Thine is the Kingdom!

For Tuesday, January 31, 2023:

Matthew 6:13b NIV: “For thine (yours) is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

This ending for The Lord’s Prayer wasn’t included in many of the original texts. Some modern translations include it; others do not. The words were perhaps added by scribes, those who copied Bibles by hand. If you wanted to use Jesus’ prayer-example as a stand-alone prayer, there was no suitable ending. The prayer begins by praising the Lord, so it’s appropriate that we should also conclude in that manner.

There is evidence that these ending words are ancient and were used by Jewish Christians. Therefore it seems appropriate to include them as we recite The Lord’s Prayer. Confidence in praising the Lord reinforces the eternal hope we have through his Son Jesus!

As children attend Sunday School, one of the first things they memorize is The Lord’s Prayer, probably the traditional version we all know and love. Current translators have modernized the language, but we continue to use the older version we have already memorized. It’s difficult to retrain humans!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Save Us From Evil!

January 30, 2023 Monday Message:

Matthew 6:13 NIV, Jesus continues teaching The Lord’s Prayer: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

You should know that the Greek word for “temptation” could also be translated “tests.” The only way God would lead someone into temptation would be as a loyalty test, and Scripture says that God will not tempt us beyond what we have the ability to withstand.

Here’s an example: Abraham and Sarah were well beyond child-bearing years when God blessed them with a son, Isaac. They loved Isaac more than you can imagine. Then God told Abraham to take his only son into the wilderness and sacrifice him to the Lord. Unthinkable! But Abraham was obedient, loyal to God. Turns out the whole scenario was a loyalty test. At the last minute, God provided an appropriate sacrifice, and Isaac was spared! God is good!

J.B. Phillips translates this passage: “Keep us clear of temptation, and save us from evil.” Satan is relentless, perpetually ready to take us off track. Since God and Satan, good and evil, cannot exist in the same realm, if you desire protection from the evil one you should get closer to God. In His arms, you’re safe!

“Saving” us is a function of Jesus, who died that our sins might be forgiven as he redeems the children of God!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Forgive Others!

For Sunday, January 29, 2023:

Matthew 6:12 NIV, Jesus continues teaching The Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Your Bible may read, “Forgive us our trespasses...,” “Forgive our sins...,” or “Forgive us for the wrong things we have done…” Sin is pictured as a debt owed, and we need to square things up!

God arranged to forgive mankind when we sinned. In fact, he was quite intentional about it. He sent his Son Jesus to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world. Those who put their faith, hope and trust in God’s Son can confess their sin and be adopted as a chid of God, a resident of God’s forever heavenly Kingdom. God gave us a second chance at hope!

There is a condition to God’s benevolence. It’s kind of like the Golden Rule. God stands ready to forgive us after the same manner in which we forgive others. “Do unto others as you would have God do unto you,” is the message. It sounds simple, but this is quite serious. If you insist on harboring resentment against a fellow, God may harbor resentment against you, and that can have eternal ramifications.

We’re praying for God to treat us as we have treated others, so treat them well!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

God of Provision!

For Saturday, January 28, 2023:

Matthew 6:11 NIV, Jesus continues teaching The Lord’s Prayer: “Give us today (this day) our daily bread.”

Abraham called the Lord “Jehovah-Jireh,” “The Lord will provide” - everything! Abraham needed a replacement sacrifice to spare the life of his son Isaac. That’s a big ask, but God provided! We might only need a sandwich for lunch, and God can provide that too.

We should ask, “Give us today what we need for today.” This isn’t about filling a pantry or storeroom. God will give us today what we need for today, and he will give us tomorrow what we need for tomorrow. God will provide for our needs, not our greeds!

Our needs today include daily provision, forgiveness, and strength in the face of temptation. Many things are more important than food, and the Lord can provide everything we need!

God takes an interest in simple, everyday things!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Kingdom!

For Friday, January 27, 2023:

Matthew 6:10 NIV, Jesus speaking: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

The first part of Jesus’ prayer-example is acknowledging our creator God. God’s name, his kingdom and his will should come first. We shouldn’t go right to our own requests. Put God first.

We’re praying that God’s kingdom and his supreme nature, which is well known in heaven, would also prevail on earth. We can pray this because we have trusted Jesus as our savior. Think about it: If God took over as ultimate ruler and judge of the world, many would be lost. Those who don’t know Jesus would be condemned. But God, in his wisdom, is giving mankind a break by delaying things a wee bit – a little more time for the world to get to know Jesus!

In heaven there is no disobedience and no obstacles to God’s will. God gave mankind self-will, but in this prayer we’re asking to live under his guidance. We pray with love and trust, knowing that his way is the better way.

Father God, make earth more like heaven!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship

Our Father!

For Thursday, January 26, 2023:

Matthew 6:9 NIV, Jesus speaking: “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.’”

Jesus is teaching about prayer. He has told everyone to get right to the point and to cut the fat out of our prayers. We can’t inform God of anything he doesn’t already know, but our Father indeed desires a relationship with his children, so pray and pray often. Wanting to make this clear, Jesus left us with an example of what a prayer should include. We call it “The Lord’s Prayer!”

I don’t believe it was ever intended that we should ‘word-for-word’ memorize Jesus’ example, but there’s nothing wrong with repeating his words either. But Jesus left it with us as a model. ‘Include these things when you pray,’ or ‘Therefore you should pray like this.’ In other words, Jesus meant for us to not pray ‘this,’ but rather to pray LIKE this!

We pray to our Father in heaven, in Jesus’ name. Jesus is the one who granted us direct access to the throne of God. Jesus bypassed the Priests and Pharisees, who weren’t getting the job done right. “Hallowed be your name,” means holy, sanctified, and at the very least honored.

My mother pretended there were light bulbs in heaven that lit up when someone was praying. Some never lit up, and some only once a day. Mom said hers would be flashing all the time! She often prayed short little prayers!

So let your light shine, this time into heaven!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship