Matthew 6:11-13 "How to Pray, Part 2"

1:07Human babies are completely dependent on adults for years before they have any hope of surviving in this world. And even then, the boxcar children had a tough time of it. No other creatures are as completely dependent as we are for as long as we are. And yet, Our dependence is one of the things that we find hardest to accept. Think about little children. My little girl, who is leaving for college in just four days, when she did not want Kendra's help with something, she would say, only me, mommy.

1:55As we know, teenagers often reject help and wisdom from their parents. And even in old age, many adults have a hard time admitting that they can no longer live independently. We don't like being dependent. But, friends, we were created to be dependent on other people, but ultimately upon the Lord. We need God to provide for us, to forgive us, and to protect us. And every time we pray the Lord's Prayer, we are acknowledging that reality. We are declaring it to God. And so this morning, we're going to be covering the second half of the Lord's Prayer in verses 11 through 13 of chapter 6 here.

2:41And we're going to see that we depend on our Heavenly Father to meet all of our needs. So let's take a look here at the text, verse 11. After praying for God's kingdom to come and God's will to be done, Jesus teaches us to pray this: Give us. This day, our daily bread. Some Christians have been thrown off by that abrupt transition from things that seem very spiritual, God's kingdom coming and God's will being done, to something that seems so ordinary and mundane, where our next meal is coming from, what we're going to eat today.

3:24In fact, some theologians concluded that there is no possible way that Jesus could be referring to literal bread. And so they made an allegory out of this phrase. They taught that Jesus must have meant the word of the bread of God. The bread of the word that comes from the Father. Some even said that Jesus was referring to the Lord's Supper. Considering those possibilities, I have to agree with John Calvin, who said this is exceedingly absurd.

3:58God created this physical world, and He called it very good. He created human beings in His image and in His likeness, but He created us to need things that He does not need: things like air, water, shelter, sleep, and food. When Jesus was in the wilderness and He was fasting and praying for 40 days, the scripture notes that He was hungry, and Satan tempted him to turn stones into bread. But you notice that when Jesus replies, he doesn't say, man does not live by bread at all.

4:38No, he says, man does not live by bread alone. In other words, we can't live without food, but food is not all that we need. Ultimately, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. That doesn't mean that we don't have to eat. So, friends, we have every reason to believe that Jesus is teaching us to ask God to provide literal food for us to eat each and every day. And the disciples understood their need for God's provision in a way that you and I probably don't.

5:13You have to keep in mind, this is an agrarian society that they're living in. There are no grocery stores. There are no refrigerators. There were very few preservatives. And so a poor harvest or a natural disaster could mean famine conditions almost overnight. Most workers were paid at the end of every workday, and they were paid very little, barely enough to buy what they needed to survive. So understand that in this society, praying for daily bread made perfect sense because they lived day to day.

5:53They understood in ways that you and I don't understand that God is their ultimate provider. So, what about us today? Why does Jesus teach us to pray, give us this day our daily bread? I mean, let's be honest, there's probably not a person in this room who doesn't know where their next meal is coming from. In all likelihood, you have enough food in your fridge, in your freezer, and in your pantry, that on strict rationing, you could survive for weeks, if not months.

6:27On top of that, as we saw last week, Jesus says that our Father knows what we need even before we ask. So, God created us to need food in order to survive. He knows that we have to eat. He knows all of our needs. We know where our next meal is coming from. We probably know where our next week of meals is coming from. So, why does Jesus teach us to pray, give us this day our daily bread?

6:58Well, friends, Jesus teaches us to pray for our daily bread because it shatters the illusion of our independence. It shatters the illusion of our independence. By praying for our daily bread, we are acknowledging that we are completely dependent on God to provide for us. And over the past few years, we've had little reminders of this, haven't we? COVID disrupted supply chains and made some Food very expensive and other food impossible to get for a little while.

