Let us turn again to God's Word
and we come in our consideration of the content of the Lord's
Prayer, the pattern prayer that Christ taught his disciples,
we come to Matthew 6 and verse 11. Matthew 6, 11, give us this
day our daily bread and the wording is slightly different on that
other occasion when Christ instructed his disciples. In Luke 11, three,
we read, give us day by day our daily bread. And the differences
are interesting and significant, surely, when we speak of this
day, and God's granting us this day our daily bread, it reminds
us that there is a sufficiency supply for every day, for each
day of our lives. But when we think of the wording,
as we have it there in Luke 11, give us day by day, our daily
bread, it reminds us of the constancy of that provision, and that God
will continually, day by day, supply all that we need. Well, I remind you that there
is this twofold division in the petitions that make up the body
of the Lord's Prayer. Remember the opening three petitions
that we've looked at these past few weeks? Our Father, which
art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as
it is in heaven and we observe and of course we address God
in the third person singular because God is one. In a wish
of the Lord our God is one Lord. And here we have this word thy. We pray concerning God's name,
hallowed be thy name. We pray concerning God's kingdom,
thy kingdom come. We pray concerning God's will,
thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. And so when
we come to pray and make our petitions, no, not to God, we
see quite clearly that our first concern, our primary concern
must always be God and the honor and the glory of God. But of
course, that would not be the case with a natural man. The
natural man puts his own interests in that first position. He that
is of the earth is earthly, says Christ, and speaketh earthly
things. The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God. They are foolishness to him,
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Well, it must be the spiritual
man, then, who would take account of such words as Christ is teaching
here, that man that we read of at the end of 2 Corinthians 4,
where we look not at the things that are seen, but the things
that are not seen, the things that are seen are temporal, and
the unseen things are eternal, and it is those eternal things,
the honor of God and the glory of God that we are to see first
and foremost. But now, instead of thy, we have
the first person plural being used, give us this day our daily
bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. It's us, and it's ours, it's
the first person, but it's in the plural. And so, as we come
to pray, we're not just praying for ourselves, it's not me and
my, though it's us and how we are mindful of our fellow believers
as we come to make these requests known unto God. Well, as I said,
tonight we're going to look at the words that we have here in
verse 11. Give us this day our daily bread. And I want to divide what I say
into three parts, our three heads. First of all, what we have in
this prayer is the confession of God. Secondly, we see something
of confidence in God. And then, thirdly, contentment
with God. That then is the division that
I want to try to follow as we consider these words. First of
all, here surely God is confessed. And God is being confessed as
the only source of every provision. This is why we come to Him and
ask that He grant to us, give to us, our daily bread, every
good gift and every perfect gift, cometh from above and cometh
from the Father of lights, in whom there is no variableness
nor any shadow of turning. Oh, we're confessing God then,
and we're acknowledging dependent upon him. He holds our very breath
in his hand, of course. We are those who are always indebted
to him. Now, the prayer, as we have it
in the original here, the word order is somewhat different.
The syntax is such that the first two words of the request are
the words, the bread, And because those two words appear at the
beginning of the sentence, it means that they have that primary
position, the bread, and we have to examine them. What exactly
is the bread that is being spoken of? Well, surely first and foremost,
this must be spiritual bread, and the manner we read of that
provision that God made for the children of Israel. There in
the wilderness, the psalmist refers to it as angel's food. That manna is a type of this
spiritual bread. And we know that this type as
its antitype in the Lord Jesus Christ. We're familiar with the
words of the Savior there in the sixth chapter of John. Verse
31, Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, say the Jews.
