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| SERMON #126 "...For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." MAT 6:13b-15. Let's direct our attention to the blessedness of the four gospels. It must be understood that the accounts in the four gospels are similar to four people observing an accident that takes place at a street intersection. Imagine four people standing on four different street corners; each person sees the accident from a different direction, i.e., one from the the east, another from the west, one from the south, and one from the north. We will not get exactly the same account of what happened from each of those four people. Why? What caught one person's attention, didn't catch another's attention. Yet, there will be no contradictions if they accurately describe or report what they witnessed. There will be a difference among the accounts because they don't see it from the same perspective. When we consider the Lord's Prayer, Luke begins, "And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples, And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth," LUK 11:1-2. This is what caught the attention of Luke; therefore, that is what he recorded. In Matthew we find no mention of this. Matthew was talking about how the Lord was teaching them the need of prayer. Matthew starts with Chapter 6 to show how the Lord teaches the essential elements of prayer; he begins the Lord's Prayer with, "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name," MAT 6:9. There is also a difference between what Matthew says, "After this manner therefore pray ye," and what Luke says, "When ye pray, say..." This seems to imply that we are speaking of a form prayer; that we should recite the Lord's Prayer thus, but Luke's quotation of it isn't identical to Matthew's. Look at the closing of the Lord's Prayer. Matthew says, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." This is omitted in Luke's account. The passage that is this sermon's text never specifically caught Luke's attention, so he never recorded it, but Matthew did. There is a blessed harmony of the gospels; it is important to understand that they do not contradict each other. We also see a difference in the conclusion of the Lord's Prayer in the two accounts. The part that struck home to Luke was, "And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil," LUK 11:4. Then, Luke goes on to the importunity, or the need of persistence in prayer, with "And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend..." However, Matthew saw how Jesus pointed out, at the end of the prayer, the need of a forgiving spirit because his account says, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses," MAT 6:14-15. This is what Matthew saw, but Luke had a completely different observation. That does not mean one was right and the other one was wrong. It is important to understand that one thing will be much more important to one member than it is to another member of God's church. Just because one sees a blessedness in a certain portion of the gospel, doesn't mean it contradicts another person who sees a blessedness in a different portion of the gospel. Therefore, the Lord brings the gospel forward by more than one person. It is not good for any assembly to have but one speaker; they get only one person's observations then. It doesn't mean the man is wrong; it means they are getting one, of perhaps several persons' viewpoints. The Lord saw fit to have four gospels to bring forth the fullness of His Word. It is blessed to see the manner in which we are to pray. Jesus said in MAT 6:9, "After this manner therefore pray ye." Now let's touch on each element of the Lord's Prayer so we understand the significance of the doxology on the end of the Prayer. "...For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen" is a doxology. In order to see the significance of this doxology of praise and understand the manner in which we are to close our prayers, let's review the elements which precede it. When we pray "Our Father," we demonstrate a oneness of spirit; we don't say "My" Father. "Our" demonstrates the oneness of the body of Christ that we see in JOH 17:21, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." There must not be schism in the body. Satan feeds on it to bring blasphemy against the name of Christ. To the world (those who are not professing Christians) to hear those who profess to be Christians slandering one another gives such an occasion for the enemies of God to blaspheme. There must be a oneness of those who profess Christ; there must never be a time when we go before the unbelieving world and speak evil of one who professes Christianity. It must be "Our Father." Jesus says, "...that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." How do you suppose the world will have a reverence for Christ except that they see love among the brethren? That is the symbol we may not overlook. It is very important to understand that believers are human beings who are capable of doing wrong. The Lord Jesus gives us a test. Are we going to be able to suffer wrong and take it patiently? Why? It is that love which we demonstrate before the world. Jesus goes on to say in JOH 17:22 "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one." The righteousness of Christ is the glory of heaven. If Christ is formed in us, our right attitude towards our neighbour glorifies God. That is what Jesus meant when He said, "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one." Our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. It is a heart righteousness where our heart is right toward our neighbour. We not only refrain from killing another person physically, but we do not hate