A few months ago, I finished this about the Baptist pastor Abraham Booth, who died about 220 years ago. By the grace of God, rising from poverty and ignorance, he taught himself to read, eventually becoming one of the preeminent pastors and preachers in England. In 1800, when the London Particular Baptists, in a Bible conference, decided to preach and then publish a series of lectures on the Lord’s Model Prayer, Booth was asked to be the final speaker. His assignment was the last word in Matthew 6:13 – “Amen.” Booth had always preferred to preach textual messages – taking a paragraph, or at least a verse, and breaking it down into its various parts, before explaining and applying the principles the passage teaches. This is by far the best way to preach the Word of God, but it is not the only way. Booth disapproved of novel texts and sermons, like preaching single words. But Booth agreed to the plan and his sermon on the word “Amen” became one of his most enduring contributions to Christian literature.
Keeping in mind the last word in Peter’s epistle, here is part of Booth’s outline. “Amen” signifies agreement and certainty; at the conclusion of a prayer it means “so be it” or “so let it be.” Booth supported that point with several scriptures and historical examples. Incidentally, the first dozen times the word is used in the Bible, it is the peoples’ agreement to God’s promise to curse the wicked. “Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD… and all the people shall answer and say, Amen” – “so be it.” – Deuteronomy 27. Booth went on – “Amen” means that we have listened to another’s prayer with diligence and understanding. “Amen” sometimes should be spoken but sometimesshouted with fervor – make it hearty agreement. And it should also signal faith; it should express an expectation of positive answers to the prayer. Furthermore, the word suggests that the person praying or agreeing to that prayer will be doing everything in his power to see that it is fulfilled in a positive way.
So Peter concludes this epistle saying, “(to Christ) be glory both now and for ever, AMEN.” That “amen” wasn’t whispered by Peter, and it shouldn’t be whispered today. It signals that the Apostle and whoever else said “Amen,” would strive to his utmost to bring glory to Saviour.
Now, stepping back in the context, Peter’s final exhortation: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” is followed with, “To him be glory both now and for ever…” This is such common conclusion in the New Testament we sometimes skip over what those words contain. But, in the fact that these are common words should come a declaration of their importance. If John, Paul, Jude and others say things similar to this, then we need to sit up and take notice.
For example, as Paul finishes up his second letter to Timothy he says, “The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” To God, be eternal glory for all things, not the least of which is the preservation of my soul. Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, concludes his letter saying, “To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” Notice that Jude declares that the Saviour is our God, and therefore deserves our praise. John, in his introduction to Revelation, says, Christ “hath made us kings and priest unto God and His Father; to him (Christ) be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” The writer of Hebrews winds up his book saying, “Now the God of peace, that, brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory of ever and ever. Amen.”
I could multiply verses like these, even quoting the Lord Jesus Himself. But I hope that even without them, you get the point. And the point is: finding all of these either at the end or the beginning of various books and letters… As Christians, the conclusion of our lives, the conclusion of our days, in fact the conclusion of every event in our lives ought to be “To Christ be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” When preacher steps into the pulpit, he should be praying, “To Christ be glory now and for ever. Amen.” And when he has surgery, he should be thinking, “To Christ be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” When that baby is born, her mother should be praying, “To Christ be glory in this child both now and for ever. Amen.” If in everything we do, we pray for – and trust God for – His glory, I guarantee we will be happier and more spiritually healthy than we could ever be otherwise. “Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and Father by him… And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord…” Part of doing all those things in the name of the Lord is praying for His glory in them.
Trying to put these few words into a box with three nice neat compartments, let’s consider – “to whom,” “be what” and “when.”
To WHOM should this glory be given? To WHOM should we shout “Amen?”
In those verses from Revelation, Jude and Timothy, there is no question about to whom glory should be given. Clearly they are talking about Christ Jesus, the Son of God. But there are other scriptures in which it might be argued the glory belongs to God the Father. I have no problem with that because, as Christ has told us, “I and my Father are one” – John 10:30. “Believest thou NOT that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?” then you have problems, because… “The words that speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me” – John 14. Because God the Father is one with God the Son, praise which is given to one is given also to the other. Each of the three persons of the God-head have different roles to play in our salvation, but if we are thinking of the sacrifice made to save us, then it is Christ Jesus whom we should praise first. Here Peter is telling us to “grow in the knowledge of our Lord and SAVIOUR Jesus Christ.” And to the Son of God “be glory both now and for ever.”
