The Good Life: A series through the Sermon on the Mount The Lord s Prayer: Give us this day our daily bread Testimony video: Gary and Susie Palmer Matthew 6:9-13 (ESV) Pray then like this: Intro < Lazo reads 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, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. What would His kingdom look like if it came? Switch from God to Us sustenance, forgiveness, deliverance Only a right view of God will give us a right view of ourselves and others. One of our most basic needs Our daily bread Explain. What does daily mean? The interpretive problem. Normally, you would examine other uses of a particular word to find out how it was used in other contexts, and that would give you a better understanding of how it is generally used. But not only is this word unique to the Biblical authors, but it is unique to all of Greek antiquity. Kenneth E. Bailey: The trouble is that this particular word appears nowhere in the Greek language. Origin, a famous Greek scholar of the early third century, wrote that he did not find this word in use among the Greeks, nor was it used by private individuals. He concluded that it must have been created by the Evangelists. 1 What time is daily: (i.e. today s bread or tomorrow s bread?) 2 Most scholars prefer the latter: tomorrow s bread What is clear: it s something needed this day 3 1 Kenneth E. Bailey. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008). 119 2 Ibid. 120 3 Whether one asks for today s bread or tomorrow s, the prayer stresses that the requester needs it today (in Greek, today appears in an emphatic position) Craig S. Keener. The Gospel of Matthew: A Social- Rhetorical Commentary. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2009). 221. John R. W. Stott says, It is probably to be translated either for the current day or for the following day. Whichever is correct, it is a prayer for the immediate and not the distant future. In other words, the following phrase, give us today helps to interpret the ambiguous word, daily. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount. (Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity, 1978). 149 1 of 5
Give us this day Daily can be taken this way: give us this day our bread for tomorrow. D.A. Carson Hence, daily bread. Context: Jesus followers were to learn to trust their heavenly Father to meet their physical needs. 4 In Jesus day, laborers were commonly paid each day for the work they had achieved that day; and the pay was frequently so abysmally low that it was almost impossible to save any of it. Therefore the day s pay purchased the day s food. Moreover, the society was largely agrarian: one crop failure could spell a major This prayer is a posture of constant dependence on God. And it s not isolated to this prayer. (i.e., The green pastures of Psalm 23:2) Dependent for what? disaster. In such a society, to pray Give us today our daily bread was no empty rhetoric. 5 Bread Persuade. Physical bread. 6 Why is this good? What we do in our sinfulness: worry, strive, horde. We are insecure. Or fearful. Wealth and success will not fix your insecurity, it will only exacerbate it, by investing an otherwise blind hope into the fleeting nature of possessions. 7 What can save you from insecurity? Spiritual bread. God does not only sustain his people s physical needs, but spiritual as well. John 6:25-35 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, Rabbi, when did you get here? Jesus answered, Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval. Then they asked him, What must we do to do the works God requires? Jesus answered, The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. So they asked him, What sign then will you give that we may see it 4 Ibid. 5 D.A. Carson. Jesus Sermon on the Mount: And His Confrontation with the World. (Grand Rapids, MI: BakerBooks, 1987). 72-73 6 Dale Allison, who is a master of the history of interpretation, reveals a conflation of views regarding the definition of bread. Throughout the centuries, it s included food, drink, clothing ; some have thought of the Eucharist ; others have thought of spiritual sustenance in general ; while other interpreters have combined literal food as well as the Eucharist, kind of a spiritual and physical aspect to the fourth petition in the Lord s Prayer. Dale C. Allison. The Sermon on the Mount: Inspiring the Moral Imagination. (New York, NY: Crossroad Publishing, 2014). 125-126. At this point, Scot Mcknight is helpful, by pointing with simplicity, 7 Timothy Keller s contemporary description of an idol is helpful here: We think that idols are bad things, but that is almost never the case. The greeter the good, the more likely we are to expect that it can satisfy our deepest needs and hopes. Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters. (New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2009). xvii 2 of 5
and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Jesus said to them, Very truly I tell you, 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 the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Sir, they said, always give us this bread. Then Jesus declared, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. You ll always have needs. But here s what will happen if you learn to trust God by praying for daily bread. 1. We will grow more dependent on God by asking of Him, give us 8 1. It is a vulnerable state to ask for help to admit helplessness. 2. We will grow more content with what we have when asking of Him for daily bread 9 Why be dependent or content? That s not the American dream Because it gives you what the American dream never can Ultimately dependence and contentment will give us peace. 10 Isaiah 26:3 You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. It s from peace, that we are able to act and relate to others in a healthy way Colossians 3:15 (ESV) And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. 