Tag: Prayer

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest Day 15

Prayer for the Harvest

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 15 – Monday, January 26, 2026

Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-25

17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:17-18).

At the heart of the gospel is the cross. Paul said that Christ sent him to preach the gospel (1 Cor. 1:17), and then immediately began to speak about the cross of Christ. The gospel is “the message of the cross” with the power to save. More →

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30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest Day 9

Prayer for the Harvest

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 9 – Tuesday, January 20, 2026

Today’s Devotional: Salt of the Earth

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught His disciples,

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:13-16).

Jesus said we are salt and light in this world. What did He mean? More →

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30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest Day 8

Prayer for the Harvest

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 8 – Monday, January 19, 2026

Yesterday, we looked at the Parable of the Sower (also known as the Parable of the Four Soils) in Mark 4. Jesus told about four different soils that represented four different kinds of people who hear the word of the kingdom of God, the gospel message. We saw the various responses that people may have to the word: hard hearted rejection (Mark 4:15); temporary emotional acceptance (4:16-17); worldly distraction (4:18-19); or bearing fruit (4:20).

Jesus told another short parable in Luke 13 about a fruitless fig tree. Look at it:

6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ “ (Luke 13:6-9).

More →

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30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest Day 6

Prayer for the Harvest

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Day 6 – Saturday, January 17, 2026

Welcome to day 6 of our 30 days of concentrated prayer for a harvest of souls for Christ. Have you memorized our theme verse? “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2).

Over the last couple of days, we have been looking at the parable of the growing seed, from Mark 4:26-29:

26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. 28 For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

We saw the necessity of sowing the seed of the word of God and the unique power of the message of the gospel to give life. (See Days 4 & 5).

Today’s Devotional: The Ultimate Purpose of God’s Word

After the man scatters the seed (26), the seed sprouts and grows (27), it ripens (28), and finally it brings forth a harvest (29). The ultimate purpose for sowing the seed is the harvest.

Since the seed represents the word of God (Mark 4:14), it pictures the sowing of the gospel message. The seed of God’s word is hidden in human hearts where God is able to cause it to spring to life. We wait patiently (and prayerfully) in this age of grace.

As the plant in the parable grows, it goes through observable stages More →

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30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest – Day 1

Prayer for the Harvest

30 Days of Prayer for the Harvest

Over the next 30 days, I invite you to join me in concentrated prayer for a harvest of souls for Christ. Jesus said to those He sent to proclaim His kingdom, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Luke 10:2).

As we start 2026, what will we do differently as individual believers and as a church that will have a kingdom impact on our community? We all know that what our families, neighborhoods, and cities need is Jesus Christ. But what are we doing to see people come to Christ for salvation? More →

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Our Failure and Christ’s Faithfulness – Matthew 26:31-46

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Our Failure and Christ’s Faithfulness

Matthew 26:31-46

To encourage a timid young preacher, Paul wrote to him the timeless truth, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13). This fragment from an ancient hymn resounds with powerful truth for us today. We all know that we are prone to faithlessness. Robert Robinson in his hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing (1758) expressed his own faithlessness, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.”[1] I don’t suppose there has ever been a follower of Jesus who has not at some time been faithless or failed the Lord. The Bible is very transparent about the failures of even its most famous men of faith. Noah, a man who was called “a righteous man, blameless in his generation” (Gen. 6:9, ESV), was guilty of drunkenness (Gen. 9:21). Abraham, the father of faith (Rom. 4:16), feared for his life and practiced deception (Gen. 12, 20). Moses, the great law-giver, disbelieved the Lord and disobeyed in his anger (Num. 20:11-12). David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14), committed adultery and murder (2 Sam. 11).

In contrast to men’s failures, God is always faithful. Psalm 36:5 says, “Your mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” Psalm 89:1, “I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations.” And Jeremiah writes in Lamentations 3:22-23, “Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

These two contrasts of our unfaithfulness and the faithfulness of God are nowhere better illustrated than in our text this morning, Matthew 26:31-46. More →

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Lessons from the Fig Tree

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Lessons from the Fig Tree

Matthew 21:18-22

In Matthew 21, we are following the events of the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry before He went to the cross. It began in Matthew 21:1-11 with Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem riding on the colt of a donkey in fulfillment of scripture. Then we saw Jesus go into the temple and cleanse it of the money changers and those who were buying and selling, saying, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ” (Matt. 21:13). The temple off God was full of hypocrisy, extortion, greed, and deceit. What should have been a house of prayer had become a den of robbers.

Jesus then healed the blind and the lame and received the praise of the children. thus fulfilling prophecies about His true Messiahship. He then left the temple and spent the night in Bethany near the Mount of Olives.

In Matthew 21:18, Jesus is returning to the city of Jerusalem. He will go back into the temple (Matt. 21:23) where the religious leaders will question His authority (Matt. 21:23-27). Then Jesus will teach two parables: the parable of the two sons (Matt. 21:28-32), and the parable of the tenants (Matt. 21:33-46). The first is a man who says he will work and then doesn’t. The second is a group of men who say they will produce fruit from the vineyard and then don’t. The last parable is the climax of the section, illustrating that Christ has been rejected by His own fruitless people, and so the kingdom will be taken from them and given to a people who will bear its fruit.

The issue is fruit that comes from genuine faith in God. Jesus is sick and tired of the fruitless hypocrisy of Israel’s religion. He heard their hypocrisy as He rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He saw it in the greedy trampling of the temple courts. He will teach parables about their hypocrisy in the temple. And right between these events, Jesus cursed the fig tree. It’s an unusual incident, and, like the cleansing of the temple, one that seems uncharacteristic of Jesus at first. We don’t normally think of Jesus driving people out of temples or cursing fig trees. But Jesus never does anything without a purpose, and His purpose here is to teach His disciples. The cursing of the fig tree is a parable in action, illustrating the fruitless hypocrisy of Israel’s religion.

Our short passage breaks down into two parts: the withering of the fruitless tree and the word about faith in prayer.

1. The Withering of the Fruitless Tree (Matt. 21:18-19)

Matthew tells us that it was in the morning that Jesus and His disciples were making their way back from Bethany to Jerusalem. And “as He returned to the city, He was hungry” (Matt. 5:18). Since they spent the night at Bethany, it would be safe to assume that Jesus and His disciples stayed at the home of His dear friends Martha, Mary and Lazarus. And from what we know of Martha, she likely would have made sure everyone was well-fed before they left. But for whatever reason, Jesus was hungry. Perhaps, as He had done so often, He rose early to pray and didn’t eat with the others. Perhaps Jesus’ hunger was intentional, so that He could teach this object lesson to His disciples.