7:35The hurricanes that we seem to have more and more often shut down power, and some of our food goes bad. A few years ago, a couple inches of snow shut down our community for a week. And some people wondered where they were going to be, where they were going to get more food. And so these times are small reminders that we are just as dependent on God as the disciples were 2,000 years ago. But our modern society has created the illusion that we are not.

8:14So Jesus teaches us to pray, give us this day our daily bread, so that every time we sit down to eat, we are reminded that our Heavenly Father meets our needs by providing for us. Let's join me now here in verse 12, where we're going to see that our Heavenly Father meets our needs by forgiving us. Jesus says, and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. Now, by teaching us to pray, forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors, Jesus is assuming that we have already forgiven those who sinned against us, that that's already Something that we have done if we're coming to him in prayer.

9:04Now, we're going to be covering verses 14 and 15 next Sunday, and those two verses expand on the second half of verse 12 as we have also forgiven our debtors. And so, we're going to spend our time this morning on the first half of verse 12, forgive us our debts. What does Jesus mean when he teaches us to pray, forgive us our debts? Well, a debt is something that is owed or something that is due to another person. We use that word in many ways, don't we?

9:40You might borrow money from a bank, and so you are in debt to the bank for the amount that you borrowed plus the interest. Sometimes people go out of their way to help us, and we say, I'm in your debt. And what we mean by that is, I intend to repay the good deed that you have done to me. We talk about being in debt to our parents, teachers, coaches, people that have invested in us in ways that we could never repay in our lifetime. So, a debt is something that is owed or due to someone else.

10:17So, what do we owe God? He is our creator and our sustainer, our lawgiver and our judge. We owe him our worship. Our obedience and our service. But what have we done? Look at Psalm 14. The fool says in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt. They do abominable deeds. There is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They have all turned aside. Together they have become corrupt. There is none who does good, not even one.

11:06Look how Paul expands upon this idea in Romans chapter 1. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever. Amen.

11:42God tells us in these two passages that we have all become fools, every one of us, saying in our hearts from birth that God does not exist. We claim to be wise, exchanging His glory for images resembling man and animals and creeping things. We trade the Truth of God for a lie, and by nature, we worship created things instead of the Creator Himself. So, friends, we owe God our worship, our service, and our obedience, but we have not paid what we owe. With our idolatry, worshiping and serving created things instead of God the Creator, we have accumulated a debt that we could never repay.

12:29So, what do we need? Friends, we need the same thing that every debtor needs who cannot repay his or her debt. We need forgiveness, complete and total forgiveness. So many people across the world, in every culture, in every religious group, seem to think that what we need is debt reduction. That we need our debt reduced, our spiritual debt reduced to a manageable amount, so that we can earn our way back into God's favor with our words and with our actions.

13:11But, friends, even if we could ensure that we would never go any further into debt, we cannot repay any amount of the spiritual debt that we owe to God because we are spiritually bankrupt from birth. It wouldn't do any good to have our debt reduced. Our good deeds, our recommitments, Our resolutions do nothing to erase the debt that we have accumulated. What we need is forgiveness, complete and total forgiveness of the spiritual debt that we have acquired. And this is what God offers to us in the person of Jesus Christ. Look on the screen at Colossians 2.

13:53Paul says, And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. Just look at this amazing news, friends. We were spiritually dead, buried under a mountain of debt that we could never repay. But God sent Jesus to cancel the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.

14:42How did he do it? Look there. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. Paul doesn't say, This he set aside, pretending that it never happened. He doesn't say, this he set aside because it really wasn't that big of a deal. He says, this he set aside, nailing it to the cross. You see, every debt must be paid by someone. It should be paid by the person who owes the debt. But if the debtor can't repay, then somebody else has got to do it. A family member might step up, a friend might step up, a business partner might step up and repay the debt. But if they don't do it, the creditor himself must suffer the loss of that cost. Someone has got to pay the debt. Every debt must be paid by somebody. And friends, in our case, our insurmountable, unpayable spiritual debt was paid by God Himself, who sent His only begotten Son to suffer and die in our place so that our debt could be forgiven. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.

