A frightening reminder this week that Satan is angry and he isn't messing around when two crazed men enter a synagogue with meat cleavers and start hacking up fellow humans.

That kind of hate has a source, and if you are sitting in these pews this morning, chances are good, I hope, that you are on the wrong side of the war being waged by Satan.

We're half a world away, but those T shirts we handed out last week should remind us constantly that even though we're looking with horror from a distance, the same hatred is mounting closer to home.

Our official government response included no wording that placed it on either side of the conflict. As far as the official response of the US it's as much Israels fault as anyone elses.

That, in my eyes, in the face of that kind of blatant hatred, was a distancing from good, and an approval nod to evil. Go ahead. We'll blow a little smoke but we are no threat to you doing whatever evil you concoct.

Pray then, in this way;

Matt. 6:7 - 13  “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8“So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9“Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.

10‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.

11‘Give us this day our daily bread.

12‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]

It's interesting in parsing this prayer to consider the weight of the 2 main sections comparatively.

In the first portion of the disciples prayer, we're praying for things that pertain to God, and to His dealings on earth.

In the second part we are praying for provision for ourselves. Provision by God, for God, and then provision by God, for us.

But in realizing that, it's interesting, at least to me, to think about the weight of the matters of the first half, compared to the weight of the matters of the second half.

We have been taught in modern evangelicalism that everything is about us. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD) God came to earth to die because of the value of me. It's all about us. Me.

If I had been the only person on earth, God would have still come to die in my place because I am of infinite value to Him because of His love for me. ME.

And that may be true in some sense. I'm not here to dismantle evanelicalism. But I am here, I think, to look at the evidence in this prayer and shift the weight of why God acts, from us, back to Him.

God does what He does, for His own glory. I'm much more happy being relegated to holy by-product of His Glory.

Look again at the comparative weights of the first verse of the prayer compared to the second verse. The first verse is the portion where we pray for God to glorify God. The second verse is where we pray for necessary provisions for us.

With that in mind, let's look at a quick overview of the 2 sections and think along with me of the weightiness of what's being prayed for.

“Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,

This is the introduction. We're praying to God the Almighty creator of the universe who dwells in unapproachable glory in heaven, and who has seen fit to adopt us as His children.

Now comes the section where we pray for God to glorify himself. We could break this into 3 parts, but when you begin to understand what's going on here, they are so inter-related we're actually only praying for one complete thing.

Hallowed be Your name.

10‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done on earth
as it is in heaven.

Here we're praying for nothing less than the fulness of the Glory of God being realised everywhere in the created universe. Weight that we really can't even imagine in our little fallen minds.

By comparison, what we pray for next is for lack of a more suitable term; paltry.

11‘Give us this day our daily bread.
12‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

1. feed us. 2. forgive us our mis-steps as we forgive others who step on us. 3. protect us from getting run over by the devil.

So, for God, we're asking for intergallactic Glory beyond our very compreshension. The re-taking of this world, in glory, from Satan, and for God.

For us, food, forgiveness, forbearance.

Are you beginning to see the big picture. Maybe just a glimpse.

Let's consider then, in that context, more fully, what vs. 10 means in the huge picture.

10‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven

At risk of censure, by my peers, let me begin in the words of George Lucas.
"A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.........."

That's a winsome attempt at keeping your attention, but there may be some truth in there that Lucas never dreamed of.

The problem in vs. 10 is a mystery.

10‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven

earth and heaven are at odds. The creator of heaven and earth does not see equal respect in both realms. His will, His pleasure is not realised on earth, like it is in heaven. Why?

Well, if you've been coming to my sermons and listening at all, you'll answer, it's because men fell. In the garden, after the creation, men were tempted by the evil one, and free will reigned, and men decided it would bring greater satisfaction and fulness, if they dis-obeyed God.

And when they did that, the world, the cosmos, went reeling into darkness and evil. Everything went haywire.

Genesis 6:5,6 Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.…

But . . where did the evil come from. The story is incomplete. Free will and the possibility of evil, in the garden, where did that come from.?

Have I mentioned from this pulpit that God is inscrutable? dictionary terms for inscrutable; enigmatic, mysterious, unreadable, inexplicable, unexplainable, incomprehensible, impenetrable, unfathomable, unknowable;

Some of those we can throw out, but some are useful.

Are you beginning to get a feel for the dichotomy of the different weights of importance in this prayer between things about God, and things about . . us?

Deuteronomy 29:29 is the pressure relief valve, so our tiny brains don't explode. It's an important verse for us. Underline it. Put a hyperlink to it in the front white pages of your bibles so you can go there often. It says;

29"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.

God doesn't tell us everything. He does tell us more than most of us will invest time to learn! But He doesn't tell us . . everything.

Mother Joan gets whacked by an oncoming truck. Sovereign God doesn't tell us why.

Where did evil come from? Why is the pleasure of God currently at odds with this world because of evil? Why is that tension there in this prayer.

That simple line contains volumes. Thy will be done on earth, like it is everywhere else in the universe. As it is in heaven. There is no evil in heaven. There is evil on earth.

I'm going to be foolish and go out in the deep water and swim with the sharks for a minute. Look with me at Ezekiel 28. Theologians think perhaps the beginnings of evil are in this riddle.