him in our heart. We love him, and our desire is for his salvation and his good. Verse 23 goes on, "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." It is significant how the gospel of Matthew brings forward the doxology, "...For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." It is setting forth the praise of God. The Lord's Prayer is concluded with this application: "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses," MAT 6:14-15. That forgiving spirit is an essential element of salvation. We may not claim salvation if we do not have a forgiving spirit. Jesus summarizes the Lord's Prayer in those verses. He has said it, and has said it again. It is not wrong to repeat something several times because it trains our thinking. Jesus said, "Verily, verily I say unto you..." He said it and will say it again to impress its importance upon our minds. The next element is "Our FATHER" which demonstrates the childlike spirit and simplicity spoken of in 1PE 2:2, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." If we are truly Christ's children, then we, like newborn babes, desire the sustenance provided by the Word. Our soul feeds upon the Word. The word Father demonstrates the childlike faith that trusts Him as our Provider. When we say, "...which art in heaven," it demonstrates a celestial spirit with heavenly thoughts and desires ahead of earthly needs; Jesus is telling us that we are coming before the God of heaven, and we must come with awe and reverence. We desire to hallow His name; we desire those things which are in heaven. Watch what we read in MAT 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." It doesn't mean counting down, planning to do this first, that second, etc. This verse means that we seek the Kingdom of heaven first; it is the highest priority of every petition. Our first and foremost desire must be for His glory. It is to come with a desire for His presence and a childlike trust that we can go to Him with our needs, and they will be supplied. When we say, "Hallowed be thy name," we demonstrate that all things we ask, i.e., our daily bread, as well as the pardoning of our sins, are for His glory. If we have a selfish religion, we ask to have our sins forgiven that we might escape hell, but if we have a Godly spirit, we want to have our sins forgiven because we have offended the majesty of heaven. If we have offended Him, we want our sins forgiven because our desire is to dwell with Him. It is our desire to live to His glory. We want to be pardoned so the breach is taken away. Watch what we see in PSA 99:2-3, "The LORD is great in Zion; and he is high above all the people. Let them praise thy great and terrible name; for it is holy." That was the prayer and desire of the psalmist. "Thy kingdom come" is a confession that by our fallen nature we are slaves under another kingdom, a kingdom that was established in the Garden of Eden. What was that kingdom? GEN 3:5 says, "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." In other words, under Satan's kingdom, you become the king of your life, you decide what is right and wrong, you decide, you choose what you want, you be a lord, and a sovereign. That kingdom must be broken down and destroyed before we can come under Christ's kingdom. "Thy kingdom come" speaks of the Kingdom of Christ where we can be as the Apostle Paul said in PHI 3:12, "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus." When we become apprehended, we are placed under arrest; we are taken captive, prisoners of Jesus Christ where we no longer have the freedom to exercise our wretched ways. Our will must now become dissolved in the will of God. That is what we mean when we say, "Thy kingdom come." It is a confession that we are slaves under another kingdom. In EPH 2:2 we read, "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience." The children of disobedience are those who are controlled by the spirit of the prince of the power of the air; by nature we serve under Satan's kingdom. "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven," demonstrates our need of sanctification, i.e., to be set apart for God's service, to be washed from the polution of sin. In EPH 5:25-26 we read, "...Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." When we lay before the Lord our desire for "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven," we are demonstrating our need for the work of sanctification in our hearts and our need for "the washing of water by the word." "Give us this day our daily bread," demonstrates that we are to come before our heavenly Father, pleading for mercy as beggars for undeserved favour in all our daily needs. PSA 103:13-14 says, "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." We must come before Him as a child comes to his natural father. He remembers that He created us from dust; there is nothing outside of that breath of life which is breathed into us by the Holy Spirit that will please Him. He wants to see a new heart instilled in us, a new desire, a new man created after righteousness and true holiness. We still have the old man within us; the old man is not killed, but the new man is born. Now there are two, and spiritual warfare is the result. The old man of the flesh continues to strive for the mastery in our hearts, but God understands this; He remembers we are dust; He knows our frame. Therefore, He looks upon the new heart for those desires to do His will. "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors," demonstrates our realization of God's jealousy over our attitude toward our neighbour. Consider the message in JAM 2:13, "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment." If you and I do not have a merciful spirit towards our fellow man, we will receive judgment without mercy. Only then will we understand the quality of forgiveness that makes any knowledgeable person shudder when he reads, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." When we see the deceitfulness and wickedness of our own hearts and how unforgiving we are, how can we come before the Lord and ask forgiveness without saying, "Lord forgive my unforgiving spirit?" We may say we forgive, but we must examine our hearts to see if there is that spirit of love toward those whom we believe have injured us here or there. The Lord says we must forgive if we want to be forgiven, and that we will receive judgment without mercy if we show no mercy. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," demonstrates our awareness that justification cannot be separated from sanctification. We cannot ask for pardon without granting pardon. It is very important to understand this principle. Look now at the doxology of our text where we are saying: "...For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Why? We want Christ to rule in our heart. We want to enter that kingdom of Christ. The Word of God clearly tells us who will not enter Christ's kingdom. 1CO 6:9-11 says, "Know ye not that the unrighteous [those whose attitude toward their neighbour is wrong] shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. [Those are the unrighteous who will not inherit the kingdom of God.] And such were some of you [This is what we must see when we pray: `And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors...And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil']: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." We cannot separate sanctification from justification. See the preciousness of "...And such were some of you: but ye are washed..." We have been washed by "the washing of water by the word." Now we no longer go on in sin with a covetous spirit or as a railer, drunkard, reviler, or extortioner. We must repent of these things, "such were some of you." Do you see the beauty of being saved from these things? We are sanctified. Beloved, repentance comes ahead of forgiveness. It is important that we understand this. An unrepentant person cannot be saved until he repents because repentance comes first. A person who has not shown repentance towards his fellow man and towards Christ cannot claim salvation. Hear this: "...but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." How are we justified? It is by the Spirit of Christ; it is when we receive the Spirit of Christ. ROM 8:9 says, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." We are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our Lord. The closing of the Lord's prayer confirms that the posture of our heart toward God must not be selfish, but has His glory as its motive. Therefore, the Lord's prayer closes with a doxology, i.e., with words of praise. "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." When we come before the Lord to lay our petitions before Him, "Hallowed be thy name" is the first petition, and we end our prayer with a doxology, a song of praise, a desire and petition for praise: "...For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Take notice of "For thine is the kingdom;" it doesn't say "was" or "shall be" thine. It says, "IS"--present tense, "thine is the kingdom" is today; "The kingdom of heaven is at hand," MAT 4:17. We must enter the kingdom and serve God today. It is important to understand what Jesus is saying--when we have entered into subjection to the Lord, we enter His kingdom. God has not only been a God in the past--nor is He a God only to be seen in His promises for the future, but God is God today-- now, this very hour! As we bring our petitions to the Lord today, as we pray this very hour, we are speaking to Someone who is real! We are not talking about a historical faith, neither something that lays in the past, a belief of a past tense God, nor are we speaking of a future God. It is not just a belief that someday we will see the millennium, and then we will start serving the Lord. No, He isn't only God of the past or of the future, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We are speaking of today: "For thine is the kingdom." He is real; He is genuine. When we come before the Lord, we are laying our petitions before a real God, One who hears today as much as He did in Old Testament times. He hears today as much as He will hear the praises that will be brought before Him through eternity. He hears today. He is real. In fact, we are saying, "Thou art that living King, Thine is the power and the glory." We are proclaiming He is a living God. This principle has several practical lessons for us. If we only believe in a God of past miracles, who provided the manna, the feeding of the five thousand, then we only have a historical faith; it is not a saving faith. There are atheists who deny the Creation, then find out they must believe the history of Scripture. I talked to the man who invented the atomic bomb. He denied; he mocked that there was a God, but he did concede that the Bible is the most accurate history that has ever been written. He believed the historical aspect, but he mocked the thought there is a God. Yes, we can have a historical faith, but we must also believe that today He is the King. Some people may even believe in a God who will reign in the future, in heaven, and provide the heavenly manna at that eternal feast, and yet pray as though there is no God for the present. They have a faith that believes God will have a heaven for His people there. That is a faith for the future. It is not a saving faith in a present God who is ruling today in