997. Dealing with the Doxology

Welcome to The Daily Platform from Bob Jones University in Greenville South Carolina today were concluding our study series for Matthew six the Lord's prayer and Dr. Sam Horn will lead us in this final message we have been talking about prayer. Our entire semester and numbers of sermons in this series. From what I can gather, have come back to this central passage on the Lord. Teaching his disciples to pray and so I thought it would be appropriate for our last chapel on the last sermon on prayer that we come back to a particular portion of this prayer and that we glean from that understanding and help and encouragement along the way. When we come to this prayer I want to remind you of things that that probably have been said, I know I preached earlier from the stacks. We noted that this was an example a pattern prayer that Jesus taught his disciples how to pray when they had observed him pray. Luke makes the context a little clearer for us. Matthews weaving this into the sermon that Luke is actually talking to us about this event and it's clear that the disciples had been observing the Lord's praying and they instinctively knew two things whenever they heard the Lord pray and I think of you and I were actually listening.

Yet physically present when the Lord was talking to his father in heaven we would have the same response. They instinctively knew that God was hearing this man's prayers and you all you have to do is read through the gospel accounts and becomes very very clear that when Jesus opened his mouth and asked his father for things his father granted that in amazing ways.

Think about the feeding of the multitudes thinking. Think about the raising of dead bodies to life. So it became very evident to these men who were hearing Jesus talk to his father that when he prayed God listened to his prayers and it also became immediately evident to them that they didn't pray this way. Now remember when we come to the Lord's prayer. This is not in the context of prayer… I mean there was a lot of praying that was going on around the context of this prayer. There were the hypocrites that were praying they were the Pharisees that were praying.

There were the Jewish people as a whole, who were a people who prayed on a regular consistent weekly and even daily basis. So this coming out of the context of prayer and one with one of the things we noted was that in in the heart of this prayer and in the structure of this prayer. God is helping us to arrange our thinking and to adjust our priorities and to accommodate our lives to things that matter to God and it's in the very structure of how the prayers laid out we we talked earlier in the semester about the fact that the first half of the prayer is laying out God's divine purposes that he is intensely interested.

These are things that matter supremely to God and we can see them as we sort of unfold the prayer.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done. Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. So so the priorities of the exultation and adoration of his name, the priority of the extension and the expansion of his authority through his kingdom and the execution and the performance of his will and when you give your life to those priorities. When the mission of your life wherever God sends you.

However, God equips you were ever God chooses to play she what ever God chooses to do with you when those priorities become the driving focus of your life that wherever I am. Whatever I'm doing. I am here to exalt God's name. I want the people who I'm in contact with the people around me to come to the right conclusion about who God is and what is really like, and I want to make sure that I'm investing my life it in whatever I'm doing in the expansion and the extension of his authority over men. I want man to calm and women to come in right relationship to God through Christ. I want to expand the authority and influence of Jesus gospel then obviously the doing of his well I want to bring my life and I want to help others come to a place where they they understand they recognize they know where to go to find out what God's desires are with God's directives are what God's will is and to do it just like it's being done in heaven, that it may be so honored and so those priorities sort of order. The first part of the prayer and then there are petitions that we are invited to pray in light of those priorities mortifying to do these things.

I'm getting need daily provision on any daily bread. I am going to need daily pardon on your ear going to have to pardon me for the times I failed to do this. And Lord, you can have to protect me in the midst of these priorities from those who oppose and who come against, or in the trials and tribulations and sufferings of life. Juergen have to deliver me from evil or deliver me from the evil one. So that's sort of the broad structure of the prayer that the Lord taught his disciples to pray and I want you to come to the very end of verse 13 and I want you to know or notice that there is a phrase that may not be in the Bible you are reading. How many of you are reading a Bible that is not the King James or not.

