Sermon Recap February 15th
Learning to Pray for "Us": Provision, Forgiveness, and Protection
When we think about prayer, our natural tendency is to make it all about ourselves. We bring our wish lists, our concerns, our needs—and God becomes little more than a divine customer service representative waiting to respond to our requests. But what if we've been missing the point entirely?
The Lord's Prayer, that familiar passage we've memorized since childhood, offers a radically different approach. It's not primarily about how I pray for myself, but how we pray for us. Even in addressing our most basic needs, we're called to think beyond our individual circumstances and consider the collective body of believers, our community, and the world around us.
The God Who Provides Our Daily Bread
"Give us this day our daily bread." Six simple words that carry profound theological weight.
This request takes us back to the wilderness, where God fed the Israelites with manna from heaven—just enough for each day. When they tried to hoard extra for tomorrow, it spoiled. The lesson was unmistakable: trust God today for today's provision.
The question that should pierce our comfortable Christianity is this: How much time, energy, and effort are we spending trying to provide for ourselves tomorrow?
This isn't theoretical. This is where rubber meets road in our spiritual lives. How many of us have run from God's calling because we couldn't figure out how we'd pay the bills? How many potential missionaries, church planters, teachers, and evangelists have remained in their safe careers because the risk seemed too great?
We live in a first-world context where even our "lower class" is wealthier than the majority of the world. Yet we cling to our security with white-knuckled desperation, convinced that if we don't carefully plan and protect our resources, we'll be left with nothing.
The radical truth of the Gospel is that God is faithful to provide exactly what we need for this day. And when tomorrow comes, He'll provide exactly what we need for that day too. Our daily needs should never become a hindrance or excuse for sold-out service to King Jesus.
Jesus Himself declared, "I am the bread of life." He's not an add-on to what we think we need—He is what we need. The One through whom all things were created, by whom they were made, and for whom they exist is sufficient to meet every need we have today.
The Challenge of Forgiveness
"And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."
This might be the most convicting part of the entire prayer because it's the only request that seems to have a prerequisite condition. The prayer doesn't stop there either—it emphasizes this point: "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Before we panic about earning our salvation, let's be clear: this isn't about earning forgiveness through forgiving others. That would contradict the entire Gospel message. Rather, it's about the evidence and fruit of having truly received forgiveness.
The unconditional forgiveness of Jesus in our hearts should produce unconditional forgiveness toward others. If we're unwilling to forgive those who have hurt us, lied to us, deceived us, or taken advantage of us, it reveals something troubling: we may not truly understand—or may never have truly experienced—Christ's forgiveness toward us.
The reality is stark but true: our sin against God is far worse than any sin someone could commit against us. Our debt to God is far greater than any debt someone could owe us.
Think about the fractured relationships in your life. How many churches have split not over theological error but over unforgiveness? How many families have broken apart not because of financial stress or the challenges of raising children, but because of unforgiveness? How many neighbors can't even look at each other across the street because of unforgiveness?
When there's disunity in our hearts, homes, or churches, and we're struggling with forgiveness, we must ask ourselves: Have we truly considered the debt from which we've been forgiven? Have we counted the cost of our sin against the holy, infinite God of the universe?
Unforgiveness reveals a severe lack of self-awareness—a failure to remember how serious our own sin is against a perfect God.
Protection in Spiritual Warfare
"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
This isn't a request for God to stop tempting us (He never does). Rather, it's a wartime cry for protection and direction. It's a prayer that says, "Don't abandon me in temptation. Protect me from the enemy."
Make no mistake: if you count yourself among the family of God, you are at war. Not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and dark forces. You're not at war with the person you're struggling to forgive. You're at war with the one sowing unforgiveness in your heart. You're not at war with your bank account or financial advisor. You're at war with the one who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
This is a wartime prayer because there's coming a day when the One who called Himself the Bread of Life will return, and there will be no more concern for tomorrow's needs, no more sickness, no more suffering, no more sin that needs forgiving.
But until that day, we fight.
The disciple is so weak that he is no match for the devil. We need a Savior—not an assistant. A hero—not a helper. We need a champion who will fight the evil one for us and snatch us from the clutches of the enemy.
God didn't send His Son to be our assistant when we can't help ourselves. He sent Him to be our Savior, our hero for all eternity. Christ is our champion, the One who fights for us, who goes before us, who has already proven His victory over the enemy.
Returning to Glory
The prayer ends where it began: "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
Not my kingdom. Not my ways. Not my glory. But Yours.
Learning to pray isn't a one-time lesson. It's a lifelong journey of teachableness and humility, acknowledging daily that we're still learning, still growing, still being shaped by the One who taught us to pray in the first place.
May we learn each day to trust Him with this day's bread. May we be reminded daily of our desperate need for forgiveness. May we remember that we cannot stand against the enemy on our own.
