Welcome to those who are here for the first time..
Are ya'll glad to be here this morning?
I'm glad you're all here too!
George Phillips of Meridian, Mississippi, was just going up to bed when his wife informed him he left the light on in the shed,in the back yard, which she could see from their bedroom window. George opened the back door, to go outside to turn off the light when he noticed there were two guys in the shed, robbing him and stealing it's contents. He immediately phoned the police and they said, "Is someone in your house?" George said no. The police officer that answered informed him that all patrols were busy and that he should lock his door and an officer would be along when one was available. George said, "Okay, “hung up, counted slowly to 30 and phoned the police again.
“Hello I just called you a few seconds ago because there were two men in my shed. Well, you don't have to worry about them now cause I've just shot them all", and hung up. Five minutes later three police cars, an Armed Response unit and an ambulance showed up! Of course the police caught the burglars red handed. One of the Policemen said to George, "I thought you said that you shot them!" George said, "I thought you said there was nobody available!"
I’m glad when I have a “need” and call on God, He’s always available!
Can I get a witness?
"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
1 Peter 3:12
God has extended a personal INVITATION to each of us to come into His very THRONE ROOM!
"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
Hebrews 4:16
What an INVITATION to be PERSONALLY INVITED by such an AWESOME God!
The CREATOR of the entire UNIVERSE has PERSONALLY INVITED YOU AND ME!
Through PRAY we can literally come to His very THRONE and receive mercy and grace in our time of need.
We’ve been talking about prayer...
How to pray effectively: regularly, sincerely, secretly, and thoughtfully...
Matthew 6:5-8
After Jesus addressed these principles He said, “In this manner, therefore, pray” - Matthew 6:9
He was giving us a pattern by which we can learn to pray.
We learned previously, within this “prayer” there are two parts:
1. The holiness and will of God.
2. The provision of God.
Before we get to the “provision” we have to understand that:
1. God is our Father – we can trust Him!
2. Our Father is in Heaven – that’s where are prayers are to be directed, and because He’s in heaven He has power over things in the earth.
3. His name is to be hallowed – you don’t need to know all the names of God, you just need to know that when you pray, He’s everything you need.
4. Our first request should be that His kingdom come and His will be done in earth as it is in heaven – this is where we surrender our will to His.
We also learned that God's person, His program, His priority must come FIRST!
Once we have taken care of that, then we’re ready to address the second half of this prayer where we make our requests known to our Father.
This is the part that deals with the “provision” of our prayer!
Provision – to supply or take care of.
The parameters of prayer are limitless because we’re talking about a limitless God!
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us."
Ephesians 3:20
If you're going to tell me about your need, I'm going to tell you about the God who can meet it!
THE PROVISION OF PRAYER..
"Give us this day our daily bread." Matthew 6:11
“Bread” here is the basic necessities of our life! Jesus is referring to our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs!
“Give us this day our daily bread” has several implications:
1. We can turn to the wrong source in an effort to meet our needs!
We’re to ask our Father for our “bread” because we don’t want the wrong person feeding us!
Can I get an AMEN!?
The devil also has a “food bank” and he offered it to Jesus in the wilderness - Matthew 4:3.
Of course, Jesus refused because it would’ve come the wrong source.!
Think of it this way, had Eve stayed full of the “right” fruit she would’ve never looked to the wrong tree to meet her needs.
And we wouldn't be in our sinful messes!
2. Whatever good we receive comes from God!
Say that with me...
Whatever good we receive comes from God!
Amen and Amen!!
And asking Him for “bread” reminds us who our PROVIDER really is!
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning."
James 1:17
If we’re not very careful we seek to have our needs met and we can FORGET who the source is!
3. God promised to supply our needs!
"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus"
Philippians 4:19
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." - Matthew 6:31-32
Now the part most people don't understand is that verse is conditional – He’ll only do it if we put Him FIRST!
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." - Matthew 6:33
Let me make it a little plainer..
If we are serving the Kingdom, the King will supply our needs!
Now we come to the parts that seems to confuse many people, even many believers ...
4. We’re to ask for our “needs” and not necessary our “wants”!
Jesus never promised we’d be rich, He just said we wouldn’t go without!
We need to be able to distinguish between our “wants” and our “needs”!
" I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread."
Psalms 37:25
5. Our prayer should include others who have needs as well!
The words “Us” and “Our” are intentional! It shows our concern for others in prayer.
We can’t only be concerned about our needs and say, “Lord, I don’t care if other folks are starving, feed me.”
Prayer that never gets beyond “me” and “my needs” cannot and will not be blessed of God!
"Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."
Philippians 2:4
6. We’re taught to stay dependent on Him daily!
Jesus emphasized the “daily-ness” of God’s supply. Asking Him for daily bread is a reminder that we need Him everyday!
The best example is Israel in the wilderness – they received only enough provision came for one day.
The reason He wants us to come everyday is because it keeps us humble, to keep us thankful.
When the refrigerator is full it’s easy to forget that God is the source and not depend on His provision.
We really need to understand this because most of us have tomorrow’s food on hand today!
We ought to fast as a family occasionally, just to remind us where our daily bread comes from and what it feels like to not have it.