16:11Friends, we do not need debt reduction, a little help to earn our way back into God's favor. We need forgiveness, complete and total forgiveness. And it is offered to you through and only through the life of God. Death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You cannot earn your way out of your debt. The only thing you can do, your only hope in this world, is to trust in the One who lived and suffered and died to forgive your debt.

16:50Look to Him today. If you've never looked to Christ, look to Him today. Your debt was nailed to the cross, not overlooked, not forgotten, not acted as though it was not a big deal. It was nailed to the cross. But, friends, this raises a very good question for all of us who are Christians. If our spiritual debt has been forgiven through faith in Christ, why does Jesus teach us to pray, forgive us our debts? I mean, he's talking to his disciples. If our debt has been nailed to the cross, why do we pray, forgive us our debts, more than once?

17:32On the night that Jesus was betrayed, he gathered with his disciples and he began to wash their feet. He comes to Peter, who protests, and so Jesus tells Peter that unless he washes him, Peter would have no part with Jesus. So Peter asks Jesus to wash his hands and his head as well. And look at what Jesus says in response: John chapter 13. Jesus said to him, The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.

18:13You see, Jesus was telling Peter that those who trust in him are completely clean before God. Through faith, we are declared righteous, and our relationship with him as sons and daughters is secure forever. But since we won't be made righteous until Jesus returns, we still sin. In other words, our feet still get dirty. And that breaks our fellowship with God, who can't be near anything unclean. So we have to wash our feet. And the way we wash our feet is by coming to God, confessing our sin, and asking for forgiveness. That is how fellowship is restored. Our families help us to understand this concept.

19:02I will always be my kid's father, no matter what. Even if they move three hours away to go to college, I will still be their father, no matter what. Our relationship is secure forever. But when family members sin against each other, our fellowship is broken. It doesn't affect our relationship, but it does affect our fellowship. And the way to restore Restore that fellowship is by going to each other as family members and saying, I'm sorry, what I did was wrong. Will you please forgive me? That is how fellowship is restored. So, friends, we depend on our Heavenly Father to meet all of our needs, to provide for us and to forgive us. We need forgiveness when we sin against God so that our fellowship with Him is restored. And so, Jesus teaches us to pray, Forgive us our debts.

20:04And then, finally, we'll see that our Heavenly Father meets all of our needs by protecting us. Let's go now to verse 13 and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. The Greek word that's translated temptation here is also translated trial in many other parts of the Bible. And as is the case with many words in many languages, words have different meaning depending on the context. And so, we need to understand the context here. So, it seems like temptation is the best translation here, but it's really interesting to think about the relationship between the word temptation and trial. Those concepts are very closely related, aren't they?

20:54Not all trials are temptations, but I think we could say that. That all temptations are trials. Our faith is tested, our obedience is tested when we are tempted to sin. So, in general, tests are good things, aren't they? Tests provide an objective measurement of how much we know, how much we've grown, what we can do. But tests are scary because there's always the prospect of failure. Those competing in the Olympics are experiencing that right now. They've trained their entire lives for the test. They are excited for the test, but there's also the very real possibility that they fail the test.

21:41You might not be able to pass that stick to the next guy, for example, for the 47th year in a row. I'm sure it must be hard, but it's just hard to see that in my living room. So, those stakes are high, but they are not as high compared to the stakes of our spiritual life before God, of what's at stake when we're tempted to sin. Olympians may fail to win a medal, but we may fail to worship, serve, and obey God. Those stakes are infinitely higher. And so, Jesus teaches us to pray: lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

22:30Now, here's another good question. You read that, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Who are we talking to? We're talking to God. Why in the world would we ask God not to lead us into temptation? Look on the screen at James chapter 1. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

23:07So James teaches that God cannot be tempted, and God doesn't tempt anybody. When we are tempted, it is because we are lured and enticed by our own desires. Friends, that is a very sobering insight into the nature of sin. We often blame our sinful words and actions on other people or on our circumstances. But James is having none of that in chapter 1. He says, you can only be tempted when you're lured and enticed by your own desires. That means that something is tempting to you because it's something that you already want.

