THE BOTTOM LINE

THE BOTTOM LINE

Psalm 135; Matthew 6:5-15 (v.13)

Dr. Wm. J. Maxwell

First Presbyterian Church, Newport, RI

October 21, 2007

“What’s the bottom line?” That seems to be a common question for many who want to get to the primary issue at hand. Perhaps it’s an equity loan, or a teacher union contract, a pre-nuptial agreement or other type of negotiation. But many want to cut through the fine print and get to a simple sentence or two as to what it’s all about.

I see this “bottom line” in the concluding phrase given to us in the Lord’s Prayer. While every word and phrase is most certainly very important and worth detailed consideration, the final phrase seems to sum it all up for me.

Now, it is true that the earliest manuscripts don’t include this final line in the Lord’s Prayer. But because it has appeared in some rather ancient versions and teaching documents in one form or another, and because it has been a treasured part of our use of the Lord’s Prayer for so long, it is good to conclude this sermon series with our consideration of these words.

And, again, it seems to me to be a very fitting way in which to give us “the bottom line” – a summary of how to pray.

“FOR YOURS IS THE KINGDOM …”

We have previously seen how the word “kingdom” refers to God’s rule or reign. So, in concluding with an admission that the reign or rule of God is an undeniable fact and that God rules and reigns in my life and yours as well, this is how we can be in prayer: “Father, when all is said and done, it’s not about me, about my plans, about my purposes and goals. It’s not about me. No, it’s all about You!”

About 10 years ago, author and pastor Max Lucado ran into a friend in a hotel lobby. He hadn’t seen his friend for about a year so they had lunch together. In the midst of the conversation, Lucado asked his friend a thought-provoking question: “What has God been teaching you this year?” As Lucado awaited an answer, he took another bite from his sandwich. But the answer his friend gave was clearly thought-provoking: “What has he been teaching me this year? He’s been teaching me that: It’s not about me.”

Because of the profound truth found in his friend’s answer to the question, and the fact that his friend also clearly modeled such a truth, Max Lucado ended up giving a sermon series to his congregation on this and then wrote it all into a book entitled, It’s Not about Me.[i]

Now, as Lucado points out, so many people feel that this life is all about them. The way to happiness and true contentment is to fulfill your own goals, plans and purposes. He points out that real contentment is found in being, not me-centered, but Christ-centered.

Now, let me take this one step further and say that as Christians, this perspective involves our prayers as well. Prayer is not about us, regarding getting what we want or getting what we feel is best for us or for others. Sometimes we read the Scripture that says that God gives us the desires of our hearts and we gladly respond in saying, “Great, God – bring it on!” But that is not what the verse means, unless we can be absolutely sure that the desire in our heart is from Him … not from us.

You see, God alone knows what is best, not only for us but for everyone and for all of creation. So, when we pray, we must always remember that in our petitions, we need to bow not only our heads and our hearts, but also our wills, because not only does the Father know what is best, He will also be working out His own good and gracious purposes … and those purposes will always include and affect far more than just us. Why? Because, once again, it’s not about me … and it’s not about you - it’s all about Him. We need to remember this in all of our prayers, and whenever we pray alone or together, “Yours is the Kingdom.”

“YOURS IS THE POWER.”

Here is the admission that whatever God wants to do, God can and most certainly will do in all of His might and in all of His power. The author of Psalm 135 certainly had this in mind as he composed lines displaying this truth. “For I know that the LORD is great, and that our Lord is above all gods. Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps. He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and of beast; who in your midst, O Egypt, sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh and all his servants; who struck down many nations and killed mighty kings, … and gave their land as a heritage, a heritage to His people Israel.” [ii]

We can take pleasure and comfort in knowing that nothing is impossible with God.[iii] But not only can God do what He wants to do and when He wants to do it, His power is also available to us in the doing of His will. For what good is it in praying for His will to be “done on earth as it is in heaven” if there’s no power in which for us to do it?

In the hard and challenging days of the returning exiles to Jerusalem, discouragement was a reality in view of the devastation that had been wrought by the Babylonians. Zerubbabel was the governor and it was his task, along with Joshua the high priest, to rebuild the altar and lay the foundation for the new temple. Opposition from without and from within was intense, and failure to come through was a distinct possibility. But God had a word of encouragement for His servant through another servant, Zechariah the prophet.

