TEACH US TO PRAY
Part 4 – 4) Ask for God’s Provision – Physically and Spiritually.
TEXT: Matthew 6:9-13
RECAP
Turn with me to Matthew Chapter 6 please brethren.
And while we are all turning there...
Our weekly Bible Study today remains firmly focused on discovering ...
“Those things most surely believed among us” - Luke 1:1
And today, as we open the Word of God,
We will learn more about the topic of “Prayer”.
Remember previously through the Gospel of Luke,
We found one of Christ’s disciples requesting of Jesus – “Lord teach us to Pray”
And of course, through the Bible, we see Jesus doing exactly that,
As He provides both a practical example and a personal demonstration of Prayer
This is what we now more commonly refer to as “The Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6.
Let’s pick up our reading now in Verse number 9:
After this manner therefore pray ye: - Jesus says,
So looking to this example, and following after this fashion…
This is how we ought to pray
Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Now in the weeks gone by...
We have already learnt quite a bit from the opening of this prayer.
In fact, what Jesus does here
Is effectively acknowledge three things about God:
He recognised The Person He was praying too – Our Father
He acknowledged The Place where God resided – Which art in Heaven
And He honoured The Position God held in His life saying…
Hallowed [or rather Pure and Holy] be thy name.
Of course, Christ’s heart and His whole motivation behind praying this way
Was simply to Reverence God in His life.
This is the first example Jesus leaves for us to follow when teaching us to Pray,
It’s that we would all simply “Reverence God” through our Prayers.
You know, some of the best times I have personally experienced in Prayer,
The most intimate moments shared with the Lord...
And those times I have felt nearest to Him,
Have come when I have simply followed Christ’s example here…
And simply taken the time to Reverence God in Prayer.
Whenever I begin to focus my prayers not just on what I need…
But actually on Who God is
On Where God is at…
And on His rightful Position in my life,
Not only do I have a tendency to get my heart right with God,
But I feel so much closer to Him as well.
James 4:8 says: Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you.
And Prayer is a wonderful way for us to get close to God – is it not.
We can draw closer to God…
And begin to really connect with Him in a powerful way when we Pray.
And as Jesus demonstrated here…
Learning how to Reverence God is always a good place to start.
Then moving on into verse 10 Jesus Prays: Thy kingdom come.
Now as we discovered last week,
There is also a great deal of significance behind this statement in Jesus Prayer.
For one thing - It reminds us of this certain truth…
One day God’s Kingdom will come – Amen!
And we looked at all kind’s of different verses last week,
Which even though were recorded in different books of the Bible
And written at different times throughout Israel’s History,
They all supported the promise of this one fundamental truth,
One day - God’s Kingdom will come!
For example, Revelation 11:15 declares to us a time when:
15 …The kingdoms of this world [will] become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.
Now that’s a promise – ok. It’s going to happen!
And what’s more is - Jesus knew it was going to happen.
In fact, He prayed for it to happen.
And not only was this something Christ clearly desired in His heart,
But He prayed for that day to come.
You see, the way the world is right now - Is not always how it is going to be.
There is a great deal of change ahead…
And a time when the Lord will restore balance to the earth.
I am talking about the day when God’s Kingdom comes.
Of course, what we also discovered last week was that…
God’s Kingdom doesn’t just exist on a physical plain,
Because there is actually a Spiritual aspect to God’s Kingdom as well.
The Lord’s Physical Kingdom will one day come and be established upon the earth,
This is a precious promise from God - and worthy of Praying for.
But equally as important, is recognizing the existence of God’s Spiritual Kingdom,
Because this is something that exists right now…
And can be embraced and experienced within every saved believer’s heart.
Paul declares in Romans 4:17
17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
In other words, there is a part to God’s Kingdom that is not about physical things,
Because it is made up and consists of spiritual things.
Things like – Righteousness, Peace and Joy that can only be experienced
Because of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.
Even Christ Himself taught saying:
…The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
In other word’s, your not going to see it being constructed…
And built from tangible things like bricks and mortar…
…for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you – Jesus said (Luke 17:20-21).
Again this the reference to the spiritual side to God’s kingdom,
A side that exists within our hearts…and can only be experienced spiritually.
And this side to God’s kingdom can be embraced in our daily life and living right now.
Thy kingdom come - Jesus prayed,
Let us Pray and look forward to God’s Physical Kingdom in the future…
And let us Pray to experience more of His Spiritual Kingdom right now.
And Brethren still Christ’s Prayer continues in the second part of verse 10 saying:
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven.
You see, Seeking after and surrendering to God’s Will.
Is actually really important when it comes to living within…
And fully experiencing God’s Kingdom today.
