Give us this day our daily bread. This should be the prayer of the brother or sister who does not know where their next meal is coming from. This should be the prayer of the brother or sister with a full cupboard and plenty of money in the bank. This is to be my prayer. This is to be your prayer. Give us Now pay us, give us, this day, our daily bread. We are aware, I hope we're aware, of our complete and utter dependence upon our Heavenly Father to give us all things, material, physical, and spiritual.

We were just reading of David. David, the man after God's own heart. Ten times, this special man, I'd never noticed before where he says, the Lord liked me. Did you ever notice that before? I never noticed that. I thought that's unusual. I'd like to learn more about that.

But this man who is called, whom God said he's a man after my own heart, ten times he said, I am poor and I am needy. Now I hope that's my assessment of myself. I'm poor. What's the first beatitude? Blessed are they that are poor in spirit, that have nothing to bring to the table, that have no contribution to make. Poor, David was a very wealthy man. Yet he says, I'm poor, I don't have anything, and I have great needs that I cannot meet for myself.

He must meet them. If he doesn't meet them, I won't have them. I hope every one of us can enter in to this statement. I'm poor and I am needy. With no way to provide for myself, these needs must be freely given to me by the charity of God, or I will not have them.

Give us this day our daily bread. Now the main thought in that prayer is our absolute and complete dependence on him who is absolutely independent. our great need of him who has no needs to provide our needs. That's the thought. Give us this day our daily bread, both material, physical, and spiritual. Give us this day our daily bread.

Now the word daily has two shades of meaning. Number one, bread for today. Not for the next six weeks. When the children of Israel gathered the manna, you'll remember, if they gathered two days' worth, what would happen? That second day, when they'd get up in the morning to eat it, it would breed worms and stink. daily bread, and this teaches us something about faith. Faith is always daily.

It's in the present. It's right now. Not the past. If I'm looking to something in the past, I'm looking to some kind of experience I had rather than Christ himself. If I'm looking to the future, I'm looking to something I'm going to do rather than something he's done. The past and the present are false refuges. Do I look to Christ right now? today.

Coming to him the same way. Bread for today. And it also means necessary bread. Give us what we need. Give us our necessary bread. Give us what we need materially. Give us what we need physically. And give us what we need spiritually, and I think it's glorious the way the Lord encourages us to pray to our Heavenly Father, knowing that He knows what we need. Give us this day our daily bread.

Now I want you to think about how concerned you are about the needs of your children. Their material needs, their physical needs, their spiritual needs, they're of great concern to you. The needs of the Lord's children are of great concern to Him. Remember this prayer begins with our Father. Children of the Father, our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Would you turn to the end of this chapter, Matthew chapter 6, verse 31. Well, let's start in verse 25.

Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life. Don't give any anxious thought, no worry, no care. Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink, nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them.

Are you not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought, by being anxious, by planning and scheming and worrying, can add one cubit under a statue, one moment to his life? And why take you thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they're clothed, how they grow. They toil not, and even do they spin.

And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothed the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore, take no thought, saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or where the floor shall we be clothed?

And that has a spiritual application, too. That's not just talking about this kind of clothes. You're clothed with the very righteousness and merits of Christ. You eat and feed off Him. Why would you worry? Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or whitherwithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. Now look at this.

Your Heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. He knows. He knows exactly what you need. He knows exactly what I need in every respect. And the Heavenly Father cares about His children. Verse 33, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and His Righteousness. And all these things shall be added to you. This is a promise.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow. Give us this day our daily bread. Take no thought for the morrow. Boast not yourself of tomorrow. You don't even know if you'll be alive tomorrow. Boast not thyself of tomorrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. I love that statement. You've got enough to deal with today. You don't need to be worried about tomorrow.

Give us this day our daily bread. Now, daily bread is a faith issue. I ask for this today and trust him for tomorrow. It's a faith issue. Give me what I need today. I know you'll take care of me tomorrow too, but all I'm asking for is today. If I ask for six weeks worth, I don't need to be asking for it tomorrow, will I? I already have it.

Give us this day, this day, live in the day. Give us this day our daily bread. What mercy he gives us in calling upon us to ask for daily bread. Turn with me for a moment to Proverbs 30. I'm sure you're, familiar with this passage of scripture, but it was a blessing to me to look at it once again. Verse seven. Two things have I required of thee.

Deny me them not before I die. Remove far from me Vanity and lies. He's afraid he'll believe them if they're not removed from him. Remove these from me. Remove them far from me. I love that request. He's saying, I'm dependent on you to not believe vanity and lies. I'm dependent on you to give me the grace to do that. Remove them from me.

