Yours Is the Kingdom, Power, Glory
Matthew 6:13
Today is Palm Sunday. Listen to what Matthew records happened on that day that Jesus arrived in Jerusalem just a few days before He would be crucified:
1 Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, and sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’ “ 6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. 8 And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?” 11 So the multitudes said, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21:1-11).
And in the Gospel of John, the apostle adds that the people “… took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!” (John 12:13).
On that Palm Sunday almost two thousand years ago, Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the city of the great King (Ps. 48:2; Matt. 5:35). The People Proclaimed Him to be the Son of David (Matt. 21:9) and the King of Israel (John 12:13). The inspired apostles wrote that, “All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet” (Matt. 21:4), Zechariah, who prophesied, “Behold, your King is coming to you!” (Zech. 9:9).
All the praise given to Jesus on that Palm Sunday was just a foretaste and preview of the praise that will be His as King when He returns in glory—when “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Rev. 11:15). When, as Jesus prophesied, “30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matt. 24:30-31).
As we have seen in our study of the Gospel of Matthew, he presents Jesus as the promised Messiah-King of Israel. Jesus is the Son of David, the king. The citizens of His kingdom are His disciples, those who have believed in Him, learn from Him, and submit to Him as Lord and King. To them—to us—King Jesus has been teaching the nature and principles of His kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount. As we have studied the Lord’s Prayer over the last few weeks, Jesus has taught us to pray.
Our text today is the doxology which closes the Lord’s Prayer, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:13). A doxology is a word of praise to God, a word of glory to God. This prayer has been a petition all the way through, but when it comes to this point, it is an affirmation of praise. It is a grand crescendo of praise that closes this prayer in which the Lord taught His disciples to pray.
The Lord’s Prayer begins on a high note, with its foundation on our relationship with God as our heavenly Father. We saw that our petitions are to be, first of all, for God’s name to be hallowed, His Kingdom to come, and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Then based on those God-centered petitions, we are to ask for our daily bread, forgiveness for our debt of sin, and deliverance from the evil one.
If we were to stop our prayer at the end of the sixth petition, it would seem a rather abrupt and sobering ending. Perhaps that is why the church, from its beginnings, prayed this doxology at the end of the prayer in both public worship and private devotion.[1]
Should the doxology be included in Matthew 6:13?
Now, if you are reading Matthew 6 from just about any modern translation except the King James or New King James Version, you have probably noticed that the text either puts this doxology in brackets or omits it from the text and may put it in a footnote. Your Bible may have an explanation in the footnote that says something like, “Late manuscripts add [this]” (NASB, NIV) or “Early manuscripts omit [this]” (LSB). How many of you have wondered what is going on here? What happened to this part of the Lord’s Prayer?
Most of you know that for fourteen centuries, before the invention of the printing press, the Bible was copied by hand. These handwritten copies are called manuscripts. There are over 5800 complete or partial Greek manuscripts dating anywhere from about 125 A.D. to the 15th century.[2] As with all hand-copied documents, the Bible manuscripts vary a little from one another. Copyists are not perfect. The doxology is one of these variants.
About 98 percent of the Greek manuscripts that contain Matthew 6:13 have some form of the doxology in the text or in the margin of the text.[3] The problem is that the very earliest manuscripts that we have (which ought to contain the fewest copy errors) do not contain the doxology at all.[4] Many are convinced that this doxology was added to the text of Matthew later. Thus, scholars are divided about whether this ending of the Lord’s Prayer is actually supposed to be part of the text of Matthew or not. The earliest evidence of the Greek New Testament manuscripts supports the exclusion of the doxology, while its widespread presence in later manuscripts means that it cannot be discarded lightly.[5]
After all is said and done, no one can say with 100 percent certainty that Jesus did or did not say these words, or that Matthew did or did not include them in his Gospel when he wrote it. I have chosen to include this doxology in my teaching on the Lord’s Prayer for three reasons:[6]
1) It is true and biblical. We heard almost the exact same doxology prayed by David in 1 Chronicles 29:11, “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all.” Paul gives a similar doxology in Philippians 4:20, “Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”; and again in 1 Timothy 1:17, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”; and John in Revelation 1:6 praises the Lord Jesus Christ who “… has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”[7] It is true and it is biblical.
2) It is ancient. We have copies of an ancient Christian document called The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (or the Didache) originally written at the end of the first century which shows that the church used this doxology when they prayed the Lord’s Prayer. (See endnote 1 below). Christians have prayed this doxology at the end of the Lord’s Prayer from the beginnings of the church in both public worship and private devotions.
3) It is familiar. Most of us have memorized the Lord’s Prayer this way and its doxology is meaningful to us. They form a fitting end to the Lord’s Prayer. Notice how perfectly the benediction brings the whole prayer together: Jesus taught us to pray, “Hallowed be Your name,” for “Yours is the glory.” He taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come,” for “Yours is the kingdom.” He taught us to pray “Your will be done” because “Yours is the power.” It would be difficult to compose a more fitting conclusion to this prayer. If we remember that the Lord’s Prayer is not a form for repetition but a pattern for prayer, we are quite justified in extending that pattern by any additions which harmonize with its spirit.[8]
Therefore, for the purpose of our study today, we will consider these concluding words to the Lord’s Prayer as a part of the biblical text and seek to learn what they teach us.
What does the doxology teach us?
I want to follow a simple outline for this text by highlighting the keywords: kingdom, power, and glory.
