you glad this is our God. He gets the last word because it's his kingdom and power and glory. And there's a day coming when the dwelling place of God is with men and he will dwell with us. His beloved children and God himself will be with us as our God and he will wipe away every tear from our eyes and death shall be no more, and neither shall there be mourning nor crying or pain anymore, for the former things will have passed away.
Speaker 1:I wonder this morning are you praying in light of eternity? Are you living your life in light of eternity? Eternity is a very long time. You were made for eternity. You, young people. You were made with eternal souls and God is going to grant you an eternal body. Are you giving of your time and talent and treasure in light of eternity. Jesus taught this to his disciples who are children of God, our Father, who art in heaven. That's how the prayer begins. As you sit in God's house this morning, do you know God as your heavenly father through faith in Christ alone? Do you have that assurance? Do you live your life out in light of that identity, as a child of God who's beloved of God, the Father? To him alone be the glory. We're to live hopeful, and hope is not a wish, it's a certain thing based on the promises of God which will never fail.
Speaker 1:Lastly, and even more briefly, sincerity. Jesus is teaching us here. Fourthly, to be sincere of heart. As we pray, don't miss that little word amen, that little Hebrew word it's, you know, let it be, may it be so. It's our seal on everything we've prayed. Yeah, I'm going to put my name to that Amen.
Speaker 1:I agree. It means we serially affirm in our hearts that we long for these things that are in this lord's prayer or whatever it is that we've prayed or someone else prayed that we added the amen to say I'm with you on that. It says to god I'm sincere about what I just prayed. I really do live and want to see your name hallowed. I really do want your kingdom to come and your will be done. Lord, I really do depend upon you and need to know. I depend upon you for daily bread and the forgiveness of my sins and protection from my own sin and from evil all around.
Speaker 1:But it means we serially affirm in the heart that we long for these things, that God will be faithful and answer us according to his promises and that he will answer us listen not according to our merit or worthiness, but according to his grace and power and for our good and for our salvation. That we join the saints and angels of heaven with this doxology. We join the saints and angels of heaven with this doxology. Brother, we have every reason, as we move forward in faith, in our personal lives and as a church, to be greatly confident and to live in certain hope. Why? Because Jesus Christ has died for our sins. He's risen from the dead, he's interceding for us in heaven right now, and if God is for us, who can be against us? And he's coming again and he will make all things new. So let's go forward with confidence and with a faith that's filled with hope.