It’s not just about going hungry for a meal but learning how to be thankful for what He does for us each day, EVERY DAY!
THE PARDON OF PRAYER....
" And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors."
Matthew 6:12
This is the part of prayer that’s CRITICAL!
It's here Jesus introduces the very difficult subject of FORGIVENESS.
There’s not a person alive who hasn’t struggled with forgiveness at some point in their life!
The issue of forgiveness is very real because the problem of sin is real – when we sin against someone or they sin against us it’s like running up a bill or accumulating a debt, without the ability to repay it!
To FORGIVE means:
1. To hurl away – it has to do with “casting” or “throwing” away that which has been done against us.
2. To cancel a debt – to release the offender from the debt they owe!
3. To give up resentment and the desire to punish – a “decision” to no longer carry an offense on the books.
The opposite of this is the refusal to let go of the debt and retaliate against the sinner.
I’m glad we’ve been given the privilege of “repentance” and “forgiveness”!
Cant I get a witness?
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9
When God releases us of our sins He remembers them no more!
"I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;
And I will not remember your sins."
Isaiah 43:25
Now this is where I am called to share with you a HARD TRUTH..
If God releases us from our sins, and He remembers them NO MORE...
Don't you honestly think that He expects NO LESS from you and me?
To remember NO MORE, means NOT TO BRING IT UP AGAIN!
I know some people, I won't mention any names..
I'm just going to put this out there and allow this convict you right where you are..
"I have forgiven you for what did.. On Aug 7, 1972!.. at 2pm!
While you were wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans.. white tennis shoes...
I think you get the picture, am I right?
NEWS FLASH!
THAT'S NOT FORGIVENESS!!
And if you are not forgiving the offense of another, Our Father will not forgive YOU!
Think about THAT for a moment!
I'm pretty sure everyone of us, has something in our past we'd really rather God forget and remember ..NO MORE!!!
I KNOW without question that I do!
Allow that to sink in... God’s forgiveness toward us rests solely on our forgiveness of others – “Forgive us OUR debts as WE forgive our debtors”.
We must be willing to give up what we expect to receive ourselves!
Forgiveness is NOT an option – we can’t be forgiven if we don’t forgive!
Jesus makes this clear! In Matthew 18:21-35 He tells of a man who was forgiven of much but who refused to forgive another of little.
This man was turned over to the torturers until his debt was paid in full.
"So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Matthew 18:35
Do you see it in verse 35? It can't get much more plain than that!
If we fail to forgive others God will hold us to the same harsh standard of unforgiveness we exacted against our brother.
The way of forgiveness is so much better – peace of mind, restored relationships, clearer communion with God.
James said, “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." James 2:13
By refusing to forgive we destroy the bridge over which we ourselves must cross!
Evidently “forgiveness” was the one of most important parts of the prayer because it’s the only part He addressed again when it was over!
"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Matthew 6:14-15
BOOM! And there it is!
Why IS that?
The reason why is simple!
Because of what it cost Him to forgive us – if He did all that certainly we can forgive others.
"And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." - Ephesians 4:32
That brings us to the next section..
THE PROTECTION OF PRAYER....
This presents a problem for many people.
Why would we have to ask God not to lead us into temptation?
It’s not that God might lead us into something we shouldn’t be doing and pray that He won’t, but it’s a request for divine protection in the midst of a fallen world that bombards us with evil every day!
From the time we wake up till we go to bed – and even while we’re sleeping – we’re in spiritual danger. The entire world system is aligned against us.
When we pray this prayer we’re asking God to:
1. Give us power over the pull of temptation!
2. Deliver us from the “evil one”!
The “evil one” attacks two ways – by DECEPTION and DIRECT ASSAULT!
1. This request in prayer is very necessary because we are all tempted in some way, and OFTEN.
2. Because NOT ONE of us is above falling!
"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." - 1 Corinthians 10:12
3. Temptation yielded to results in guilt and grief for us and others!
"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." 1 Corinthians 10:13
Here are three powerful truths:
1. God is faithful and you can count on Him to respond when tempted!
2. Even the attacks of Satan that come your way are controlled by God – no matter how hard or painful the trial, He’ll never allow it to take you under.
3. Not only will He limit the extent of the temptation but will provide an escape route at the same time He allows the trial.
When tempted we need to remember, notice I didn't say IF we are tempted.. but WHEN:
1."You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world". 1 John 4:4
2."What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31
We’re not praying something that He doesn’t know anything about!
"Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment." 2 Peter 2:9
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,
And to present you faultless
Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy." Jude 24
Why pray for protection?
Because we need it desperately & God is a delivering God!
He delivered Esther and the Jews from being destroyed in Persia; Daniel from the lions den; Peter from prison. Even though Stephen was stoned to death, he looked up and saw heaven opened and Jesus waiting to receive him.
Even when it’s time to die He delivers us!
"And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." Matthew 6:13
We pray for protection because God loves to deliver us so we may honor him!
In closing ..I'll leave you with one last verse for today..
"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Matthew 6:14-15
Is there someone, who has wrong you that you've said the "words" - "I forgive you"
But you have kept record of the offense in your heart?
Or is there someone you have wronged?
Go now and release them from the offense.... And YOURSELF!
Brian Monzon Ministries