Fasting God's Fast

Today, we will have a Covered Dish after the service. Today, we will talk about Fasting because fasting is not always dealing with food.

How many of you have ever missed a meal? How about not eating for a day because of sickness? Is there anyone here that has gone without food for a week because of lack of money to buy food? Is there anyone here who has purposely stopped eating because you wanted to loose weight?
皆さんは食事を取れなかったときがありますか？
または病気で食べれなかったことはありますか？この中でお金がなくて一週間ほど、食事が出来なかったことがある人いますか？また、減量したくて食事を取らなかった人はいますか？

Have you ever fasted? Missed one meal? Two meals? Three meals? Two days? Four days? A week long fast? One month? 40 days?

Let’s answer what a fast is. One man wrote that fasting is the most powerful spiritual discipline of all the Christian disciplines.
断食をしたことはありますか？一食だけでしたか？二食でしたか？それとも三食ですか？二日ですか？一週間ですか？一ヶ月ですか？４０日ですか？
では断食とは何でしょうか？ある人は断食とは霊的訓練の中で一番強力なものだと言っています。

I would think there is a more powerful one but it goes along with fasting and that is what? Prayer. Through the twin disciplines of fasting and prayer, the Holy Spirit can change and transform your life and your life’s direction.

Fasting has not been on the “I want to do this” list for a long time.
私は断食とあるものが一緒になるともっと力強いものとなると思います。それは祈りです。断食と祈りを通して、聖霊は皆さんの生活とその方向性を変えてくださるのです。
断食はやりたいことリストにはないと思います。

Fasting had been part of the believer’s arsenal for a long time. Over the years, I have seen real evidence of God’s pleasure in those who exercise Fasting and Prayer together.
断食は信者の武器の一部となってきました。ここ何年間、私は断食と祈りの中で神さまの喜びを見ました。

I believe that these two tools, if you will, when put under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and in light of the Scriptures in seeking God’s heart--not His hand--our churches, our families, our communities, our nation and yes, even our world will see a huge difference. “If My People who are called by My Name will humble themselves and pray...I will hear from Heaven and will heal their land.”
私は断食と祈りを通して、聖霊に導かれ、御言葉の光の中で、神の御手ではなく、心を求めるなら、教会、コミュニティ、国、世界までもが変わると信じます。

Our land needs a touch of God. So do our families. We are all in turmoil and in need of healing in our relationships with each other and with God.

This discipline has been listed in many books today as being one of many.
この地は神さまに触れられることが必要です。私たちの家族にも必要です。私たち全ては混乱の中にいるので、人間関係、また神さまの関係において癒しが必要です。

Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, Don Whitney and Kent Hughes and others have listed them out in book they had written to help restore this discipline as a regular part of the Christian Walk of Faith.

Internal disciplines: Meditation, Prayer, Fasting, and Study.
External: Simplicity, Stewardship, Solitude, Submission, Service, and Evangelism.
リチャード　フォスター、ダラス　ウィラード、ドン　ホィットニー、ケント　ヒューズはクリスチャンの信仰の歩みなどについて本を出しました。　内側の訓練として黙想、祈り、断食、勉強があります。
外側の訓練は純真さ、管理義務、世を捨てる、従順、奉仕、伝道などがあります。

We are reminded

"Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come." 1 Timothy 4:7b-8 NASBⅠ
１テモテ４：７－８の御言葉が思い出されます。

敬虔のために自分を鍛錬しなさい。
肉体の鍛錬もいくらかは有益ですが、今のいのちと未来のいのちが約束されている敬虔は全てに有益です。

Fasting has been a forgotten road for the follower of Christ maybe because it had some bad press. Someone did it and died. Some world leaders did it but they were not Christian so why should we? No time. I don’t HAVE to do it because Jesus does not command us to do it.
断食はクリスチャンに忘れられてしまっています。悪い印象があるのかも知れません。断食をして死んだ人がいる。クリスチャンでない世界的リーダーがしているからしない。時間がない。イエス様が命令していないから。

That last statement is a true one YET Jesus does say: “When you fast…” Matt 6:16-18 "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
確かに命令はされていませんが、聖書にはこう書いてあります。
マタイ６：１６－１８

To borrow from Dallas Willard, fasting in its purest form is nothing more than a confirmation of our “utter dependence upon God by finding in Him a source of sustenance” beyond all other things. (The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives).
ダラス　ウィラードの言葉を借りて言いますが、純真な断食とは生活の前面において神を探し求め、完全に神に信頼することを確認するものなのです。

As though it was something one does without being told to do it---the ‘YOU UNDERSTOOD’ in a sentence. “____ sit down!” How about; “____ pray.”

