John 6:35-40 (Matthew 6:5-15)

 Ever got one of those Facebook messages that say if you send this prayer to 10 others you will receive a special blessing from God?  What do you do with them? Or the emails that claims a special power from saying out loud the most powerful prayer you can ever pray.  These are prayers usually promising me health, happiness, wealth and a closer relationship with God.  These prayers seem to be all about attracting God like a struggling swimmer waving their arms about for rescue trying to catch God’s attention.  The trouble is these prayers totally misunderstand what Jesus is teaching us when he taught his disciples this prayer. [1]

Prayer isn’t an exercise in God control, we don’t have to attract God’s attention, like he’s distracted or disinterested in us.  Jesus gave us a prayer we can pray with confidence – it’s a primer.  So, if we don’t know what to pray or if we’re shy or uncertain

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven,        hallowed be your name, ¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

In the company of Jesus, we start praying about the relationship we have with our Father. It’s all about God, our Father.  It is all about His nature, his temperament, His Holiness, His Kingdom, His will be done.  This is a prayer asking God to be at the forefront of our lives and decisions.  This prayer is the gutsiest prayer we can pray, asking God to help us to be aware of life on earth,  and asking God to help us to live for his kingdom and share his gospel.  The prayer of Jesus has cast us into what’s to come, so when we talk about God’s will, we are gives the eyes to see that life isn’t just about the existence of life on earth; it also has everything to do with life as it in heaven.  This prayer is all about God’s reputation, God’s rule, God’s plans.  So as we’re meditating on these words we’re praying with our Father as Jesus drags us back to pray with us the 3 demands of life from Jesus for us are: Giving, Forgiving, Leading.  The trouble is we have a lifelong habit of want lists[2] & I should know mine get rather long!  You know what it’s like you get that one thing you wanted, and suddenly ten others pop up to its place.

So far in this prayer of Jesus two words are the focus of “Our” & “Your”.  They are about the same thing, Our Father, Your name, Your kingdom, Your will.  The focus is on what God is doing.  Now Jesus gets to pray with us on what priorities we’re settling into our lives ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’  AMEN Summarized as: Give Us, Forgive Us, Lead Us. Provision, pardon, protection.  The first part of this prayer has got us thinking and praying about God as he is in heaven, as we live our life on earth. Now the microscope comes to life in all its ignominy.  The view from Jesus is panoramic as we zero in on the reality of life, give us today our daily bread.  We get to pray with our bodies, and we need bread if we’re going to live.  Just like we can’t miss what Jesus said to Satan after the 40 days of fasting that was followed by the temptation in the desert  ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”  ⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:3-4

Jesus spoke about life needing bread, not bread as the purpose or pursuit of life.  Life is not defined by bread alone ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.  As bread is the simplest word that speaks about sustaining life.  We need the bread of life.  Of all the staples around the world bread is the most common food of life. The simple fact remains that no matter what cures to diseases we find, and no matter what technological advances we make, or how smart we are or even how beautiful we look, the simple truth remains we need food to survive.  Jesus tells us pray for our Father’s provision, enjoying God our provider.  Bread has a history of its own in the Bible as Israel’s history with bread is epic.  In the Passover celebration God’s mercy was celebrated by a simple of meal of bread, lamb and wine.  During the 40 years of the wilderness

Manna was the daily bread God gave his people, as Moses reflected on this time by saying: ³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.  Deuteronomy 8:3.  These words sound familiar just as Jesus made the link to them with Satan’s temptation.  The question is do we trust that God intends good for us? Are we anxious and joyless in the hardships we face? God be our provider Jesus tells us to pray!  Also in the upper room Jesus took the bread and broke it saying “This is my body which is broken for you.  Do this in remembrance of m”  A piece of toast, a sandwich, a dinner roll remind us of Jesus and his death for our sin.  Our life made possible because he gave his up.  Our only to be vindicated by rising again from the dead.  Forgiveness comes through Jesus alone.

Today that one act of Jesus reminds us that whenever we eat bread, we can be thankful in our hearts, of what Jesus did for us on the cross.  After having fed 5, 000 people with a couple of loaves and a few fish Jesus reflects on our neediness.  He prepares us to understand our spiritual hunger in John 6: ³⁵ 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. ³⁶ But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 

Later in verse 40 ⁴⁰ For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”  We are needy, Jesus reminds us we need to the bread of life.  As someone put it this way:

“It is not unheard of for us chafe at our neediness.  Having to ask for help is an admission that we can’t do this on our own, that we are not in control…Consumerism is a narcotic that dulls the awareness that we are in need…technology is a narcotic.  It depersonalizes needs to something that can be handled by a machine or device…money and machines anesthetize neediness.  They put us in charge, in control…narcotics diminish the capacity for personal relationship.  Narcotics dull and finally destroy the capacity for living, feeling, loving, enjoying.  And praying.”[3]

¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.  Humble yourself before God, and Pray, God help us to depend on your unfailing love.  As we see everything we have is a gift from God.  That is everything we have from God is on loan from Him.  So the iPhone isn't the problem, it's our hearts in relation to the iPhone. The internet isn't the problem, it's what we put onto the internet, or what we download from it. The thing, in itself, isn't evil. It's what we do with the thing.[4]  Is there something I desire so much that I am willing to disappoint or hurt others in order to have it?[5] So we pray ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.  Our meal table is a special place for fellowship with family and friends.  Over a meal we can have fellowship and encouragement.  It is there we keep company with Jesus and one another.  This is a prayer to our daily provider where we acknowledge that we are needy beggars.  I’m going to start us in prayer and again as we have done in other week I’ll invite you pray with me saying the prayer Jesus prayed with his disciples in Matthew 6:9-13

Let’s pray…

LORD JESUS,

I am blind, be thou my light, ignorant, be thou my wisdom, self-willed, be thou my mind. Open my ear to grasp quickly thy Spirit’s voice, and delightfully run after his beckoning hand; Melt my conscience that no hardness remain, make it alive to evil’s slightest touch; When Satan approaches may I flee to thy wounds, and there cease to tremble at all alarms. Be my good shepherd to lead me into the green pastures of thy Word, and cause me to lie down beside the rivers of its comforts. Fill me with peace, that no disquieting worldly gales may ruffle the calm surface of my soul. Thy cross was upraised to be my refuge, Thy blood streamed forth to wash me clean, Thy death occurred to give me a surety, Thy name is my property to save me, By thee all heaven is poured into my heart, but it is too narrow to comprehend thy love. I was a stranger, an outcast, a slave, a rebel, but thy cross has brought me near, has softened my heart, has made me thy Father’s child, has admitted me to thy family,  has made me joint-heir with thyself. O that I may love thee as thou lovest me, that I may walk worthy of thee, my Lord, that I may reflect the image of heaven’s first-born. May I always see thy beauty with the clear eye of faith, and feel the power of thy Spirit in my heart, for unless he move mightily in me no inward fire will be kindled.  (Need of Jesus, Valley of Vision p102)

Will you also now join with me as we pray in the company of Jesus together out loud

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, ¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’  AMEN

David Hassan @ Tamworth Community Presbyterian Church 29/1/17