The King meets the Needs of His Citizens

Kingdom Prayer reminds us that we are dependent (Matt 6:11)

Explanation: Jesus teaches us to ASK the Father to provide for our physical needs. Bread represents all of the necessities of life: food, clothing, shelter, etc. This is an acknowledgment that we cannot do life apart from the generous hand of a loving Father.

Modern 21st century humans are unlike residents of the 1st century in that we do not have a focus on the daily aspect of food supply. While there is real hunger in our present day, the vast majority of us have never missed a meal. If we are out of something, we just go to Food Lion or Publix and restock.

Argument: The fact that we live in abundance does not do away with the reality of this petition. Even when we fail to recognize this truth, even when we don’t admit it, we NEED God to provide for us, and we need God every day! We have food because He has given us the ability to have jobs. He is the One who gives us physical health. No one can declare (in truth) “I am a self-made person - I am doing life on my own without help from anyone else!” [someone may say this, but it is not true]

Job 12:10 KJV 1900

In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind.

“If we have all the food in the world but no Christ, we will ultimately starve. If we have food, with Christ, we have all we shall ever need. Because we need both, we daily pray, ‘give us this day our daily bread.’” (The Sermon on the Mount, Kingdom Life in a Fallen World, Sinclair Ferguson, p. 129)

Application: KC’s are to be thankful people. In all truth, it is “by His hand we are fed” and a grateful heart acknowledges God is the source of all good things (cf James 1:17). You ask the Father to provide because you KNOW that you cannot do it without His provision

Kingdom Prayer reminds us to keep short accounts of sin (Matt 6:12, 14-15)

Explanation: The second petition on which Jesus gives instruction deals with forgiveness. He tells us to ask God to forgive our debts, a term for sin that involves the concept of an obligation to pay - a recognition that something is owed to someone else. Jesus is telling His followers that they are to keep “short accounts” in the area of sin.

Reminder: The SOTM is given to believers, those who are already Citizens of His Kingdom. This is NOT a reference to salvation for the one who comes and yields his or her life to Christ as Lord and Savior. Rather, this is an acknowledgment that even though we are redeemed, we still struggle with our old nature. The process of maturing as believers while remaining in a fallen world is not straight - we sometimes, even painfully so, commit sins. With the sin comes a separation of fellowship with God due to shame and guilt. The Relationship remains intact (Romans 8:1), but we must confess our sins to God so that we can have restored fellowship and favor (Jesus washing the Disciples’ feet)

Jesus adds a serious condition to this petition, one to which we should pay close attention. Of all the different aspects of this Model Prayer, the topic of forgiveness is the only one for which Jesus gives further clarification (vv 14-15)

Argument: Jesus teaches the conditional nature of forgiveness in His expansion. There is a need for clarity in these verses so that we do not arrive at sub-biblical teaching on forgiveness. Forgiving others is NOT a pre-requisite for being forgiven by God.

Illustrate: Taking and passing Math 201 is a pre-requisite for taking Math 301. You will not be allowed to enroll for Math 301 unless you have met the pre-requisite classes.

Salvation is NOT earned; Jesus saves us when we are still sinners (Rom 5:8) and He doesn’t wait for us to “clean up” before He radically regenerates us. He is the initial cause and He is the ONE who makes us clean.

The idea being presented is that KC’s have already received His forgiveness. Because we have been forgiven, we ARE the kind of people who WILL forgive others (Col 3:13). KC’s have the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and we have been Transformed (2 Cor 5:17) into a new person.

Application: Do you have an unforgiving spirit with NO plans for resolution? Are you planning to hold on to your bitterness and lack of forgiveness until the bitter end? If so, you need to take another look at your citizenship papers; the King declares those who are unwilling to forgive ARE NOT in His kingdom!

Kingdom Prayer empowers us for Holy Living (Matt 6:13)

Explanation: Jesus finishes the Model Prayer with a petition designed to help us grow and mature as believers. KC’s are to ask the Father to keep us from temptations that can trip us up. Jesus is aware of the evils of life in a fallen world, so He teaches us to pray for the Father to deliver us, or to guard us from giving in to the temptation to sin. This is not a pray to ask God to remove those things that will tempt us; rather we are to seek ways to remain faithful and to grow in holiness.

Argument: The NT teaches the utter trustworthiness of God and that He does not tempt any of His children to sin (James 1:13). He does, however, allow trials to enter our lives so that we will learn to trust Him more.

I like how John MacArthur says it: “This petition is another plea for God to provide what we in ourselves do not have. It is an appeal to God to place a watch over our eyes, our ears, our mouth, our feet, and our hands - that in whatever we see, hear, or say, and any place we go and in anything we do, He will protect us from sin.” (The MacArthur NT Commentary, Matthew 1 - 7, p. 396)

Application: We are informed that “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; BUT will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Cor 10:13)