We are studying the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, which we call the Lord's Prayer and the teaching on either side of it as it's found in Matthew's Gospel chapter 6 and Luke's Gospel chapter 11. And you know when Jesus was teaching his disciples to pray this way, I think he was doing something similar to what we do when we use the axe acronym. Are you familiar with the axe way of prayer? A is for adoration and C is for confession and T is for and S is for yeah and that's just kind of each word adoration it gives you enough to know where you need to go in your prayer, right? Lord, we love you, you're wonderful, you're great and big and so on and so forth and confession will get to that soon enough but we talk about our sins and where we have fallen short and we ask for God's mercy and forgiveness and thanksgiving and so on and so forth. The Lord's Prayer is very much that way. There are six petitions but I would encourage you to consider them as six major themes to direct your prayer. I think that if if Jesus were here in the pulpit, he would say these are themes. Don't say this in 10 seconds and thinking prayed. Now that these guide you in prayer and as you look at the six petitions, they're huge, they feel Genesis to Revelation and so we are studying it that way and studying the very themes that God has given us. We've seen His priority in the first three petitions that we are to have the heart God does for the hallowing of His name, the coming of His kingdom and the doing of His will, that this is first and foremost concerned to God Almighty and as we are conformed into the image of Christ Jesus, we will find these are our first and foremost concerns as well. I know in my prayer journey, when I get to give us this day our daily bread, I thought, oh good, finally I get to the stuff that matters to me and I have come to grow to understand, no, these first three things matter to me the most and by comparison, the other ones just don't matter as much. In fact, I've told you in the first three about how the word order and the words that are used, the structure of the Greek language gives great emphasis to it and with this next petition, it's not like it's not important, it is important, it's just not as important as God's name kingdom and will. And so it's the daily bread, which we need, oh Lord, give us today, something like that and the verbs are different, the word order is different, the verb is different, still an erus imperative, a verb of request, but anyway, it's a little bit different. And as I thought about how should we consider this, I kind of tell you, I've just been blown away thinking about how this is a major theme in the scriptures, this idea give us this day our daily bread and I'm hoping that as we use what I call the creation fall redemption restoration model that you'll be amazed at it too. That's just how significant of a theme this is through the whole Bible and we'll just touch on creation and restoration the beginning and the end the time before sin entered the world and the time after sin is dealt with and God and his enemies, God kills his enemies and throws them into the lake of fire, Satan and all the demons and all those who are enemies of God, when that's gone and there's just righteousness again, there's food again. Just look at that real quick, so you remember in creation, in Genesis chapter 1, we have God talking to himself saying in verse 26, let us make God in our own image and in verse 27, we're told that's male and female, made in the image of God in verse 28, he creates us and he gives us rule, he gives us dominion, be my little kings and rule and have dominion over all that I have made. And then in verse 29, he gives us the provision of food, it says, behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth and every tree which has fruit yielding seed, it shall be food for you. And by the way, bread and food I'm taking as synonymous here, if we can pray about our physical needs under, goes this day our daily bread, certainly we can talk about food as being part of what Jesus has in mind. Now, we'll spend most of our time in the fall and in redemption because, well, we've spent all our lives there and unless Jesus returns real quick, we'll spend the rest of our lives there and that's probably exactly where Jesus has us praying, give us this day our daily bread. But let's look to the future, you know, when Jesus was celebrating the Passover for the last time with his disciples when he instituted the Lord's supper during the discussions that took place, you know, this was not a short little piece of bread and a little cup of wine and they were done. It was a meal and long discussions that filled up the evening and one of the discussions, how to do with greatness and all this and how to challenge them on this. But he finally said to them in Luke 22 verses 29 to 30, just as my father has granted me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. And you will sit on throne, stretching the 12 tribes of Israel. So Jesus speaking about what is to come in the consummation or the restoration of all things when sin has been dealt with, there is food. In fact, Revelation 199 says, then he said, right, blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. So God's provision at creation is there and God's provision at the restoration of all things when the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our God. So what about the fall? Let's look at that for a little bit. When we think about the fall, I think about what Paul said in Romans 8, we live in this time by the way where the fall and redemption are both going on because in chapter 3, we don't merely have the fall, we also have redemption and all of God's children since Adam's fall have lived in the time of the fall and redemption. So Paul writing about that says in Romans 8, starting at 18, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time, devastating effects of the fall, sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us. The restoration of reconciliation and redemption when it's all done is looking at where we are and where we're going. And verse 19, for the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God, for the creation was subject to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the church. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now, and it goes on from there, but that idea that they're suffering, but there's more to come, that's the effects of the fall I want to talk about as it would appear in Genesis chapter 3, the effects we'll talk about the cause in a minute, but the effects when God put down the curse on Adam and Eve, it says in verse 17, then to Adam, he, that is God said, because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you saying, you see there's food in the fall, and not amazing, eaten of the tree about which I commanded you saying you shall not eat from it. Curse is the ground because of you, in toil you will eat, devastating consequences of the fall, all the days of your life both thorns and fizzles that shall grow for you, and you will eat the plants of the field by the sweat of your face you will eat bread till you return to the ground, because you were taken from it, for you are dust, and you will to dust return. There it is. How does this look in the 21st century, not just America, but the world? Well, some people are hungry, and they're without daily bread. We heard about East Africa, and that's probably the biggest example right now of people without bread. It is reported, I read an article by the Associated Press 29,000 children, this is a couple weeks ago, so it's more than that 29,000 children have died of starvation. The article went on to talk about just how bad it is. It said that there's 11.5 million people that are being affected by the famine and the drought, and while the eight is coming, the article said that there's 750,000 Somalis at risk of death from famine in the next four months in Somalia, where tens of thousands have already died. Six areas in southern Somalia have already been declared of famine zones. You know, drought is no water, famine is you're dying of starvation. We have drought in East Texas that's severe than they've ever had, or one of the most severe times, but there's no famine. There's still bread, but in East Africa, there's famine, there's starvation, there's people without bread. That's just East Africa. We don't know all the places where there is a lack of bread. There are places where there is both obesity problems and starvation problems. Some with not enough food without daily bread, while others have a ton of food, and that brings us to the other situation. Some are full and have more than enough, but don't share with those in need. We'll look as we talk more about redemption in a few minutes that God's purposes have always been that God's people will share. Even when God, through the Apostle Paul, was talking about stealing, and he said that him who's still still no longer, but rather that him let work, laboring with his own hands, he didn't stop there. He said, laboring with his own hands, that he may share with him who has needs. It's a sign of redemption, so we'll talk about it there, but just to say now, the devastating consequences of the fall are that there are people that are full, and don't share with people who are without bread. That's the fall. Another problem is some people have food problems. By example, I mean allergies, food allergies. Some people are just definitely allergic to certain foods, whether it's peanuts, or seafood shellfish, that sort of stuff. Walnuts, I've become allergic to walnuts, it's not much to complain about, but I miss them. And that's the small stuff, right? Some people have food problems much worse, like anorexia, or bulimia, where they believe the lie of the devil that there's something wrong with the way they look, or some other thing that causes them to believe things that are just not true. And so they purge, or they think they are fat and won't eat. It's a terrible and devastating problem, devastating consequence of the fall. Others have some sort of metabolism problem, or because of the thyroid, or some sort of drug therapy for their health, they're incredibly overweight. And then there is the epidemic of obesity in our day and in our time. I was reading an article that talked about around 65% of the world's population lives in countries where problems associated with being overweight and obesity, kill more than are being underweight and nearly 43 million children under the age of five were overweight and overweight in 2010. From the CDC, they say that about one third of U.S. adults, 33.8% are obese. OBS has to do with the, I forget what it is, the body weight, mass index, something like that, a BMI or something body, mass index, that's what it is. And it's, it's somewhere, you know, it depends on height and all this sort of height and weight, but it's like fifth, you're overweight if it's like 50 pounds, up to 50 pounds, and somewhere over 50 pounds you overweight, it's obese. And then I forget beyond that is morbid obesity, and there's people who struggle with that, about 70% of children in adolescence, H2 to 19 are obese. And the trends are that in all of the