shows off his strength. In our text today though, we will see something.
God is majestic, absolutely, but he's merciful and he has compassion on his
children. Look at verse 11. We think about this and
just gloss over it. Give us this day our daily bread. Notice
first of all before, notice he says give us our bread. He
doesn't say sell us bread. Isn't that awesome? We come to our
father as children asking for a gift knowing that he is generous and gracious.
We're not asking God to loan us bread. We're not asking to sell us bread.
God would you give it to us? Why? Because he's a great giver
of all things. James 1.17 says every good and perfect gift
cometh from above and comes down from the father of lights.
Jesus, every good thing in your life friend. It's a gift from him.
Now I will tell you studying for this, I did not know this next word was so
controversial. We see the word daily, our daily bread.
It's a really interesting word. It's a hard word to translate
because there is a word for daily. It's common and it's used often in the New
Testament, but it's not the word being translated here.
So there is some debate on how this word should be translated and what it
actually means. This word daily only occurs in the
Lord's Prayer and the Lord's Prayer only occurs in Matthew and Luke
two times. Once in Matthew, once in Luke. So the word appears nowhere else in the
New Testament, but it also does not appear anywhere
else in ancient Greek literature. So it appears to be a word that was coined
by the apostles and it is the word epiousias.
It comes from two words, epi, above, super if this is a good word, hyper it
might be another word, usia and usia means being
or substance or essence. So if this were the way it should be
translated and some will say this, this and then stay with me here, it would
be translated like super substantial, super substantial bread. Bread that is
super in essence. And others say no no no it's actually
related to the word epiousia found in Acts 16 11 where it's
that word epiousia is translated the following day.
Okay so there's that's an adjective modified.
So in this way we could say bread for the following day.
All right now which would it mean? Is it is it super substantial bread or bread
for the following day? Well Christ tells us to pray if it's
if it's bread for the following day that means Christ is telling his
followers to take care and pray for the needs of tomorrow taking
our life one day at a time. And by the way I think this fits the
context very well because later on in Matthew 6 he's going to say take no
thought for the tomorrow don't worry about what you're going to
eat or drink or what you're going to put on.
So I think that's the context. But let's take for example it would
mean super substantial bread. And then if that's the case people
say well that's an obvious reference to the Lord's Supper.
But the Lord's Supper had not been instituted yet. But let's take for
argument it is. One author said this, it is the bread for the nourishment of our
immortal soul. This living super substantial bread is
Christ himself. In the Lord's Prayer then we're not asking merely for material
bread which is for physical health but for the
spiritual bread of eternal life. Another said no it's a request for God's
daily provision for physical needs. Deborah Anstra writes the Matthew
context is a sermon on the mount. It emphasizes trusting in God for
today's provision not worrying not striving or scrambling for
selfish gain. Jesus teaching here also resonates with
the Israelites memory of manna. The bread in the wilderness which
Israelites could not store ahead or hoard.
They had to depend on God to supply it each day.
So you're saying well what do you think it means? Is it super substantial bread
or is it bread for tomorrow? And I'm going to suggest to you it's both.
We pray for our physical nourishment. But friends we pray for our spiritual
nourishment as well. We come to God our father each day
asking him to supply both our physical needs and
our spiritual needs. So in this part of the prayer in this confession
we are confessing our dependence on God for everything.
Physically, spiritually we confess that we are weak
and we are needy and we are poor. You and I do not have what it takes
but we're also confessing that God is good and God is the giver.
Now this is not a petition for riches. It's not a petition for abundance
but enough for what we need each day. Enough Lord as if we're praying this at
the end of the day enough for the following day is all masking.
It's what the proverb the author proverb said in Proverbs 30.
Don't give me poverty nor riches. Friends we could preach a while in our
culture to this. Feed me with the food allotted to me.
Why? Lest I be full and deny you which is what a lot of rich people do
and say who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and still and profane the name
of my God. We petition God for daily sustenance
but that's just what the old covenant people did. That's what Israel did in the
desert right? They're wandering about in the desert.
There's not a lot of food there. They need to be kept alive and God is the one
who supplied their daily needs through manna. Daily manna. Every day it
appeared. As we go to the time of our Lord most
laborers were paid daily. So if they did not work for that day they could not buy
their food. They could not buy the bread sufficient for that day. They did not eat.
That's just how life was. So it made sense for anyone listening to the Lord that day
praying for daily or the next day's meal. But the lesson shouldn't be lost on us.
Likewise you and I we come to God and we ask him that we might have everything we
need for life. Lord in your mercy give us all the
necessary provisions. And it's a reminder every single day
that we need God. God we have to have you. So when he's talking about bread here
he's not just talking about yeast and dough. It's a metaphor
for the substance of life. That which is necessary for life. That's what he's
referring to here. And again what is what is Jesus doing?
