Series: Lord’s Prayer – P3 – Dependence

Sermon Series: “Connecting with God: The Lord’s Prayer”  Part 3

Message Aim: How do you get connected with God?

 Sermon Title:  “The Prayer of Dependence”

 Scripture:  Matthew 6:11

¹¹ “Give us today our daily bread.”

 Message Synopsis:

I was asked this week to visit a man who has terminal cancer.  His family said he was anxious and afraid.  The day I was to visit, his family called and said he had passed away. Friends, it’s no wonder that people are worried and anxious and fearful about the future. We don’t know when we will die. If you don’t know God, you ought to be worried.  Really!  If you don’t have a personal relationship with God, there’s every reason in the world to be worried.

But there is an antidote to your anxiety.  That’s what we’re going to look at today.  We’re in this series on “Connecting with God.”  We’re looking verse by verse at the Lord’s Prayer, which is the antidote to all the seven biggest problems you face in life. Today we’re going to look at the Prayer of Dependence, which is the third phrase in the Lord’s Prayer.  Matthew 6:11 “Give us today our daily bread.” 

Bread obviously is the universal staple food.  You can find it in every single culture.  It may be one of the oldest foods known to mankind.  Bread.  Obviously, Jesus when he says we’re to pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” he’s talking about far more than just bread.  In fact, in scripture the Bible tells us that bread represents four things.

1. It represents the necessities of life.

2. Bread represents God’s word.

3. The third thing that bread represents is it represents God’s family and fellowship.

4. The fourth thing it represents is salvation.

Today we’re going to look at how to depend on God to meet all of your needs.  How do I let God meet my needs that he wants to meet?  I have to depend on him.  What does it mean to depend on God?

1. Depending on God means seeing God as my source.

2. The second thing it means to depend on God is it means trusting him for today. 

There are four things that you do to trust God on a daily basis.  Philippians 4:6&8 “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, thanking him for all he has done… And fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right.  Think about these things that are pure and lovely and admirable and excellent and worthy of praise.”

In this passage he gives us the four steps to trusting God for today.

1.  Worry about nothing. 

2. Pray about everything.  

3. Thank God in all things.

4. Think about the right things.

There’s a third key to depending on God.  I see him as my source – it all comes from him, it’s all gift; I trust him one day at a time – I worry about nothing, I pray about everything, I thank him in all things and I keep my mind on the right things.  The third thing….

3. I share whatever he supplies.

God is testing you every day of your life.  He’s testing you in many different ways but one of the things he’s testing you for is how much will you trust God.  How much will you depend upon God?  You don’t know God is all you need until God’s all you got.

1. What God gives to me he wants to give through me.

2. When I meet others needs God takes care of mine.

3. Whatever I give to God, he multiplies.

Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life.  No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again…”

Spiritually there’s a hunger in your heart that only God can fill.  You don’t know it but its God you’re looking for.  You need him.  And when you let him fill that hunger, you’ll never thirst again.  You’ll never hunger again. I challenge you to open your heart to Christ.