A new King James, can I see your hands. You have your Bible open to something other than that right so you're going here in your Scripture is going to end with the word evil, but deliver us from evil. And then there is this phrase for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. So the question is what do you do with that statement. So I want to preach a message on that statement this morning and the first thing that we want to talk about is the authenticity of the statement and its appropriateness in our praying right. We gotta talk about this and so as we as we look at a statement like that and I'm preaching to you out of the King James Bible. Some of you are holding a never Bible what you do with this doxology that is an end some of your Bibles. And so the question is is this authentic is this authentic why is it missing from some of your versions so let's talk about that right. One of the things that we need to immediately notice is that if you're holding it. King James Bible and you go over to Luke chapter 6 and you read the prayer in Luke chapter 6 is not in Luke chapter 6 okay so this is not a deficiency in the Scripture it's not. It's not that the Scriptures are adding or subtracting, or in some way not not reporting what actually happened. Luke is actually going to give you the context of the prayer and and it's not in that prayer. Luke six is not in some of our oldest New Testament manuscripts. How many of you have taken New Testament introduction right. Have you been to that class right how many of you have had a class in textual criticism, even had a closet that the criticism right so you know the value and and that the thinking behind the manuscript evidence that is behind our Bible and and that stands before the text that we use and so this this doxology is not in any of the Latin manuscripts that were used in the Western regions of early Christianity.

It was not mentioned by any of the early church fathers in the West when they quoted the prayer in their writings. For example, Tertullian, Cyprian and Augustine. Second, third and fourth century church fathers don't mention this doxology when they talk about the prayer. It was familiar in the Eastern region Asia minor and it is reflected in the majority of the fifth century text that you know, sort of as the Byzantine texts. We also say that it is it is included in a very early document from the second century called the dedicate, which was a manual for for the formation and the order of worship in the church so were looking at a reading here that there is some debate about and I'm preaching it to you in a seminary chapel a little bit differently that I might preach it in a church that I was visiting. Can you see why I'm here. We are on Sunday morning and I'm preaching and the first thing out of my mouth is to preach to you about something that's not in your Bible, but I want you to read it in your Bible you see how easy it is to sort of create doubt in endocrine consternation and and and so I want to acknowledge that as we talk about this because there's some value in and what were talking about here today and as you study this text Juergen have to come to a decision about how you handle that doxology. There are and there have been some very careful thinking that is it that has started to grow in relationship to the value of looking at early Byzantine readings on their own.

This is a view of how you'd make decisions about textual matters like this that is called eclectic and it's probably a little bit of of what what we learn here many, many years ago and certainly has been something that I try to practice in my life.

So is this doxology authentic.

There certainly are early manuscripts that don't have it.

There is an early church fathers document in the second century that does have it so apparently it was at least familiar in the second century and we do have it in a multiplicity of Byzantine documents from the feds fifth century right so were not pulling this out of the air.

Here's the second thing that we need to ask when we talk about the authenticity of this we really need to be asking yourself this question. Given this question, is it appropriate to pray this doxology in the Lord's prayer calmly remember pray the Lord's prayer.

Is there anybody that has not prayed the Lord's prayer. That's a better question when you pray the Lord's prayer.

How many of praying this doxology right so my question is when you did that. Were you appropriate and the answer to that is yes on two important ground given the right number one. Everything in this doxology is taught elsewhere in your Bible.

Everything in this doxology is taught elsewhere in your Bible. Let me give an example of this out of the Old Testament. First Chronicles 29 verse 11, 12 and 13 you listen to the to the doxology out of Matthew in your mind and you listen to David's prayer. David said yours, 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 yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head, above all, both riches and honor come from you and you rule over all in your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all and now we thank you are God and praise your glorious name so you have a text here in your Bible right out of your Old Testament. In a moment reducing the significance of that text that that teaches you everything that Matthew records. Here's a second reason that this doxology is appropriate.