As they journeyed along toward the city, Jesus saw a fig tree by the side of the road (Matt. 21:18). This would not be unusual. Remember, we saw in Matthew 21:1 that near Bethany and the Mount of Olives was the village of Bethpage, meaning house of figs. The original language tells us that it was a “single” fig tree—all alone, which is perhaps what made it so easy to see. And what’s more, Jesus could see from a distance that it bore leaves. And if you were hungry, that was a very good sign. Fig trees in that part of the world produced a sort of early fig in the springtime, a small one that came before the leaves began to grow. They weren’t as big and juicy as the later figs would be, but they were still very tasty.

But Matthew tells us that, when Jesus came to the tree, “He found nothing on it but leaves” (Matt. 21:19). Now leaves on a fig tree without any fruit is very unusual. Usually, the leaves and the fruit develop together. So, there is definitely something wrong with this tree. It had all the promise of fruitfulness—all the appearance of bearing something He desired. But on closer examination, it had only the outward appearance of ‘fruitfulness’. It bore none of the fruit.

But then Jesus does something even more unusual. He curses the fig tree. He said, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again“; and we’re told that “immediately the fig tree withered away” (Matt. 21:19). Now from what we have seen about the authority and power of Jesus, He could just as easily have told the fig tree, “May you bear fruit right now!”, and the tree would have been filled with figs. But Jesus cursed the fig tree instead, and immediately the tree withered. Mark tells us that it was “dried up from the roots” (Mark 11:20). This was a big, thriving, healthy tree until Jesus cursed it. And when He did, it never bore fruit again.

“Why did Jesus curse the tree like this?” Was it simply because He was hangry? Was He in a bad mood that morning? Of course not! Jesus is never just impulsive or out of control. Everything He does, He does on purpose. So, what we need to ask is, “What’s His purpose in cursing the fig tree?”

First, let’s find out some things about fig trees in the Bible. In the Old Testament, fig trees were pleasurable things. The fruit of the fig tree was good and sweet. Fig trees were symbolic of prosperity (Deut. 8:8; Hab. 3:17; Hag. 2:19), pleasure (Judges 9:11), and security (1 Kings 4:25; 2 Kings 18:31; Isaiah 36:16; Joel 2:22; Nah. 3:12) in the land of Israel. When the people of Israel would see the fig-trees putting forth the early “green figs”, they looked at it warm-heartedly as a sign that springtime had come (Song 2:13).

It’s not surprising, then, that the Bible uses the fruit of the fig-tree as a symbol of Israel. In Hosea, the LORD says, “I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstfruits on the fig tree in its season” (Hosea 9:8). God gave the prophet Jeremiah a vision of the remnant people of Judah as a basket of either good ripe figs, or figs so rotten they couldn’t be eaten (Jer. 24:1-10).

And so, when God warns through His prophets that He is going to strike the fruit of the fig tree, it is a sign of judgment on His people Israel. In Jeremiah 8:13, He says, “‘I will surely consume them’ says the LORD. ‘No grapes shall be on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things I have given them shall pass away from them’” (Jer. 8:13; cf. Joel 1:11-12).

I believe that Jesus, when He cursed the fig tree, was illustrating a prophetic word of judgment.  Through the prophet Micah, The LORD indicated what He expected from His people:

With what shall I come before the LORD,
And bow myself before the High God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:6-8).

But when the LORD examined His people closely, the prophet writes,

Woe is me!
For I am like those who gather summer fruits,
Like those who glean vintage grapes;
There is no cluster to eat
Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires (Micah 7:1).

Think about what Jesus had just done. He came to His temple, expecting to find genuine fruits of faith from His people. Instead, He was greeted with unbelief, opposition, and the abuse of His Father’s house. There were religious practices all over the place—offerings being made, Scriptures being recited, and lots of animals being purchased for sacrifice. It was very, very religious. But all their religion was nothing more than the mere outward “promise” of fruitfulness and nothing more. There was no real spiritual “fruit”. It was all “fig leaves”; but no “figs”.

In his Gospel, Luke doesn’t record this incident. But in Luke 13, after Jesus says to the Jewish people, “unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:5). Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree:

6 He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 “Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ 8 “But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. 9 ‘And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ “ (Luke 13:6-9).

Think about it. Jesus came to the temple and instead of finding the fruit of faith, He was greeted by the religious leaders with opposition and unbelief. Jesus had been among them for more than three years ministering to them. For three years, Jesus had been patient. For three years, Jesus had sought fruit from the Jewish people. His patience was long. Yet finally, there reached a point when His patience would run out. I believe that the cursing of this fig tree was a living parable to indicate that the time for judgment had come.

This is the theme of the rest of the chapter: Israel lacks fruit. Here, the Messiah is entering Jerusalem. The Jewish people ought to receive Him. But, rather than doing so, they reject Him. In verse 23, they question Jesus’ authority. Beginning in Matthew 21:28, Jesus will tell a story of two sons. The first promised his father that he would work in the vineyard. Yet, when it came time to do so, he didn’t go. The second said that he wouldn’t work. But later, he repented and did go to work. The son of empty promises is like the nation of Israel. There is outward talk of righteousness, but no fruit of righteousness. They had leaves, but there were no figs. Beginning in Matthew 21:33, Jesus will talk about the vine-growers who hated the owner of the vineyard. Their hatred reached such a point that they would kill the son of the owner. Jesus made it very clear that the religious leaders were like the vine-growers. They hate the Son and have rejected the chief cornerstone. Israel missed their Messiah! They didn’t believe in Him. Their religion was all show. Their religion was all cultural and external—all leaves and no fruit. In Matthew 21:43, Jesus tells them, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.”

So, on one level it’s a story about Israel, but it is also a story about us. It is an acted parable with an intended meaning. Just as Jesus went to the fig tree looking for fruit, God comes looking for fruit in our lives. The prophet Isaiah in sang a parable in song about fruit. We read in Isaiah 5:

1 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill. 2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes. … 7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help. (Isa 5:1-2, 7).

God looks for fruit in our lives, and not just fruit – He is looking for good fruit, not bad fruit. He is looking for real spiritual fruit of righteousness, not merely the leaves of external religion. Mere religiosity without genuine faith in the Lord Jesus Christ may look good before men, but it greatly displeases the Lord. When God comes looking for fruit in your life, what will he find? Will he find the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)? Will he find the fruit of righteousness and holiness (Heb. 12:11)? Will He find the fruit of good works that please Him (Col. 1:10)? Will he find the fruit of witnessing as you share with others about Jesus and the gospel (1 Cor. 3:5-6)? Will he find the fruit of praise upon your lips (Heb. 13:15)?

