Holy Boldness

what He said. That is because they are more focused on themselves than they are on God. Many Christians are under an illusion about what the Kingdom of God and the Gospel of Salvation are all about. Everything in the Lord’s prayer is symbiotic which means that the individual parts are all about each other. Forgiveness of sins relates to the hallowing of God’s name and the coming of His kingdom. Forgiveness is part of the new economy that God has introduced to the earth. God’s forgiveness is a kingdom operation. It unleashes those in bondage so that God’s purposes can be played out on the earth. So if God forgives one of His children but that child refuses to forgive one of his or her brothers or sisters, then they are defeating the purpose of divine forgiveness. God’s kingdom does not work with selfishness. The living God is establishing a new order and understanding and His sons and daughters are cooperating with that new order. But to withhold forgiveness is to become disconnected to the kingdom and it falls short of the hallowing of God’s name. “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Why would God’s children need to pray a prayer about not being led into temptation? This line of the prayer is an example of Jesus’ prophetic and poetic style. Hebrew parallelism often states things more than once with subtle chang es or contrasts. It helps make something easier to remember. In this line, Jesus offers a prayer of contrast: “ Lead us not into temptation” (negative) “…but deliver us from evil” (positive). But this line of the prayer also highlights the fact that we all live in a world corrupted by evil and filled with danger and that divine assistance is necessary if we are going to press through to the goal. “ For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” This doxology beautifully concludes the model prayer with a prophetic declaration of praise and confidence. It asserts that the govern ment, the power, and the glory belong to God who makes all things new. It is a triumphant exclamation that causes those who speak it out to take in a deep breath of confidence and joy. It is important to keep one’s eye on the endgame and the final triumph of God in Christ. Confidence in God’s ultimate victory is also a fruit of the fear of the Lord.

1 3 0