You see, We must recognise our place as servants to the King – and Jesus is King!
He may not be physically reigning on this earth yet,
But He should be ruling and reigning within our hearts.
To be apart of Christ’s kingdom - we must follow His lead and surrender to His will.
We must recognise Christ’s authority and submit to His Lordship over our lives.
This is the secrete to true Christianity.
Whereas most people today live to serve themselves,
We look to serve the King.
And whereas most are living selfishly according to their own will and desires,
We look to live selflessly fulfilling the King’s will and desires.
This is what living in God’s Kingdom is all about.
This is what embracing the spiritual kingdom of God looks like,
It’s about surrendering whole heartedly to the will of the King.
Now Jesus Prayed: Thy will be done on earth
And do you know how God’s will is accomplished on this earth?
It’s through the humble actions of all of His servants.
It happens as simple people just like you and me,
Surrender to the will of the Lord being accomplished in and through our lives.
And without a doubt – the best Scriptural example we will find of this
Comes from Jesus Christ Himself who prayed:
On the very eve of His own crucifixion saying:
…Not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42)
Wow there is a lot here…
I mean this was some serious Praying Jesus was doing right,
And of course, this is the way that we to are to pray also.
INTRODUCTION
Now, So far - The Lord’s Prayer has largely been about
Focusing on God and on what God wants.
It’s been about Reverencing the Lord…
Focusing on His Kingdom and Seeking His Will.
Now however, we begin to see a change in the way Jesus prays.
There is a subtle shift in the way He shares His heart before God,
As He begins to pray for our own personal needs.
Lets sum this up real quick – verse 11:
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Jesus Prays first: “Lord FEED US”. Verse 12:
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
Next Jesus prays: “Lord FORGIVE US”
And then in verse 13 He says:
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
In other word’s Jesus Prays: Lord “FIGHT WITH US”
Feed Us…Forgive Us…Fight with Us…
So clearly there’s quite a different focus emerging from Jesus now,
In not only What He is praying…
But also in Why He is praying it.
Whereas previously Jesus was reflecting solely on the Lord’s sovereignty,
Now He begins to reflect on our humanity.
Where as the first part to this prayer was all about Reverence
Now we see some Humility.
In New Zealand we have a saying: “We are only Human”…
Which is really just a polite way of saying
That as human beings We all have our limits.
But this is what is so neat in this personal example of Prayer,
Because even though in the flesh we may we may all fall short of what we need,
The Lord more than makes up for our shortcomings through His Provision.
Praying For God’s Provision
Let’s start back at the beginning in verse 11,
Because Here Jesus simply prays: Give us this day our daily bread.
In essence, “Lord Feed Us!” that’s what Jesus says.
Brethren - as we come to terms with our own humanity
It doesn’t come any simpler than this…
Because a Man’s got to eat - right.
Being human means - we have a great many physical needs in our lives.
And here Jesus openly recognises this reality
And so He simply prays for the Lord’s Provision.
“Lord please provide for us physically”
“Provide us with what we need each and everyday so that we can go on living.”
Pretty humble thing to being praying for – but as Jesus shows us its necessary.
a) Physical Provision
Tell me, do you actually know where your food comes from each week?
Genesis 1:11 declares to us this:
11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
So right from the very start, all the way back in the beginning,
We find God creating all the crops and fruit trees…
Each with their own seed and means of self propagation – to provide for mankind.
Now Genesis 1:29 declares this:
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
So God says: “look – I have created all of these things
And I have in turn given them to you…
So that you can eat and receive the physical sustenance you need.”
How easy is it to forget this simple reality.
Because most of the time we think that we work to provide for ourselves.
We think that at the end of the day…
We are the ones who set food upon our tables.
But you know – nothing could be further from the truth.
Look you might have a job, and earn a wage to buy food each week.
Others among us may have land and cultivate crops for food,
But all of this is from God...the job, the wage, the food that is brought and grown.
It is all from God.
“Provide for us our daily bread” – Jesus said
And no matter how you try to look at it,
God is the only one who ever provides for our physical needs.
Matthew 6:26
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Jesus said – “God already provides for all the birds and the animals,
Are you not able to recognise how He also provides for you?”
The Lord has always been providing for the physical needs of His people
Take for example the entire nation of Israel
As they were led out of Egypt into the dessert.
Now the desserts of the Middle East,
Are some of the most inhospitable places that can be found on earth…
Because nothing can live there.
And yet God’s people lived there for more than forty years.
They were given Manna from Heaven
Quail from the skies and even water from rocks so that they could survive.
They had all of their physical needs met by God without fail.
And this isn’t the only example we find in the Scriptures by the way
Psalms 37:25:
I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor His seed begging bread.