And that leads us to the reaction of the disciples to what they saw; and to the next lesson we’re to learn …

2. The Word about Faith in Prayer (Matt. 21:20-22).

The disciples had a hard time learning the lessons of dependency upon the Lord. They had seen Him perform many miracles. But when they saw Him curse a fig tree, and then saw the fig tree wither and die afterwards, they marveled; saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?” (Matt. 5:20).

It’s interesting that He didn’t answer their question directly. Instead, it seems to me that the Lord told them something that they weren’t expecting.

21 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. 22 “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matt. 21:21-22).

Jesus told the disciples something similar back in Matthew 17:20 when He answered their question about why they could not help the man with the demon possessed son. There He said: “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.”  

Remember that these two verses are not just a random insertion by Matthew about faith and prayer. They come in the context of the cursing of the fig tree, directly in answer to Jesus’ disciple’s question about it, and the in the larger context of conflict with the Jewish religious leaders. They come in the context of the fruitlessness of the religious leaders and the Lord’s desire for good fruit.

So let me ask you, based upon what Jesus teaches here, how does one live a fruitful life before God? The answer: FAITH. The problem of no fruit is the problem of no faith. Jesus says “if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done” (Matt. 21:21). Jesus is using hyperbole here to show that there is nothing that faith in Him cannot do.  We can’t make fig trees wither or cause mountains to throw themselves into the sea. But nothing is impossible for God. Faith lays hold of God’s power to do things that are impossible for us to do.

And then Jesus goes on to tell us that God answers the prayer of faith. He says, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matt. 21:22) That is an amazing verse. It is a breath-taking promise that God will answer your prayers when you pray in faith believing.

Now I don’t believe that Jesus is giving us some kind of “blank check” to do whatever we want independently from His Lordship. Did you notice that He specifies, “if you have faith and do not doubt . . .”? Who is it we’re to have faith in? Obviously, we’re to have faith in Him! What is it we’re not to doubt? We’re not to doubt His will expressed clearly in His word. It’s all about Jesus—not about what we want. The promise He makes in this passage is NEVER something we’re to try to claim in any other way than with complete, heartfelt, sincere, dependent faith on Him and in obedient trust in His word.

Jesus shows that a lack of fruit is a result of a lack of faith in Him. And a lack of faith in Him is revealed by a lack of prayer to Him. A person who doesn’t pray is a person who wreaks of self-sufficiency. They are a person who is all leaves and no fruit. They are a person who is doing things on their own and in their own strength. And when you do things on your own and in your own strength, do you know what happens? NOTHING. In John 15, Jesus said,

4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.“ (John 15:4-8).

The kind of faith our Lord wants from us is characterized by “abiding” in Him. It’s the kind of faith in the Lord Jesus that recognizes that we draw our very life from Him, and cannot do anything apart from Him. And it involves an understanding of His revealed will through the holy Scriptures; and a commitment be completely yielded to that will without doubt or without wavering.

So, here’s two lessons our Lord wants us to learn from the fig tree—and both lessons have to do with a vital faith in Jesus Christ. First, the tree that is covered with leaves but is barren of fruit teaches us the barrenness of mere religion on the outside when there’s unbelief in Jesus on the inside. Is your religion just an outward show, or is it bearing the fruit of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17)?

Second, the promise of the Savior to the disciples teaches us that real fruitfulness is a product of genuine, living, personal, dependency upon Jesus Christ in faith. Such faith in Jesus brings glory to the Father. When your life is full of fruit, your prayers will be filled with faith, and God will accomplish His purposes through your life and in our church. Is your faith demonstrated by believing prayer?

 

 

 

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A Question of Faith

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A Question of Faith

Matthew 17:14-21

Faith is so vital to the Christian life that Scripture tells us that, without faith, it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). The Bible tells us that salvation is the gift of God through faith (Eph. 2:8–9). Paul writes that in the gospel,  “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” (Rom. 1:17). In other words, we are not only saved by faith, we live our whole Christian life from beginning to end “from faith to faith.” From day one of our journey of faith until the very last day, the righteous live by faith. Whether we are brand-new followers of Christ or seasoned, mature believers who have walked with the Lord for many years, we must trust God “from start to finish” and rely on His mighty power—the power of the gospel—to change our lives and the lives of those we encounter.

In our passage today, Christ told His disciples that, with just a tiny measure of faith, the size of a mustard seed, they could move mountains and “nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt. 17:20).  That word “impossible” means literally “not to have strength, power, or ability.”[1] The root word is the verb δύναμαι (dynamai) meaning “to be able, have power.”[2] We get the English word “dynamic” from this Greek word. Matthew uses this word in Matthew 17:16 when the father of the boy literally says that the disciples “were not able” or “had no power” to heal his son. In Matthew 17:19, the disciples then literally ask Jesus “Why were we not able to cast it out?” using this same verb.[3]

Matthew’s repetition of this word underscores the theme of “ability” or “power” to do something or the lack of it. And Jesus says the difference between being able and being unable is faith. I believe that this is the great lesson this passage is meant to teach us. We are unable to do anything for Jesus apart from an utterly dependent faith in Jesus.

This lesson in faith occurs right after the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-13). Jesus had taken three of His closest apostles—Peter, James, and John—and led them up a high mountain. There, they got a glimpse of Christ’s glory, a preview of the majesty of the Son of God when He comes again in power to consummate His kingdom. They saw “His face shown like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Matt. 17:2). Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Jesus, and God the Father spoke from heaven saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” (Matt. 17:5).

The disciples had confessed their faith in who Jesus is (Matt. 16:16), but they also needed to believe what He said—especially when He told them, “… the Son of Man is also about to suffer …” (Matt. 17:12) and that “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24). We most often learn the best lessons on faith in times of suffering, weakness, and even failure. That is exactly where we find the other nine disciples when Jesus and the three descend the Mount of Transfiguration. They are in the midst of a multitude of people and it’s not going well. The first thing we encounter in our text is …

1. A Father’s Request (Matt. 17:14-16)

14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.” (Matt. 17:14-15).

Here was a desperate father, whose son was sick and needed healing. The New King James translation says, “he is an epileptic and suffers severely” (Matt. 17:15). The Greek word translated “epileptic” is more literally “lunatic” or “moon struck”. Many ancient societies believed that that madness was caused by the influence of the moon. So, this term means that the boy was stricken with something that had driven him insane. His condition was quite dangerous, “for he often falls into the fire and often into the water” (Matt. 17:15). In Matthew 17:18 we see that his disorder was not just mental or physical, it was also spiritual. It was caused by a demon who was afflicting him. Not all sickness is caused by demons, but there are several examples in Scripture of demon possession manifesting as mental or physical affliction.