3. We will care for others out of a surplus of the heart (i.e. our ) 11 Praying this prayer will teach you to rely on the hand of God moment-bymoment, and in doing so, will give you peace to weather the storms of life. Your contentment will not be based on circumstances, but on the unchanging nature of God s love and care for you. 8 None of the Lord s Prayer makes sense when we live self-sufficient and comfortable lives. And this brief petition (midway through the prayer) jolts us awake. It exposes our independence David Timms. Living the Lord s Prayer. Minneapolis, MI: Bethany House, 2008). 140-141 9 Says John Ortberg, Into our pathologically greedy world, Jesus teaches, Pray for what you need for your daily bread. Such an idea begins to make sense only when we seek to live with contentment. This is the discipline of simplicity, the process of learning to say one powerful word, Enough As we learn to enjoy what we have and not always strive for more, contentment grows in our hearts. The Lord s Prayer: Praying with Power. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008). 37 10 When we accept and practice Jesus teaching on prayer, however, we are entirely freed from concerns about the future. You can easily imagine what a marvelously transforming effect this has on our life and our relationships with others. Dallas Willard. The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God. (New York, NY: HarperOne, 1997). 261 11 When Jesus teaches us to pray for our daily bread, it becomes a prayer with a lateral glance. My prayer cannot be for me alone, but for all of us who may pray this together. David Timms. Living the Lord s Prayer. 145 3 of 5
It is much easier to serve and love others when you are in this place, because you are living from a place of security rather than insecurity. Praying written prayers Enable. I want to grow more dependent on God for my daily bread. Why pray written prayers? 1. Written prayers help us pray 1. Many contemporary worshipers define prayer as spontaneously coming up with words that So how do we get here? How do we grow in dependence on God? Here s one way are unique and heartfelt. Unfortunately for some, the ability to articulate words doesn t come easy. That person then feels discouraged in prayer, as though they are not good at praying. It often leads to them neglecting their prayer life. 1. Prayer has nothing to do with the cleverness of our words, and we merit nothing by writing our own prayers. In fact, Christian history shows that written prayers (e.g., Lord s Prayer, the Psalms, etc) are the normal Christian practice. 1. Written prayers will often give wings to burdens my heart desperately feels but my mouth is unable to articulate. I. Praying written prayers with others can make us aware that we re not alone 2. Hearing and praying with others I. Praying written prayers trains us to see the greatness of God 3. Spiritual discipline 1. You are training your mind to worship God This can range from using prayer books, to simply praying the Psalms. I want to do a mixture of these right now. I have selected several Psalms, a passage from both the Old and New Testament, and a selected prayer from the Book of Common Prayer. These passages are not randomly chosen. They are selected to bring you from one point to another from praise, to reflection and confession, to affirmation, and finally to declaration. 12 Some of these I will pray, some we will pray, and at one point we will simply reflect. (Prayers on next page) 12 If you want to explore this type of praying, Robert Benson s In Constant Prayer is a great introduction. If you want a prayer book to actually pray through, there are a couple good places to start. Phyllis Tickle s Divine Hours collection is very easy to follow. For the more contemplative types, check out Reuben P. Job s A Guide To Prayer For All Who Walk With God. 4 of 5
Call to prayer Facilitator: Let s stand, in this posture: "Lord, we turn to you now. Our mouths will declare your praise (Psalm 51:15). I ll lead in the section noted Facilitator, and we ll respond out loud together in the section noted All. As we stand together, I open up with praise for His provision Prayer of invitation Facilitator: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; Psalm 107:1, 8-9 his love endures forever. Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. We can come before him now in our weakness, and find assurance in his love Reading of the Psalms ALL: For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, Psalm 62:5-7 for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Facilitator: Trust in him at all times, O people; Psalm 62:8 pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Facilitator: Let s take a time of silence to pour our hearts before the Lord: how have you failed to trust God? Respond to the Word (Silence) (Keep Psalm 62:5-8 on screen) Collect: Prayer of confession Facilitator: As Christ commanded, let us now confess our sins before God and before one another. ALL: Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent, for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. (From the Book of Common Prayer) Words of Affirmation Facilitator: Hear what the Scripture declares Facilitator: Who is a God like ours? Micah 7:18-19 who pardons sin and forgives our offenses? He does not stay angry forever, but delights to show mercy. Once again He has compassion on us. He treads our sins underfoot And hurl our transgressions into the depths of the sea. ALL: Thanks be to God Concluding Prayer Facilitator: Lets us pray together now. (from The Worship Sourcebook) (as worship team comes up) All: May we know how to be brought low, Philippians 4:12-13 and may we know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, Lord, teach us the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. And may we do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens us. Amen 5 of 5