He's revealing to his disciples that we are dependent upon God even for the
basic necessities of life. Everything. But I also see in this an
act of faith. Because we believe not only that God can
meet our needs because he's all powerful but that he's willing to do so.
Because he's our father. He is to be revered. He's to be held in the highest
esteem. But he's concerned about me. That's
fantastic. Martinoid Jones he said is not this one
of the most wonderful things in the whole of scripture.
That the God who is the creator and sustainer of the universe.
The God who is forming his eternal kingdom and who will usher it in at the
end. The God to whom the nations are about as a small dust of the balance.
That such a God should be prepared to consider your little needs
and mine even down to the most minutest details in this matter of daily bread.
But that is the teaching of the Lord everywhere.
If only we could grasp this fact that the almighty Lord of the universe
is interested in every part and portion of us.
You know what this does? It dispels fear. It dispels anxiety. It dispels worry.
Because he's the creator and sustainer in the universe and he
cares for me. When we get that friends it changes us. But our Lord wasn't just
teaching about material needs. He goes on he says
in verse 12 forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. If you're used to
the King James as I am forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us. If you look over in Luke 11 you don't
need to do that right now. The word the Greek word there he says
forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
So you have trespasses you have debts and you have sins. So what's this all
about? Well there's five words in the New Testament
that are all used to describe sins. We'll go through these real quickly.
You have the word debts that's used here in Matthew 6. Ophioloma.
Ophiola means it's a moral fault. It's something you owe someone something
that's due them. Okay then you have the word just
translated sin. Hamartia. In fact in theology
hamartiology is a study of sin. So hamartia this is the most common
word that's used in the New Testament and most of you know what this means.
It means to miss the mark. Well how's that? So you're missing the standard of
God's righteousness. God has a bullseye here and we never hit
the bullseye. We always fall short. We miss the mark. But then you have the
word trespass. Paroptoma. That's the sin of slipping or
falling. But listen it's due to more to our
carelessness. It's usually not an actual deliberate
action. Okay you you carelessly sin. Then we have the word transgression.
Parabasis. This now is a deliberate stepping across the line. This is what my
children do. They're transgressors. Okay because you're like do not do this.
Okay you eat your food at the table. You don't eat it in the living room.
Do you understand? Yes daddy. And where do you find them eating? In the living
room. They are not trespassing. They're
transgressing. It's not foolishness. They deliberately stepped across the line
and you and I have done this. God says don't and you did. And the
last one is lawless. It's anomia. And then literally it means without
law to God. This is open rebellion against God and his authority.
They're like what's the point pastor? Five words and they all mean the same
thing. They're giving us a full robust picture.
They said don't focus on debts versus trespasses versus transgressions.
Matthew the Greek word is ophioloma and it does refer to debt
but it's a spiritual debt to God that must be paid.
Now you might be saying but how are we indebted to God?
My soul. In every way possible. He has commanded us
be holy even as I am holy. How are you doing there?
He has commanded us be perfect even as your father in heaven is perfect.
How are you doing there? He has commanded us you must live up to my glory in
Roman streets as we all fall short of the glory of God.
How are you doing? We are so indebted to God there could be never
any hope for any of us unless God was a forgiving and gracious God.
We are indebted to him. Everything. So in this prayer
you and I are reminded of our fallenness. You and I are still sinners
despite having been redeemed. We are the sons of God but we still find ourselves
transgressing and transpassing and sinning.
We are not yet what we should be. Therefore we need daily
forgiveness. You need daily bread. You need daily forgiveness. Our hope is in
the grace of God. See the message the central message of
Christianity is that God forgives. The Christian is a forgiven
person. We are declared in the courtroom of
heaven righteous because of what Christ has done and
his righteousness has been imputed to us. Praise God for that. So now we have a
proper standing before God but we still need his forgiveness because
we still fall into sin after being saved. This daily
forgiveness does not come from God as our judge.
It comes from God as our father. See we're still walking through the sin
curse world and we're still being defiled by it.
You don't need to be saved again but you do need to have your relationship
restored. How? Confessing our sin and receiving the
forgiveness of Almighty God. In John 13 there's an interesting passage
here that you probably never thought about when Jesus goes to wash the
disciples feet. Do you remember Peter says no Lord you're not washing my feet.
Let's pick it up from chapter six because it or verse six because it really
instructs us on this passage here in Matthew six.
Peter said to him Lord are you washing my feet?
Jesus answered and said to him what I am doing you do not understand now but you
will know after this. It really is an object lesson about
cleansing that the Lord will do at the cross.
Verse eight Peter said to him you will never wash my feet.
Jesus said okay Peter if I don't wash you
you're not mine. You have no part with me. Simon Peter then said okay
well if that's the case don't just wash my feet, wash my hands, wash my head. Hey
let's give me a bath over here. Verse 10 Jesus said he who is bathed
needs only to wash his feet but it's complete needs only to wash his feet
but it's completely clean. Now you're like what's going on here?
