The Lord’s Prayer (9) Yours Is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory Forever

​“And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:13, NKJV)
 
Review
We’ve been talking about the Lord’s Prayer. For the last two weeks, we’ve talked about the prayer, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
 
It’s important not to fall into temptations as Christians because it has a significant consequence in our lives. We’re tempted when our evil desires or desires of the flesh meet a certain environment that could satisfy them, and if we don’t resist them but give ourselves over to them, the temptations give birth to sin which gives birth to death.
 
Falling into temptations severs our relationship with God because it means that we put them over God’s will and we seek what pleases us and satisfies our desires more than what pleases and satisfies Him.
 
The problem is that we can’t stop temptations from coming to us and we don’t have the power within us to resist them on our own because they are from our desires—what we like to do. So, the only thing we can do to overcome our temptations is to pray.
 
Prayer plays an important role in resisting temptation because it helps us humble ourselves before God and rely on Him and His power. It’s also important because it changes what we desire, which is also a very efficient way not to fall into temptation.
 
Temptations come from our evil desires, which means that if we have more good desires than evil desires, we will be less tempted. People who belong to this world seek worldly things and are easily tempted by them.
 
But, true Christians won’t be tempted by worldly things very much because what they desire is to be with God, walk with Him, follow His will, and ultimately, inherit the eternal kingdom of God.
 
For this reason, it’s important for us to pray when it comes to resisting temptations because prayer not only helps us rely on God and be strengthened by Him but also builds our relationship with Him.
 
The more we have conversations with God through prayer, the closer we’ll be drawn to Him, and the closer we get to Him, the more we’ll be captured by holy desires to be with Him and live in His presence.
 
That’s the desire David had. He professed,
“One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.” (Ps 27:4)
 
Last Sunday, we focused on the meaning of Jesus being tempted in every way just as we are. It doesn’t mean that He was tempted exactly the same way as we are because He was without sin and thus wasn’t tempted by evil desires like us.
 
I said that Jesus identified with us to the greatest degree possible. This means that even though He identified with us by coming to the world in human form, He didn’t identify with us to the point of sharing our sinful nature. This was for our good since if He had had sin like us, it would have been impossible for Him to offer Himself as a sacrifice of atonement to pay the ransom for our sins.
 
But still, even though Jesus didn’t have sinful desires like us, He did have natural desires which all human beings have and He was tempted in these areas. When He was tempted by the devil in the wilderness for forty days, His physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, and self-actualization needs were tempted, which consist of basic natural human desires.
 
Jesus showed us the way to be victorious over temptations by putting God’s word first, seeking His will, and worshiping Him. And again, that’s all for our good. By being tempted, He showed that He could really understand us. Jesus Christ is indeed our eternal High Priest who is able to empathize with our weaknesses and help us when we’re tempted.
 
Yours Is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory Forever
Now, let’s move on to the last part of the Lord’s Prayer, which says, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:13, NKJV)
 
The Lord’s Prayer ends like it begins, with praise to God. In the first line of the Lord’s Prayer, we call God “our Father in heaven” and praise Him by asking that His name be hallowed. And at the end of the Lord’s Prayer, we praise God again by stating that all things—the kingdom, power, and glory—belong to Him.
 
However, careful readers will notice that the ending is different in different translations. Some versions like the KJV contain the ending while the ESV and NIV do not, which raises the question as to whether this part should be included in the Lord’s Prayer.
 
The reason some English Bible versions exclude the phrase is because it’s absent from some early Greek manuscripts, which implies that the words were not originally in Matthew’s gospel. But there are still some other early references to the phrase, and it appears more often in later Greek manuscripts.
 
So, many scholars assume that the phrase, “for yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory” was later added as a form of doxology, which means a short hymn of praises in Christian worship.
 
But, whether or not this phrase must be included in the Lord’s Prayer is not what I want us to focus on today.
 