Mark’s Gospel gives us more details about the boy’s suffering saying, “And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid” (Mark 9:18). The symptoms of seizures like this are similar to epilepsy, and that is probably why the translators used that word to describe it. Clearly, not only was the boy suffering, but the father was also himself suffering unspeakably in anxiety over his precious son. You can feel the father’s desperation and helplessness when he says in Matthew 17:16, “So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”

We know from Matthew 10, when Jesus sent His disciples out to preach the message of the kingdom, that He gave them authority to heal the sick and cast out demons (Matt. 10:8). Mark records that the disciples had “cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them” (Mark 6:13). So the disciples were not inexperienced in healing and casting out demons. They expected that they could do it because they had done it before. But now, for some reason, as they tried to cure this boy, they failed. Why? What was the problem?

You can imagine that the disciples, along with the boy’s father, were very frustrated by all of this. And they’re not the only ones who were frustrated. We see that in . . .

2. Jesus’ Response (Matt. 17:17-18)

Jesus Himself is clearly exasperated. Matthew 17:17 says, “Then Jesus answered and said, ‘O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.’”  The word “generation” is the general term for the people living in a specific time and in a specific situation. It probably refers to the Jewish people as a whole who could actually see Jesus’ demonstrations of power and authority but for the most part did not believe.

He describes them as “faithless” or unbelieving and “perverse,” meaning twisted, turned away, or distorted. The attitude of unbelief prevailed among many in that generation who witnessed the coming of Christ, saw His power, and heard His teaching. They twisted what Jesus said and distorted what He did. Jesus expressed His frustration with them saying, “how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?” They should have believed in Him already.

Is our generation any better? Probably not. Praise God there are many believers today. Praise God we have many fine examples of faith, but we also live in a generation that is mostly characterized by unbelief. Think of the privileges that we have. We have the whole revelation of the word of God in our Bibles. We have churches everywhere. We have access to more teaching, books, and resources than any generation before us. We also have clouds of faithful witnesses from previous generations. And yet unbelief prevails. And how it grieves the Lord.

How about the disciples? Were the faithless multitudes having an effect on them too? Were Jesus’ disciples somehow faithless? Is that why they could not help the boy? They were believers. Hadn’t the disciples believed and confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God? Hadn’t they left everything to follow Him? Yet, they demonstrated unbelief when they tried to do Jesus’ work without depending on Jesus Himself.

Finally, Jesus tells the disciples to do what they should have done all along. He says, “Bring him here to Me.” Matthew 17:18 tells us that, once they did, “… Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.” What the disciples had failed to do, Jesus appeared to do with little effort. With a word, this unclean spirit obeyed Jesus and left the boy (cf. Mark 1:27). How many problems in life would be solved if we first brought them to Jesus? Faith comes to Jesus first, not just when we have exhausted our own efforts.

Finally, we come to the main point of this passage…

3. Faith’s Lesson (Matt. 17:19-21)

What follows the healing of this boy is a discussion between Jesus and His disciples about faith. The discussion is a little confusing at first, because Jesus seems to be saying two things at once. First, He tells them the problem is they have “unbelief” or “little faith.” But then He tells them that if they have faith as small as a mustard seed, they can move mountains. And that’s confusing, because the solution seems to be the same as the problem!

Look at the discussion. Matthew 17:19 tells us, “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’” When we fail, it is best to do what the disciples did here—get alone with Jesus and ask, “Lord, why did I fail?”

They came to Him, and He showed them where they went wrong. “So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief’”—or, other manuscripts read, because of your “little faith”. It was not just that their faith was small. It was because their lack of faith was misplaced, and therefore it was more like unbelief. Jesus shows them that they had been acting in their own strength and not with a conviction of their dependence upon the Lord. They had faith in their ability to use Jesus’ authority and power apart from an utter dependency upon Him. They had faith that they could do it without Jesus. They had forgotten that it was His power and that their only access to that power was by a living confidence in a present Lord, in an active dependence upon what He and He alone could do. That is faith, and in that moment, that is what they lacked.

And isn’t it the same way with us sometimes? We believe, we really do. But far too many times we think, speak, and act as if we do not believe, not really. We find ourselves simply going through the motions of the Christian faith and life, content with an outward conformity, but not living in the active conviction of the Lord’s presence, not looking to Jesus, personally, for life, godliness, and fruitfulness. C.S. Lewis admitted how often he struggled with precisely that failure, writing,

The trouble with me is lack of faith.  I have no rational ground for going back on the arguments that convinced me of God’s existence: but the irrational deadweight of my own skeptical habits, and the spirit of this age, and the cares of the day, steal away all my lively feeling of the truth, and often when I pray I wonder if I am not posting letters to a non-existent address. Mind you, I don’t think so – the whole of my reasonable mind is convinced: but I often feel so.”[4]

Luther said, “Faith is nothing else but a sure and steadfast looking to Christ,”[5] How often during a typical day do you look to Christ? Probably, most of us would have to admit, not often enough. Perhaps that is why God allows us to get into frustrating circumstances and afflictions. Because it is in these times that we come to the end of ourselves, stop depending on our strength, and begin to really trust the Lord. Faith is looking to Christ.

Look carefully at what Jesus goes on to say. “… for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matt. 17:20). The mustard seed was the smallest seed that the Jewish people of that culture could know about. It was proverbially the smallest seed planted. It represents a very “small” quantity of faith, but with it they can move mountains. In other words, it is not the amount of faith that is significant, it is the object of faith. If their faith is in the right One, if they have an utter confidence in the power and authority of Jesus; and if the operate in utter dependency upon Him, then how much faith they have doesn’t matter. If Jesus commands us to order a mountain to be moved and we act in dependence on Him, it will move!

We often think about faith as an intellectual conviction or spiritual commitment, and, yes, it is that. The disciples had that. But faith is also and always must be a daily, hourly dependence on Christ, reliance upon Him, looking to Him, living in Him. When we fail to do that, we are people of little faith. Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5).

Before we close this lesson, look carefully at Matthew 17:21 where Jesus says, “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Some translations put this verse in a footnote because many of the early manuscripts do not include it. Mark’s account does have it in Mark 9:29. So, it definitely represents what Jesus said about casting our this demon. And it emphasizes the point Jesus has made about faith, doesn’t it? What is “prayer” but a matter of turning to God the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, with utter dependency upon Him? What is “fasting” but a matter of turning away from a reliance upon ourselves? There is a connection between prayer and faith. Faith drives us to pray, and prayer builds faith. Do you want to be a person of great faith? Pray to our great God. Call on our great Savior. Do you want to be a person of prayer? Believe in Jesus. Trust in Him. Depend on Him for everything. Do you see how faith and prayer go hand-in-hand?

Why do we not see mountains move or people set free from spiritual bondage? Because of our lack of faith exercised by prayer. It reminds me of the great hymn by Joseph Scriven,

What a friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Ev’rything to God in prayer!
Oh, what peace we often forfeit,
Oh, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Ev’rything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge;
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee;
Thou wilt find a solace there.