In the ancient near east in Israel the person who was bathed they took about
they were clean head to toe right but they would put on their sandals and
walk the dusty roads of Palestine. Now when they got to their destination
they didn't need to take another full bath they were clean
but what did they need to do? Wash their feet.
What's the point? In salvation you and I have been
bathed, cleansed by God through the blood of Christ. We have been washed, cleansed
by Christ. You're clean but our feet still get dirty
spiritually speaking. You don't need another bath friends. You don't need
another baptism. You're clean in Christ. You don't need
to be saved again but you need to clean your feet. What do
you mean? Well you're still sinning daily.
That's what daily confession does metaphorically.
It's cleansing our feet. Every day we go to God and ask him for pardon. Lord
forgive us our debts because we've not done
what we should have done today for you and we're falling short of your glory.
Now I don't need to be made whole again. I'm clean in Christ
but my feet are dirty. So we ask him to forgive us and God
is gracious to forgive us and the scripture tells us we're sin abounded,
grace super abounded, much more abounded. I love the psalmist when in psalm 103 he
said the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and plenteous in mercy.
You're plenteous in sin and he's plenteous in mercy.
Who God forgives he no longer holds their sin against them.
It's not brought back up to us and then now
we who have received that we do the same to others.
Look at verse 12. Look at the latter part. Forgive us our debts
as we forgive our debtors. Now this is a big problem here. If you
and I were forgiven in proportion to the way that we forgive others
I suggest you would be in deep trouble. We would be left hopeless.
Yet this is something this Christian aspires to and we'll talk about it at the
end for just a moment. We aspire to reflect the mercy and
kindness and forgiveness that God has shown to us.
The man who's received God's forgiveness for his enormous
debt of sin will want to forgive others their paltry
debt against him. That's Matthew 18. You are the 10,000
talent debtor. I preached on that one that was snowy a few weeks ago.
Forgiving others friends is a hallmark of the born-again person.
Ephesians 432, be kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, how?
Just as God in Christ forgave you.
It's deep. J.C. Ryle says the plain object of it is to remind us that we must not
expect our prayers for forgiveness to be heard if we
pray with malice and spite in our hearts towards others.
To pray in such a frame of mind is mere formality and it's hypocrisy.
And by the way what's the Lord railing against in Matthew 6? Hypocrisy,
particularly in prayers. You cannot be right friends
with God and withhold forgiveness from anyone else. You cannot do it.
The Puritan Thomas Merton said, there is none so tender to others
as they which have received mercy themselves. And that's a true statement.
For they know how gently God has dealt with them.
What Thomas Merton's saying, friends if you understand what God did in forgiving
you it softens you because you're like I'm
amazed that God has forgiven me. I can forgive others. I certainly can.
If God can forgive me of my enormous debt that I could never
up to pay, I can forgive others. Do you see what the Lord's doing in
this prayer with his disciples? Getting out of hypocrisy. And the final
petition, look at verse 13, reveals our weakness. Do not lead us into
temptation but deliver us from the evil one.
Here we're acknowledging that we're still prone to sin.
If we weren't, why are we praying don't lead us into temptation?
God's going, we're praying that God will watch over us. God direct our steps.
God lead us away from danger. We're praying that God would keep us
from running headlong into that which would injure our soul.
Do you believe that you are capable of making shipwreck of your life?
You ought to believe that. See I'd be praying God don't let me go that way.
There's a way that seems right into a man and the end thereof are the ways of
death. So this posture is the opposite of
arrogance. Because the arrogant man believes he
would never fall into gross sin. He thinks no way would I ever fall
into that. And the humble man says yet for the grace of God
I would make a complete ruin of my life. I believe that. I have friends who are
smarter, who are wiser, who I thought were godlier,
who are in prison. Who are now out of the ministry.
We must pray desperately folks. God you must keep me or else I fail.
God you must hold me fast. Lead me away from the temptation that would cause me
harm. God don't let me go into there. Again
J.C. Rahel, I just like him. He says we confess that so long as we're
in the body we are constantly seeing, hearing, and feeling the presence of evil.
It's about us, it's within us, it's around us on every side.
And so we entreat him who alone can preserve us
and to be continually delivering us from its power.
Again this is a prayer of dependency folks. We recognize that we are inadequate.
Therefore we must rely on his strength to keep us from evil and the evil one.
See we live in a sin-cursed world, we know that. Man sin is rampant, we see that.
Evil is around us, temptation is around us, but the most dangerous thing is the
sin that is within you. You have a flesh, it's a traitor living
within you. And on your own you will not resist the
temptation or lure of the devil. You will not. So we lift up our hands
and we flee to God, protect me Lord, deliver me.