1. Yours is the Kingdom – an affirmation of God’s preeminence
This climactic doxology begins with a passionate declaration of God’s sovereignty, “For Yours is the kingdom.” God is sovereign. He is over and above all the nations of this world. Dominion rightly belongs to God. In the book of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar was the King of Babylon, the greatest empire the world had ever seen at that time. When in his pride and arrogance, Nebuchadnezzar lifted himself above every authority, God took away his mind and for seven years the formerly great King ate hay like an ox in the field. Then God had mercy on the king and restored to him not only his sanity but his kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar responded by saying,
34 And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?” (Daniel 4:34-35).
God both possesses and presides over His kingdom. He has supreme authority and unrestricted dominion. And though this world often seems out of control and in rebellion to God’s authority, it is still true, “Yours is the kingdom.” Jesus is the truly great King who will return and reign over heaven and earth. Listen to the words of Martin Luther,
And though this world, with devils filled,
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us:
The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure,
For lo, his doom is sure:
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly powers,
No thanks to them, abideth;
The Spirit and the gifts are ours
Through Him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go,
This mortal life also;
The body they may kill;
God’s truth abideth still:
His kingdom is forever.
So we praise God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ saying, “Yours is the kingdom.”
2. Yours is the Power – an affirmation of God’s power
Second, we pray, “Yours is … the power.” We affirm God’s strength and might. The definite article defines the infinite scope of His power. He possesses not a mere portion of some power, but the power. He has all power in heaven and earth. All that God’s supreme will chooses to do, He has the omnipotence to execute fully. We do not serve some anemic, weak God. We serve a God of power and ability.
The Lord challenged Abraham and Sarah, “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Gen. 18:14). He issued the same challenge to Jeremiah the prophet, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jer 32:27). There is no promise too hard for God to fulfill, no problem too hard for God to solve, no prayer too hard for God to answer, and no person too hard for God to save. Some of us have loved ones for whom we have been praying and we’ve wondered if it’s possible for God to save them. Is it? Absolutely. “For Yours is the kingdom and the power!”
3. Yours is the Glory – an affirmation of God’s purpose
We praise God for His kingdom and His power, and third, we pray, “For Yours is … the glory.” This is an affirmation of God’s purpose. What is God’s ultimate goal in all things? The glory of His name. As our Lord Jesus Christ thought about His approaching crucifixion, He prayed, “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.” (John 12:27-28). We are never more like Christ than when we pray for God to be glorified. And we are never more sure of the Father’s answer, for as soon as our Savior had offered that prayer, “Then a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ “. (John 12:28).
In direct response to God’s vast sovereignty and unlimited power, all glory must be rendered to Him. Because the kingdom is His and the power is His, the glory must be His alone. God is glorious; therefore He must be glorified. He must be praised. We must give Him the glory due His Holy name.
When we think about God sending His only begotten Son into this world to seek and to save the lost—to God be the glory!
When we see our loving Savior lifted up on the cross, dying for our sins—to God be the glory!
When we hear Jesus cry out at His death, “It is finished!”—to God be the glory!
When His body is laid cold and lifeless in the tomb—to God be the glory!
When He rose from the grave, victorious over death—to God be the glory!
When He ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father—to God be the glory!
When sinners repent and believe and He saves them from sin and death—to God be the glory!
And when Jesus Christ returns to consummate His heavenly Kingdom on earth—to God be the glory!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son
and give him the glory, great things he has done![9]
“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
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[1] The oldest mention of the doxology at the end of the Lord’s Prayer is actually not a Biblical manuscript, but what may be one of the oldest Christian documents we still have, called “The Teaching of the Twelve” or “The Didache.” The Didache dates to around 100 A.D. and possibly earlier (although our earliest full copies are dated centuries later), which puts its writing within reach of the apostolic age and the earliest Christian churches that they founded. It mentions baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Prayer. It concludes the prayer by saying, “but deliver us from evil. For yours is the power and the glory forever, Amen.” For further reading see: James Snapp, How Does the Lord’s Prayer End?, https://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2018/11/matthew-613-how-does-lords-prayer-end.html; Bill Wangelin, How Does the Lord’s Prayer End? https://www.oursaviorlansing.org/how-does-the-lords-prayer-end/; and Got Questions: Should “for thine is the kingdom…” be included in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:13)?, https://www.gotquestions.org/for-thine-is-the-kingdom.html; Jonathan C. Borland, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, https://tcgnt.blogspot.com/2013/09/matt-613.html
[2] Biblical manuscript. (2023, March 20). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_manuscript
[3] James Snapp, How Does the Lord’s Prayer End?, https://www.thetextofthegospels.com/2018/11/matthew-613-how-does-lords-prayer-end.html. There are about 1500 manuscripts that have Matthew 6:13.
[4] Snapp, ibid. These include Vaticanus and Sinaiticus (the flagship manuscripts of the Alexandrian Text, 4th century); Codex Bezae (the flagship MS of the Western Text, 5th century), and Codex Dublinensis Z (035, 6th century). In addition, most Old Latin copies do not include the doxology; nor do the Middle Egyptian version and the earliest strata of the Bohairic version. It is also absent in the writings of early theologians like Tertullian (2nd—3rd centuries), Origen (3rd century), Cyprian (3rd century), Ambrose (4th century), and Augustine (4th—5th centuries).
[5] Got Questions, https://www.gotquestions.org/for-thine-is-the-kingdom.html
[6] Philip Miller, Kingdom, Power, Glory, notes from the sermon on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrzZ3EUEEQM&ab_channel=FoundersMinistries
[7] Paul, when alluding to the final request of the Lord’s Prayer for deliverance from “evil,” himself moves immediately into a doxology, “to whom be glory forever and ever, Amen!” (Gal 1:4; cf. also 2 Tim 4:18).
[8] Alexander MacLaren, THINE IS THE KINGDOM, https://www.ccel.org/ccel/maclaren/ezek_matt1.iii.xl.html
[9] Fanny Crosby, To God Be the Glory, https://hymnary.org/text/to_god_be_the_glory_great_things_he_hath