states, there is more than 20% increase in overweight over the last 20 years, devastating consequence of the fall. We struggle with food issues, don't we? So what's the cause of all these problems? Well, a failure to believe God is trustworthy. Really, that's where it, that's the root issue. We can talk about other things, we can talk about famine, we can talk about those who are, you know, the political warlords who are fighting in East Africa or, you know, different problems, but at the root, at the root, in all of the situations, and at the beginning was a failure to believe God is trustworthy. We have your Bibles, in Genesis chapter three, we read about how the serpent being more crafty began to talk to Eve. And in verse four it tells us the serpent said to the woman, this is from the new American standard, Genesis chapter three, starting at verse four, the serpent said to the woman, you surely will not die. For God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from it, from its fruit in eight, and she gave to her husband also, and he ate. Now before the fall, God had made full provision, and when the devil tempted them to sin, there was this delight in the fruit, it looked good, but there was this questioning of God. As God said, you shall not eat from any, is he holding back, is he withholding what is good? There is the contradiction of God, you will surely not die, so that the questions and the motives behind what is happening have to do, is God good, is he holding back, can I trust him? Is there more, should I have more? Can I believe he is trustworthy? And because of the fall there, because of that lack of faith, that lack of believing there, fell to the temptation, to her husband with her. We'll talk more about that at the sixth petition, but at its root, at its core, whether you struggle with overweight or anorexia or sharing or hunger, there is this problem of faith and in God's trustworthiness. But there is redemption, remember, we live not only during the time of the fall, with the devastating consequences of the fall, because of unbelief, because we fail to believe that God is trustworthy, but we also live in the time of redemption. God promised, even in Genesis 3.15, I will crush the head of the serpent through the seed of the woman, through the Messiah who will come. And God throughout history talked about how that is going to happen. I merely chose a verse from John, chapter 6, which we used as our assurance of pardon, because again, it has to do with food. I do encourage you, really, whether you read my questions or not, read the verses, read the passages that I give for this week's daily devotions. It's worth it. They're great passages. And one of them is John chapter 6, which starts with the feeding of 5,000 and the people say, hey, Jesus, and him saying, you're looking for me, not because you saw a sign, but because your bellies were filled. And he says, don't work for the food, and that's where we come into 627. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him, the Father, God, has set a seal. Therefore they said to him, what shall we do that we may do the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them, this is the work of God that you believe in him whom he sent. He sent him because of the will of the Father to redeem. That's so cool. He's the bread of life. That's where Jesus is going. I am the bread of life. He who believes in me, so it's not a direct quote from the assurance of pardon, but that's where he's going in John 6. And we find there that we are praying not only about our physical need for bread, but spiritual bread too, but let's just stay with the physical bread for a while. There's redemption. And the work of God, the core work in praying, give us this day our daily bread is believing in God and his trustworthiness. We're praying against the devastating consequences of the fall, aren't we? God, don't make me selfish. God, deliver me from my inward selfishness that's part of my old man. God, grant me to be generous like our Lord Jesus Christ who gave his life. God, grant me to live in a way that causes the gospel to go forward and that that delivers me from the food problems. It comes our face, but it's more there are the blessed effects of redemption for those who have been redeemed, those who have been born again, those who have been converted by believing that God indeed did send the Son to redeem us. Even that believing as a gift, isn't it? We're told of the blessings. There is life is sustained and food is enjoyed. Deuteronomy 14, the 23 to 29, it's a long passage so I won't read it, but let me tell you this, it has to do with tithing and taking the food to the place where God makes His name to dwell and celebrating. It's like the Thanksgiving feast and if you don't, if you live so far away, you can't take the tide, you know, the one in 10 animals, the one in 10 stocks of corn or wheat or what have you, you just sell it, take the cash and go and he says buy whatever your heart desires and celebrate. And you know what it goes on to say every third year, make sure and do it this way include the Levite because he has no inheritance in the land, the Lord is his inheritance, he might, you make sure he's got plenty to eat and include the alien, the foreigner, the refugee, include them and the widow and the orphan, the disadvantage that people without food because part of redemption and acknowledging that God has given us all that we have is sharing. And so the wonderful effects, the liberating effects, the blessed effects of redemption is that we celebrate, we give thanks for all that God has given to us and we eat