After one of the messages I preached down in California last month, one of the members came up thanking me that every time I referred to “Jesus,” I spoke of Him as “the LORD Jesus.” I thanked him, but I didn’t consciously know that I had done that. As you can testify, I do sometimes refer to Christ as simply “Jesus,” just as the Bible does. But I hope you can also testify that not very far from whatever I might say is – “Jesus Christ is Lord.” And, in the simplicity of my faith, when the New Testament speaks of Jesus as “Lord,” my heart pictures the Old Testament word “LORD” in full capitals.
Jesus Christ to me will always be “Jehovah.” Yes, He is also “the Christ,” the anointed of the Father – the “Messiah” for whom some Jews are awaiting. But to me, before He becomes the reigning King of the Kingdom of Heaven, He is my Lord and SAVIOUR. On the cross, crucified, He shed His blood to make an atonement for my sin. He didn’t just open the door to my salvation, He saved me by His grace. He is my Saviour. “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel (and to this wretched Gentile), and forgiveness of sins” – Acts 5:31. “To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.”
Christ is the subject of Peter’s closing salutation.
And WHAT should be GIVEN to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?
“The GLORY due unto His Name.” Glory, praise, effulgent honor – honor at its highest radiance and brilliance. Isaiah 42 ties together a couple of my thoughts, so I invite you to turn there. This is a chapter of prophecy, describing, in several ways, the Lord Jesus Christ. But it blends together images of God the Father and God the Son, because they are inseparable. “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law. Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles; To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house. I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
There is a lot of good meat on which to chew in these verses, but at this point let’s concentrate on verse 8 – “I am Jehovah: that is my name: and my glory will I NOT give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” Stepping beyond the idea of graven images, Jehovah will not share His glory with anyone or anything. But, as the Lord Jesus says, “The father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son; That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.”
What should be given to Christ Jesus? Praise and thanksgiving for the salvation which He has given us. But also, we must give Him the glory and worship that the infinite God deserves. He should be praised for every one of His glorious attributes – His holiness, His sovereignty and His love. There is so much about Christ worthy of His praise and worship, that we will find joyful reason to give Him due praise “both now and for ever.” Amen?
And WHEN should that glory be given to Him? Yesterday, today and forever.
I am not a good example of this, but I know that I should thank and praise God for His saving grace every day. “To him be glory right now and for ever.” Beside the Lord’s saving grace, He showers me – He showers us – with constant temporal and spiritual blessings. Through Christ, “let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name” – Hebrews 13:15.
I don’t tire of hearing my wife tell me that she loves me. She probably wishes I would tell her more often, and to take the initiative. But Judy only tells me she loves me ten or twelve times a day. If it was a part of every other sentence, I might wonder if there was something wrong with either one of us. But I am just a man, with a lot of limitations and weaknesses.
The infinite God, on the other hand, cannot be told of our love too often. He cannot be praised too much – it is impossible. First, He has already done infinitely more for us than we will ever realize. We can’t fathom how much we really ought to thank Him. And second, because He is infinite, He is incapable of ever becoming too full or bored of hearing our praise and thanksgiving. “To him be glory right NOW and for EVER.”
With this we come to something a bit curious – at least to me. Even though other New Testament scriptures speak of “for ever and ever,” and “now and for ever,” and Jude almost duplicates what Peter says with his “both now and ever,” I am told that what Peter says is unique. The precise Greek words he uses here are found no where else. And the experts tell me this literally means, “To Christ be glory both now and UNTO the DAY of ETERNITY.” Maybe Peter was thinking about “the Day of the Lord” (verse 10) – I don’t know what was in his mind. But I think the implication is: as eternity is to the Lord as a single day, our praise will fill that unending day.
I’ll close with just one more thought: How do we usually measure a day? Before we had atomic clocks, digital watches and telephones linked to satellites, didn’t we use sundials? Well, maybe not… But essentially, hasn’t mankind been measuring our days with the rising and setting of the sun?
Brethren, there is a day coming when the fiery orb which we call “the sun,” will no longer exist or be necessary. “The heavens shall pass away with a great noise…” and “being on fire, the heavens shall be dissolved.” There is a day coming when the sun will no longer be the catalyst or guideline for our time-keeping. In our eternal home, “there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light…” The light of eternity will be Christ Jesus, and we will abide in His presence forever. “To Him be glory both now and throughout the eternal DAY which is coming.”
Christ Jesus will be the measure of eternity. He will essentially BE our eternity. Christ Jesus will FILL our eternity, and Christians will lovingly and willingly fill that eternal day with our praise to Him.