It follows the pattern of biblical prayers in Jesus day, Jews were praying people. We noted that at the front end of our text, and frequently they would and their prayers either with the benediction or a doxology. There is a very famous doxology that came at the end of a synagogue prayer called the 18 benedictions and it went like this Blessed be the name of the glory of his kingdom forever and ever. So these these prayers that we have in our Scripture, and that were standard practice in Jesus day certainly would reflect the doxology that we have here in this text before. So why, why did Jesus leave it off and I have a suggestion and that's all it is, you're not obligated to my suggestions, but I do want to think about this. This prayer was intended to be a pattern. Prayer this was not intended to be a road prayer that you would memorize and that you would repeat word for word up now.

It's not wrong to memorize the prayer and it's not wrong to pray it word for word, but it is not a magical incantation that if you just say 50 times you'll get back service at 75 times you'll get why this is a pattern prayer in Jesus intends for his disciples to arrange their own praying in their own way in their own words around these six major ideas and they would come to the end of their praying and they would close it with some form of appropriate doxology or benediction. Now you do that already. As a believer. Looking at the New Testament texts in the New Testament practices we have learned a way to end all of our prayers and it's what we pray these things in Jesus finish it.

Name so I think the Lord here is making clear that this is not an actual road prayer, but this is a pattern that should be shaping all of our pranks now that brings is the second thing that we want to talk about quickly and that is okay.

If this is an appropriate way to prayer to pray. What is the background in the context of this particular doxology that is in our Scripture verse out of the King James this morning and and I've taken you back to that text in first Chronicles chapter 29 verse 11 through 13 and there's there's two things that I want you to observe about second or first Chronicles 2129. Rather, number one, this is a prayer that is being offered by Israel's greatest Old Testament king in his desire was to build for God, a house, and so this prayer is coming in the context of God. Having said to David, you are not to build me a house. I am to build for you a house, and David has gathered all of his resources. He's challenged all the people to give all of their resources and they come together with this immense amount of treasure and supply for the building of the house that Solomon is going to build.

And David prays, and in the middle of this prayer.

He utters a doxology that that reminds us that the kingdom belongs to God and not to him that the authority on the up and the power, the sheer capability belong to God and not to him and that the splendor and the beauty of the radiance belong to God and not an insignificant that the one offering the original doxology is the forerunner of the one who is going to become the living visible expression of the house that David wanted to build the words Jesus didn't come just to replace the temple. Jesus himself becomes the visible expression of of the person and in the character of God. He says to his disciples, if you have seen me, you have seen the father. So when you start thinking about the background of this it is incredibly significant that David's greatest descendent is the one standing before his disciples who were going to take that message to the world and he teaches them. This prayer and that brings us to the final thing and that is this a little I do with this. What is the function and and how I apply this so so let's talk about the function here for moment and I I want to make an observation with you and you may need to think about this a little while but there is a difference between a benediction and a doxology and they are both found regularly in the prayers of Scripture. One of the best examples of this is in Roman 61 heavy turnover Roman 16 very quickly and let me show you a benediction and let me show you a doxology in Romans chapter 16 we get to the very end. And Paul is closing out his letter.

His appeal his epistle to the Romans and he says this in verse 20 here's the benediction and the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly and then here's the benediction.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

A man in the little bit later on in verse 25 he comes to the final paragraph and he says now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all the nations for the obedience of faith and then here's the doxology to God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ, forever. We have numbers of doxologies in the Scriptures, and they consistently point us to something that that the writer wants us to know or see or appreciate about the one that we are praying to a benediction is is reminding us that this person were praying to is going to do something for us. A doxology is pointing the other way and it's pointing us to the person to whom we are praying and there's something in the doxology that were supposed to recognize and appreciate and embrace for ourselves because it will make all the difference in the thing that we are bringing to God in that prayer.

