Long Live the King!

Blessings, honor, glory, power, amen, forever and ever, amen, and they probably throw in, and amen. See this prayer kind of brings this perspective from up there, down here. It invites us to sort of live in this amen state of mind, praying it, believing it, standing on it, living it.

Amen, it's the truth. Over the last several messages, Stephen has been teaching from what we commonly call the Lord's Prayer. It's a model prayer for the disciples to follow. So Stephen called this series, The Disciples Prayer. We've been looking at this prayer from the Gospel of Luke.

Matthew offers a bit more. At the end of the prayer, there's a doxology, and Matthew recorded it for us. These closing thoughts present several crucial elements of God that put our prayers and requests to Him in their proper perspective. Stephen called this message, Long Live the King. Some 500 years ago, Martin Luther was asked by Peter, his personal barber, as I've mentioned before, how to pray. Luther answered with a simple lesson that followed each line of the Lord's Prayer with explanation. Near the end of his lesson, he writes this to Peter, a good barber keeps his thoughts and eyes on the razor and does not forget how far he's gotten with his shaving or cutting.

If he lets his mind wander, he's likely to cut his customer's nose or his throat. So this prayer calls for some concentration. I do not want you to simply recite all these words in your prayer, which would make it nothing but idle chatter, like the prayers of the rosaries and the prayers of priests and monks. Rather, I want your heart to be stirred and guided concerning the thoughts which should be comprehended in the Lord's Prayer. Well, what are some of those thoughts that we've addressed in our study together of this prayer?

Well, it all began with a question, didn't it? Much like Peter the barber, the only skill requested by the disciples was that signature moment when they asked the Lord, Lord, teach us how to pray. And the Lord answered, and the answer took less than two minutes, and he began teaching them a model prayer, not so much to mindlessly parrot, but to intentionally pattern.

Now in our series, we've combined Luke's account with Matthew's Gospel account as the prayer began. Here are some thoughts that we have comprehended together. The prayer began with our Father.

Again, this was built on the idea of a family association or relationship. We have a family association with God the Father, and that's because we've placed our faith in God the Son. So prayer is really for family members only.

Prayers of family matter begins with the first prayer, essentially of repentance, where you come to know the Father by means of the Son. The truth is we need that communion with our Father more than we need anything we're asking our Father to provide. It begins with a recognition that we're his child and we need him as our Father. George McDonald, an author that influenced greatly C.S. Lewis many years ago, wrote this, What if the main object of God's idea of prayer is the supplying of our great and endless need of himself?

Hunger may drive the runaway child home, but he needs his mother more than he needs his dinner. Communion with God is the one need of our soul beyond all other needs, and prayer is the beginning of that communion. So our Father, and it goes on, in heaven, or who is in heaven.

This is a reminder of his address. He is the Father of heaven, and there is, I have sensed the subtle reminder that there is a devil who is the Father of hell. Jesus told unbelieving religious leaders, you are of your father, the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires.

He was a murderer from the beginning, a liar, and he abode not in the truth. Believers are praying to the Father of heaven, but to the world of humanity today, which is incurably religious with all of its ceremonies, and symbols, and temples, and idols. They are self-deceived, effectively praying none other than to the Father of hell.

And he's more than happy to answer their prayer, to continue to deceive them. We need help daily. Left alone as we described it, we're going to fall off the rim of that grand canyon. We're going to plunge into trouble. Lord, guide me. Lead me along that dangerous edge of life. Shepherd me along the way. Now with that, we arrive at the doxology, the benediction of the benediction, you could call it, of this prayer.

You may have memorized it. Older translations include it in Matthew chapter 6 and verse 13. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.

Amen. Some New Testament scholars, newer English translations, delete that final line, although there is an overwhelming number of codices that include it. In fact, if you go all the way back to the dedicae, a manual on life in the church that was assumed to have been written in the second century, scholarship now believes it was even late first century, telling the church how to act and how to live, teaching from the apostles, it was called.

You can imagine this. This was written 30 years after the death of the apostle Paul. And this line is included as it delivers this prayer for the church to pray. I would agree with others.

There's no reason to eliminate it. It is a fitting end to such a wonderful prayer. So let's unpack it together. We're going to do it all in this sermon. We're not going to take it word for word, okay? We'll be finished after this Lord's day and all the people said, Amen.

Not so loud. Okay, there are several elements here that tie it all together. For yours is the kingdom. This is an element of prophecy.