Praying is to actions of faith what exercising is to an athlete, what studying is to a student, what training is to a soldier, or what practicing is to a musician. True prayer expresses our utter dependence on the Lord. Prayer fits us for the spiritual battle. It equips us to do what Christ commands. Faith is a gift from God, but it is those who pray who receive what God gives. Listen, I know the difficulty with prayer and fasting. Prayer takes time. Fasting gives me headaches. It’s not easy. Of all the things that I do as a pastor each week, I find that my time spent in prayer to be as difficult as anything that I do.

Which brings me back to our main point: we are only able to do anything for Jesus when we have an utterly dependent faith in Jesus.

How’s your faith this morning? Is it weak and feeble? I exhort: pray. Faith doesn’t simply happen. It comes through your constant pleading to God for faith. God will give you faith if you ask. Do you ask? In Mark’s account of this story, there was a point where the boy’s father says, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). Is this your prayer?

This is how we put our faith in Jesus. He is the Son of God who died for our sins and was raised to life again. It is only in His name, by faith in His name, that we can be saved (Acts 3:16; 4:12). It is only in His name, by faith in His name, that we can do anything—anything that matters for eternity. Have you believed in Jesus?

————————————————————–

[1] Outline of Biblical Usage, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g101/nkjv/tr/0-1/

[2] Outline of Biblical Usage, https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1410/nkjv/tr/0-1/

[3] Greg Allen, Bring Him Here to Me, https://bethanybible.org/archive/2007/081907.htm. Allen pointed out this key word and its significance in his sermon.

[4] C. S. Lewis, Letters to Arthur Greeves, 398-399. Quoted by Robert Rayburn, A Puzzling Saying, Matthew 17:14-23, https://www.faithtacoma.org/matthew/a-puzzling-saying.

[5] Martin Luther, Cited in Whyte, Bunyan Characters, iv, 238. Quoted by Robert Rayburn, A Puzzling Saying, Matthew 17:14-23, https://www.faithtacoma.org/matthew/a-puzzling-saying.

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Ask, Seek, and Knock

matthew-the-kingdom-of-heaven

God Wants Us to Ask, Seek, and Knock

Matthew 7:7-12

We are nearing the end of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, and if we’re honest with ourselves, this has been a challenging journey. Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount tests us and confronts us at every turn. Jesus calls His disciples to a life that is so breathtakingly beautiful, and yet at the same time so difficult to live out.[1]

Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Christ has been teaching about the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33). In Matthew 5, He examined God’s righteousness. He began with the beatitudes (Matt. 5:1-12), the characteristics of those who belong to the Kingdom. Contrary to the ways of the world, they are poor in spirit, mourn over sin, are meek, hunger and thirst for righteousness, are merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and they rejoice in the face of persecution. They are salt and light in the world, glorifying God in their good works (Matt. 5:13-16).

Then Christ contrasted the outward righteousness of the Pharisees with the inward righteousness of God’s kingdom (Matt 5:20). Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus isn’t satisfied with superficial, external righteousness, He keeps exposing our very hearts, insisting on an inward purity.

In Matthew 6 Jesus exposed false righteousness. He showed that even the good religious things we do are often tainted by self-promotion and hypocrisy—giving, fasting, and praying to be seen by others, rather than to honor God. Instead, the child of God is to do these things out of the sight of others to please God. He taught that rather than seeking and storing up the things of this world and worrying about this life, we are to seek first His kingdom and righteousness.

In the first part of Matthew 7, Jesus commanded His disciples not to judge others condemningly or hypocritically. Instead, before we help others take specks out of their eyes (referring to personal sin), we must first get rid of the log in our own eye and be discerning about those with whom we share the precious things of God.

This has all been challenging. If we take these things seriously and evaluate our lives by Jesus’ standard of righteousness, we are bound to fall short. We are crushed by Christ’s commands. How can we rejoice in persecution (Matt. 5:12)? How can we love and bless those who hate us (Matt 5:44)? How can we always guard our eyes from lust (Matt 5:28)? How can we be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48)? How can we keep from seeking the approval of men (Matt. 6:1-18)? How can we not worry and seek first God’s kingdom (Matt. 6:33)? How can we judge ourselves more than others (Matt. 7:1-6)? This is hard to live out. Jesus’ teaching has nailed me to the floor.[2]

And then we come to today’s passage and it’s like an oasis in the desert. It is sweet relief; it’s comfort to the soul. It’s as if Jesus knew how hard these teachings have been for us, and so He stops to give us encouragement.[3] Christ realizes the difficulty of the kingdom’s standards and therefore teaches the disciples the secret to developing and maintaining them. Simply said, they must ask, seek, and knock.[4] Jesus knows that what He has taught is impossible to live on our own, so He invites us to pray.

So we see first,

1. The petition (Matt. 7:7)

Jesus, the Son of God, gives His disciples here a remarkable and authoritative invitation relating to His Father. He teaches, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” The verbs ask, seek, and knock grammatically are imperatives. That means that Jesus is commanding us to ask, seek, and knock. They are also in the present tense, which means that they are a command to be obeyed continually or habitually. They have the force of: Keep on asking! Keep on seeking! Keep on knocking! This is an invitation, but it is also a command to take up a regular habit of life.[5]

And notice the progression in our petitions. First Jesus says, “Ask”. Asking is simply expressing your need to God. The word “seek” intensifies the process. We seek when we know what we need, but we can’t easily find it. Seeking takes concentrated time and effort. So yes, prayer is asking, but it is not a hit-and-run. We spend time seeking God in prayer and in His word. Seeking is a process, and it doesn’t happen all at once. The word “knock” intensifies the process even further. Knocking implies that what you seek is behind a closed door that stands in your way.

Any of us who have children knows what this is like. Little children ask something from their mother or father. They will ask; but if they don’t get the answer, they will get up from where they are and seek their mother or father so they can ask again. And if they seek their parents, but are met by a closed door, they will knock so they can ask yet again. Children are persistent! Jesus is not only inviting us to ask the Father as His beloved children, but He’s urging us to be like children and be persistent in our pursuit of what we ask.

So, we know that Jesus is teaching us to always ask, seek, and knock. But what are we asking for? Is Jesus telling us that all we ask for will be given to us? Will we find everything we seek? Will every door be opened if we just keep on knocking? When Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given to you,” what is the “it”? Does “it” refer to everything you might ask for?

Certainly, from the context of the Sermon on the Mount we would have to say “No, that’s not what it means.” Just a few verses before Jesus warned us about the danger of greed. He told us not to seek and store up treasures on earth. Obviously, God is not promising to be a genie that grants all our wishes. Prayer is not a blank check to pray selfishly for whatever you want. We read in the book of James: “… you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3).