As it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses
gave you not that bread from heaven, but my Father giveth
you the true bread from heaven, for the bread of God is he which
cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world. Then said
they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread, And Jesus
said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me
shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. And then remember how the Lord
goes on to speak of the necessity of our feeding upon him in the
way of communion, that expression of our real union with the Lord
Jesus Christ there in this same chapter of verse 53. He says,
Verily, verily, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man,
and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth
my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life. And I will
raise him up at the last day, for my flesh is meat indeed,
and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and
drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. The Lord Jesus Christ then is
this spiritual bread. And see how it is in fact spoken
of as our bread. Our bread. It's the Father who
is addressed, our Father. And this bread is that that the
Father provides for his own children. Paul says at the end of Hebrews,
we have an altar whereof they have no right to eat but serve
the tabernacle. It is that that is for a particular,
a specific people. It is ultimately the Lord Jesus
Christ. But it is also, as we know, the
word of God, that scripture that bears witness to the Lord Jesus
Christ. As Christ is the word incarnate,
so here we have God's word in holy name, the written and incarnate
word, in all things are the same. Where do we find Christ? Where
do we meet with Christ? It is here in Holy Scripture. And what a fullness! The psalmist
says, Thy commandment is exceeding broad. Oh, there is such a breadth,
such richness here in the Word of God that meets all of our
conditions. In fact, what we have here really
is more than daily bread, here surely there is a feast of that
things. Remember how the Lord Jesus later
on in chapter 22 speaks that parable of the marriage feast. There in the opening words of
chapter 22, Jesus answered and spake, answered him again by
parables and said, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain
king which made a marriage for his son. or it is that provision
that God has made for His Son, in His Son, all the riches of
the grace of God. This is what we're praying for
then, when we utter these words in sincerity, give us this day
our daily bread. We want to know something of
that daily communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, to be ever,
always feeding upon the Lord Jesus Christ. But there is of
course also here a reference to natural bread, to natural
food. That was real food to sustain
their bodies that the Lord gave to the children of Yisrael in
the wilderness. And when they come to the end
of those 40 years of wanderings in the desert, remember what
The Lord says in Deuteronomy 8-2, Thou shalt remember all
the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in
the wilderness, to humble thee and to prove thee to know what
was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments
or no. And he humbled thee and suffered
thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna which thou knewest
not, neither did thy fathers know that he might make thee
know that man doth not live by bread alone, by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Now, there is there a reference
to natural food, and what they're being told is that they are to
be looking beyond the means. Normally God would make provision,
of course, in the way of his providence. There'd be the time
of sowing, and then there'd be the time of reaping. They would
sow their seed, gathering their crops, they would make their
flour, they would make their bread. This is God's usual way
of making provision. But what they had there was a
provision direct from God. And that's where they had to
look. They had to look to the great first cause of all things. They had
to look beyond the means. And of course, remember how the
Lord Jesus refers to those very words in Deuteronomy 8. In the
course of his temptations, in chapter 4, we're told in verse
2, when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, he was afterward
and hungered. He's hungry. You see, he's a
real man. And he's hungry. And when the
tempter came to him, he said, if they be the son of God, command
that these don't be made great. But he answered and said, it
is written, man shall not eat by bread alone, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. The Lord is not
speaking of spiritual food there. He needs real bread. He needs that to sustain his
body. What he is referring to is the fact that he will look
not to himself. Ultimately, he will look to God.
The Lord will make that provision. And he reminds us of that lovely
passage at the end of the the book of the prophet Habakkuk. In Habakkuk chapter 3, you're
probably familiar with the passage. Verse 17, although the fig tree
shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines. The labor
of the olive shall fail. The field shall yield no meat.
The flock shall be cut off from the fold. and there shall be
no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy
in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength,
and he will make my feet like high speed, and he will make
me to walk upon mine high places, to the chief singer on my stringed
instruments. How the prophet is looking to
God, the great first cause of all things. the God who makes
provision. And as with the prophet, so also
the psalmist. The language there that we find
in Psalm 104, in verse 14, he causeth grass to grow for the
cattle, and herb for the service of man, that he may bring forth
food out of the earth, and wine that maketh glad the hearts of
man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth
man's heart. All we are to look then to God,
we confess him as that one who is the great first cause, the
provider of all things. And we remember that this is
mutual. All this is a lot of God's people. We are to pray
one for another. It's us and it's our, give us
this day our daily bread. There we have those exhortations
in the epistles of Paul, when he comes to the end of the epistles
and he gives many exhortations, that more practical part of those
letters. After speaking of that armor
that God has provided, that spiritual armor, the whole armor of God
that the believer is to be clothed with that he might resist Satan. What does he say? Ephesians 6,
18, praying always, with all prayer, and supplication in the
Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication
for all saints. We are to pray for all saints. We're to be mindful of one another.
