Sermon Tone Analysis

CONNECTING WITH GOD

THE PRAYER OF DEPENDENCE

Sunday February 28, 2021

Scripture Reference: Matthew 6:9-13, Acts 2:42-47

"Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.

10 May your Kingdom come soon.

May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us today the food we need, 12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.

13 And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one."

Matthew 6:9-13 (NLT2)

"All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer.

43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.

44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.

45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.

46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity-47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.

And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved."

Acts 2:42-47 (NLT2)

Intro.

A. [] What I am about to share with you will sound political at first but let me just say that it is not and if you listen all the way through you will understand why.

As of February 15, 2021, the national debt for America was at 27.75 Trillion dollars.

Those are numbers that are not easy for most of us to grasp so let's put it in a perspective most of us can grasp.

Let's say you began a business the year Jesus was born and you were not a very good business person so you ended up losing one million dollars every day you were in business.

Between that day Jesus was born and now is still not a trillion dollars.

You would still need about 690 more years to reach one trillion.

Remember now that is ONE trillion not the 27.75 trillion we are in debt now in our country.

1.

We have been hearing a lot of this word right, BAILOUT.

Do you know what a bailout is?

There are six different definitions for a bailout.

Let's look at them.

a) A bailout means to throw water over the side of a boat that is sinking.

b) A bailout means to jump out a plane that is crashing.

c) To sell stock in a company that is failing.

d) To leave from a class early that was driving you nuts.

e) To pay for the freedom of someone who belongs in jail.

f) To rescue someone from the consequences of their stupidity.

Now I can understand a government bailout, how about you?

2.

You know it is little wonder that people are worried, that people are fearful and anxious about the future.

If you do not have a personal relationship with God, if you are not as we have been saying in this sermon series "Connected with God" then you have good reason to worry and be afraid and be anxious.

These can be frightening times we are living in.

Trans.

So what then is the antidote for all this fear, worry and anxiety?

Well, we can find the answer once again in the Lord's Prayer.

In V.11 Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us today the food we need" or "Give us this day our daily bread".

This is The Prayer of Dependence.

B. The Prayer Of Dependence.

1. Jesus taught us to pray for daily bread, but why bread?

It is because bread is the universal staple food.

There are some foods that you will not find in other cultures, but bread is found in very culture around the world.

It is one of the first items provided for people in crisis.

It is very easy to make and get into the hands of those how desperately need sustenance.

2. Bread in the bible represents four things.

a) It represents the necessities of life.

As I just said there are many places in the world today where bread is the main food stable.

In this prayer God is teaching us to depend on Him for the basic necessities of life.

b) Bread represents God's word.

Jesus said, "People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4 (NLT2) As important as physical food is to our body we are also in need of spiritual food and this comes to us from the bible.

This is another reason you cannot live a full life in Christ trying to live on what I might teach on a Sunday morning.

You are not even well nourished if you attend Sunday school and go to a small group.

None of us is OK with just two or three meals a week.

Most of us are not content with two or three meals a day let alone a week!

We should not be content expect to feed on God's word DAILY!

c) Bread also represents fellowship.

You see God is showing us how He provides for all the needs we have in this life, physical, spiritual and now relational.

Look at what Paul said in 1 Corinthians "When we bless the cup at the Lord's Table, aren't we sharing in the blood of Christ?

And when we break the bread, aren't we sharing in the body of Christ?" 1 Corinthians 10:16 (NLT2) Circle the words "sharing in the body of Christ".

Bread represents the relationship we have not only with God but with each other.

When we share in communion as we a few weeks ago we are sharing as the body of Christ.

It represents our fellowship with each other.

d) It represents our salvation.

In the communion passage of 1 Corinthians that I share when we receive communion it says, "This is my body, which is given for you.

Do this to remember me."..."This cup is the new covenant between God and his people-an agreement confirmed with my blood.

Do this to remember me as often as you drink it."

1 Corinthians 11:24-25 (NLT2) What are we remembering?

We are remembering the salvation Jesus provided for us by going to the cross for our sins.

3. My point here is that whatever it is that we need God provides so how do we learn to depend on God for all our needs?

It is by prayer or we might put it this way, The Prayer Of Faith.

That is really what the pray of dependence is all about.

It is about calling out to God in faith that He will provide for us just as the bible teaches us.

Let me share with you what it really means to depend on God.

I. DEPENDING ON GOD MEANS SEEING HIM AS MY SOURCE.

This means that I need to begin to see God as the source of everything.

A. God Is The Source Of Everything.

1.

Now let's just admit right up front that this is a whole easier for us to say than to live correct?

I mean I think we all would say that God is the source of everything the problem is that for a lot of us we have trouble really living this way.

Let me share with you four things that may help us move beyond this being just a slogan.

a) Everything is a gift from God.

Now I know this rubs pretty hard against our independent natures, but the fact of the matter is we have earned NOTHING! Now I know what you are thinking you are thinking, "Pastor if I have not earned anything then why am I so tired and sore from this last week of work?"

Well, when you woke up to go to work last Monday did you earn the air in your lungs?

Did you earn the muscles in your body to do the work?

Did you earn the blood that circulated through your body that fed your muscles allowing them to work? [] Do me a favor, let's all take a deep breath together at the count of three.

Now let's say together "Thank You God".

b) There is nothing God can't provide.

As of today we have completed eight weeks of this New Year.

We have 44 left to go.

Do you know everything you are going to need for these next 44 weeks of this year?

You might know what you think you need for the coming week or maybe even for the coming month, but God knows every need you and I will have for the entire year and He is the only one who can supply us with what we need.

Once again, we hear from the letter to the Philippians church, "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:19 (NLT2) Notice that God supplies us from his "Glorious riches".

We should never have a scarcity mentality because a scarcity mentality says that I don't believe there will be enough to supply what I need.

It says, "I am going to panic, I am going to worry and I going to be fearful."