Even though there’s a possibility that this phrase wasn’t written in the original version of the gospel of Matthew, I still think it is very suited to end the Lord’s Prayer because it contains essential elements about the kingdom of God, which is one of the foremost concepts in Christianity.
 
The three elements—the kingdom, power, and glory—are found in other Bible passages. For example, King David prayed,
 
“Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all” (1Ch 29:11)
 
This is what David prayed after the people of Israel brought their offerings for the construction of the temple. Through what God had done in his life and for Israel, David realized that everything was under God’s sovereignty.
 
He knew that it was only through God’s power that Israel defeated other kingdoms and became great among the nations. So David didn’t hesitate to give all glory and honor to God because he knew that God is the One who deserves it.
 
The words kingdom, power, and glory are referred to by Daniel as well. One day, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon in Daniel’s time, had a troubling dream. So, he commanded all his sorcerers, astrologers, and others to tell him what his dream was and interpret it under threat of death But none of his advisors could do it.
 
Then, Daniel, with heavenly wisdom from God, stood before Nebuchadnezzar and began to tell him what the dream was along with its interpretation.
 
The dream was about a large statue consisting of five 5 different materials: its head was made of gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, and its feet of iron and baked clay. The statue was enormous, dazzling, and awesome in appearance.
 
Then, a rock cut not by human hands came and struck the statue on its feet, and the entire statue was broken to pieces and blown away by the wind. Then the rock became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
 
After telling the king about the dream, Daniel told him its meaning.
 
“Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory…  “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands - a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.” (Dn 2:37, 44-45)
 
According to Daniel’s interpretation, the five different parts made of different materials represent five different kingdoms that would rise. But, no matter how strong or glorious they were, they would all ultimately disappear when the rock crushes them and fills the whole earth. Here, the rock refers to the everlasting kingdom of God.
 
So, what God wanted Nebuchadnezzar to know through the dream was that Babylon’s kingdom, power, and glory that no other nations could beat at that time were ultimately from God and that even the kingdom, power, and glory that were considered best at that time would be like nothing compared to the power and glory of the kingdom of God that would ultimately be built above all other kingdoms.
 
These three words appear again in Daniel 7. In this chapter, Daniel saw a vision during the reign of Belshazzar, son of Nebuchadnezzar. After seeing the vision, Daniel wrote,
 
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed… Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’” (Dn 7:13-14, 27)
 
This vision is like Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in some ways. What God revealed to Daniel through both the dream and the vision was that there would come a day when all the kingdoms would collapse along with their power and glory, and the kingdom of God would fill the whole earth with its everlasting power and glory.
 
In other words, God showed that all the kingdoms, the power, and the glory ultimately belong to Him and that His kingdom would last forever. That’s the eternal point of view we’re to have as God’s people.
 
There are kingdoms, power, and glory that belong to this world. Because they have a huge impact on our lives, it’s natural for us to be tempted to seek them more than God’s power and His glory. But what the last sentence in the Lord’s Prayer reminds us is the truth that all kingdoms, power, and glory ultimately belong to God.
 
There have been many countries throughout history, but only the kingdom of God will stand eternally. That’s the kingdom where our true citizenship belongs. So, here on earth, we live like travelers, looking forward to the day we return to our heavenly home.
 
And, here in the world, we see many kinds of power: financial power, weapon power, political power, and so on. However, none of them are eternal—only the power of God is.
 
If we really realize this truth, it becomes clear what we must run after as God’s people. If there’s power and glory that belongs to this world, there’s also power and glory that belongs to the kingdom of God. And as God’s people, we should focus on the latter and seek it.
 
So, by praying the last part of the Lord’s Prayer, we recognize that God is sovereign and rules over all things. And knowing this allows us to attribute all glory and honor to God alone. That’s the proper way to worship Him.
 
When we’re tempted to rely on worldly things more than on God, we should be reminded that only God is almighty and that only He has the power to save us. While everything passes away, God remains the same forever.
 
Until Jesus comes back, it might seem that sovereignty, power, and glory belong to this world, but when He returns, everything will be clearly revealed and all things that belong to this world will come to an end.
 