We're to pray one for the other. And in our prayers we come, as
I say, and we confess God. And we confess God with regards
to our temporal needs as well as with regards to all our spiritual
needs. laid up all that fullness of
grace for us in the person and work of his only begotten Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ. But then secondly, in this petition,
we also express something of our confidence in God. What is the request? We're asking
God to give, give us, give us this day our daily bread. And who is this God? Well, Paul
speaks of him as the one who giveth us richly all things to
enjoy. Oh, the Father is that one, of
course, who was given the unspeakable gift. He was given the Lord Jesus
Christ, When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth
his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them
that were under the law. And will he not also freely give
us all things, in and with the Lord Jesus Christ? Remember those
words that we just referred to in John 6, verse 32? Verily, verily, Moses gave you
not that bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true
bread from heaven. Oh, it is the Father who must
give us the Son, manifest the Son to us. No man knoweth the
Son but the Father. Neither knoweth any man the Father
save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will be revealing. Oh,
the Father must reveal him. What does the Lord say to Simon
Peter there in Matthew 16, this very gospel that we're in tonight,
in the 16th chapter, when Peter makes a remarkable confession,
thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. The Lord says,
flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father,
which is in heaven. O blessed man, art thou Simon,
son of Jonah, that such a revelation should be granted. No man, says
Christ, can come to me except the Father, which hath sent me,
draw him." So we are confessing our complete and utter dependence
upon the Father to grant that gift, that manifestation, that
saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember how in Acts 20, to the
Ephesian elders, Paul reminds them of the words of the Lord
Jesus. Remember the words of the Lord
Jesus Christ, how he said, it is more blessed to give than
to receive. Oh God delights in giving, it
is more blessed to give. God is the one who clearly demonstrates
that truth, that it is blessed to give, it is God-like. It is
God-like, even here in the sermon. In verse 45 of chapter five,
that you may be children of your father which is in heaven, for
he maketh his son to rise on the evil and on the good, and
sendeth forth rain on the just and on the unjust. And God is
that one who is such a good God, grants freely. He will give those
things that we ask Him. He being evil now had to give
good gifts unto your children. How much more, says Christ, how
much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to
them that ask Him? Oh, He gives. And the Puritan,
Thomas Watson, in his exposition of the Lord's Prayer, makes this
observation, God puts bread in mouths that are open against
him. That's how good God is. Not just
giving to the good, but to the evil also. And we saw it, of
course, in that passage, how the whole congregation of the
children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron there in the
wilderness. And Moses tells them plainly,
they're not murmuring against him and his brother there, really
murmuring against the Lord God himself. Instead of putting their confidence
in him, murmuring, moaning, complaining against him. Well, what does
the Psalmist say? Psalm 78, verse 30, while the
meat was in their mouths, they complained and were judged. But that was that generation
that fell in the wilderness, unbelievers, unsaved, culpable. in their sins. See how the Lord Jesus speaks
to the Jews in his own day, he says to them, ye will not come
to me that ye might have light. All men refuse to come. This
is the condemnation, that light is coming to the world and men
love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.
