Trusting Faith Series

Lessons on Faith from the Lord’s Model Prayer

Trusting Faith

Matthew 6:13

November 16, 2003

Intro:

A. [Mother’s Unanswered Prayer for Self-Improvement, Citation: Kevin A. Miller, Wheaton, Illinois]

We all know what it’s like to still have growing to do.

Jeanne Olsen, a mother of five from Illinois, took her daughter Kirsten, age 9, out for a mother-daughter breakfast. During their meal, Jeanne courageously asked her daughter, "How do you think I could be a better mom?"

Kirsten thought for a moment. "Well, you do yell a lot. I know you’ve been praying about that, but it isn’t really working yet."

B. Today we come to the final sermon in our series on Faith from the Lord’s Model Prayer.

1. “…for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

2. Now if you’re reading the NIV, you’ll have to look in the footnote to find it.

3. Why is it not in the main text, but only in the footnote?

4. Because the earliest manuscripts they have of this text do not include this portion of the verse.

5. The majority of the texts do have it however, and that is why it is in the main text in the KJV.

C. Now, listen to this verse from the Lord’s Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He went to the cross…

1. Luke 22:42 (NIV), "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

2. I believe that is the essence of this last portion of the Lord’s Model Prayer.

3. I believe that when Christ taught the disciples to pray, “…for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” I believe He was teaching them (and us) to pray that His will be done.”

4. Even though we have prayed to the best of our ability the way you have taught us, we submit ourselves to your will.

5. So think through the three phrases of this with me…

I. Yours is the Kingdom: all rule belongs to God!

Acts 1:6-7 (NIV), So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

A. What is the Kingdom of God?

1. There have been two thousand years of debate about that question.

2. I believe that there are actually several answers.

3. I believe that heaven is the Kingdom of God.

4. I believe that when Christ sets up His 1000-year reign here on earth, that will be the Kingdom of God.

5. And I believe that His Kingdom is already here.

B. This event happened on the day that Christ returned to heaven.

1. It was 40 days after His resurrection from the dead.

2. Christ stayed on earth 40 days after He spent three days in the tomb.

3. And at the end of those 40 days, the apostles got together and asked Him if it was time for Him to set up His kingdom.

4. They knew what the OT predicted as well as what Christ predicted.

5. They didn’t understand the predictions, but they knew that Christ was supposed to set up a Kingdom here on earth.

6. And they thought this would be a great time to do that.

7. They thought He was going to do it before He died and they were greatly confused when Christ died on the cross.

8. They could not understand how in the world He could die when He hadn’t set up His Kingdom yet.

9. Then He surprised them by coming back to life.

10. So they thought even though they had misunderstood about Him having to die first, they thought that now that He had risen from the dead, this would be a good time to set up His Kingdom.

11. They had no idea that in just a few moments He was going to go back to heaven.

12. They were obviously still confused.

13. Just as they didn’t understand that He must first die, be buried, and then rise from the dead, they also didn’t understand that He must also return to heaven before He set up His political Kingdom.

14. Jesus just told them that it wasn’t for them to know the times of when His Kingdom would come.

B. But then listen to what He said next…

Acts 1:8 (NIV), But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

1. Now think through this with me…