It's All Yours Series

1 It’s All Yours

1 Chronicles 29:11, Matthew 6:9-13

2 [Slide of Lord’s Prayer]

OK, where’s the ending? You know the part that talks about the kingdom and the power and the glory - Where is that? If you have one of those King James Bibles, don’t spoil the surprise.

So where is it? Maybe your Bible has a footnote says something like, “some Greek translations do not contain this phrase.”

The early versions of the Lord’s prayer, that’s found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, don’t have the ending that so many of us use today to finish the Lord’s Prayer. So where does it come from, then?

Well, there’s a very old Christian writing called “The Didache,” I’m talking like it was written in the year 100. It’s an extra-biblical text (it’s not in the Bible) that’s also called “The Teaching of the 12 Apostles,” and it talks about Christian ethics, and practices like baptism and communion and it talks about Church organization, too. And like the early manuscripts of the books of the Bible, it has also been discovered and preserved through the years.

And the Lord’s prayer is also included in it, in its entirety. And, in the Didache, you will find the last part of the Lord’s Prayer that says, "for yours is the power and the glory forever."

So, from a purely historical point of view, we can be sure that the ending was added very early – even though the words themselves do not appear to be from the mouth of Jesus.

3 And what’s interesting, is that this ending has Old Testament roots. From 1 Chronicles 29:11:

“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.”

What’s amazing about this verse is the context. King David is still alive but old – and he’s about to hand over the kingdom to Solomon, his son. David has been collecting materials to build the temple and he is now encouraging the leaders of the nation to follow his example. Here’s the whole story:

4 29 Then King David turned to the entire assembly and said, “My son Solomon, whom God has clearly chosen as the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced. The work ahead of him is enormous, for the Temple he will build is not for mere mortals—it is for the LORD God himself! 5 2 Using every resource at my command, I have gathered as much as I could for building the Temple of my God. Now there is enough gold, silver, bronze, iron, and wood, as well as great quantities of onyx, other precious stones, costly jewels, and all kinds of fine stone and marble.

6 3 “And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of my God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for his holy Temple. 4 I am donating more than 112 tons of gold[a] from Ophir and 262 tons of refined silver[b] to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings 5 and for the other gold and silver work to be done by the craftsmen. Now then, who will follow my example and give offerings to the LORD today?”

7 6 Then the family leaders, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the generals and captains of the army,[c] and the king’s administrative officers all gave willingly. 7 For the construction of the Temple of God, they gave about 188 tons of gold,[d] 10,000 gold coins,[e] 375 tons of silver,[f] 675 tons of bronze,[g] and 3,750 tons of iron.[h] 8 8 They also contributed numerous precious stones, which were deposited in the treasury of the house of the LORD under the care of Jehiel, a descendant of Gershon. 9 The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the LORD, and King David was filled with joy.

David’s Prayer of Praise

9 10 Then David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly:

“O LORD, the God of our ancestor Israel,[i] may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is your kingdom. 10 We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.