our lives, on the throne of our hearts, giving us the Spirit of Christ and causing us to have a right attitude toward our fellow man and towards Him. Our text speaks of God as being the King Almighty today; the Sovereign King today; He is the Almighty--His "IS" the kingdom-- His "IS" the power--His "IS" the glory forever. That is the present tense. So often in our daily trials when we do not understand why things happen to us, we loose sight of God's present ruling, authority, jurisdiction, and control in these things. We find ourselves fighting against His power. When you and I have trials that come upon us, the Lord is using His instruments which are often members of His own church to bring a crucifying of our flesh. It is of the Lord's sending; yet in our blindness to that fact we can become bitter against the instrument He is using. We must not lose sight of the fact that God is sovereign. It clearly says in MAT 10:34-36, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household." These troubles are of the Lord's sending; we must see that it is the sovereign ruling of God "...For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Our King is not a weak King who desires but does not have the power to enforce his desire. His is the glory and the power; He rules. See in PHI 2:8-11 how He has the glory and how He obtained that glory: "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore [on account of, as a reward for such obedience] God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Jesus obtained His glory by bowing to the will of the Father; He was submissive to the Father's will. You and I must understand what it means to have our hearts tender for our fellow man; this is the will of God. Jesus is our example and the pattern for us to follow. He is the King to whom we pray. As the reward for His perfect obedience, the Father gave the kingdom to His Son. MAT 28:18 says, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power [authority as it is in the original] is given unto me in heaven and in earth." We pray to this King in a feeling sense of His presence. His " IS" the kingdom--His "IS" the power--His "IS" the glory forever. We must pray with an immediate sense of His presence. We must come to Him as a real Person. As we pray today, do we see something of His glory which He received for condescending so low? Do we see His submission to the Father? How gloriously He triumphed over death and the grave! When we come before the Lord with our needs, do we see something of the glory He has received? For what? For condescending so low, for such perfect submission to His Father's will, He triumphed gloriously over death and the grave! As we pray, do we feel something of the Lord Jesus' power? Do we see the power and dominion which was given to Him? At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. When we see things that seemingly come against us, do we realize that all things are in subjection to His authority? Do we come before Christ as Queen Esther did before King Ahasuerus, reaching out to Him by faith? The law of the Medes and Persians decreed she would be slain if the king did not reach out the golden sceptre. She went, saying, "...If I perish, I perish," EST 4:16. When Queen Esther had to come before the king, he held out the golden sceptre which she reached out to touch. EST 5:2 says, "And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, that she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre." That demonstrated her acceptance of his authority; she bowed to his authority. Can we come by faith to reach forth our hand of faith to touch the golden sceptre of Jesus Christ? Do we see His Kingdom, and power, and glory in the manna He has provided for us today? Have we ever stopped to understand that He is the manna? JOH 6:49-51 says, "Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Not only in the past or the future, but today He supplies the blessed food, the bread of life, for our soul. Do we see the kingly power in that manna? See the glory! He supplies our daily bread. Are we looking to a Christ who is going to save us when we die, or are we looking to be saved today from the power of sin and self? Is self sitting on the throne of our hearts? We need to live in His kingdom today and know it is He who supplies our daily bread. This brings us to the doxology where our hearts are lifted up to praise the Lord, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." The doxology of our text links the first three petitions which are for God's honour and glory, for His dominion and for the hallowing of His name, to the last three which are for our needs with the word FOR! It is important to see the significance of the small words. The word for connects the first three petitions with the last three petitions. Our text says, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." If the provision of any one of our needs depended on our kingship or power, it would be hopeless. When we pray, "For thine is the glory," we confess that our glory is fallen. LAM 5:16 tells us we are fallen creatures, "The crown is fallen from our head: woe unto us, that we have sinned!" Our text is teaching us that it is His glory; ours has fallen. We have nothing wherein we can boast. Humanism says that sinful "self" rules as king. Satan promised upon disobedience to God's will that we should be as gods, knowing good and evil! Satan promised that we should be the king and ruler of our lives, that we should chose; this principle brought about in the fall is what rules the human mind of those who do not serve the Lord. We have not only lost our crown through original sin, but also in our actual sin. We sin daily, and that brings our crown