CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE DAILY DEVOTIONAL ON YOUTUBE
Matthew 6:13b
This ending to the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples has a great significance for the purpose of Christ Jesus in accomplishing His mission on earth. Satan has challenged God in His sovereignty, and Jesus came to defeat Satan in his own world; the earthly world that God created to be a place where the devil can prove himself to God. In the earthly world the devil is more powerful than man, and he has proven it by tricking man into sin. Satan rules the earthly world through the sinful nature that lives within us all. The Apostle Paul teaches us in Romans 3:23 (NKJV), “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”. But Jesus came to the earthly world to confront Satan in a world outside of heaven where sin is not allowed. Jesus came to the earth, into the devil’s world, so that the devil would have the home field advantage, so that as Jesus defeats him on his own turf, he would have no excuses to claim a rematch. God is a just God and He gave Satan an opportunity to prove himself worthy, but Jesus, being man, filled with the Holy Divine Spirit of God in His purity, took on the form of man who is weaker than Satan, but stronger in spirit than Satan, and defeated him at his own game, which is death as Jesus allowed the devil to crucify Him on the cross as to appear that Satan had won in his quest to be more powerful than God. God allowed Satan to unleash his vengeance on Himself in earthly form – the form of Jesus – and when death was allowed to abound, the grace of God was allowed to abound all the more and overcome all that the devil had in his attempt to prove himself to God. The power of Satan was defeated once for all in the resurrection of Christ Jesus as He proclaimed the “kingdom and the power and the glory forever” (Matthew 6:13b). The Apostle Paul teaches us in Romans 5:19, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
This is the promise that the kingdom and the power and the glory belong to God forever (Matthew 6:13b).
There is some controversy as to if this last sentence (Matthew 6:13b) was originally part of the prayer that Jesus taught to His disciples as some manuscripts contain this and some do not. What I believe in my heart as I rely on God to lead me in these Bible lessons is that the kingdom and the power and the glory are God Almighty’s forever. Amen.
When Jesus taught His disciples this prayer, He had not yet been crucified. But in this prayer is the ministry of Jesus in its whole. Put God first. Seek God’s will. Provide for us. Forgive us. Do not lead us into temptation, as Jesus was led into temptation and knows that Satan will strive to destroy everyone if he can. Deliver us from the evil one, as Jesus knows His mission and how hard it will be for Him in His physical likeness to experience and overcome the pain and suffering of the cross and the events leading up to it, even though He knows that through His spiritual likeness and divine nature, He will. Why does He do it? Because the kingdom and the power and the glory are God’s and belong to no one else nor will He allow it to be. Praise God; and praise our Savior Jesus for paying the penalty that rightfully is our own but through the love of our Father God, He paid for each of us… so we can be…once again…His own.
Dear LORD,
We have studied the prayer that You taught to the first disciples of Jesus, and we have been given a new light of Your love and power and glory through this display of Your almighty sovereignty and kingdom that reigns forever in and through Christ Jesus. Please touch each of our hearts through Your Holy Spirit with Your love for us that is of purist form that we would put our faith in You through our Savior Jesus who paid our bond so that we may be reunited with You through Him. In Jesus name I pray, amen.