Essentials Of The Faith / Sunday Morning Sermon Series / The Sermon On The Mount

Raising The Bar With Prayer (Part 5) 1/13/08

Message: ‘Raising the Bar with Prayer’ pt.5     Text: Matthew 6:11

Introduction: Missionary Hudson Taylor had complete trust in God’s faithfulness. In his journal he wrote: Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning… He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all… Depend on it,

·          God’s work

·          done in God’s way

·          will never lack God’s supply.

(Our Daily Bread, May 16, 1992)

And so Jesus teaches us to pray, ‘Give us today our daily bread.’  

Background: It’s important to notice that the first petition that relates directly to us is made 

·       after we have offered praise and worship to God as our Heavenly Father.

·       After we have recognized and affirmed the priority of his Kingdom over our allegiance to the world around us.

·       And after we have recognized and affirmed our commitment to obedience to God’s will revealed in God’s Word.

We can only pray effectively when we’ve gained the proper perspective that worship combined with radical obedience can bring. Only then, are we ready to pray for the things we need.

Transition: Open your Bibles to Matthew 6:11 (pg. 741 in the Bibles under the chair in front of you.) Here we continue to find that we raise the bar of spiritual expectations and actions in our lives by prayer.

Read: Matthew 6:11

I. Prayer of Dependence     (You) Give

We live in the most prosperous country in the world and as Americans we place great value on our independence.  We work hard to get what we want, and we do it on our own…thank me very much. We place our security in

·       pensions

·       401-ks

·       IRAs

·       real estate

·       and savings accounts

rather than on the One who provides all those wonderful opportunities for us.

But, in spite of our best efforts, we still struggle with uncertainty in our daily lives.

·       Many live a paycheck away from crisis.

·       Illness can bring insurmountable medical expenses.

·       A secure job can soon disappear with a merger, a poor economy or a BRAC decision.

The heart of this petition, is found in the word ‘give’ because it acknowledges the need of the one saying the prayer.

And the heartbeat of this petition is the missing word ‘you.’ If I say to Nancy ‘Go to the store for me.’ The word ‘you’, which is the subject of the sentence, is understood.

It’s critical to understand that the ‘You’ is understood here as well. And, God is the subject of our prayer…not you or me.

This is a significant part of the Kingdom God is building here on earth. Remember:

·       The kingdom is where the King is.

·       Those living in the Kingdom obey the King.

Today we find that

·       The King provides for the needs of his people.

Read: Deuteronomy 8:17-18a ‘You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth…’

And because our Father, the King, is in Heaven and knows the beginning from the end, he not only gives us what we need, he gives us the good stuff. He gives us what we really need, not what we think we need.

What’s our response to the people to the King? Thanks.

Giving Thanks

ILL: When I was in the Army I remember eating what were called  field rations or “Meals-Ready-to-Eat.” Just before we ate the  MRE’s someone would ask  ‘Should we say ‘grace’ or  ‘last rites’?” If you were in the Army you know what I meant.

Can I get a little personal? Do you offer thanks for your food… even when you’re in public?

When we thank God before a meal we’re acknowledging that he has provided for our needs…even sometimes for things we may not like.

ILL: A little 4 year old girl came to the dinner table one day in a rather sour mood. She complained loudly about every dish on the table. Hoping to change the mood, her mother suggested that she give the blessing. After a passive aggressive pause, she prayed, "OK, God, I forgive you for this food."  (Christian Reader)

Not the kind of thanks God is looking for.

But some have asked ‘We know God provides for us… so why say thanks? I mean he even provides daily bread for people who aren’t his children. Come on, the sinful prosper pretty well.’

ILL: Martin Luther asked the same question. After reflecting on it, he wrote this is his Small Catechism, “God gives daily bread indeed without our prayer, also to all the wicked; but we pray in this petition that God would lead us to know it, and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.” (Kevin Ruffcorn)

You see, it all goes back to the ‘unstated’ YOU… ‘give us today our daily bread.’

·       By giving thanks e recognize and affirm that were dependant upon God to provide all our needs and to thank him for his willing, faithful and abundant provision.

·       By giving thanks we recognize and affirm that our life, breath, health, possessions, talents and opportunities all originate from resources God has created and made available to us.

Everything we have is from God….everything!

Transition: You…God. You! We depend upon the king to provide for the needs of his people. This part of the Lord’s Prayer is a prayer of dependency. But there’s more.

II. Prayer of Sufficiency      This day…daily bread

Having recognized and affirmed that it’s God who gives, it’s now appropriate for us to ask, ‘Lord, about my needs, may I have today's bread?’ 

This is a request for the most ordinary of things…sustenance.

God loves to give us the everyday things we need. Sometimes we don’t want to "bother" God so we tend to go to him only for the big, urgent needs in our life.

ILL: Someone once said  ‘I only pray when I am in trouble. But I am in trouble all the time, and so I pray all the time.’