So even the Psalmist declares that in all His years
He has never seen those faithful to the Lord go completely without God’s provision.
Why – Because God provides for the physical needs of His Children.
This does not mean that God’s people will not struggle,
Or that they will not face challenges and hardships in their lives.
It’s simply a testament to the fact that God provides.
And Jesus in total recognition to this fact simply prays…
[Lord] Give us this day our daily bread.
In other words – “Provide for us and Feed us”.
Such things are worthy of our Prayers.
b) Spiritual Provision
Of course, the Lord doesn’t just provide our “daily bread” for our physical needs
Because He also provides “daily bread” to provide for our spiritual needs as well.
Now there are perhaps a number of places we could turn
To see this taught and illustrated in the Bible,
But ironically – it is in the temptation of Christ by the Devil,
That we see this principle taught best.
Turn with me to Luke Chapter 4.
In the immediate context here,
We find Jesus having been led by the Spirit out into the wilderness
And here He is tempted by the Devil.
Now notice with me what happens as we start reading in verse 1:
1 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered.
So Jesus was physically hungry – and you could say in need of His “daily bread”
3 And the devil said unto Him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
So the Devils temptation to Christ was simple…
He said if you are physically hungry Jesus – why don’t you use your power and eat!
However notice Christ’s response:
4 And Jesus answered Him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.
You see, that is what the Word of God is...
It’s that which provides us all with spiritual sustenance.
Now there is a lot going on in this Scriptural account
And there are some interesting points to note here...
That I don’t just want to causally skip over.
Firstly, Satan is actively seeking to tempt Christ
In a blatant attempt to thwart God’s redemptive plan.
“Tempting” Him to just try and get Him to trip up.
In fact, this word Tempt can be used in one of two main ways in the Greek,
In one respect it can be translated to mean:
“To asway”, “to solicit” or to “persuade to sin”.
And in this regard, I think Satan’s underlying motivation becomes pretty clear.
He just wanted to get Jesus to sin.
Now you think about that for a moment!
Because if Jesus succumbed to any sinful temptation of the flesh,
Then He could no longer fulfil all aspects of God’s Holy Law.
And if Jesus could not fulfil the Law…then He could not stand in the gap,
And form the bridge needed between mankind and the Heavenly Father.
You see, by living the perfect life, and by fulfilling all aspects to God’s Law,
Jesus was able to become one the perfect sacrifice...
That could atone for mankind’s sins.
This was why John the Baptist, when he saw Christ, declared in John 1:29:
...Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
Now this was all a part of God’s redemptive plan
Of course, Satan did not want any of this to happen...
And so, He did all he could to undermine such things by tempting Christ.
Notice also, how we are told in verse 2
That Jesus was in the wilderness…Being forty days tempted of the devil.
So this was not a mere passing temptation
Or a mild provoking on a particular day.
No - this was an extended, prolonged period - of personal attack.
And this is interesting and noteworthy also,
Because the second way the word Tempt is used in the Greek
Is with respect to a “test”, “trial” or “proving”.
For 40 Days Satan threw everything he could muster at Jesus.
He pushed Him…
He stretched Him…
He tested Him…
And He probed Him again and again looking for personal weakness.
He searched for anything and everything He could use to exploit.
And as the weeks rolled by - Satan was unrelenting in His attack.
His mission objective was simple – Get Jesus to give into the flesh,
And Persuade Him to Sin.
I wonder can you relate to some of this at all in your own spiritual life?
Because I don’t think Satan ended this battle strategy with Jesus.
In fact, I think Satan continues to use these kinds of tactics on God’s people today.
He continues to launch prolonged periods of personal attack upon us
Just trying to exploit our weaknesses.
Just willing and wanting us to lose heart, to quit…
And to somehow walk away from the faith forever.
And his angle is simple…
He just tries to persuade us to give into our sinful flesh.
You see living and walking in the Flesh
Is quite different from living and walking in the Spirit.
Jesus shows us the importance to surrendering to God’s Spirit in our lives,
Whereas all Satan tries to get us to do is give into our Flesh.
Remember what Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 26:41:
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Jesus said Watch – “be mindful of” and “give attention to” what the Devil is doing
And Pray - and of course we are learning how Jesus Prays in this regard
But…Pray, that ye enter not into temptation
Don’t give in to the Devils solicitations for you to sin.
Watch and Pray…
Why - because even though the Spirit within you - is willing to do the right thing…
Your flesh is still incredibly weak and prone to sinning.
And Satan just loves to attack our Flesh.
Notice for example how He attacks Jesus at a point when He is physically weak
And consequently somewhat vulnerable.
