The Kingdom Manifesto - 16

The Kingdom Manifesto – 16

Live with a Dependent Heart

Matthew 6:11

Introduction

In 1941, the Food and Nutrition Board was founded to investigate issues of nutrition that might “affect national defense.” What came out of that group is what is now known as RDA’s, or Recommended Dietary Allowances, showing us what the human body needs daily for optimal performance.

900 micrograms of Vitamin A

90 milligrams of Vitamin C

15 micrograms of Vitamin D

1000 milligrams of Calcium

700 milligrams of phosphorous

3.7 liters of water

130 grams of Carbohydrates

56 grams of protein

38 grams of fiber

And on and on it goes. We need more things than we would like to admit for us to survive and be healthy.

We are a nation that prizes independence. It is written into the very fabric of our being. We celebrate each summer with pork steaks and by blowing stuff up that our founders signed our Declaration of Independence. The iconic images of American life, from the cowboy alone on the prairie to the small business owner who is their own boss...our attitude is “I got this.” We like the ‘pull yourself up by your own bootstraps‘ mentality. We respect the ‘self-made man or woman.‘

But, as it turns out, we are highly dependent people. We are dependent on water, on micrograms of vitamins and this tiny little thing called ‘air.‘ We are totally and utterly dependent on them. If we did not have them, we would die.

Dependence is at the heart of the next request in the Lord’s Prayer.

Matthew 6:11 - Give us today the food we need.

TS - again, prayer is not about our words, but about our hearts that drive those words. So, what kind of heart prays this? A dependent heart. Let’s take the next few minutes and simply walk through this little request.

Give

The very word itself is a cry of dependence. I need you to give to me. If I can get something for myself, I go get it. This statement is a confession that I need God to give something to me.

We experience this at holidays like birthdays or Christmas. When people ask you what you want, you don’t answer with bread, water, haircut. If I need something, I will go get it myself. I am going to ask for what I want. This is why when someone gives us socks for Christmas, we get all upset. Who wants socks? No one. Who needs them? Everyone. Getting what you need from others isn’t any fun at all.

We operate under the assumption that we can get everything we need. If we need food, we go to the store. If we need water, we walk to the faucet.

With this assumption, we trick ourselves into thinking we can totally provide for ourselves. And that is just absolutely not true. If you need bread, you may be able to go to the store to buy it, but did you really get it for yourself? You can’t make it. You may be able to turn on a faucet and get water, but you can’t make water. Totally providing for ourselves is an illusion.

If my kids get up in the morning and go downstairs and make their own breakfast (yeah right!), can they really claim they have provided for themselves? They woke up in the house I pay for, went to the fridge that I bought, opened the frozen waffles I bought, that someone else made, and cooked them in my toaster that I let them use. They can’t really provide for themselves. None of the stuff is theirs. It belongs to their dad who graciously has given it to them. hmmm.

Could it be that our Heavenly Father is like that? That as we look around our lives, we may have attempted to convince ourselves that we got this and we’ve made it on our own, but in all reality, all that we have belongs to our Father who graciously allows us to use it. That’s why we pray, “Our Father...give us today the food we need.”

Today

I think this is the most interesting word in the entire prayer. Today. God exists outside of time, he is eternal. The bible says that to God, 1000 years are like a day. He doesn’t have the limitation of time on him like we do.

So why pray this? To remind God in case he forgets? Could it be that this part of the prayer isn’t for God, but for us? To reaffirm today my dependence on him.

Friends, this speaks to the signature sin of humanity. Pride. From the beginning, we have struggled to admit we need God. Our default setting is to “I got this.” The challenge is admitting that we don’t Got this.

This is why people struggle with the concept of grace. This is why it is easy to slip into legalism and behavior modification. We want to be able to say that God blesses me and has saved me because I deserved it.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

This prayer, Give us today, is a daily reaffirmation that I need God. That I am ultimately relying on God for everything. Yes, we work hard. Yes, we strive for greater effort. Yes, we show up early at times and stay late at times. But ultimately, my job, my house, my food...it all comes from him.