Kingdoms of the world will collapse, but God’s kingdom will be established forever. The authorities and power of the world will be gone, but God’s almighty power and authority will be perfectly revealed on earth. On that day, the glory that belongs to this world will disappear without a trace, and we will see the eternal glory of God being lifted up all around the world.
 
As the prophet Habakkuk prophesied, “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab 2:14)
 
Those who truly believe this put their hope not in worldly things but in God. And we’ll live as travelers in this world, looking forward to the day when the perfect kingdom of God comes down to earth from heaven.
 
So, this prayer helps us to fix our eyes on eternal things. It gives us hope for the future based on God’s promises and it allows us to live our present lives with hope.
 
Now, let’s read 2 Corinthians 4:18 before we wrap up.
 
“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Co 4:18).
 
This is what the apostle Paul proclaimed when he underwent hard circumstances in his life because of his proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
 
I think this verse does a great job defining who Christians are. True Christians are those who fix their spiritual eyes on things that are unseen. And those who seek the unseen and eternal won’t be moved by things that are seen and temporary.
 
The apostle Paul boldly overcame his situations and followed Christ to the end of his life because his eyes were fixed on what’s unseen and eternal, the kingdom of God and its glory. It opened his eyes and gave him a new perspective.
 
Paul interpreted what was ahead of him from this eternal perspective and found that the troubles before him were only light and momentary compared to the eternal glory that God will give to Him, which far outweighs them all.
 
That was how he stood strong in all circumstances. His eyes were focused on God’s eternal kingdom and its glory, and he was filled with the power of God.
 
That’s the perspective I want all of us here in this room to have. I believe that’s what the last part of the Lord’s Prayer does. The more we’re devoted to praying this prayer, the more we’ll be filled with hope for the kingdom of God, His power, and His glory.
 
If we only see earthly things, we cannot help but be affected by them. But if we keep trying to fix our eyes on Jesus and eternal things in Him with faith, we’ll be victorious over everything that keeps us away from him.
 
Those who fix their eyes on what’s unseen can distinguish what’s temporary and what’s eternal. We know that kingdoms, power, and glory that belong to this world will be like chaff that the wind blows away. These can’t be our true hope.
 
So, we should try to focus on the perfect eternal hope that will never fade away according to God’s promises and sovereignty. Then, we will be able to keep moving toward God’s kingdom, relying on His almighty power, praising Him and giving Him our best glory.
 
I think that’s what the last part of the Lord’s Prayer reminds us of. And, our response must be “Amen,” which means “it is so”.
 
Then, we’ll experience the presence of the kingdom of God and His power working in us right now and praise Him and glorify Him with all our hearts. Amen!
 
Let’s pray.
 
[Closing prayer]
Heavenly Father, thank you for teaching us how to pray and what to pray for as Your people through the prayer Jesus taught.
 
We know that You hear all our prayers as our Father and we want to pray for things in line with Your will. Please continue to reveal Your truth in our hearts and help us fix our eyes on You so that we can truly pray to You using the prayer that pleases You.
 
We proclaim that the kingdom, power, and glory are Yours forever. Allow us to see unseen, eternal things in You so that we won’t be moved by temporary things of the world but stand strong in our faith in You. 
 
We pray that our hearts may be enlightened by Your word of truth so that we know the hope to which You have called us, the riches of the glorious inheritance that You have prepared and kept in heaven, and the incomparably great power You give to those who believe so that we can only seek Your glory, not anything else.
 
We thank you for giving us the privilege to pray to You and for hearing our prayers.
 
In Jesus’ precious name, we pray. Amen.
 
[Reflection Questions]
1. How do you think the kingdoms (authorities), power, and glory that belong to this world are different from the power and glory that belongs to the kingdom of God? Which one do you think you are seeking more nowadays?
 
2. It’s critical to fix our eyes on what’s unseen and eternal to live as God’s people in the world. What are some practical things you can do to keep an eternal perspective?