Give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with food convenient for me, daily for me. This is his daily bread. Feed me with food for today, what I need. Don't give me riches, don't give me poverty. If I have riches, here's what I'm afraid of. Lest I be full and deny thee and say, who is the Lord? or lest I be poor and steal and take the name of my God in vain. Don't let me be rich. Don't let me be poor. Give me what I need for today. Give us this day our daily bread. Now, daily bread is a contentment issue.

You know, we're not asking for riches. I sure don't want to say, Lord, make me rich. I'm rich in Christ. But I'm not asking for material riches. I mean, really, when it comes right down to it, we're all rich anyway. I mean, if you compare, you know, just last week, I was in a place where people were living without electricity, grass thatch huts, dirt floors, we're all rich. But we're not to be asking for riches.

This is a contentment issue. We're asking for our daily bread. Turn with me to First Timothy chapter six. Verse six, but godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it's certain we can carry nothing out. You know, somebody said, how much did he leave? Everything. Everything. He's not bringing anything with him. And having food and raiment, let us be there with content, satisfied. Now, that's talking about material things, but that's also talking about Christ as my raiment and my food. Let us be content, satisfied.

But they that will be rich, that's their desire. fall into temptation." They're putting themselves in a bad place. They fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they veered from the faith and pierced themselves through. with many sorrows.

I love what the writer of the Hebrew said, let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as you have. You have Christ. You have justification. You have a righteousness before God. You have the forgiveness of sins. You have the promise of his continual eternal presence. You have heaven awaiting you.

Be content with such things as you have, for he has said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. I love the words of that song, content with beholding his face. My all to his pleasure resigned. No changes of season or place would make any change in my mind. When blessed with a sense of his love, a palace a toy would appear, and prisons would palaces prove if Jesus would dwell with me there.

The Lord in his mercy leaves us in a place where we must come to him daily." Isn't that a mercy? Give us this day our daily Bread, give us what we need. Give us this day. Forgiveness for today. Mercy for today. Grace for today. Your love for today. Your favor for today. Your presence for today. Give me your spirit to preserve me.

I'm poor and needy. That's a continual state. If you're poor and needy, you must make this prayer every day. Give us this day, our daily bread. Whatever I have must be given to me freely. Now, this is our attitude when we pray this prayer. Whatever I have must be given to me freely. Now, somebody says, now, I work. I support my family. I do everything I can to support my family. And I give to the cause of Christ. I'm a hard worker. That's good. Who gave you the ability to do that? What do you have that you didn't receive? Now, if you received it as a gift, why do you glory as if you didn't receive it, but you had something to do with that? Am I poor? Am I needy? What a blessing it is to be poor and needy. What did the Lord say of the church that allowed to see you? that he was going to spit out of his mouth. You're rich, increased with goods, and have need of nothing.

Now, dependence. This is a whole lot more than praying that he'd give me my next meal, although I do pray for that. I know it must come from him. This is not only praying for him to give me the money to pay the bills, although I do that. We look to him, we're dependent upon him. I don't care if we're in a hard place financially or if we got plenty of money. We still realize that we're completely dependent on him all the time for all things. And I need, for whatever I have, that he gives me to be given to me freely. That's what I need. justified freely by His grace. Now don't, don't just read over that being justified. If I'm justified, you know what that means? That means before God, I've never sinned. I stand perfectly righteous before God, having never sinned. God doesn't look at me and say, well, I know he did sin, but I'm gonna count as righteous. No, I stand before God without guilt. And the only way that can be mine is if he freely gives it to me. He that spared not his own son, delivered him up for us all, how shall he not freely give us all things?

Needy. I need for him to elect me. You know, I love election because it tells me salvation's all about grace, but let me say this, I need for him to elect me. If he doesn't choose me, it's over for me. I need for Christ to stand as my surety and take full responsibility for my salvation. I need that. I need Him to come to this earth and live for me and keep the law for me. I need for Him to die for me and put away my sin. I need for Him to be raised from the dead for me, to justify me. I need Him. I need the Holy Spirit to give me life from the dead. I need to be given a new heart by the Spirit of God birthing me into His kingdom. I need to be born from above. I need to be given ears to hear His voice. I need to be given a heart to receive. I need to be given a new heart.

I mean, everything there is, I need Him to give it to me. And if He does not give it to me, I will not have it. I need to be given them eyes to see His beauty, His sufficiency, or I won't see. I need to be kept and preserved looking to Christ only. I need to be preserved from coldness and deadness and spiritual apathy. I need Him to keep me from losing my first love. I need Him to cause me to see that His Son is all in all and all else is nothing. And if He doesn't show me that, I won't see it. I need. I need thee, precious Jesus, for I am full of sin. My soul is dark and guilty. My heart is dead within. I need the cleansing fountain where I can always flee. The blood of Christ, most precious, the sinner's perfect plea.

I need him for me to be able to say this and mean it. I'm a poor sinner and nothing at all. And Jesus Christ is my all in all. I need him to show me my need daily and keep me poor and needy. I need him to give me this hunger for his word and this understanding of what it says. I need for him to give me faith.

I won't have it if he doesn't give it to me. Oh, Lord, give me whatever true saving faith is that relies on you. Give it to me. I can't come up with it. I need him to give me repentance. Repentance is his gift. I need him. That's what this prayer is all about. I'm poor and I'm needy. Give us this day our daily bread.

I need him to enable me to be a servant to his people and not try to take the highest seat, but take the lowest seat. I won't do it unless he enables me. I need him to make me merciful and gracious and kind and nonjudgmental. I need him to teach me that he's the one who provides and he is the provision. I have these daily needs every day. And you know, this thing of coming to Christ is a daily thing. Turn with me to John chapter 6. I want us to look at the feeding of the 5,000.

And did you know that this is the only miracle that's recorded in all four Gospels? The only one. That gives us some idea of its significance. Many of the other miracles are recorded in one, two, or three gospels, but this one is in all four gospels, this miraculous thing that the Lord did.

John chapter six. When Jesus lifted up his eyes and saw a great company coming to him, He saith unto Philip, whence shall we buy bread that these may eat? Then John gives us this editorial comment. And this he said to prove it, to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, 200 penny worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, there's a lad here which hath five barley loaves and two small fishes. But what are they among so many? And Jesus said, make the men set down. Now there was much grass in that place, so the men set down a number about 5,000. And Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks. He distributed to the disciples and the disciples to them that were set down and likewise of the fishes, as many as they would.

Now at this time, the miracle that's taking place is the creation of matter. Something's brought into this universe that was never there before. This is as miraculous as the creation itself, bringing something out of nothing. And these people were fed to the full from two small sardines and five biscuits. 5,000 people, not counting women and children. It could have been 20,000 people fed like this.

And when they were filled, he said unto his disciples, gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. I love the frugalness of the Lord. I mean, he could have created a whole lot more, but he said, yet gather up the fragments that nothing be lost. Therefore, they gathered them together and filled 12 baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

Then those men, when they'd seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, this is of a truth, that prophet that should come into the world. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force to make him a king. These fellows said, we can have a welfare state. He can provide for us. We won't have to work. Everything will be good. Let's make him king. And they attempted to make him king. By force, the scripture says. But he departed again into a mountain himself alone. He's not going to have anything to do with that. You see, nobody makes him king. He is king. He's king of kings, lord of lords. Nobody makes him king.

So he left. Well, these people started looking for him. He departed to the other side of the sea. Verse 22, the day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save the one whereunto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone, howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias, nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, and after that the Lord had given thanks. When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. And when they'd found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou here? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, you seek me not because you saw the miracles.

Now they saw the miracles. They saw matter, food brought into existence that was not there before. You know nobody ever believed because of a miracle. Not once. All these fellows were interested in was the food. Verily I say unto you, you see me not because you saw the miracles, but because you did the loaves and were filled. Labor not for the meat which perishes, but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you.

For him hath God the Father sealed. Let me point out something about this. The Lord knew they were all going to leave, didn't he? They're all left, 5,000 of them. Go on reading the end of the chapter. Yet he said, the Son of Man will give this to you. I think that's beautiful. The Son of Man will give this to you. If you come and ask for it, the Son of Man will give this to you.

Then said they unto him, well, verse 27, labor not for the meat which perishes, but for the meat which endures an everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you, for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? They heard him saying, Labor not, work not for me the parishes, but for the meat which endures to everlasting life. They heard this, their ears perked up. Works, works, what shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God. that you believe on Him whom He hath sent. Period. This is the work of God. If you do this, it's because God gave it to you. This is His work. This is what He sanctions, to believe on Him whom He hath sent. And don't miss that Him whom He hath sent. The father sent him. He was before the father sent him. The father sent him for specific work. He did that work. We're believing on him whom he hath sent. Believing he did what the father sent him to do.

Verse 30. They said therefore unto him, what sign showest thou then? Now, they just saw him create matter. The Jews require a sign. Show us something to prove your truthfulness. That was so ridiculous, he'd already showed them. They said, therefore, what sign showest thou then that we may see and believe? What dost thou work?

Our fathers did eat manna in the desert as it's 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. Now this is the daily bread. This is the daily bread we need. Yes, I'm asking for him to feed me physical bread, but this is the daily bread I need. He calls himself the bread that came down 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. All they heard was physical bread. They didn't know what he was talking about. They didn't understand. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life.