Zechariah was told to deliver a message to Zerubbabel: “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone (that is, of the completed temple) amid shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” [iv]

God had given Zerubbabel a task to do, only not in his own strength. In his own strength, he was giving in to discouragement with the enormity of the task and the intensity of the opposition. But the LORD through Zechariah told him not to look in, nor to look around him or in front of him. He was called instead to look up, and to acknowledge that the needed might and the needed power could be found in the Holy Spirit, through whom mountains could be made into plains!

May I ask, where have you been looking? We may not be asked by the Lord to particularly build an altar or a temple. But perhaps He’s asked us to forge into our character an element that has been noticeably lacking. Perhaps He’s asked us to restore and rebuild a broken relationship, be it in our family, church, school, workplace, or neighborhood. Maybe He’s asked us to serve as an Elder or a Deacon in the leadership of our church. Maybe He’s asked us to build upon a solid foundation of youth ministry, or reach out to an elderly person who is house-bound.

If we know that God is indeed calling to us, and yet at the same time we refuse to do as He asks, we simply cannot in good conscience pray the prayer, “Yours is the Power,” because we really don’t believe that. But if we look up and not in, down or around and pray accordingly, we will discover soon enough that God Almighty has more than enough power to meet our every need and our every challenge.

III

YOURS IS THE GLORY FOREVER.

Glory in the sense of this phrase refers to God’s honor and praise, and this is most certainly a bottom line feature in all our praying. For example, in the answer to our prayer for salvation in Christ, God gets the glory and the praise, because it is His work in us, and any witness given should lead people’s attention away from us and on to Him.

In the answer to our prayer for the meeting of our needs, God gets the glory and the praise, because it is His work of provision, proving Himself to be faithful in each and every circumstance. In the answer to our prayer for strength for the work of ministry to which He’s called us, God gets the glory and the praise, because it is His work of giving us gifts and abilities and desires and power to do that very work. Whereas we can take a healthy sense of pride for “a job well done,” we will always know that the bottom line is God and the glory of God. And so it is that we pray: “Father, it’s not all about the attention I get, but the attention that You get, for Yours is the glory forever!”

We can see this clearly in John the Baptist in the course of his ministry. When Jesus was gaining more disciples than John, John’s disciples were noticeably upset. But John wasn’t upset, as he made significant statements on this issue. Instead of a concern for his own glory and honor, he said to them: “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.” John understood that his ministry was given to Him by God and enabled by the power of God. So, the bottom line was not John’s glory, but the glory of God and the glory of Christ. Period! And so it should be with us.

Similarly, one of the great missionaries to India was a man by the name of John Hyde. Only he was known as “Praying Hyde” because of the time he gave to prayer, sometimes praying for extended periods of time. Many times, while he was praying, others in the room were aware of God’s presence, leading some to shed tears in the nearness of God’s holiness, or God’s power, or God’s love.

On one occasion, Hyde arose at dawn and began to pray. He continued to pray all day, as a friend of his came in and out of the room and saw him, until Hyde at last finished about 6:30 that evening. As he did, he shared with his friend what had happened. In that time of prayer, the Holy Spirit had revealed to Hyde some insights regarding the person and work of Christ. With joy from that time of communion, Hyde shared some of those insights with his friend.

His friend then reported this: “I shall never forget his words as they gave me a new vision of Christ … I could not keep the tears back. At times I felt that it could not be true, that Christ had never suffered so much for me … How I wish I could repeat it as Hyde brought me step by step to see Christ that evening.” [v]

Now, don’t miss the connection here, my friends. Prayer … in which there is communion with God … and then people being drawn to the glory of God and of Christ that they see through our own witness. For you see, again, it’s not about me … and it’s not about you. It’s all about the God who in Christ has done so much for us, is doing so much for us, and teaches us so much, including how to pray; and the bottom line of prayer and of life itself is always this:

Yours is the Kingdom

and the power and the glory forever.

Amen.