I believe that Jesus is chiefly wanting us to ask, seek, and knock for something specific that He has already emphasized throughout the Sermon on the Mount. In the Beatitudes he taught us: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:3). The poor in spirit desperately know their need for God and so they are not afraid to ask. He said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.” (Matt. 5:6). What Jesus has been teaching about is the Kingdom of Heaven, the righteousness of God. Jesus has shown us how far we fall below God’s standards, and so we ask, seek, and knock for righteousness that we may be filled. Jesus said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:20). On our own we could never produce this kind of righteousness.

In the Lord’s Prayer, we learned that we are to pray for God’s concerns first, and then for our own needs. So, we ask, seek, and knock concerning God’s name, God’s kingdom, and God’s will, and then we pray for our three main human needs: physical provision, forgiveness for our sins, and spiritual protection.

In Matthew 6:33 Jesus taught us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matt. 6:33). So, we are to seek God and His kingdom, trusting that God will provide everything else that we need.

In the parallel passage in the Gospel of Luke Jesus says,

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:9-13).

The good that God gives to those who ask, seek, and knock is the ministry of the Holy Spirit. In Romans 14:17 Paul writes, “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

That’s the petition. Next, let’s consider,

2. The promise (Matt. 7:8)

Look at how, in Matthew 7:8, Jesus affirms the invitation He just gave in Matthew 7:7. First, He stressed the command: “Ask, seek, knock”. But now in Matthew 7:8, He stresses the results: “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.“

I love the word “everyone”! There are no exceptions. Salvation is open to all who come to Christ, and He has never turned anyone away. If you seek God, you will find Him. Romans 10:13 says, “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’” I know it sounds too good to be true, but straight from the mouth of Jesus, if you have recognized your sinful state before God, and yet desire to be righteous, then ask Him for it. If you want to be a child of God, seek Him. If you want to be in the Kingdom of Heaven, knock on the door. He will answer. You will find a Heavenly Father who loves you. You will be welcomed into the Kingdom by God’s grace through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. We come to salvation by asking in faith.

In the original language, our Lord uses three present tense participles to describe a kind of person, literally calling such a person: “the ‘always-asking’ one; or the ‘always-seeking’ one; or the ‘always-knocking’ one”. And when He stresses the results of these actions, He again uses the present tense of the verb to describe an ongoing, habitual result. The sense of Jesus’ words could be translated this way: “For every ‘always-asking’ person keeps on receiving, and every ‘always-seeking’ person keeps on finding, and every ‘always-knocking’ person keeps on finding the door opened to them.”

If we came to salvation by asking in faith, then we grow in our salvation the same way. If we are going to grow in kingdom character, we must pray with persistence. God wants us to come after Him and His kingdom with all our heart and soul—to pursue Him and His righteousness with prayerful persistence. The person who asks, seeks, and knocks like this God will work mightily through them for His purposes (2 Chr. 16:9). Will you be that person?

We have seen the petition and the promise. Now we see,

3. The provider (Matt. 7:9-11)

Jesus moves from God’s promise to answer prayer to God’s principle in answering prayer. Here we see why righteousness is promised to those who ask, seek, and knock.

9 “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt. 7:9-11).

Jesus makes a comparison. He says that human fathers give good things to their children. If your child is hungry and asks you for bread, you wouldn’t give him a stone instead. If they asked for some fish, you wouldn’t give them a snake. If your child asks you for something good, you’re not going to give them something bad instead. You wouldn’t do that because you love your child. Human fathers and mothers give good gifts to their children.

But Jesus goes one step further in this illustration. He says, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children.” Human fathers are sinful, and yet they still give good gifts to their children. Suppose one of your kids comes up and asks for something to eat. How might you respond? You might say, “In a minute” (which communicates that my time is more important than your hunger). You might say, “Get it yourself” (which communicates, I don’t want to be bothered). You might say, “Ask your mother” (which just passes the buck). Why do we respond like that? Because we are selfish, lazy, and greedy. Man is evil. Yet even an evil man will eventually give what is good when the child keeps asking.

The point is that if even sinful, evil fathers will give good things to their children, “how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt. 7:11). God is perfect, loving, and righteous. If our sinfulness doesn’t get in the way of giving good gifts to our children, then “how much more” will God who is perfect, loving, and righteous give good gifts to those who ask Him?

God is your heavenly Father. You are His precious child, and He loves you! He will not leave you knocking at the door like the traveling salesman. God is good and so He gives. Our receiving is not based on how well we ask, seek, or knock. God does not give righteousness based on your ability to ask for it. Righteousness is guaranteed because the God who gives it is good.  We don’t earn it. We don’t achieve it. We don’t deserve it. God gives it because God is good. God gives it because, in His great love, He sent His only begotten Son into the world to atone for our sins through His death on the cross. That is why everyone who asks receives.

So, we have seen the petition, the promise, and the provider. Finally we see,

4. The proof (Matt. 7:12)

This is where Matthew 7:12 comes in. “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt. 7:12). This saying of Jesus is what many have called, “The Golden Rule”. We must treat others as we would want them to treat us. It is another way of saying the simple commandment that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves (Lev. 19:18). When someone asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment in the law, He said,

“… ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt. 22:37-40).

Jesus taught that the first great command is to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. To treat others as ourselves, we don’t start with looking at our neighbor, and we certainly don’t start with looking at ourselves! Instead, we look to God. Only when we first love God with all our being will we be able to look to ourselves and ask what we would want done to us and get a holy answer! Only then can we truly love our neighbor as ourselves. Loving others in this way is a fruit of loving God. And loving God is a fruit of salvation.

The conjunction “Therefore” at the beginning of this verse tells us that this Golden Rule does not stand alone. It connects to what Jesus has just taught. He has just taught that God is a good Father who gives good gifts to His children when they ask Him. God gives righteousness to those who ask, seek, and knock. He gives us the kingdom. The proof that we have received His righteousness is that we do good to others just as God has been good to us.

Selfishness is the opposite of righteousness. That’s why if we desire to follow Jesus we are told to “deny self” (Matt. 16:24). That’s what makes treating others the way you want to be treated a fruit of genuine righteousness. In fact, Jesus says, “for this is the Law and the Prophets.” All the righteousness that the law commands, all the righteousness that the prophets preach, all the righteousness that the scriptures describe, can be summed up in this phrase treat others as you want to be treated or love your neighbor as yourself. That is the essence of righteousness.

The word “whatever” means it is a comprehensive command. In the original language, the way Jesus puts this almost strains at being as all-encompassing as it can be. A literal way to translate it might be, “All things therefore, as much as it ever occurs, that you may wish that people may do to you . . .”[6] This rule is binding on your behavior towards all people at all times under all circumstances. God expects you to display and use the righteousness He freely gives.

