Thine Is The Kingdom | The Lord’s Prayer| Week 7
Series: The Lord’s Prayer | Week 7
Text: Matthew 6:13b
Fruitful prayer is rooted in recognizing the sovereignty of God.
Concludes the prayer with doxology, rooting fruitful prayer in God’s sovereignty, power, and glory “for the ages.” Elevates perspective: petitions rest on the certainty that the Father reigns and supplies strength for witness. Commends a life that seeks God’s credit rather than personal acclaim, giving glory back to Him in all things. Amen becomes agreement with reality, not merely a religious full stop
Here’s a thought: The sooner we no longer care if we get any credit, the sooner we truly become useful in the hands of our Heavenly Father.
On a human scale, the earth is a rather large object and is about 3.5 million times larger than a human. But, how does the earth stack up on a celestial scale? The third planet from the sun is the densest in the solar system. It is the 5th largest planet in the solar system and has a radius of 6,378 kilometres at the equator.
There are currently some 7 billion people on our planet. However, there have been some estimates of 106 billion people over earth’s history. All of a sudden [when we look at the universe], the earth starts looking small. The total mass of the solar system is about 333,345.997 earth masses, which means that earth makes up about 0.0003% of the total mass of our solar system. For comparison, the earth makes up about 0.2% of the total mass of the planets. The solar system is about 36 billion times larger than the earth.
Think about it – the God and Creator of the universe invites us to have a relationship with Him! The Son of God, Jesus Christ, showed us what the Father is like and the Son teaches us to pray to our Father in Matthew 6:13b, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” KJV
This doxology could be from 1 Chronicles 29:11:
Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. KJV
Some later manuscripts of the Scriptures include this doxology while some earlier ones do not, which is why you see the phrase in some Bible versions and not in others. Timothy R. LeCroy notes:
The fact that this (phrase) is not in the Bible is not certain ... Most biblical scholars will say that it is not original to the text of Matthew. But this is a guess on their part. A very educated guess based on solid scholarship, yet a guess nonetheless. What is certain is that the line has a “very long history” of being used in the early church. For example, the Didache was a much-used manual of morals, worship and doctrine written in 90 A.D. Its text contains the extended version of the prayer, so we know it was used in worship during the church’s earliest days.
Luke does not include the phrase in his version of The Lord’s Prayer in Luke 11:2-4 and we don’t know for sure if it was in Matthew’s original text, but this doxology or short hymn of praise to God certainly harmonizes with other Bible passages, including how Jesus started His model prayer for us in Matthew 6:9-10:
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. KJV
Jewish prayers often ended with a statement of praise. It is not just a religious exercise, but it is fitting that we start and end our prayers with praise. Our perspective makes all the difference when we present our petitions and proclamations at His throne. Why bother to pray if we do not believe our Father is sovereign? If we think we are defeated by the evil one and by circumstances with no hope for victory now and/or in the future we will not be very motivated to draw near to our Heavenly Father or to ask Him for help.
Jesus begins and ends His model prayer with praise because we are, by our association with the God of all heaven and earth, in a position not of weakness but strength.
Jesus teaches us to declare that our Heavenly Father has:
The Kingdom Forever
When we think about the kingdom of God, the minds of many North American Evangelical Christians tend to drift toward the Millennium described in Revelation chapter 20 when Satan is bound for a thousand years and cast into the bottomless pit while Christ and His followers rule on earth with no one to resist. Unfortunately, proponents of this view of the End Times tend to overlook the Biblical theme of the kingdom of God from Genesis through Revelation. Where there is a kingdom there is a king, and Jesus teaches us that the kingdom has belonged and will belong to our Father forever. The serpent or Satan had already rebelled against God by the time he is first mentioned in Genesis 3:1, and he is described not as an evil counterpart but as one more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. It is clear that the Creator predates and rules over everyone else from beginning to end.
Understanding our Father’s kingship helps us to understand why He called Abraham 1,900 years before Christ and his descendants into a covenant relationship and why He promised them land here on earth. When Jesus taught His disciples to pray this was not something new or unfamiliar to them. Like we saw in 1 Chronicles 29:11, David acknowledged God’s kingdom 1,000 years before Christ as did generations of Jews who came after him.
The Lord has wanted to establish a taste of the kingdom of heaven here on earth for generations. Moses was nearing the end of his life and reviewing the covenant and the law with the Israelites when he wrote Deuteronomy 9:1-6:
1 Hear, O Israel. You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. 2 The people are strong and tall - Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: “Who can stand up against the Anakites?” 3 But be assured today that the LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you. 4 After the LORD your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “The LORD has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you. 5 It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the LORD your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the LORD your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. NIV
The Canaanites were indulging in demon worship that included offering child sacrifices (see Deuteronomy 12:29-31) and such sexual immorality that all the men of Sodom surrounded Lot’s house and wanted to have sex with the angels who visited him (see Genesis 19:1-9). The kingdom of heaven was never about the Israelites’ righteousness but about the covenant established with Abraham, who was not sinless but who believed God. The new covenant of the kingdom was established when Jesus offered Himself as the sinless sacrifice on our behalf. This is what we celebrate when we eat the bread and drink the cup in Communion. The kingdom of God is everlasting. He rules and reigns forever!
