I. Introduction
A. A lady who was speeding had an officer pulled her to the side of the road. She didn't have her seat belt on so as soon as she stopped, she quickly slipped it on before the officer got to her window. After talking to her about speeding, the officer said, "I see you are wearing your seat belt. Do you believe in wearing it at all times?" "Yes, I do, officer," she replied. "Well," asked the officer, "do you always do it up with it looped through your steering wheel?"
1. Turn to Matthew 6:11
B. The next aspect of Jesus’ prayer is for provision
Matthew 6:11 (KJV)
Give us this day our daily bread.
1. “Give us this day our daily bread.”
2. This is praying not for spiritual but for physical needs
3. Some people tend to think that prayer is just all spiritual
4. It’s also physical
a. Turn to James 5:14-15
b. We can pray for healing.
James 5:14-15 (KJV)
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: {15} And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
c. James says that the elders should pray for healing for those who are sick
d. You could pray for food and provision
e. What I would say is this, when you go to Our heavenly Father bring your need not your greed
f. Bring your need not your greed
g. Do you need a car?
(1) Ask Our heavenly Father for a car
(2) Just remember that you may not need a brand new Lambragini
(3) When a ten year old Ford will do the job
h. You need a job?
(1) Ask Our heavenly Father for a job
(2) You don’t need to start our as CEO
(3) It may be that starting as a stock clerk will suffice at the time
i. But too often we have what we need and we pray out of greed
(1) And that dishonors Our heavenly Father
5. What praying for physical need does, it enables us to grow in a spirit of thankfulness
a. Turn to James 1:17
b. James says every good and perfect gift comes from God
James 1:17 (NKJV)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning
(1) When you pray for your food and most of us don’t pray for our food every day
(a) There are Christians in places like Hattie who get up in the morning and wonder whether they will have something to eat that day
(b) These are the people who had to pray for their food every day
(2) You and I may tend not to pray for our food every day cause we have so much food that even if the end of the world came we’d be chubby in six months
(a) We’d be alright
(b) In the pantry, in the fridge, you know
(c) Most of us have more than enough to eat
(d) What that means is that God has richly blessed us
c. We should pray for provision for ourselves
(1) And I love that he says, “Our daily bread.”
(2) Some of you say, “Well God’s already provided for my needs.”
(3) Then pray for our daily bread
(a) Pray for those who don’t have bread
(b) Pray for those who are hungry
(c) Pray for those who do have physical needs
(d) It’s not just me and my
i) It’s us and our
ii) That’s the continual language of the prayer
iii) This is God giving us a heart then as well for the poor and those who are in need
iv) So that we would have compassion and that we would be generous
d. In praying for provision as well it reminds us that literally all that we have comes from God
(1) Some of you would say, “No, no, no. I went to college
(a) I studied hard
(b) And then I got a good job and I worked hard
(c) And I earn my own food.”
(d) And I would say God gave you life and breath and intellect and opportunity and education and a job and a capacity
(e) And the Bible says that he makes the sun rise and he makes the water fall and he makes the plants grow
(f) So at the end of the day everything is still a gift
(g) And in praying for provision we are acknowledging that God is a giver
(h) That our heavenly Father gives stuff to his kids
i) And we thank him for it
a) Lets go on to Matthew 6:12
C. Confession
1. And forgive us our debts
Matthew 6:12 (KJV)
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
a. Turn to 1 John 1:9
1 John 1:9 (KJV)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
b. This is naming our sins
(1) Jesus never prayed a prayer of repentance for personal sin because he never sinned
(2) It’s one of the only prayers Jesus never prayed
(a) Because He did not need to pray for forgiveness
(3) And it’s the one we have to pray all the time
(a) So here Jesus is teaching us to pray about our sins
(b) So let me explain sin
i) It’s omission and commission
ii) Omission is when we don’t do what we’re supposed to do
iii) Commission is when we do what we’re not supposed to do
(4) And Jesus here is speaking of sin in terms of debt
(a) Because most of us don’t understand sin but we all understand debt
(b) So you don’t need to raise your hand, but how many of you right now, you’re in debt?
i) Now most of us tend to be keenly aware of our financial debt
ii) Because every month you get something in the mail that tells you exactly how bad it is
iii) Your credit card companies and others
iv) Whatever debtors you have, you have more debt to God
a) You owe him
b) Imagine if every month God sent you a statement
c) This is your spiritual debt
d) Wow, I am way behind
e) And every month it gets worse
2. Now, not only that, there’s the prayer of confession
a. There’s also the prayer of intercession where we pray for other people and their needs as well. as we forgive our debtors.
b. Here’s the truth
(1) We all sin and we’re sinned against
(2) When we sin we need to confess our sins to God and thank Jesus that he cancels our debt
(3) When we’re sinned against we need to be like Jesus and forgive
(a) Look at Matthew 6:14-15
(4) We need to forgive
Matthew 6:14-15 (KJV)
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: {15} But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
(5) Pastor Mark gives us this illustration
(a) Not long ago I knew a man who’s wife committed adultery on him
(b) What he told her was, “I love you. I forgive you.”