So what does this doxology do the function of this doxology is to give us hope and to give us courage when we go out to exalt God's name. What hope do we have of really accomplishing this in the face of incredible pressure and relentless opposition. What hope do you really have of convincing anyone of the exultation of God may bring your best argument on your best day and what hope do you have of convincing anybody of the truth of what you're saying on the strength of your words, what is the hope that you will extend the authority of God through the gospel throughout the earth in a place where his existence is denied by the vast majority of the people who live on the planet. We what real hope. Do you have when his truth is willfully suppressed and ignored by the majority of the people who even claim to believe in him what what is really the hope the confidence that you have of living your life for these overarching priorities in the face of opposition and unbelief and and and pressure and even great personal cost me what hope do you have of executing faithfully God's will in your own weakness and in your own strength green either. Just days went when you are so frustrated with your own inability to be faithful to a particular thing that God is asking of you or demanding of you and you continually fail and you continually give into a sin and at some point you sorta want to throw up your hands and say what business do I have saying to anybody else. The will of God needs to be done in your life when I can't even begin to do it in my own life in this place and in this in this time with all the training and all the knowledge that I have never been there and you know the answer. All that is the doxology.

This doxology gives you confidence and it gives you hope in the face of a task that seems overwhelming and possibilities that come before you and persecutions that come against you. So how does it do that. How does it actually function this way and and I think that's the value of what what is doing here and and and what it is repeating in the rest of Scripture.

It reminds us of God's authority. The strength of everything that God is asking us to do in the first part of the prayer is not coming out of our own desire.

It is coming under the authority of God is it is it is his kingdom Lord as we think about taking this message to to a people that are going to resist it and be appalled by it, and stand against it.

We are bringing this message into a realm that belongs to you is been given is out of the control of somebody else, but it is actually your realm.

That's why you can go to restricted axis country where is illegal to preach the gospel and not have a quorum of conscience about going in there with the gospel to take this message because that place is under God's authority that may cost your life but it is under God's authority. Yours is the kingdom and then it reassures it reassures us of God's ability. Yours is the power.

The idea here is that you have the capacity and the ability to do everything that we need in order to accomplish this mission, Lord, I don't have the strength to take this word to these people. I don't know that I have the courage to stand and face and pay the price that might be asked of me or my family. In doing this, Lord. There is an area of my life that that I just can't seem to find the strength to obey and overcome consistently and God says I have all the power I mean that's the Paul whole point to the Ephesians that the incredible power of God is to us word it's directed to us for thine is the kingdom, and thine is the power and then we rejoice in God's attributes that are reflected when we lived this way and when we struggle this way.

And even when we die this way, we are reflecting the beauty and the splendor of God, because we live and we die for that which matters most to us in the doxology reminds us that there is no deeper treasure.

No greater treasure no deeper joy but no lasting good in our life other than God.

He is the splendor. He is the shining brilliant. He is the one that we are pursuing and and whether it be through life or death is the apostle Paul talked about whether it's in in in in supply or in wants in hunger or in in in in supply and in in being fed or in being clothed are being unplugged.

It doesn't matter. I'm doing what I'm doing in the power of God and I'm doing what I'm doing because of the authority of God and I'm actually doing what I'm doing because I value God's glory and the last word of this person is a word.

It's a word amen shows up throughout her text were so were so used to this word. It's word was at the end of all of our praying. It's a word that is literally transliterated from a Hebrew term that means truth veracity and came to mean this phrase let it be so. It shows up in most of the doxologies in the New Testament Romans chapter 1 Romans 11 Romans 15 Ephesians 3 Philippians 4 Hebrews 13 all have doxology that end with this word and it's a way in which the writer and the reader are brought together in a commitment to the truth that is being stated Lord.

May this be so may this be so in the church maybe so in the world and may be so because yours really is the kingdom and the power and the glory father, thank you for your time this morning. I pray that it would have been something that would please you and would certainly be an encouragement to each of us, Lord, we thank you for a semester where you have brought us each week to to another aspect of Lord we recognize that it is through prayer that that you move in us and through us and we are reminded in this simple text that you really do have the authority and the ability and the glory to do everything that we ask you in Jesus name in all God's people said amen you been listening to Dr. Sam Horn with the final message from her study of the Lord's prayer.

We hope you'll join us next time. As we study God's word together on The Daily Platform