It's directed to the king of Tyre, but it seems to look beyond him to the source of all evil, who was ultimately over the king of Tyre.

Ezekiel 28:12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,
“You had the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13“You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The ruby, the topaz and the diamond;
The beryl, the onyx and the jasper;
The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald;
And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets,
Was in you.
On the day that you were created
They were prepared.

14“You were the anointed cherub who covers,
And I placed you there.
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.

15“You were blameless in your ways
From the day you were created
Until unrighteousness was found in you.

16“By the abundance of your trade
You were internally filled with violence,
And you sinned;
Therefore I have cast you as profane
From the mountain of God.
And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub,
From the midst of the stones of fire.

17“Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.
I cast you to the ground;
I put you before kings,
That they may see you.

These are mysteries too great for us. How in vs. 5 did evil appear in God's perfect creation. We don't know. Nor do we dare wander any further in these things, except to say; God is at odds with this world. His pleasure is NOT done here. That is NOT a premanent situation. This earth, will be restored. Satan and evil will be vanquished.

All of that is in vs. 10 of the Lord's prayer, and it is directly related to vs. 9.

Jesus, in an impossible economy of words that could only come from the mind of God, has laid out eternity past, eternity present, and eternity future.

18 words span the war of the cosmos. Earth lost. Men lost. Satan vanquished. Earth regained. God glorified.

This book is about something far bigger than you. Yes, you're in there, but we are a sub-chapter in the drama. This book is about God, at war with Satan, over this earth. How He wins that war! How He takes captivity captive. How His name is Hallowed in the doing of that. How His pleasure is re-convened, on this earth, just the same as it is in heaven.

18 words! Read them again with me.

9 Hallowed be thy name. 10‘Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven

Those 18 words are the short version. How that's going to take place is the story of the entire Bible, from Genesis, to Revelation.

We see the breaking of His will be done on earth way back at the beginning of the book. Genesis 3. Evil enters. Men are at odds with God. Men struggle with this world to survive.

Paul captures this idea for us beautifully, if with his usual difficulty. He doesn't speak down enough for me. I'm like Peter when he says of Paul, some things are hard to be understood. I don't have a Paul mind. I have more of a Peter mind. But listen to Paul talk about this vast project of God taking back this earth from evil....

Romans 8:18 - 24  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24For in hope we have been saved . . .

Lost in Genesis 3. Waiting for what? the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

What time is Paul speaking of here? When is the revealing of the sons of God?

Way, other end of the book. Revelation 19. Jesus charges out of heaven and re-takes this world, from Satan.

Revelation 19:11 - 15  And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

You say, where am I in that text?? Colossians 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

The world, this earth, this cosmos, has been subjected to corruption and it waits for the revealing ot the Sons of God. That happens when Jesus comes charging out of heaven at the climax of the book or Revelation, with us, and He re-takes this world. Satan is vanquished. God rules on this earth, at Jerusalem, for a thousand years. His will is done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Will you ever read through the Lord's prayer again, the same. Heaven and earth! Good and evil! Ultimate Glory of God! Hallowed be His name.

Only God who can pack nuclear weight in sub atomic particles and hold them together in His hand could put the entire story of the Bible into 18 words in this prayer.

I hope that increases your faith in this Book. It isn't written by men. God, through men, gave us this revealed truth, and it is infallable and inerrant.

9 Hallowed be thy name. 10‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven

This is the gospel. This is the good news that Jesus came preaching in Matthew Ch. 4.

Mt. 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

These are matters of depth. We've been talking about ultimate things this morning. Finality. Kick Satan out. Retake this world. Thy will be done on earth.

But there is also a sense in which, from the patriarch's, from the fall, God has intervened in this world that had been handed over to Satan, and chosen individuals out of this world, to be His.

The world was raging with evil, but God owned Noah. Noah and his family belonged to God. Enoch walked with God and one day walked right up to heaven. Methusaleh belonged to God. Job belonged to God. Abraham and Isaac and Jacob belonged to God. A nation that was chosen by God grew out of Jacob. God had his select people in the old testament period. Choice people set apart from Satan's world, for God.

The authority to reign of God (The Kingdom of God) has always had a presence in Satan's realm, which is this world. God has always had a remnant. His own select chosen people. Sorry satan, you can't have these. They're mine.

When Jesus began saying “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” he was opening the door for any person to leave Satan's kingdom behind and move instead, into His kingdom.

God's chosen people, his elect, who live in this world still controlled by Satan are like a little group of insurgents. Subversives who are working for a different master. The true church. The wheat amongst the many tares.

Epilogue

There's a popular argument that modern atheists are putting forth these days. It goes something like this. If God were real, He would do something about evil.

Skeptics say an all-powerful God cannot also be good since He does not stop the wicked. Moreover, they contend, if God is good, He cannot be omnipotent because a good deity would never allow evil if He had the ability to stop it.

This book of ours says He IS good, and His plan is on track to eliminate evil on His schedule and plan, not ours. His day is on His calendar and it's coming very quickly. In the meantime evil will increase daily as this book is ignored, until ultimately the man of evil, anti-christ, empowered by Satan himself declares all out war on God.

It's all in this book.