What was the name of the roundest knight at King Arthur’s table? Sir Cumference.
Think about history’s greatest conquerors: Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte just to name a few. None of them could hold a candle to the eternal king of the universe! How does knowing this motivate your prayers? How does knowing Him shape your prayers?
Jesus teaches us to declare that our Heavenly Father has: The Kingdom Forever
The Power Forever
The universe is filled with power or energy in some of the tiniest particles or building blocks of creation. While many people believe these particles come from a Big Bang billions of years ago, I believe the Biblical account of creation about 6,000 years ago. This means I believe that power originated not in something but someone.
There are two ways that nuclear energy can be released from an atom:
Nuclear fission – the nucleus of an atom is split into two smaller fragments by a neutron. This method usually involves isotopes of uranium (uranium-235, uranium-233) or plutonium (plutonium-239). Nuclear fission produces the atomic bomb, a weapon of mass destruction that uses power released by the splitting of atomic nuclei.
Nuclear fusion – two smaller atoms are brought together, usually hydrogen or hydrogen isotopes (deuterium, tritium), to form a larger one (helium isotopes); this is how the sun produces energy.
Power can be harnessed for tremendous good or exploited for tremendous evil. Mary Bellis writes:
The Nobel prizes were established by none other than inventor Alfred Nobel (1833–1896). But besides being the namesake behind one of the most prestigious awards given annually for academic, cultural and scientific achievements, Nobel is also well-known for making it possible for people to blow things up.
Before all that, however, the Swedish industrialist, engineer, and inventor built bridges and buildings in his nation's capital - Stockholm. It was his construction work that inspired Nobel to research new methods of blasting rock. So, in 1860, Nobel first started experimenting with an explosive chemical substance called nitroglycerin [which led to his invention of dynamite].
The perfect sinless king of the universe doesn’t withhold His power but He makes His power available to His people by His Holy Spirit. Luke records Jesus’ description of this power and its specific purpose in Acts 1:1-9:
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power [dunamis, from which we get the word dynamite] when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. NIV
Our Father has never been “down for the count”. His work continues and will not be thwarted by anyone, whether it’s the evil one or any human being. He provides His power with the power of the Holy Spirit so we can be His witnesses. He has always been all-powerful; He is all-powerful and He will always be all-powerful! How does knowing this motivate your prayers? How does knowing Him shape your prayers?
Jesus teaches us to declare that our Heavenly Father has: The Kingdom Forever
The Power Forever
The Glory Forever
Earlier we used the word “doxology”, which is a hymn or psalm of praise to God. It comes from two Greek words: “doxa” which means “glory, praise or appearance” and “logos” which means “word, saying or utterance”. When you put these two words together, “doxology” literally means “expression of glory or praise”. We are a people who praise. The question is not if we will praise, but who we will praise.
The one true God declares in Isaiah 42:8, “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols." NIV
We can do, say or even pray things to get credit, affirmation or recognition. The sooner we no longer care if we get any credit, the sooner we truly become useful in the hands of our Heavenly Father. Let’s be quick to give Him the
glory. Let’s thank Him when someone thanks us or compliments us. All good things that are said or done in this fallen broken world come from the One who is good and who is worthy of all glory.
Two seniors - one with a cane and the other with a walker - approach what has become a construction site and hard hat area. The project foreman explains, "Sorry folks. The fountain of youth has been torn down. We're building a Starbucks here."
The phrase translated as “forever” here can also be translated as “for the ages”. The Greek word is “aiōn”, from which we get the word “eon” that means “a long time”. This is not very profound, but the older I get the more I think about
growing old. It’s an interesting idea and agelessness becomes even more interesting as we age. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever – for the ages!
Jesus ends His model prayer with “Amen”. It is pronounced here in the Greek text as “ah-MANE” and in English, we pronounce it ah-MEN or ay-MEN. When we see this in the Bible or say it today it means “it is true, so be it, or may it become true.” It is spoken after a prayer or statement to indicate agreement.
In this case, it is a fitting way to end The Lord’s Model Prayer. How does choosing to glorify our Father motivate you to pray? How does praying and living for our Father’s glory affect the way you pray and live?
The evangelist and theologian, John Wesley (1703-1791), wrote about God’s sovereignty:
As creator, God has acted in all things according to his own sovereign will. Therefore, He may, in the most absolute sense, do what He will with his own. Accordingly, He created the heavens and the earth, and all things therein, in every conceivable respect, “according to his own pleasure.” He determined by His sovereign will the duration of the universe; whether it should last seven thousand or seven hundred thousand, or numberless millions of years. By the same, He appointed the place of the universe in the immensity of space. Of His sovereign will, He determined the number of stars, of all the component parts of the universe and the magnitude of every atom, of every fixed star, every planet and every comet. He has determined the times for every nation to come into being, with the bounds of their habitations. He has allotted the time, the place, the circumstances for the birth of each individual.
Jesus teaches us to declare that our Heavenly Father has:
The Kingdom Forever
The Power Forever
The Glory Forever
Fruitful prayer is rooted in recognizing the sovereignty of God.