(c) But they’re not reconciled because she hasn’t stopped what she’s doing
(d) She hasn’t come to him and confessed her sin
(e) She hasn’t come to Jesus and confessed her sin
(f) She hasn’t had a heart change and a life change, which is repentance
(g) So in forgiving we’re not even reconciled. Right?
i) Your our heavenly Father beat you and has never said he was sorry or changed
ii) He doesn’t get to be the grandpa who babysits the kids
iii) Doesn’t work that way
iv) You’re not reconciled
v) But you can forgive
c. Who are you bitter against?
(1) Who did what?
(2) That’s the question
(3) Who did what?
(4) Have you forgiven them?
(5) Have you forgiven them?
(6) Some of us will say, “Well what they did was wrong.”
(7) Yes, I agree. “What they did was devastating.”
(8) “They should have never done that.”
(9) But let’s not talk about them, let’s talk about you
(a) Have you forgiven them? “They should go to jail.”
(b) Fine, send them to jail
(c) But forgive them before you send them to jail
(d) “They should pay me back.”
(e) Fine. They should pay you back.
(f) But have you forgiven them?
i) I am reminded of the story in Neil Anderson’s book about the young woman who was abused by her father when she was a child. When Neil told her she had to forgive him, she told Neil that wasn’t going to forgive him and let him off the hook. Neil told her that he was not on any hook, she was on his hook. She was upset every time she thought of him. Her forgiveness freed her of his abuse.
a) Turn to Matthew 6:13
D. Lead us not into temptation
Matthew 6:13 (KJV)
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
1. There’s a big debate here
a. Turn to James 1:13 - 14
b. How could Jesus pray, “Lead us not into temptation”?
c. Does God lead us into sin?
James 1:13-14 (KJV)
Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: {14} But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed
d. Jesus continues the prayer, And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
(1) There are several versions of the Bible which say, like my New King James and the NIV
Matthew 6:13 (NKJV)
And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
(2) But, there is evil besides Satan
(a) Go back to James 1:14
James 1:14 (KJV)
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed
(b) As I have said, over and over again, If Satan’s major job was to lead people to sin
(c) He has the easiest job in all creation
e. Now what about this line “And lead us not into temptation”
f. What this is saying is this is a heartfelt prayer saying, “God I agree with you
(1) God I don’t want to be led into temptation so deliver me from evil
(2) God I don’t want to walk away from you
(3) So keep me close to you
(4) God I don’t want to get into trouble
(5) I want to obey
(6) I love my heavenly Father
(7) I don’t want to dishonor, disobey, disrespect, disregard my heavenly Father
(8) Heavenly Father help me out
(9) Sometimes I’m stupid and I’m foolish and I’m silly and I wander and I’m tempted
(10) Help me to see it coming
(11) And if I’m in it, help me get out.”
(a) That’s the prayer
(b) Too many people pray only after they sin, “God I’ve blown it again, I’m sorry. Help.”
(c) If you sin and you’re in trouble, yeah, cry out to God for help
i) And our heavenly Father will help his children
ii) But it’s good to pray in advance before you’re tempted
iii) It’s good to pray in advance before you’re in evil
iv) Pray offensively
v) Pray before you’ve blown it
E. The point of prayer is that our will would become aligned with God so that we would be participants in what God is doing
1. See someone else is praying for their daily bread and maybe God wants you to give them the bread
a. Other people have sins that they’ve committed and they want to be forgiven
b. Maybe you need to forgive them and answer that prayer
c. There are people who are being led into temptation and evil and maybe you need to serve them and help them get out
d. That by our wills aligning with God’s will and us saying, “Heavenly Father your will be done,” we have the opportunity to be a blessing and the answer to prayer of others
e. That’s how great our heavenly Father is
(1) Not only does Our heavenly Father want us to be like him, he wants us to go to work with him so that we can be doing ministry on the earth with Our heavenly Father, loving people like Our heavenly Father does
(2) Cause it’s not just about getting what you want from Our heavenly Father, it’s about having a relationship with Our heavenly Father, knowing your our heavenly Father, loving your our heavenly Father and trusting your our heavenly Father
(3) Being where your heavenly Father is and doing what your our heavenly Father does. Care for people. Our heavenly Father
(a) Well, lets revisit Matthew 6:13
F. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, Amen.
Matthew 6:13 (KJV)
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
1. Turn to Luke 11:2-4
2. This is a parallel passage and it says
Luke 11:2-4 (KJV)
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. {3} Give us day by day our daily bread. {4} And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil
a. Luke’s prayer ends here
b. There is some controversy about the end of the Matthew passage
(1) But as we examine it we see that the praise is in every way true
(2) And it is well that these three things are remembered
(a) The kingdom is our heavenly Father’s
(b) All power belongs to our heavenly Father
(c) And all glory is due to our heavenly Father
c. Amen, so be it
