The Lord’s Prayer Doxology
In Matthew 6, Jesus realizes a problem. That problem is: Christians don’t know how to pray. So, being the wonderful Teacher He is, He teaches us a very practical and simple way to pray. I believe Jesus did a great job in teaching prayer, so I won’t reiterate what He taught—plus, there are two pieces by a beloved Urban Disciple guest writer on prayer, you’ll probably want to check out—but I do want to quickly discuss why the Doxology, at the end of our Lord’s prayer, matters to us.
"...For Yours is the kingdom, Yours is the power, Yours is the glory forever! Amen.”
Matthew 6:13
For Yours is the Kingdom
You’ll find it all over the Gospels, John the Baptist and Jesus preaching “Repent! For the Kingdom of God is at hand/near.” Jesus, as well, through parables, teaches us a whole lot about the Kingdom of God. But one of the most profound truths about the Kingdom is found in Luke 17:20-21: Now having been questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or, 'There it is!' For behold, the kingdom of God is within you." This statement is validated when Jesus departs from Earth, into Heaven, and Holy Spirit comes upon and fills the believers (Acts 2:4), and Paul later smacks us with this truth: “Don’t you know that you are the temple of God, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16) Now the two facts here are: 1) the Kingdom of God is within us, and 2) God’s Spirit dwells in us. So when Paul addresses the Romans, he leaves them with more reality: For the kingdom of God is...of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (14:17). Therefore, God who dwells in us, has placed His Kingdom in us, and this is now verified in righteousness, peace, and joy from/by/in the Holy Ghost. But this Matthew 6:13, emphasis “For Yours”, reiterating and re-establishing the fact that, the Kingdom of God, is God’s. We are God’s. The Kingdom is not manipulated or conjured up by any man, but is of God’s sovereignty.
For thine is the power
In Matthew 28, Jesus tells us that “all power and authority has been given unto [Him].” He then commissions us, as believers, to “Go,” living out that power and authority in making disciples; baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that He had commanded us (v. 18-19). In Matthew 10:1, when Jesus calls His 12 disciples, He gives them the “power and authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.” Power is also in the Gospel: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the POWER of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16). When the Holy Spirit comes upon us, we receive power (Acts 1:8). And the Holy Spirit also gifts us various workings of His power in gifts (1 Corinthians 12) and in fruits (Galatians 5:22-23). So centrally, we receive power from God, through time within His presence [in His Word, in prayer, in submission/surrender, and in worship]. Therefore, the power we receive is not from ourselves and should not be received from any other man, but from God and God alone. Jesus gave us power and authority in the Gospels, and we received power in the Letters. It’s imperative we remain submitted to the leading of God, as it is His power, and who else, but Him to teach us, how to walk in it. For once again, in His sovereignty, he grants us power, that is still for, by, and to Him.
For Yours is the Glory
My God is a jealous God, who’ll never share His glory with any other (Isaiah 42:8). All throughout the Bible, He reveals His glory, whether it’s in the Creation (Genesis 1-2), in saving Israel (Exodus 14:30-31), healing the sick/casting out demons/cleansing lepers (the Gospels), or killing liars of the church (Acts 5)—He shows His glory. When we walk out in the power [fruits, giftings, commissions], which He’s given us, He and He alone [should] receive(s) glory. When we do simple good works, God receives glory (Matthew 5:16). When we seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness, He receives glory (Matthew 6:33). Even in our human defiance, God is given glory (Psalm 76:10). While God is the same God from yesterday, God, now in our partnership with Him, is to receive glory from every and anything we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). If all power and authority is God’s, then all glory is God’s. We boast not in ourselves, but in the hope of the glory of God (Romans 5:2). There is not a story in the bible, that at the end God didn’t receive eternal glory, and so shall it be with our lives.
Forever, amen!
The central purpose of this piece, is for us to take a moment and reflect on the sovereignty of God. “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). There isn’t a thing that He isn’t sovereign over. A quote, I’ve come to cherish by a man named Abraham Kuyper, is this: “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” So, I bid thee: Become aware that God is within us, use what God has given us, and give Him all the glory! It’s rightfully His forever, amen
Selah,
Jum (1:3)