In the OT, God rescued his people from slavery in Egypt. He then led them on a 40-year journey called the Exodus. That journey should have lasted about 11 days. But God took them on a crazy route to get to the prosperous Promised Land. Why? As they are approaching the Promised Land, this is what the Israelite’s leader, Moses, had to say to them:

Deuteronomy 8:10-18 - When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. “But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the Lord your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. For when you have become full and prosperous and have built fine homes to live in, and when your flocks and herds have become very large and your silver and gold have multiplied along with everything else, be careful! Do not become proud at that time and forget the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in the land of Egypt. Do not forget that he led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock! He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good. He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.

Food

If you are familiar with the Lord’s Prayer then you know the word Jesus uses here is literally ‘bread.’ In almost every culture, bread is a staple, the most basic necessity. That is why the NLT translates it this way...the food we need.

This is a very literal prayer for some. They need God to put food on their table. But, generally, this prayer carries the idea of asking God for what we need, his provision. Not what we want, but what we need.

This is trusting God to provide for us in the situations we face today. Our circumstances change from day to day, and this is trusting, depending that God will give me what I need today, regardless of the situation.

Psalm 23:1-6 - The Lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need.

He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,

bringing honor to his name.

Even when I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

protect and comfort me.

You prepare a feast for me

in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord

forever.

This psalm is a prayer of praise that God has given to him exactly what he needed that day.

Everything - I have all that I need - v. 1

Comfort - rest, peaceful streams, strength - v. 2-3

Presence - close beside me, rod and staff for protection and comfort

Joy - feast in presence of enemies

Assurance - honor me with oil, live in house of Lord

That was what David needed. And he was praising God that his needs had been met. Today you may need food. Today you may need a meeting to go well. You may need to have a relationship problem resolved. You may need peace, boldness, assurance. So, we pray, God give us the food we need for today. Give us what we need.

Part of our problem is that we pray for what we want, not always what we need.

Phil Ryken - "Our trouble is that so often we come to God with our greeds rather than our needs. Already having everything we need, we pray for what we want. This becomes the source of our discontent: we desire things that God has not promised."

When we focus on our needs instead of our wants, that cultivates a deeper level of dependence.

Jesus said earlier about prayer...

Matthew 6:7-8 - “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!

So, if God already knows what I need, why in the world am I then told to pray and ask God for what I need? Again, this prayer isn’t for God. It isn’t to remind God in case he forgets. This is the remind me that I am dependent on him.

We

It is important to note that this prayer is not just for me, but for ‘we.’ This is asking for provision for self and those around me. This isn’t something we usually talk much about but the idea of praying for others is a huge theme in the bible. It is called intercessory prayer - interceding on someone’s behalf before God.

James 5:16 - Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

We are called and commanded to be concerned for the needs of other’s as well. And when we pray this, we are putting ourselves on the hook to do something. Because it often happens that we ask God to do things for others and he does, through us. So, if God provides more than our ‘daily bread’, more than our needs being met...which is most of us...then maybe God has provided more than you need so you can give to others.

So, what do we do with all of this? Two quick takeaways...a dependent heart is...

1. A HEART THAT ASKS

A person who does not take anything for granted. That appreciates what they have and acknowledges its source.

Matthew 7:7-8 - “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Why keep asking? Isn’t once enough? Because it grows an attitude of dependence.

2. A HEART THAT RECEIVES

Matthew 7:9-11 - “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

How much more will he give to those who ask him? God gives to those who ask. It may not be what we want, but we can be confident it is what we need.

Conclusion

In John 6 Jesus performs the incredible miracle of feeding the 5000. He multiplies bread and fish. He then leaves. The crowd is so awed by him they follow him around. They want to know how to do what he did.

John 6:28-35 - They replied, “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.” Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again.

INVITATION – BELIEVE/REPENT/CONFESS/BAPTIZE

COMMUNION