And may we always remember: His is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.
When we think about prayer, our natural tendency is to make it all about ourselves. We bring our wish lists, our concerns, our needs—and God becomes little more than a divine customer service representative waiting to respond to our requests. But what if we've been missing the point entirely?
The Lord's Prayer, that familiar passage we've memorized since childhood, offers a radically different approach. It's not primarily about how I pray for myself, but how we pray for us. Even in addressing our most basic needs, we're called to think beyond our individual circumstances and consider the collective body of believers, our community, and the world around us.
The God Who Provides Our Daily Bread
"Give us this day our daily bread." Six simple words that carry profound theological weight.
This request takes us back to the wilderness, where God fed the Israelites with manna from heaven—just enough for each day. When they tried to hoard extra for tomorrow, it spoiled. The lesson was unmistakable: trust God today for today's provision.
The question that should pierce our comfortable Christianity is this: How much time, energy, and effort are we spending trying to provide for ourselves tomorrow?
This isn't theoretical. This is where rubber meets road in our spiritual lives. How many of us have run from God's calling because we couldn't figure out how we'd pay the bills? How many potential missionaries, church planters, teachers, and evangelists have remained in their safe careers because the risk seemed too great?
We live in a first-world context where even our "lower class" is wealthier than the majority of the world. Yet we cling to our security with white-knuckled desperation, convinced that if we don't carefully plan and protect our resources, we'll be left with nothing.
The radical truth of the Gospel is that God is faithful to provide exactly what we need for this day. And when tomorrow comes, He'll provide exactly what we need for that day too. Our daily needs should never become a hindrance or excuse for sold-out service to King Jesus.
Jesus Himself declared, "I am the bread of life." He's not an add-on to what we think we need—He is what we need. The One through whom all things were created, by whom they were made, and for whom they exist is sufficient to meet every need we have today.
The Challenge of Forgiveness
"And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."
This might be the most convicting part of the entire prayer because it's the only request that seems to have a prerequisite condition. The prayer doesn't stop there either—it emphasizes this point: "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Before we panic about earning our salvation, let's be clear: this isn't about earning forgiveness through forgiving others. That would contradict the entire Gospel message. Rather, it's about the evidence and fruit of having truly received forgiveness.
The unconditional forgiveness of Jesus in our hearts should produce unconditional forgiveness toward others. If we're unwilling to forgive those who have hurt us, lied to us, deceived us, or taken advantage of us, it reveals something troubling: we may not truly understand—or may never have truly experienced—Christ's forgiveness toward us.
The reality is stark but true: our sin against God is far worse than any sin someone could commit against us. Our debt to God is far greater than any debt someone could owe us.
Think about the fractured relationships in your life. How many churches have split not over theological error but over unforgiveness? How many families have broken apart not because of financial stress or the challenges of raising children, but because of unforgiveness? How many neighbors can't even look at each other across the street because of unforgiveness?
When there's disunity in our hearts, homes, or churches, and we're struggling with forgiveness, we must ask ourselves: Have we truly considered the debt from which we've been forgiven? Have we counted the cost of our sin against the holy, infinite God of the universe?
Unforgiveness reveals a severe lack of self-awareness—a failure to remember how serious our own sin is against a perfect God.
Protection in Spiritual Warfare
"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
This isn't a request for God to stop tempting us (He never does). Rather, it's a wartime cry for protection and direction. It's a prayer that says, "Don't abandon me in temptation. Protect me from the enemy."
Make no mistake: if you count yourself among the family of God, you are at war. Not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and dark forces. You're not at war with the person you're struggling to forgive. You're at war with the one sowing unforgiveness in your heart. You're not at war with your bank account or financial advisor. You're at war with the one who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
This is a wartime prayer because there's coming a day when the One who called Himself the Bread of Life will return, and there will be no more concern for tomorrow's needs, no more sickness, no more suffering, no more sin that needs forgiving.
But until that day, we fight.
The disciple is so weak that he is no match for the devil. We need a Savior—not an assistant. A hero—not a helper. We need a champion who will fight the evil one for us and snatch us from the clutches of the enemy.
God didn't send His Son to be our assistant when we can't help ourselves. He sent Him to be our Savior, our hero for all eternity. Christ is our champion, the One who fights for us, who goes before us, who has already proven His victory over the enemy.
Returning to Glory
The prayer ends where it began: "For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
Not my kingdom. Not my ways. Not my glory. But Yours.
Learning to pray isn't a one-time lesson. It's a lifelong journey of teachableness and humility, acknowledging daily that we're still learning, still growing, still being shaped by the One who taught us to pray in the first place.
May we learn each day to trust Him with this day's bread. May we be reminded daily of our desperate need for forgiveness. May we remember that we cannot stand against the enemy on our own.
And may we always remember: His is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.
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