Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The Lord's Prayer Part II - Talking to the Father about the Family, Part 6 of 61

TEXT: "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:9-11).

IDEA: The Father invites us to ask Him for the basic necessities of life.

PURPOSE: To help listeners realize that all we need for eternity and today comes from Him.

“Give us this day our daily bread” is the middle petition in the Lord’s Prayer. It seems self-evident, but there are several questions to consider.

I. What do you think we are asking for when we ask for “bread”?

When Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3, “It is written, ‘man does not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

What do you think He means by “bread alone”?

What do you think He means by “every word that comes from the mouth of God”?

What did that refer to back in Deuteronomy 8:1-4?

Was He saying that daily needs didn’t matter if you were spiritual?

God wants us to depend on Him for our everyday needs.

Bread stands for food and clothes and shelter.

God created us with physical needs, in physical surroundings and because God cares about us, He cares about our needs for rest and food.

II. If we believe that our basic needs are provided by God, then in a deep sense ordinary supply is “holy” because it comes from our holy God.

Does that influence at all the way we give thanks for our food? How?