in the dust. The humanism that Satan taught in Paradise, "Ye shall be as gods," is what motivates all our wrong attitudes, desires, thoughts, words, and actions. Satan set up that image of self in Paradise. All of our wrong attitudes, words, and actions are motivated by a deceived heart. The Lord's Prayer concludes with the word, "Amen." Amen is a Greek word which means, "Sure, or true, faithful, steadfast; trusting or certain; It shall truly and certainly be, or so let it be." Think of the faith in that word. Do we really understand that when we say, "Amen"? We are saying it is going to happen, it will be. We are coming with faith, and without faith we cannot please God. When we say, "Amen," we are saying, "So will it be." The Lord's Prayer concludes with "Amen." Amen is often said out of form or custom. How many people realize it is an earnest, moving, fervent word, that it is a word which is alive? Many times when we come to the end of a prayer, we say, "Amen." Do we really stop and ponder what that word means? Is it an act of faith, or is it a byword? When we say, "Amen" at the end of a prayer, are we pondering its meaning? Do we really mean it will happen? Rightly understood, the word Amen expresses a fervent and longing desire, "So let it be." The word Amen expresses fervency in faith and trust, in the kingdom and power of God for His glory. "So it shall be" demonstrates an ardent faith and trust in the power of God. Now see how our Saviour places a contingency upon all that we ask in prayer! Take notice. MAT 6:14-15 says, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." If sanctification has been worked in your heart, washed by "the washing of water by the word," then the Word of God has thoroughly purged your heart. You will receive forgiveness for your trespasses. That is a solemn reality, but how many people realize it? How often do we tremble when we come before the Lord? We must admit we have such an unforgiving heart and spirit. We must pray and beseech the Lord to grant us a forgiving spirit. See the harmony of the Scriptures as we read of the contingency God placed upon what He said by the mouth of Isaiah. The complete first chapter is a complaint, an indictment against the church of Christ for a wrong attitude and spirit. In ISA 1:16- 18, "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil [There is the contingency. Now comes the remedy]; Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. [Stop being unfair to your fellow man! Now consider the power and compassion if we will obey Him.] Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." If we do those things, we have the reward, but see the contingency in V:19-20, the very first word is IF, and that is something to think about. "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." We must see the contingency which rests upon that blessed promise! If there is a righteous spirit, i.e., that Spirit of Christ, there will be forgiveness from the Lord. God said, "come let us reason together," but reason will not allow that we should receive a pardon for sins from which we have not repented. If we are still walking in bitterness, hatred, and in the wrong attitude toward our brother, it is mockery to ask for forgiveness of our sins. The Lord tells us in our text that it will not happen. Jesus teaches that it is impossible to love God without a forgiving spirit toward our brother. 1JO 3:15-17 says, "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." How can it be that He lay down His life for us, and we still have a wrong attitude towards our brother and yet say we love God? We have transgressed against the Lord; we have sinned grievously against Him, and yet He laid down His life for us while we were yet sinners. Therefore, we must be willing to lay down our lives for our brother. This does not necessarily mean to die; it also means that we must be willing to put our own interest aside to help those in need. This Spirit of Christ is seen in our actions toward our brother. In 1JO 3:17 we read, "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" If we have this world's goods, see a brother in need, and we do not share with him, our actions do not prove our love for our brother; we cannot say we love him. MAR 11:24-26 says, "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. [See the power of a prayer of faith, but now notice this!] And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." Notice that again we have the same message to forgive others or we will not be forgiven. A selfish spirit hinders our prayers. The husband-wife relationship is a type of the relationship between Christ and His church. 1PE 3:7 tells us, "Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife [Which is the type of the church; we must honor our fellow man who is the bride of Christ], as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered." Our prayers are hindered when our attitude toward our fellow man is wrong. Our text teaches that our Father is glorified by our love for our brother. MAT 6:13-15 says, "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. [We must understand that it is the blessed kingdom of Christ which gives Him glory. It is His power to rule as sovereign over a kingdom which will glorify Him through all eternity.] For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." That word If may not be overlooked. We see the negative implications in the last verse. It is so important that our heart's attitude toward our fellow man is right. We must come with the right spirit. Our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees who only taught obeying the letter, not the spirit of the law. Amen. |
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