Untitled Sermon (3)

With praise & thanksgiving

Look at the experience of the Israelites after their deliverance from the land of Egypt. God miraculously provided the people with bread in the form of manna. Then what happened? First, they stopped thanking Him for His provision. Second, they stopped asking Him for His provision. Third, they began grumbling about His provision. Finally, they began reminiscing about how good things had been in Egypt. They dreamed about the cucumbers, melons, leeks, and garlic they had in Egypt- all the while forgetting the oppression, the hardship, the torture they had endured at the hands of Pharaoh. -R.C. Sproul

One of the things that betrays our fallen condition is the concept of the self-made man, one who takes credit for the bounty of his goods and forgets the Source of all his provisions. - R.C. Sproul

If God never grants us another glimpse of His glory in this life, if He never grants us another request, if He never gives us another gift from the abundance of His grace, we still would be obligated to spend the rest of our lives thanking Him for what He already has done. We have already been blessed enough to be moved daily to thanksgiving. Nevertheless, God continues to bless us.

Give us this day our daily bread

God provides for His people. It is noteworthy that the request here is for daily bread, not daily steak or daily prime rib. God provides the necessities, but not always the niceties. -R.C. Sproul

Forgive us Our Debts, as we also have forgiven our deptors

The supreme warning from Jesus is that God will judge us according to how we have judged other people.

Matthew 18:23-25, one owed 10million (alot by our standards today, impossible by the standards of that day)

The point should be clear. Our offenses to each other and the offenses people do to us are like an $18 debt, while the innumberable offenses we have committed against the Lord God are like the $10 Million debt.

Any sin is more of less heinous, depending on the honor and majesty of the one whom we have offended. Since God is of infinite honor, infinite mercy, and infinite holiness, the slightest sin is of infinite consequence. Such seemingly trivial sin are nothing less than “cosmic treason” when viewed in light of the great King against whom we have sinned.

Forgiven people forgive other people. We dare not claim to be possessors of His life and nature and at the same time fail to exhibit that life and nature. If God has forgiven someone, can we do any less? It would be incredible to think that we, who are so guilty, would refuse to forgive someone who has been forgiven by God, who is completely guiltless.