23:50So for Christians, the sad truth is that when we sin, we actually desire the fleeting pleasure of sin more than we desire to. Honor and love and obey God. It wasn't another person's fault. It wasn't the fault of our circumstances. You see, sin doesn't happen to us. We commit sin. We commit sin because we have desires inside of us, desires that we have often harbored and we have often cultivated, and temptation provides an opportunity to satisfy that desire.

24:31So if God can't be tempted, and if he doesn't tempt anybody, then what are we exactly praying when we pray, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil? We're praying three things. First, we're asking God to keep us from situations where we will be tempted to sin. We're asking God to keep us from situations where we'll be tempted to sin. You may know that before he was arrested, Jesus took the disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane, and he asked Peter, James, and John to stay awake with him and pray. But they were tired and they fell asleep. And Jesus was hurt that his friends couldn't stay awake for one hour and keep watch with him. Look at what Jesus says to Peter, James, and John. He says this in Matthew 26: Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The Spirit indeed is willing. But the flesh is weak.

25:34Brothers and sisters, isn't that the case with us? The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Through faith in Christ, we've been born again. We've been made new. We've been given new hearts with new desires. We really do want to honor God. The Spirit is willing. But the flesh is weak. And that is why we sing in the great hymn, prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. That is our experience. We do love God, but in the right moment, perhaps we are tired or stressed or disappointed or lonely or angry. In the right moment, we may give into temptation and sin against the God that we love. The circumstances did not force us to sin, but the circumstances made the temptation that much harder to resist.

26:42And so Jesus teaches us to ask God to keep us from situations where we will be tempted to sin. Second, we're asking God to provide a way out of tempting situations. We're asking God to provide a way of situation. A way out of tempting situations. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us. Look on the screen at 1 Corinthians 10. Paul says, no temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. But with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it.

27:29Now, friends, that should encourage you a lot. He says that every temptation that we experience is common to other people. Every other person or many other people deal with the exact same temptations that you deal with. No matter what your struggle is, you are not alone. You're not alone in this world, but I promise you, you're not even alone in this church. So let me just say that to you. If you are struggling with a particular temptation that you have never talked to anybody about because you feel like you're the only one in this church who deals with that thing, I can promise you today, if you go to one of the pastors, if you go to one of the life group leaders here at New Life, if you go to one of the members of our church and you confess that you're struggling with a particular temptation, they will tell you, I struggle with that too, or there are many other people in our church that struggle with that as well. And we would love to walk with you. You and pray with you and help you. Do not live in isolation. Do not believe Satan's lie that you are alone. You're not. No temptation has seized you but what is common to man. But I want you to note here in 1 Corinthians 10, if we could put that back up on the screen for a moment, Paul says that God is faithful, He will not allow us to be tempted beyond our ability. You might be like, that's not true. Just this past weekend, I was tempted and I wasn't able to endure it. I gave in.

29:04But we didn't finish the verse, did we? Look at what it says there. But with the temptation, he will also provide a way of escape that you may be able to endure it. In every situation, there is a way out. God provides a way out. Your device has a power button. There is a door to that room. There is a car in the parking lot. In every situation, God provides a way out. You just have to take it.

29:42So Jesus is teaching us to ask God to provide a way out of tempting situations and by implication that we would see it and use it. And then third and finally, we're asking God to rescue us from evil, especially. The evil one, which is another way this can be translated. We're asking God to rescue us from evil, especially the evil one. So, with this request, we're asking God to rescue us from ourselves because when we sin, we commit evil against God and others, even ourselves at times. We're asking God to rescue us from evil that others may do to us through their sin, and we're certainly asking God to rescue us from the evil one himself, Satan. Look what Jesus says about him in John chapter 8.