Take another look at verse 2 Because:
…forty days [Jesus was] tempted of the devil. And in those days [or rather during that time] He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered.
Now get this – because Satan has already
Been chipping away at Jesus for forty days - right,
Furthermore, we are told that during this time Jesus hasn’t eaten anything.
So Satan - knowing right well that Jesus is hungry
Looks to twist the knife and exploit this vulnerability. Verse 3:
3 And the Devil said unto Him [precisely at this point of physical weakness], If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.
So what’s wrong with that? Surely that’s not a big deal - right
After all Jesus is the Son of God…
And He has been given …all power in Heaven and Earth (Mat 28:18),
So If He’s Hungry – what’s the big deal in having a little Bread?
Well simply put – the big deal is Satan is the one telling Jesus to do it.
He’s the one appealing to the flesh here.
Now that should be ringing alarm bells within itself.
And if you were here last week
You will recall what Christ’s entire focus during His earthly ministry was all about.
Because for Jesus it was never about embracing the world
Or fulfilling the fancied whims of the Devil.
But rather on being a faithful Servant within God’s Kingdom
And on fulfilling the will of His Father.
John 4:32 testifies to this reality explaining that
As the Disciples sought to feed Jesus he responded in saying:
...I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
And this confused the disciples because John 4:34
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me,
and to finish His work.
Jesus was talking about a “spiritual meat” and “spiritual sustenance”…
That came from fulfilling God’s will and from accomplishing His work.
And because of this – notice now how Jesus responds to the Devil’s attack. Verse 4:
4 And Jesus answered Him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.
Now does the body need physical meat and bread to sustain it – Yes.
But Jesus teaches us here that there is more to life...
Than merely satisfying our physical needs.
In fact, we all have a great many spiritual needs that must be met as well.
Now - food is good at providing what our flesh requires,
That being physical sustenance so that our bodies can function,
But as Jesus said…Man cannot simply live by Bread alone.
Because no matter how much we eat…
Bread will never provide for the deeper spiritual needs of our hearts.
But do you know what does – The Word of God.
Spiritually speaking, God’s Word is what sustains us as Children of the Faith.
The Word Teaches us…
The Word Guides us…
The Word Strengthens us…
The Word Enlightens us…
And bet your bottom dollar,
His Word is what feeds us.
Matthew 5:6
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.
“Lord gives this day – our daily bread”
In a world full of wrongs…
This is what is right, (The Bible)
And if you hunger for this – “You will be Filled” Jesus says.
Food may satisfy our stomachs
But the Word of God is what fills our hearts and satisfies our souls.
Psalms 107:9
9 For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
How does God satisfy our spiritual hunger and fill our hungry souls?
He provides for us His Word.
That’s why the Prophet Jeremiah said this (Jeremiah 15:16):
16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart:
“When I found your Words Lord – I did eat them” Jeremiah said,
“…And my heart rejoiced.”
“Lord gives us this day – our daily bread!”
Lets all just be clear on something - shall we
Because as Christians - this is our daily Bread [The Bible].
You can consume it as many times as you want in a week…
It can be freely taken – and it will never run out
And spiritually speaking - this is the only thing that will satisfy our deeper hunger,
And our inner most longings.
“Give us this day – our daily bread!”
CONCLUSION
Remember how in Luke one of the disciples came to Jesus and said:
Lord, teach us to Pray.
Well here in Matthew we find Jesus doing exactly that.
And following His example we have learnt that
Prayer is a time to not only Reverence God
Focus on God’s Kingdom
And to Seek God’s Will,
But to also ask for God’s Provision in our lives.
Jesus prayed to God and asked that He would: Give us this day our Daily Bread
“Lord Feed Us” - Jesus Said.
And do you know something…He has and He does.
Physically speaking God is the one that provides for us physically.
The Lord provides us with everything we need to survive.
Our Jobs, our Paychecks, even the food we eat,
Let’s be honest – because the Lord has provided us with them all.
Thank you Lord – Amen.
And not only does the Lord
Provide for us Physically…
But He provides for us Spiritually.
You see – not only does God provide us with food to line our stomachs
But He provides us with food to fill our hearts and to satisfy our souls.
And here it is – The Word
Sometimes it can be sweet to the taste like honey
And other times it can be a bit more of a chew
But there at least there is something for every occasion - Amen
In fact, let me close by saying…
This is the only form of Spiritual sustenance you and I will ever need.
You see again, and on in entirely different way God has provided.
Jesus said:
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our Daily Bread.
“Feed us Lord”.
“Provide for our Physical needs – Yes”,
“But also provide for our Spiritual needs as well,
This is what we ought to be praying for.
