The Lord’s Prayer Doxology
* August 25, 2002 *
Pastor Leyrer
Dear Friends in Christ,
In the Gospel of Matthew we are told that after His crucifixion the enemies of Christ, having eliminated one problem, were already thinking about the next one. They had heard Jesus talk about His resurrection and were concerned that His disciples might try to substantiate this clearly divine claim by stealing His body.
So off they went to Pontius Pilate. In their minds Jesus’ death had hopefully put to rest once and for all His claim to be the Son of God and Savior of the world. Nevertheless, they also understood that if the disciples succeeded in absconding with His remains, all their work would be undone and they’d be back to square one. “This last deception will be worse than the first” are their exact words recorded in Matthew. So they asked for special security at the tomb.
Pilate took their concerns seriously. He obliged and provided them with an armed guard. Matthew tells us that another important precaution was taken as well. He had a Roman seal put on the tomb.
Although mentioned almost in passing, this was
significant. Because that seal was more
than a piece of wax stretched over the stone covering the opening and the side
of the tomb. That seal made a
statement. That seal was a symbol. That seal stood for the kingdom and the
power and the glory of
Today we come to the end of the prayer Jesus taught us. The final words of the Lord’s Prayer are like that Roman seal. These words substantiate every request that our Lord asks us to make in the seven individual petitions we have covered.
How is it that we can ask with confidence and assurance that God’s name be hallowed among us? That His kingdom come? That His will be done on earth as it is in heaven?
How is it that we can boldly petition Him to give us each day our daily bread? And forgive us our sins? And ask that we not be led into temptation? And delivered from evil? Where is the backing, the power, the wherewithal that allows us to pray these things? What is it that seals the deal?
It all resides in this truth about the God to whom we pray:
FOR THE KINGDOM, THE POWER AND THE GLORY ARE YOURS
NOW AND FOREVER
Before we take a closer look at this end-note to the Lord’s Prayer, there are a couple of preliminary pieces of information that we should spend a moment or two on…
The first takes us into an area that Bible scholars and theologians refer to as “textual criticism.” Criticism in this context does not imply something negative, but has to do with the study of how the Bible has been passed on down to us from its original source and languages.
Perhaps in your own personal reading of the Bible you’ve noticed that these final words to the Lord’s Prayer are either not present (King James Version) or in the form of a footnote (New International Version). The NIV footnote says some “late manuscripts” include these words. On occasion you’ll find other footnotes like this in other parts of the Bible. Sometimes this can be a bit unsettling and leave the impression that the Bible, at least to some degree, is unreliable. Sometimes we might wonder how this squares up with the teaching that every word of the Bible is verbally inspired…
The bottom line is that we need not be concerned. Here’s the story. We do not have the original copies (or “autographs”) of any of the individual books of the Bible. There is probably good reason that God has not allowed that. If we had the original copy of the Gospel of Matthew, for example, it’s quite possible that the writing itself would become an object of worship.
Although we don’t have the originals, we do have very early copies (called “manuscripts”). We know these are reliable because those who copied them understood they were copying the very Word of God and were extremely careful in doing so. An indication of this is the fact that over 99% of the text of all the many copies of the Bible that have been made say the same thing. That’s an amazing degree of accuracy. In that less than 1% where there are some questions, the rule of thumb is that we go with the copies that are the earliest and were the most widespread among God’s people.
These final words of the Lord’s Prayer are not in some of the earliest copies – thus the footnote in the New International Version. Without disputing the correctness or incorrectness of this view, this we can for sure: these words form a fitting conclusion to this magnificent prayer.
The other item we should take up quickly is the name we often attach to this final statement. We often refer to it as “the doxology.” A doxology is a short hymn of praise to God. We find doxologies throughout Scripture. Here, at the end of the Lord’s Prayer, we praise God because of His eternal reign, power and glory… and that forms the reason why we can pray with the confidence and assurance that our prayers are heard and acted upon.