This is what Jesus said, hey guys pray that. Remember in the garden when his
disciples he says watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. Why? The
flesh is weak. The spirit's willing. He's talking to
those who are walking with him daily and he says your flesh is weak.
Watch and pray so you don't be led in temptation.
J.R. Miller, he's summarizing this, he said we put our hand into God's in the
morning and we ask him to lead us through the day.
We know not what experiences may come to us and we ask him not to bring us into
sore testings. The prayer is a request that in the doing
of God's will for the day we may not be brought into places where it
will be hard for us to be faithful. Order my steps today.
The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delights in his way.
This is the prayer. Now it comes to a close and we come full circle.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
It starts with God, it ends with God. He alone
possesses the kingdom. He alone has the power and he alone is worthy
to receive glory. That's it. He, that's it. So Jesus is starting
there saying he's worthy of being revered and hallowed
and at the end you better understand it's his kingdom, it's his power, and it's his
glory and then if it's yours. You're reminded of his transcendence
once again. Now if you ever written a letter and
forgot to say something, often you'll put a PS in there, you'll
put a postscript right? Two-minute drill. Let's look at the last
two verses here. Verse 14 says this is a PS to the prayer if you will.
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive
you. But if you don't forgive men their
trespasses, neither will your father forgive your
trespasses. Okay so here Jesus had a little PS to the prayer.
Verse 12 forgives our debts as we forgive our debtors.
This is an elucidation, it's an elaboration on that verse.
He's been speaking to his followers in the presence of hypocrites.
Scribes and Pharisees are there listening to him and they are very much
hypocritical in their giving and they're praying and even in their
fasting. All right it's all to be seen by men.
And so there is hypocrisy in prayer. This is how you play the hypocrite. When
you go to the Lord asking him to forgive you of your debts,
your wrongs, your sins, and you refuse to forgive others who have
wronged you. You can't do it.
MacArthur says to receive pardon from the perfectly holy God
and to refuse to pardon others when we are sinful men is the epitome
and abuse of mercy.
See the nature friends, you've been born again. The nature of the redeemed
is to forgive because that's the nature of God.
And you've been born again into him. He's simply asking you to do
for others what he has already done for you
in Christ. Do you see it? Do you see how what a great sin it is to not forgive?
Alexander McLaren, I read this last night so I put it in there. Here's my PS to the
sermon. In a very real sense our forgiving is
the condition of our being forgiven. Now listen what he says, I thought this
is brilliant. You and I are accustomed to hear that
faith and repentance are conditions of receiving divine forgiveness.
Right faith and repentance but they're gifts of God.
But that very same disposition which when directed toward God produces faith
and repentance, when that same disposition is directed
toward men, it produces a forgiving temper. This is the manifest evidence of
God's grace. God's grace reveals itself in your
faith and your repentance. God's grace reveals itself in your
forgiving others. A deep sense of my own unworthiness and
of having no ground of right to stand on will surely lead me to be lenient and
placable to others. We can't cut our lives into halves and
be inwardly filled with contrition and yet outwardly assert our own rights.
Now we cannot plead with God to do for us
what we refuse to do for others. That's hypocrisy.
This is the Lord's Prayer. It's a lot deeper isn't it than what we thought.
When you look at it, it is absolutely perfect. It is profound in the deepest way
and it's the prayer that our Lord taught his disciples. Now this doesn't mean that
you merely say the words every time but what you see the context it
begins with adoration. It leads you to confession. It leads you
to admission of weakness. It leads you to forgiveness and it brings
you back to worship. That's what prayer does.
Now friends we're going to pray and prepare to come to the table of the Lord.
Let me just say this church. Rejoice you have been forgiven completely in
Christ. Be thankful the broken body of our
Lord and the shed blood of our Lord has cleansed us
from all our guilt. You're saying for whom?
1st Corinthians 11 Jesus said this is my body
which is broken for you. Who's the for you there?
For sinners. For you as the ones who were children of wrath
and who have been made children of God by his sovereign grace.
Thank you friends. Worship your God. Pray to him.
Get on your face if you will and let us remember
the Lord and what he has done for this is the grace of God that has been given
to you fully and completely in Christ. Let's pray.
Lord we thank you for today. Lord I thank you for your word and
God would you deliver us forgive us. Lord of our hypocrisy.
Where the danger is that we can be hypocritical and not even know it. We
can deceive our own selves. Father help us to live in the body with
people around us who shine light on our own darkness.
Would you through your spirit show us ways that Lord
we have either hard hearts or bitter hearts or unforgiving hearts.
Or forgive us show us ways that we're itching for the commendation of man or
we're doing acts or to be seen by others.
Lord not only would you forgive us. Lord would you reveal that to us and Lord let
us repent. Father I thank you.