I don't want us to miss it. We are declaring in these words, John Ryle wrote in 1856 that the kingdoms of this earth, of this world are the rightful property of God. It might not look like it, but he is the owner of everything. He is moving the nations to their determined end according to his purposes. His son is the rightful heir to the throne of earth's kingdoms. And this prayer prophetically ends by looking forward to that coming millennial kingdom when King Jesus will reign and all the nations will bow at his feet. Now at this moment, it seems like the God of this world, the prince of the power of the air, Satan is in control. This prayer reminds us that he is a usurper. He's a squatter.

He's temporary. In fact, you go all the way back to Psalm 20 and you're given the coronation shout of the coming king, God the God save the king. In the next chapter, Psalm 21, you have the coronation shout that speaks of his eternal reign. Long live the king is how it's paraphrased. To this day, many nations in our western world have used these Psalms in their coronation ceremonies. God save the king. Long live the king.

They don't know it, but they're quoting scripture. But these ceremonies, as splendid as they are, are no match for the coming coronation of the king above all kings and the lord above all lords. I have read of Queen Victoria's coronation day.

She reigned, as you know, in that great era of the British empire. It's interesting how her coronation, though, was riddled with miscues and mistakes. When the archbishop of Canterbury tried to put on her crown, it kept wanting to slip off till finally he mashed it down hard enough so that it would stay. The coronation ring wouldn't fit her finger and that's because they accidentally sized it for her little finger and no one caught the mistake until the archbishop stood there in front of the world pushing and prodding to get it on her fourth finger. She would later soak her hand to get the swelling down so she could get the ring off. Later in the ceremony, by the way, it lasted over five hours. She changed clothes several times. A bishop stood there and it was his job, his one job, to turn the pages for the queen to read aloud as she read her duties and responsibilities.

That took quite some time. At one point, he accidentally turned two pages at one time. She would be forced to return later in the day and stand there and read that missing page lest her reign not be in legal jeopardy.

It just reminded me. No matter the pomp and circumstance, you know, no matter whatever attempts we make at splendor and majesty, it's all really paper mache and cardboard compared to the coronation of King Jesus. We have a description where there will be no miscues. There will be no accidents. The royal ring won't be sized for the wrong finger. The crown isn't going to slide off accidentally. And so we're praying here with this prophetic element, for the day to come when all the redeemed will shout together, long live the king.

Can you imagine? For yours is the kingdom, now notice, and the power. This is the element of divine authority or divine power. This means that this reign is within his character.

It is within his capacity, as Packer wrote on this statement. Today we have kings and queens who reign but do not have power to rule. There's a difference. They are figureheads. They are symbols of ancient traditions now gone. They reign, but they do not rule. They have a royal position, but they do not have royal power, but not so with King Jesus. The word for power here in the text is used by the Apostle John as he sweeps us into the palace grounds where the Lord is seated and we are standing around him with the angels. John writes about that in Revelation chapter 5. He says, Then I looked and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders and the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads. Let me pause here to tell you a myriad in the Greek language is 10,000.

It was the largest unit used in the ancient Greek world. Myriads of myriads means 10,000 times 10,000. So John says, I'm standing there and I'm estimating it's about a hundred million angels and it keeps going. He goes on in verse 12 to write that they were saying with a loud voice. If you go back to verse 9, it says they're singing. If you combine the two, it means they're singing and they're singing with a loud voice. It means they're singing and here are the lyrics they're saying.

What are those? Well, he writes first that they're singing those lyrics with a loud voice. In the original language, that's megalaphone. We squish those together and we get our word megaphone. I mean this thing is amped up.

It's amped up. We can't imagine the acoustics. We can't imagine the Niagara sound of this thunderous worship and singing. What are we singing? Worthy is the lamb who was slain to receive power.

Same word here. To receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. Every one of them a volume. This is the one to whom we're praying who will one day hear this thunderous praise. Do we really believe this about him? Philip Keller asks, do we truly recognize the ultimate power behind the scenes? Do we really believe that he is the one who dictates and determines the course of human history? Do we comprehend even feebly that everything that exists does so by virtue of his power and divine will?

That means even you and me. We exist because he planned it. Because he wants us. He wants us to be alive. He wants us to be among the redeemed. He wants us to know him and to walk with him by faith and then by sight. Where we will join a hundred million and more angels.

He wants you there. This is the one to whom we struggle in prayer. For yours is the power further on and the glory.

This is the element of priority. This is making a statement that God alone deserves all the glory. We need to be reminded of this because we want to steal his glory. We want to share his glory. We want to take his glory. Our attempt at self glory is theft.

It is theft against theocracy. Vain we are. Packer writes in his wonderful commentary on this word glory. He says we want to put on a show. We want the spotlight. So we will show our features, our physique, our skill, our clothing, our position, our influence, our homes, our intellect, our acquaintances. Whatever we are most proud of.