He that comes to me shall never hunger. he that believeth on me shall never thirst." Coming to Christ. He that cometh to me shall never hunger. Now I can't come physically. What's it mean to come to Christ? He tells us in the very next statement. He that believeth on me shall never thirst. To come to Christ is to believe on Christ. I love it in verse 37 when he said, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. Coming to Christ.

The Lord said in Matthew chapter 11 verse 28, come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden. You're laboring under a sense of your own sinfulness. You're heavy laden and burdened because of your sin. It's a toil. It's a work. It's difficult. There's nothing good about it. The Lord says, come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Rest from your works. Rest.

Take my yoke upon you. Now, what's a yoke? It's something that puts two oxen together so they can work together. Take my yoke upon you. Don't you want to be yoked to Christ? Take my yoke upon you. Oh, I want to be yoked to Him. Take my yoke upon you and learn of Me, I am meek and lowly in heart." You're not going to feel judged and threatened by him. He's meek. He's lowly in heart.

And you shall find rest for your souls. Now what is rest spiritually? It's to not work. Remember when God finished the creation and on the seventh day He ceased from His works because they were finished? Nothing left to do. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God, and that's what he's talking about here. For he that's entered into his rest hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Now, he that cometh to me. Do you know that's in the present tense? Not he who came to me or he intends to come to me. This is daily, daily, right now. This is daily bread. Him that cometh to me will never hunger. He that believeth on me will never thirst.

Now what in the world does that mean? Because I find myself dissatisfied with myself, hungering for whatever it might be. I find that, you find that. But what he's talking about is if you believe on him, and if you come to him, You won't want anything else but simply to be found in Him.

You'll be satisfied with that. You're not concerned about leaving a legacy. Here's what I want my legacy to be. Not preacher, not anything I've done, simply this, in Christ. in Christ, that's the only legacy I want. And I find such satisfaction in that.

Anything else, I'm not satisfied with. If I'm looking for anything other than to simply be found in Him, I'm left wanting, I'm left thirsting, I'm left hungry. But oh, looking only to Him, being satisfied to be saved by Him. Are you satisfied with that? Or are you looking for something else? You say, well, there must be something other than that. No, there's not.

And that takes care of everything. He that cometh to me shall never hunger, he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you that you also have seen me, and believe not, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. And him that cometh to me, these are in the present tense once again, I will in no wise for no reason whatsoever cast out. Now that, I don't know how many times that's all I have. He promised no matter what my condition is, if I come, he won't cast me out.

Lord, give me grace to come. That's part of my daily need. Give me grace to come. For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which has sent me, that of all which He hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that everyone would seeeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life, and I'll raise Him up at the last day." I love that verse. If you see the Son, if you see who He is, you will believe. It's for sure. You can't see him and not believe. If you see the son, if you see who he is, you will believe.

The Jews murmured at him, verse 41, because he said, I'm the bread which came down from heaven. They said, is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said, murmur not among yourselves, No man can come to me, except the Father which has sent me draw him.

And I will raise him up at the last day. It's written in the prophets, and they shall all be taught of God. Every man, therefore, that hath heard and hath learned of the Father cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God. He has seen the Father.

Verily I say unto you, he that believeth have everlasting life. I am the bread of life." This is that daily bread we seek. I am the bread of life. Your fathers that eat man in the wilderness are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever. For the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world." Now eating this bread, you have to know something about what he did in his flesh to accomplish life for the world. His shed blood, his broken body, that's what we feed on. The Jews therefore strove among themselves saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat?

All they heard was cannibalism. Then Jesus said, and then verily, verily, I say unto you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. You see, the only thing that you can live on is his perfect humanity, your righteousness in his flesh, and his shed blood, what it accomplished. That's all you can feed on. That's all that nourishes your soul.

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, there's our daily bread, hath eternal life, and I'll 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. As the living Father hath sent me, I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat man and are dead. He that eateth of this bread shall live forever.

Give us this day our daily bread. Our gracious Heavenly Father has promised to meet our needs physically, materially, spiritually, and we're told to ask for them. Give us. I don't have anything to pay. Give us this day our daily bread that Christ is my daily bread, the bread of my necessity, the bread for today. And I ask my heavenly Father to give me graciously all that's needed in feeding off of him. Give us this day our daily bread.

Lord, we are so grateful that you would tell us to come to you asking, give us this day our daily bread, the bread for today, the bread of our necessity. Lord, you know what we need. Give us what we need. Lord, we love being completely dependent upon you for all things. Lord, it's such a pleasure to be completely dependent upon our heavenly father. And Lord, would you give us this, that Christ himself is the daily bread we need nonstop, always dependent upon him. Bless this message for his sake, in his name we pray, amen.