30:35He says that Satan was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Friends, Satan hates God, and he hates God's people. He is a thief who only comes to steal and kill and destroy, as Jesus says in John 10. He's been opposing God and God's people for thousands of years, and on our own, we stand no chance against him and his schemes. But thankfully, we are not alone. Every believer in Jesus Christ has the Holy Spirit indwelling him or her. We have the very person and power of God inside of us, who helps us to recognize Satan's lies and defeat them with truth. Just as Jesus did when he was tempted. But, friends, we have to recognize our helplessness in the face of evil apart from God. And so, Jesus is teaching us to ask God to rescue us from evil, especially the evil one.

31:47So, this morning we've seen that we are completely dependent on God to meet all of our needs. But many of us, even some of us who are professing Christians, are living as though we are not dependent on Him to provide for us, to forgive us, and to protect us. I wonder if that's true of you this morning. Perhaps many people have let you down in your life, and at some point, you came away feeling like you could trust nobody but yourself, you could lean on nobody else to depend to provide for you and your needs.

32:34But I think you know that that's not true, that's a foundation of sand. You are one health crisis away, one financial misstep, one car accident from being unable to provide for yourself. Whether you know it and believe it or not, you are completely dependent on God to provide for you, or maybe you've. Done some things in your life, and you feel like you just cannot forgive yourself. I get that. I'm very hard on myself, too. But no matter how high our standards are, they are not as high as God's.

33:17We will never have that high of a standard. He requires perfection in every area, but we have not met that standard. We are completely dependent on God to forgive us. And maybe you've gone out of your way to protect yourself, to protect your family from spiritual and physical harm. But, friends, no matter how many steps you've taken, you might have an alarm system on your home or a weapon in your house. You might have put a blocking technology on every device. You may have made certain school choices and activity choices for your kids. No matter what we have done, we cannot guard ourselves or our families from every single temptation or from all evil. We can't do it, not in this world. So, you are completely dependent on God to protect you and your family and to rescue you from the evil one.

34:18So, even if, even if you are under the illusion of your independence, the reality is you are completely dependent on God to provide for you, forgive you, and protect you. But, friends, the good news is that God promises to do all of those things for us. When I studied this text this week, I was struck by the parallels between the Lord's Prayer and Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. Do you see that? Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread, to provide food for himself. But Jesus replied that both physical and spiritual bread comes from God the Father. Give us this day our daily bread.

35:09Satan tempted Jesus to prove that he was the Son of God by throwing himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. But Jesus said, that is not God's will. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Satan tempted Jesus to establish his own kingdom by bowing down and worshiping Satan. But Jesus told Satan that he would worship and serve his Father alone. Your kingdom come. You see, friends, Jesus succeeded where we have failed. As Hebrews 4 tells us, he was tempted in every way, just as we are, and yet was without sin. Jesus lived perfectly every day of his life and went to the cross to pay our spiritual debt, the debt that we could never repay. He rose from the grave so that through faith, Faith, we could be reconciled to God.

36:04We are not independent. We are completely dependent on our Heavenly Father to meet all of our needs. And every time we pray the Lord's Prayer, we are acknowledging that, and we are going to the One who promises to provide for us, forgive us, and protect us. Let's pray. Father, we confess that we have bought into the illusion of our independence. We have lived day to day, often full of anxiety and worry, that we're not going to have enough money to pay the bills. We won't have enough money to buy our next meal.

37:19We just simply won't have enough, and that we must provide for ourselves. But that is not true, because you promised to provide for us. You feed the birds of the air, and you have said that we are of much more value than they are. God, we've bought into the illusion that we are independent when it comes to our spiritual life, that we need debt reduction, not forgiveness. We just need another chance to earn our way back into your favor, but that's not true.

37:56We thank you that you took our debt and you nailed it to the cross. And God, we have bought into the illusion that we can protect ourselves, that we can protect ourselves from the spiritual and the physical dangers that exist all around us in this world. I pray that we would see the truth, that we are totally and completely dependent on you to protect us. Lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil and from the evil one.

38:38Thank you, Jesus, for teaching us how to pray. I pray that we would become a church and individual believers who have learned how to pray and put these things into practice in our daily life, that you may be glorified and that you would be honored through the way that we live. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.