with joy. Our life is sustained and it's a time of enjoyment, of celebration, of rejoicing, of sharing, I encourage you to be thinking now and saving between now in the three weeks that Aaron talked about when the deacons will send their money, our money, your money, actually, God's money and add His money that you've been interested with. It will make thanksgiving all the more glorious as you rejoice in all that he's given to you. Another blessed effect of redemption is we exercise soft control, Galatians 5, 22 and 23. It's a blessed thing, the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. It helps with the food problems because when the Spirit controls our eating, we eat enough, but not too much. There is the work. In fact, in the daily bread, this, give us this day our daily bread. There's a word that's only found twice in the New Testament and it's in the Lord's Prayer and Matthew and Luke. The scholars don't know how to translate it the best because it's just not used that much, but what they think it's referring to is the way they've translated, give us this day our daily bread. Give us this day, that's in there and bread is there and this word that's kind of questionable is daily and it's the idea enough for today. What's sufficient for now? And it's the idea that really pushes us back to Exodus 16 and God giving mana. Do you remember that? The people were hungry. They were about 45 days out in the wilderness after deliverance and the parting of the Red Sea. And they said, we're out here dying and they grumbled and complaining all this and God says, I'll feed them. And there's just this incredible verse when Moses goes and talks to him, he says, tomorrow you will see the glory of God. Do you ever think about that when you open the pantry door? You're seeing the glory of God? That's awesome to think about. You're seeing the glory of God in the mundane and the daily thing and the food and that can't have split peace soup. And evidence of his love and evidence of his provision and evidence of his care right there. Take time to stop and thank you. And the idea of that daily bread when God talked to me said, okay, this is what you told him to do. Just collect an omur a day. An omur a day keeps starvation away. That was the little slogan they were saying back then. Something like that anyway.
And we're told that that's what they did and those who collected a lot didn't have more and those who collected too little didn't have everyone had the same. And he told them, look, be satisfied with today's food because don't keep it till tomorrow. And if they disobeyed, it was all rotten. And he said, look, live for today and trust me today. That takes us by the way to contentment, doesn't it? We experience contentment. That's the one where Exodus is. And we see it worked out in Paul's life when he thanks the Philippians for the gifts that they have given him. And he says, I've learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means and with a lack in any and everything. I can be content. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me has to do with daily bread. I can give thanks with what God has given contentment. We build relationships as the last one. That's an amazing thing. Did you know that in the sacrificial system, which by the way I know it sounds like law, but it really is God's ministering grace in pointing us to the Christ who is to come in the sacrificial system. He's talking all about forgiveness. He's already redeemed them from bondage and Egypt. There is people. He's made covenant with them. And when he tells them how to worship, how to love, how to serve, there's the sacrificial system. And in that there is what's called the NIV gets it right. The fellowship offering peace offering in the NAS or the new King James, but it's the fellowship. It's it's the it's the meal that you have that that shows solidarity alignment. A fellowship or peace. So in the very sacrificial system, there it is. How much more the whole covenant system that when God makes a covenant with us, there's a meal. How much more the Lord suffer when when Jesus says that the bread is his body and that we eat it, you know, in first Corinthians, it tells us that it's a fellowship, a participation, a communion in the body and blood. And think about the way we eat. When we build relationships, when we have gas over, especially someone new, we think usually about that person, we have so, you know, if they're married, when did you all meet? How did you all meet? It just all sorts of stuff about getting to know and food is almost the excuse, whether it's at a restaurant or in our house, we're building relationships. That's that's a sign of redemption too. So what are we praying? Give us this day or daily bread. Oh God. Oh God. We do need food. We need your power to make it to the pantry or to the grocery store, to the restaurant or wherever we're going to eat. We need to be generous. We need to deal with our food problems. Oh God, help us. Oh God, give us your spirit. Oh God, give us Jesus. Oh God, build our relationships. There's a lot in there. And ultimately, we find that Jesus is the bread of life, the words that were read earlier in the service, that the whole giving of man or the whole giving of food. And the way he did it was to teach us that we don't live by bread alone. We do not live by bread alone. We live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. Oh God, make us hungry like newborn baves for the pure milk of your word that our souls may be satisfied. That's great. God, please do your holy work in us that we may be satisfied with you. We ask in Jesus name. Amen.