Think about what we have learned today. God is willing to give righteousness to an evil sinner like me. And the only thing He requires as a result is that I put it to use. Because I am justified in Christ, God pours out His love into my heart through His Holy Spirit (Rom. 5:1-5). Then He expects me to love others as He has loved me (1 Pet. 1:22).

That is like someone giving a glass of water to a man who is dying of thirst, expecting that the thirsty man will drink it. Or it’s like giving a steak to a starving man, expecting the starving man to eat it. God will gladly give us righteousness if we ask. He has provided it in Jesus Christ our Lord. He only desires that we put it to use. This is what it looks like to be in God’s Kingdom. This is how children of God live—they imitate their Father. In Ephesians 5, Paul writes, “1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” (Eph. 5:1-2).

God is good and will give righteousness to all who ask in faith in the name of Jesus Christ. He will make you a child of God who walks in self-sacrificing love even as our Savior Jesus did. And this morning that is what I encourage you to do. Ask, seek, knock. Come to God who loves you and wants to give you His gift of righteousness through His Son. Let God give what you cannot earn or receive anywhere else. Let Him give you His perfect righteousness made possible through the death of His Son. Then live that life of righteousness by loving God and others. It’s what His children do.

 

[1] Ray Fowler, God Wants You to Ask. https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/god-wants-you-to-ask/

[2] Rory Mosley, How to Be Righteous. https://fbcspur.org/righteous-matthew-77-12/

[3] Ray Fowler, God Wants You to Ask. https://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/god-wants-you-to-ask/

[4] Gregory Brown, Growing In Kingdom Character (Matthew 7:7-12). https://bible.org/seriespage/31-growing-kingdom-character-matthew-77-12

[5] Greg Allen, Ask! Seek!! Knock!. https://bethanybible.org/archive/2005/042405.htm. Copyright © 2005 Bethany Bible Church, All Rights Reserved.

[6] Greg Allen, The Golden Rule. https://www.bethanybible.org/archive/2005/051505.htm. Copyright © 2005 Bethany Bible Church, All Rights Reserved.

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Yours Is the Kingdom, Power, Glory

Lords Prayer

Yours Is the Kingdom, Power, Glory

Matthew 6:13

Today is Palm Sunday. Listen to what Matthew records happened on that day that Jesus arrived in Jerusalem just a few days before He would be crucified:

1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ “ 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” 11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21:1-11).

And in the Gospel of John, the apostle adds that the people “… took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!” (John 12:13).

On that Palm Sunday almost two thousand years ago, Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the city of the great King (Ps. 48:2; Matt. 5:35). The People Proclaimed Him to be the Son of David (Matt. 21:9) and the King of Israel (John 12:13). The inspired apostles wrote that, “All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet” (Matt. 21:4), Zechariah, who prophesied, “Behold, your King is coming to you!” (Zech. 9:9).

All the praise given to Jesus on that Palm Sunday was just a foretaste and preview of the praise that will be His as King when He returns in glory—when “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Rev. 11:15). When, as Jesus prophesied, “30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matt. 24:30-31).

As we have seen in our study of the Gospel of Matthew, he presents Jesus as the promised Messiah-King of Israel. Jesus is the Son of David, the king. The citizens of His kingdom are His disciples, those who have believed in Him, learn from Him, and submit to Him as Lord and King. To them—to us—King Jesus has been teaching the nature and principles of His kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount. As we have studied the Lord’s Prayer over the last few weeks, Jesus has taught us to pray.

Our text today is the doxology which closes the Lord’s Prayer, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”  (Matthew 6:13). A doxology is a word of praise to God, a word of glory to God. This prayer has been a petition all the way through, but when it comes to this point, it is an affirmation of praise. It is a grand crescendo of praise that closes this prayer in which the Lord taught His disciples to pray.

The Lord’s Prayer begins on a high note, with its foundation on our relationship with God as our heavenly Father. We saw that our petitions are to be, first of all, for God’s name to be hallowed, His Kingdom to come, and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Then based on those God-centered petitions, we are to ask for our daily bread, forgiveness for our debt of sin, and deliverance from the evil one.

If we were to stop our prayer at the end of the sixth petition, it would seem a rather abrupt and sobering ending. Perhaps that is why the church, from its beginnings, prayed this doxology at the end of the prayer in both public worship and private devotion.[1]

Should the doxology be included in Matthew 6:13?

Now, if you are reading Matthew 6 from just about any modern translation except the King James or New King James Version, you have probably noticed that the text either puts this doxology in brackets or omits it from the text and may put it in a footnote. Your Bible may have an explanation in the footnote that says something like, “Late manuscripts add [this]” (NASB, NIV) or “Early manuscripts omit [this]” (LSB). How many of you have wondered what is going on here? What happened to this part of the Lord’s Prayer?

Most of you know that for fourteen centuries, before the invention of the printing press, the Bible was copied by hand. These handwritten copies are called manuscripts. There are over 5800 complete or partial Greek manuscripts dating anywhere from about 125 A.D. to the 15th century.[2] As with all hand-copied documents, the Bible manuscripts vary a little from one another. Copyists are not perfect. The doxology is one of these variants.

About 98 percent of the Greek manuscripts that contain Matthew 6:13 have some form of the doxology in the text or in the margin of the text.[3] The problem is that the very earliest manuscripts that we have (which ought to contain the fewest copy errors) do not contain the doxology at all.[4] Many are convinced that this doxology was added to the text of Matthew later. Thus, scholars are divided about whether this ending of the Lord’s Prayer is actually supposed to be part of the text of Matthew or not. The earliest evidence of the Greek New Testament manuscripts supports the exclusion of the doxology, while its widespread presence in later manuscripts means that it cannot be discarded lightly.[5]

After all is said and done, no one can say with 100 percent certainty that Jesus did or did not say these words, or that Matthew did or did not include them in his Gospel when he wrote it. I have chosen to include this doxology in my teaching on the Lord’s Prayer for three reasons:[6]

1) It is true and biblical. We heard almost the exact same doxology prayed by David in 1 Chronicles 29:11, “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all.” Paul gives a similar doxology in Philippians 4:20, “Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”; and again in 1 Timothy 1:17, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”; and John in Revelation 1:6 praises the Lord Jesus Christ who “… has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”[7] It is true and it is biblical.

2) It is ancient. We have copies of an ancient Christian document called The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (or the Didache) originally written at the end of the first century which shows that the church used this doxology when they prayed the Lord’s Prayer. (See endnote 1 below). Christians have prayed this doxology at the end of the Lord’s Prayer from the beginnings of the church in both public worship and private devotions.