That being said, let’s take a brief look at the three different segments of the doxology. First we can pray with assurance and confidence because “the kingdom” is God’s.
In the second petition we pray, “Your kingdom come.” At that time we talked about the different
kingdoms under God’s rule. Christ’s
rule over the physical world and all that is in it we call His
Here, in the Doxology, all these things are covered. The wonderfully comforting point being made is that whether it is on earth or in heaven, whether it is temporal or eternal, whether it is physical or spiritual – our God reigns! The kingdom of everything we see and don’t see is God’s and under His control. And He who rules over all is certainly capable of hearing and answering our prayers.
Furthermore, “the power” is God’s. In the Gospels Jesus once pointedly reminded His disciples that “with God nothing is impossible.” At another time He spoke of the power He had to meet our greatest need – the forgiveness of our sins. The Apostle Paul presupposes the power of God when he asks: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The point: He who created the world with nothing else than the power of His Word continues to oversee and preserve His creation. He who saved sinners like us eternally by the power of His atoning blood is busy preparing a place for us…
And it is our great personal consolation to know that such a loving and powerful God is at the receiving end of His children’s prayers.
The kingdom is
God’s. The power is God’s. And the glory is God’s as well. During our recent vacation part of my
family did some tent camping. One night
in particular we were in a very remote location, miles away from the lights of
even a small town. As we looked up to
the sky that night the words of Psalm 19 came to mind: “The heavens declare the glory of God, the
sky proclaims the work of His hands.”
It doesn’t take much effort and one doesn’t have to go far to see the evidence of God’s power and wisdom and glory… It’s all around us. And it all calls forth adoration and praise and thanksgiving.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, O Lord. Of this we are assured. And therefore we pray this and every other prayer with confidence. This information seals the deal.
But let’s be realistic. What about those times when we pray and it doesn’t seem like God is taking care of His kingdom, or utilizing His power for our interests, or doesn’t give us the chance to give Him glory because nothing seems to be happening? What about those times when our prayers do not seem to be heard or acted upon or listened to – but rather appear to be met by a stony silence?
What about those times when the forces of evil seem to have the upper hand and God’s kingdom seems to be in retreat? What about those times when our situation is such that we really can’t understand how “all things work together for good to them that love God?” What about those times when we really, really need Him to intervene, but He somehow seems to be missing in action? Is the kingdom and the power and the glory still God’s?
The answer is yes. The Apostle Paul reminds us that we walk by faith, not by sight. God answers our prayers according to His wisdom. Paul furthermore reminds us that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. He also tells us that whatever we go through on this earth is but light and momentary.
If God chooses not to answer our prayers in the manner that we would like, it may be for a number of reasons. Maybe there is teaching or strengthening or purifying involved. Maybe He is providing us with an opportunity to grow or learn or be patient or follow His leading in another direction. God’s reasons may vary and it may be that on this side of heaven we will never fully know why He does what He does to us and for us. But this we know for sure: It is not because God is powerless. Because His is the kingdom and the power and the glory.
And this we also know for sure, and to this we say “Amen”
(which means, “Yes it shall be so”):
One day – thanks be to Jesus Christ – the dawn of eternity will break
upon us and we will experience
firsthand the kingdom and the power and the glory of God. Not just
now, but forevermore.
That knowledge, that confidence, that assurance moves us to pray. That knowledge, that confidence, that assurance moves us to be people of prayer. And the model Christ has given us in this regard is the Lord’s Prayer – a model it has been our privilege to consider over the past weeks of this summer.
The moment after the final word came from our Savior’s lips the Lord’s Prayer has served God’s people as the prototype of prayer. Like a sentinel it stands before us and our prayer life as a model of simplicity… economy… spirituality… and priority.
So having heard and contemplated these words, we once again conclude with our own personal petition: “Lord, teach us to pray this way.” Amen.