Where does Fasting first start? With Moses. He did a long one: 40 days! That has come to be called “A Divinely directed fast” as it is way hard and LONG. Only a few in the Bible, we are told, did such a long fast. It is not the length of the fast that counts. It is your attitude. Your heart condition.

I want to humble myself and deny myself for His Sake.

Could be fasting from anything: Food, drink, smoking, sex, TV, chocolate, but not fasting from things that are sin, like fasting from stealing, lying, killing, swearing. We would just need not do those things.
断食は強制されてするものではありません。断食はいつ始まったのでしょうか？モーセからです。彼は４０日断食をしました。それは「神に導かれた断食」と言われ、長く苦しいものでした。聖書の数箇所にこのような断食のことが書かれています。断食は長くやればいいという訳ではありません。皆さんの態度、また心のあり方によるのです。神さまのために自分を捨て、へりくだりたいという思いが必要です。
断食は何にでも当てはまります。食べ物、飲み物、タバコ、セックス、テレビ、チョコレート。しかし、盗み、うそ、殺し、呪いなどの
罪はそれには当てはまりません。


In the Old Testament, we find that fasting was part of the Day of Atonement celebration.

Leviticus 16:29-30 gives us the set up. "This is to be a lasting ordinance for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month you must deny yourselves [fast] and not do any work—whether native-born or an alien living among you-because on this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins."

旧約聖書の中で、あがないの日の祭りで断食をしたと書いてあります。
レビ記１６：２９－３０

Part of the whole package of being a member of the Hebrew Family. Just one day each year, for this particular fast.

God’s Fast is described in Isa 58:1-10　ヘブル人として生まれたのなら断食はつきものです。一年に一度断食をしました。イザヤ５８：１－１０

1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. 3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD ?
6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, 10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.”

Not only Moses ‘did it’ but also David, Daniel, Esther, Shadrach (Hananiah), Meshach (Mishael), and Abednego (Azariah), and the People of Israel ‘did it’. Fasting was a sign of either mourning, joy, national needs, part of worship, soon coming death or to keep life.
モーセだけではなくダビデ、ダニエル、エスター、シャデラク、メシャク、アブデネゴやイスラエルの人々も断食をしました。
断食は悲しみ、喜び、国の必要のため、礼拝の一部などの現れでした。

There are warnings for doing fasting wrongly:

Zech 7:5-6 "Ask all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for Me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?' "

間違った断食を警告している箇所があります。ゼカリヤ７：５－６

There are the right reasons as well. Right after these passages are from Zechariah 7:9-10,

"This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.'"

正しい断食もあります。　ゼカリヤ７：９－１０

God was looking for justice and mercy not a fad of not eating--trying to only deal with the outside and not the real heart issues.

Zechariah 8:19- deals with a better way... This is what the LORD Almighty says: "The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace."
神は一時的に食事を絶つ外面だけではなく、正義と憐れみを求めておられたのです。ゼカリヤ８：１９

Along with the God’s Fast, one would find joy. One would find peace. One would find glad occasions.

In the New Testament, we find that Jesus fasted regularly, as did The 12, Paul, the early church. Not a problem, as fasting is found in the Early Church and beyond.
神さまとの断食は喜び、平安、嬉しい出来事を見出します。
新約聖書にはイエス様が定期的に断食をしたと書いてあります。
十二弟子やパウロ、また初代教会も断食をしました。

A few cautions: We must not see this fasting thing as something that by itself impresses God as with Isa. 58 –to love and to do justice. And we must not see fasting as something that forces God to grant our requests in --

Ps. 35:13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered,

断食について、いくつかの注意点があります。断食は神さまによい印象を与えるためのものではありません。イザヤ５８章
それは愛し、正義を行うためのものです。また、断食は私たちの願いをかなえてもらうために、神さまを無理強いするためのものでもありません。詩篇３５：１３