The problem is…we often don’t see life that way. Instead, for many people, this petition seems irrelevant because they don’t have to wonder where their next meal is coming from. And they ask ‘Why should I ask God for what I already have? I mean, I have enough food in my fridge, cabinets and freezer to live at least a month or more.’

The Greek word translated ‘bread’ has a broad translation and represents all that is essential to sustain life. So, it not only speaks of food, but all our needs…physical and spiritual. The Apostle James agrees when he writes:

Read: James 1:17a ‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…’

‘Every good and perfect gift’…every…includes not only physical but spiritual needs as well. Scripture makes a clear connection between our need for bread that is physical and bread that is spiritual.

Read: John 6:30-35 ‘So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.’

This means we pray not only for our physical needs to be met by God but our spiritual needs as well.

Can I be very bold? Don’t answer out loud but think about this for a moment. Do you know what your physical needs are? How about your spiritual needs? Are you praying for God to meet those needs?

Action: I want you to open your bulletins and take out the yellow piece of paper that says ‘Please keep me in prayer, my greatest need is…’ Think for a moment…what is your greatest need, be it physical or spiritual?

·       Perhaps you have a financial need that’s causing you to worry about your future.

·       Perhaps it’s a spiritual need that’s keeping you from enjoying the fullness of God’s presence in your life.

·       Perhaps your biggest need is for salvation, to be right with God, to know and feel his forgiveness and love.

Write it down on the paper. If you’re brave, put your name on it. Then after the message, during the song ‘Enough’ I want you to come forward and place the slip of paper in the ‘bread basket’ on the small table. We’re going to pray for these needs later this morning and we will remember them regularly at our Mid-Week Praise & Prayer meetings.

Let this physical act be a demonstration of your spiritual dependency upon God and your trust in his sufficiency to meet your needs.

Why do this now? Key in our text is the word ‘daily’. The Greek word is more fully translated ‘sufficient for each day.’

·       We depend upon God and seek his provision…daily…one day at a time.

·       We accept the Lord’s provision for today w/o fear, or worry of what may come tomorrow because we know he holds tomorrow…and us, in his loving hands…he will provide and sustain us.

By praying ‘you give us today our daily bread’ we demonstrate and give witness to our contentment in God’s goodness and faithfulness. So don’t hesitate to come forward during the song ‘Enough’ to place your greatest need in the Bread Basket….do it to…today.

Transition: ‘(You) give us today our daily bread’ is a pray of dependence and of sufficiency. It’s also a prayer of community.

III. Prayer of Community             Us/Our

God’s provision is a biblical promise to those who belong to him…remember

·       The king provides for the needs of his people.

The us/our in this verse represent God’s people, his children through faith in Jesus Christ, his Son.

In Scripture God tells us to pray for our individual needs…physical and spiritual. But notice here the emphasis is on the community of God’s people… ‘you give US today OUR daily bread.’ …not ‘you give ME today MY daily bread.’ BIG difference! We’re not isolated individuals praying for private concerns. We’re family! We’re a community!

Read: Ephesians 6:18 ‘And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.’

Jesus is calling us to identify with and relate to all his people. When we do this we demonstrate our dependence upon one another. We can not be the people of God and not be in relationship with each other.

This is particularly true of the local community of the faithful…this church, where we worship, serve and fellowship…together. The challenge is making the time to get to know your brothers and sisters in Christ here at CBC, so you can more accurately pray for thier needs.

Conclusion

So..how do we make this real in our lives? How do we pray ‘(You) give us today our daily bread’ and not actually use those words. Perhaps something like this.

Prayer

Father, apart from you I wouldn’t even be here. You are my Provider and I’m here to declare my dependence upon you.

I thank you for putting food on my table. I thank you for meeting my needs according to your glorious riches in Christ Jesus. But my heart goes out to others in the congregation whose needs are even greater! I think about ….(you fill in the blank.)  In the words of the Apostle Peter2 Peter make sure that they have everything they need for life and godliness.

Heavenly Father, I don’t think I’ve ever really worried about daily bread. You’ve given me an abundance of bread and everything else I need. I have given away boxes and boxes of things and still I have more than enough. You have given me things far in excess of daily bread, of what I truly need to live. And yet I’m still hungry.

Sometimes I fear the things I have. They steal my best time and energy by competing for my attention:  ‘Buy me! Eat me! Use me! Play with me! Wear me! Upgrade me!’

I’m hungry, because I’m feeding my greed and not my soul.
How much is enough, Lord? How much is too much? What can I live without?

·       I don’t want too little, because I might become bitter and anxious.

·       I don’t want too much, because I might become complacent and blind to the needs of others.

Teach me contentment, Jesus. Increase my hunger for you and for the things of your Spirit. May I never desire anything unless you are in the desire, helping me to be grateful and generous.

 

‘(You) give us today our daily bread’….I need bread to stay alive, but without the Bread of Life I will never truly live. Jesus, give us yourself!" (Cathy Haedge)

Amen

We raise the bar of spiritual expectations and actions in our lives by prayer.