They will not come. And what does the Lord say? Well,
again, we have the words in this very sermon. You are familiar
with the passage in the seventh chapter of verse seven. Ask,
and it shall be given you. Seek, and ye shall find. Knock,
and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth,
and he that seeketh findeth. And to him that knocketh it shall
be opened. For what man is heir of youth, and if his son ask
bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he
give him a serpent? If ye, then, being evil, know
how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more? Shall
your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that
ask Him? Or do we come in this faith,
do we have this confidence in God that when we approach Him,
we ask Him to give, give us this day, our daily bread? There is that daily provision,
but there is also that constant provision, that continual provision,
as we see it there in Luke 11 through, give us day by day,
our daily bread. Oh, we need not then to be full
of anxious thoughts and doubtful fears. Again, look at the language
later in this chapter, verse 25, therefore I say unto you, nor yet for your body what ye
shall put on. Is not the life more than meat,
and the body than raven? Behold the fowls of the air,
for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into parts. Yet your heavenly Father feedeth
them. Are ye not much better than thine? Oh, the Lord will provide. Our
confidence, our trust is to be in him. David says, I have been
young and now I'm old, yet have I not seen the righteous, forsaken,
nor his seed-begging bread. The Lord will provide. The Lord
will provide. So isn't that the testimony of
Abraham, the man after God's own heart? Speaking there to
his own son, Isaac, the Lord will provide himself a lamb for
a sacrifice, he asks. It's in the Lord Jesus, and in
him, he grants to us all things. Our confidence then is to be
placed in this God. This is how we come to him in
faith. Without faith it's impossible to please him. He that cometh
to him must believe that he is. And he is a rewarder of all them
that diligently seek him. And then finally here, there's
an expression of contentment with God. Contentment with God. Look at the word, it's this day,
and it's daily. It is sufficient. Always sufficient
for each day, and we're to be content. We're to be content. Godliness with contentment is
great gain. For we brought nothing into this
world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having
food and raiment, let us be there with content, says the apostle. or God is the one who makes the
provision day by day at continual supply. Again, the testimony
that we have from the wise man in the book of Proverbs, there
at the end in the last but one chapter, Proverbs 13, Verse eight, remove far from
me vanity and lies. Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with food convenient
for me. Lest I be full and denied thee,
and say, who is the Lord? Or lest I be poor and still,
and take the name of my God in vain. And that's usually, it's
always interesting to look at the marginal reading. And sometimes
a marginal reading is a more literal rendering of what's there
in the original. There, in the margin, we see
that food of convenience is food of
my allowance. The food of my allowance. And we see it also in what's
said concerning the manner In that chapter that we read, Exodus
16-4, it speaks of a certain rate every day. The margin tells
us that the Hebrew is literally the portion of a day in his day. That's what God has promised
for his children. The portion of a day in his day,
that's the rate that God has ordained. It excludes what is
above and beyond our necessities. And we should remember this.
Oh, we should remember this. We have days of great abundance.
How good God is. And we're to acknowledge him
in times of abundance as we are also to acknowledge him in our
times of need and of want. Isn't that the testament of the
apostle? There, in Philippians chapter
4, and he says, verse 11, when he's
speaking of the provision that the Philippians had so kindly
made for him. And he says, not that I speak
in respect of want, For I have learned in whatsoever state I
am therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased
and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things
I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound
and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ
which strengthens me, notwithstanding yet well done. that He did communicate
with my affliction. He acknowledges their goodness.
All but He sees that it is God who is behind all of these things. He's content. And ought to be
those who are content to come and to pray in the spirit of
this petition. Give us this day. Give us day
by day our daily bread. This is how we're to conduct
ourselves. Let your conversation be without covetousness, be content
with such things as ye have. For he hath said, I will never
leave them, nor forsake them. He never takes away himself. He's always there. I'll never,
no, never, no, never forsake. We've said in times past how
the hymn 329 in those words really brings out the force of what
God promises there in Hebrews 13, 5, I'll never leave them,
nor forsake me. He's that God who makes every
provision. He's the one that we're to come to then with all
our prayers. We're to look to him as the great
first cause of all things. To know him then and to call
upon him in the spirit of this petition, and to say in our prayers,
give us this day our daily bread. grant His blessing and help us
as we come to prayer. But first of all, let's sing
our second praise. It's the hymn 247, the tune 164. O Lord, I would delight in Thee
and on Thy care depend, to Thee in every trouble flee, my best,
my O new friend, when all created streams are dry, life for us
is the same. May I with this be satisfied
and glorify thy name 247.