3) It is familiar. Most of us have memorized the Lord’s Prayer this way and its doxology is meaningful to us. They form a fitting end to the Lord’s Prayer. Notice how perfectly the benediction brings the whole prayer together: Jesus taught us to pray, “Hallowed be Your name,” for “Yours is the glory.” He taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come,” for “Yours is the kingdom.” He taught us to pray “Your will be done” because “Yours is the power.” It would be difficult to compose a more fitting conclusion to this prayer. If we remember that the Lord’s Prayer is not a form for repetition but a pattern for prayer, we are quite justified in extending that pattern by any additions which harmonize with its spirit.[8]

Therefore, for the purpose of our study today, we will consider these concluding words to the Lord’s Prayer as a part of the biblical text and seek to learn what they teach us.

What does the doxology teach us?

I want to follow a simple outline for this text by highlighting the keywords: kingdom, power, and glory.

1. Yours is the Kingdom – an affirmation of God’s preeminence

This climactic doxology begins with a passionate declaration of God’s sovereignty, “For Yours is the kingdom.” God is sovereign. He is over and above all the nations of this world. Dominion rightly belongs to God. In the book of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Babylon, the greatest empire the world had ever seen at that time. When in his pride and arrogance, Nebuchadnezzar lifted himself above every authority, God took away his mind and for seven years the formerly great King ate hay like an ox in the field. Then God had mercy on the king and restored to him not only his sanity but his kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar responded by saying,

34 And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?” (Daniel 4:34-35).  

God both possesses and presides over His kingdom. He has supreme authority and unrestricted dominion. And though this world often seems out of control and in rebellion to God’s authority, it is still true, “Yours is the kingdom.” Jesus is the truly great King who will return and reign over heaven and earth. Listen to the words of Martin Luther,

And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure:
One little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through Him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill;
God’s truth abideth still:
His kingdom is forever.

So we praise God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ saying, “Yours is the kingdom.”

2. Yours is the Power – an affirmation of God’s power

Second, we pray, “Yours is … the power.” We affirm God’s strength and might. The definite article defines the infinite scope of His power. He possesses not a mere portion of some power, but the power. He has all power in heaven and earth. All that God’s supreme will chooses to do, He has the omnipotence to execute fully. We do not serve some anemic, weak God. We serve a God of power and ability.

The Lord challenged Abraham and Sarah, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Gen. 18:14). He issued the same challenge to Jeremiah the prophet, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jer 32:27). There is no promise too hard for God to fulfill, no problem too hard for God to solve, no prayer too hard for God to answer, and no person too hard for God to save. Some of us have loved ones for whom we have been praying and we’ve wondered if it’s possible for God to save them. Is it? Absolutely. “For Yours is the kingdom and the power!”

3. Yours is the Glory – an affirmation of God’s purpose

We praise God for His kingdom and His power, and third, we pray, “For Yours is … the glory.” This is an affirmation of God’s purpose. What is God’s ultimate goal in all things? The glory of His name. As our Lord Jesus Christ thought about His approaching crucifixion, He prayed, “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” (John 12:27-28). We are never more like Christ than when we pray for God to be glorified. And we are never more sure of the Father’s answer, for as soon as our Savior had offered that prayer, “Then a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ “. (John 12:28).

In direct response to God’s vast sovereignty and unlimited power, all glory must be rendered to Him. Because the kingdom is His and the power is His, the glory must be His alone. God is glorious; therefore He must be glorified. He must be praised. We must give Him the glory due His Holy name.

When we think about God sending His only begotten Son into this world to seek and to save the lost—to God be the glory!
When we see our loving Savior lifted up on the cross, dying for our sins—to God be the glory!
When we hear Jesus cry out at His death, “It is finished!”—to God be the glory!
When His body is laid cold and lifeless in the tomb—to God be the glory!
When He rose from the grave, victorious over death—to God be the glory!
When He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father—to God be the glory!
When sinners repent and believe and He saves them from sin and death—to God be the glory!
And when Jesus Christ returns to consummate His heavenly Kingdom on earth—to God be the glory!

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son
and give him the glory, great things he has done![9]

“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

————————————————————————

[1] The oldest mention of the doxology at the end of the Lord’s Prayer is actually not a Biblical manuscript, but what may be one of the oldest Christian documents we still have, called “The Teaching of the Twelve” or “The Didache.” The Didache dates to around 100 A.D. and possibly earlier (although our earliest full copies are dated centuries later), which puts its writing within reach of the apostolic age and the earliest Christian churches that they founded. It mentions baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer. It concludes the prayer by saying, “but deliver us from evil. For yours is the power and the glory forever, Amen.” For further reading see: James Snapp, How Does the Lord’s Prayer End?, https://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2018/11/matthew-613-how-does-lords-prayer-end.html; Bill Wangelin, How Does the Lord’s Prayer End?  https://www.oursaviorlansing.org/how-does-the-lords-prayer-end/; and Got Questions: Should “for thine is the kingdom…” be included in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:13)?, https://www.gotquestions.org/for-thine-is-the-kingdom.html; Jonathan C. Borland, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, https://tcgnt.blogspot.com/2013/09/matt-613.html  

[2] Biblical manuscript. (2023, March 20). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_manuscript

[3] James Snapp, How Does the Lord’s Prayer End?, https://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2018/11/matthew-613-how-does-lords-prayer-end.html. There are about 1500 manuscripts that have Matthew 6:13.  

[4] Snapp, ibid. These include Vaticanus and Sinaiticus (the flagship manuscripts of the Alexandrian Text, 4th century); Codex Bezae (the flagship MS of the Western Text, 5th century), and Codex Dublinensis Z (035, 6th century). In addition, most Old Latin copies do not include the doxology; nor do the Middle Egyptian version and the earliest strata of the Bohairic version. It is also absent in the writings of early theologians like Tertullian (2nd—3rd centuries), Origen (3rd century), Cyprian (3rd century), Ambrose (4th century), and Augustine (4th—5th centuries).

[5] Got Questions, https://www.gotquestions.org/for-thine-is-the-kingdom.html

[6] Philip Miller, Kingdom, Power, Glory, notes from the sermon on  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrzZ3EUEEQM&ab_channel=FoundersMinistries  

[7] Paul, when alluding to the final request of the Lord’s Prayer for deliverance from “evil,” himself moves immediately into a doxology, “to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen!” (Gal 1:4; cf. also 2 Tim 4:18).

[8] Alexander MacLaren, THINE IS THE KINGDOM, https://www.ccel.org/ccel/maclaren/ezek_matt1.iii.xl.html

[9] Fanny Crosby, To God Be the Glory, https://hymnary.org/text/to_god_be_the_glory_great_things_he_hath

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