Wherever we most expect applause. Wherever we feel most resentful when we do not receive it is our attempt to steal his glory. Paul would write to the Corinthians, what do you have that you have not received?

What do we have that is not a gift from our father? James writes. So this prayer is reminding us to come into his presence and say, Lord, I just need a reminder that to you alone belongs all praise I just need a reminder that to you alone belongs all praise and honor and glory. By the way, how long does he deserve for us to say that? Well, the next word tells us forever. Forever. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

This is the element of permanence. His kingdom and his power and his glory is forever. Where is the Ming dynasty? Where are the pharaohs? Where are the Mongolians? Where's the Babylonian empire? Where's the Greek empire? Where is the British empire? Where are the Aztecs and the Incas?

The same place. They have been brushed into the dustbin of human history and should time elapse the same will be true of the Americas and the Russias and the Asians. Temporary kingdoms, temporary rulers, temporary reign. But not this kingdom. It has watched it come and go. It has designed it all to fit its purposes. It will shepherd it. It will captain history into the harbor of his sovereign will.

And when you think about it, consider the fact that everything about the foundation of who you are, your identities, we heard that young teenage girl say, your future, your hope is the only thing worthy of having this word attached to it. And it's like the Lord wants us to say it regularly. Forever.

Forever. We belong to an eternal God who is our refuge, Deuteronomy 33 27. We rest on his eternal words, on 1 1989. We're going to see his eternal glory, 1 Peter 5 10, where we enjoy his presence forever. Psalm 23 6. We've been promised new eternal bodies. 2 Corinthians 5 1. That his love for us will last forever.

It won't run out forever. Psalm 13 6. And because of the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, the writer of Hebrews says we have been made perfect in him forever. So what do you say about that? I mean, what do you say? Amen. That's really all you can say.

That's it. And there's the word that wraps it all up. Amen. Amen. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Well, amen.

This is the element of partnership. This is agreement, by the way, to pursue everything that we've just prayed. We are joining our resolve to his revelation. He said it.

We want to live it. The word amen or amen is the transliteration of the Greek word amen, and it simply means truly or certainly. May it be. It's the truth. When Moses led the nation of Israel in accepting God's covenant, they responded with his Hebrew transliteration.

It sounded the same way. Amen. Amen.

Every blessing and every curse. Paul uses amen throughout his letters five times alone in his Roman letter. The Lord Jesus used it often.

It would typically be translated truly, truly, saying amen, amen. It's the truth. It's the truth. It's the truth. I'm telling you the truth. Amen. We often say it. We'll say it. I've heard it today often in the assembly. It means you agree.

It's a good thing to say it. Keeps the congregation awake, maybe even the preacher. I don't discourage it. As long as it doesn't become a distraction or a competition, you don't get points for your section by how many amens you deliver.

You don't get out early if you get up to three or four. But imagine this scene. If I could go back, this vision of this coronation I've already referred to, John sees hundreds of millions of angels, and then he adds this little addendum. He sees four living creatures rotating around the throne. They're just walking around the throne, and they keep saying amen, amen, amen, amen. The tense of the verb indicates they never stop.

They keep saying it. So imagine they've been created for the occupation of saying amen as we sing, to Him who sits upon the throne. Amen. Blessing. Amen. Honor. Amen. Glory. Amen.

Power. Amen. Forever and ever. Amen. And they probably throw in an amen. See, this prayer kind of brings this perspective from up there, down here. It invites us to sort of live in this amen state of mind. Not just praying it, but believing it, standing on it, living it. That God belongs all the kingdoms of this world. Amen. It's the truth that to our Lord alone deserves the glory for his great power. Amen.

That's true. That God, even now, is exercising divine control over human history. I believe it.

It's true that although he is invisible right now, he is yet invincible. Amen. Amen.

I believe that. I'm living in light of that, that he alone is then deserving of everything we offer to him in our lives. We could do nothing less than live out the truth of what we've learned, and we would say amen and amen. And how long will we say it? Forever. Forever more.

It's true. Amen. That was Stephen Davey and a message for you called Long Live the King. This is wisdom for the heart. Each weekday, Stephen brings you a message from God's word. You can learn more about us if you visit our website, which is wisdomonline.org. You can replay these daily messages and also listen to our other daily program called The Wisdom Journey. On The Wisdom Journey, Stephen is teaching through all 66 books of the Bible over three years. Visit wisdomonline.org to see what I'm talking about. Then join us back here next time for more wisdom for the hearts.