1. • Dallas Willard - Fasting’s “role in prayer is not to earn the right to an answer," – it’s to increase our hunger for God and conform our will to His.　ダラス　ウィラード：断食のいのりは正しい答えを得るためのものではない。神に対する飢え渇きを増し、神の意思と一致することである。
   
2. • Scott McKnight- from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, The Bible never describes fasting as a technique for spiritual benefit – it is always the heart broken before God that brings benefit. Fasting is just something broken people do because their bodies don’t need food as much as they need God. “It is not so much a discipline as it is a potential environment for all the disciplines.”　スコット　マックナイト（トリニティーエバンジェリカル　ディビィニティースクール）は聖書は断食が霊的な益のためにするものだと決して言っていない。断食は傷ついた人々が食べ物よりも神が必要だと言っているようなものである。訓練というより、訓練を受ける人のための環境である。

Reasons for planning your fast are two-fold...
The first is physical. Throughout your fast, you may feel somewhat weaker than normal. During the first few days, you may feel tired and irritable. Lightening your workload and cutting down on strenuous exercise would be a very good idea to maintain your health and your morale.
断食には二つの理由があります。
一つ目の理由：断食するといつもより、力が出ません。
２,３日断食をすると、疲れたり、イライラしたりします。
仕事量や過激な運動を減らすのは健康やモラルを保つのに役立つでしょう。

The second reason is spiritual. Fasting is not just denying yourself food. It is exchanging the needs of the physical body for those of the spiritual. Long times of prayer and reading God's Word will be very essential if you are to enter into a more intimate communion with God to maintain your fast to its completion. While fasting, if you dissipate your energy on numerous errands or busy-work to the neglect of spending special time with God, you will starve both physically and spiritually. You will find yourself becoming discouraged and frustrated with your fast instead of being benefited and uplifted and blessed. I don't want that to happen to you.
二つ目の理由は霊的のためです。
断食はただ食事を絶つだけではありません。
それは肉体的な必要と霊的な必要を取り替えるものです。
長い祈りと御言葉を読むことで神さまのより親密な関係の中に入ることができるのです。
断食をしている間、仕事や用事が忙しくエネルギーが消耗したり、神さまとの時間が持てないのなら、霊的にも肉体的にも飢え渇いてしまいます。祝福や益になり高められるのではなく、断食に対し、落胆し挫折してしまうでしょう。みなさんにそんな風になって欲しくありません。
• • Fasting aids daily denying ourselves and following Jesus (Luke 9:23-NIV)

"If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me."

or in the Message:

"Anyone who intends to come with Me has to let Me lead. You're not in the driver's seat—I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow Me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, My way, to finding yourself, your true self.”　断食の日々自分をすて、イエス様に従うことを助けるものです。（ルカ９：２３

Much thanks goes to Sister C.T.-San for this translation!!

PRAY AGAIN!

Prayer comes in many forms and at many times it changes to fit the situation. When you are in need, the tone changes. When you are in joy, your tone will follow that line.

Luke 18:1~8
The Parable of the Persistent Widow

1 Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'
4 "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'
6 And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

Lady searching for the coin. The Parable of the Lost Coin
Luke 15:8-10 (New International Version)

8 "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Man finding the treasure of great worth and buying the field.
Matthew 13:44-45 (NIV)
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and Pearls

44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.

Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all the rest will be added unto you…
Matthew 6:32-34 (New International Version)

32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

1. Evidence of Effective Prayer

a. Peace: Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

b. Power: James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

c. Holy Spirit Lead: Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

2. Reality of Effective Prayer

a. Prayer has Purpose: Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

b. Prayer has Power: Matthew 18:19 "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven."

c. Prayer gives us Great Possibilities: 1 John 5:14~15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.

Next week: Fasting God's Fast

The Lord's Table

Where did the Lord's Table come from?

What is the Lord's Table?

Why do we do the Lord's table?

Where did it come from?

This all started in Egypt-Passover found in Exodus 12:12-20.

The History: Hebrew Children in Egypt as slaves for 400 years. Brought there during Joseph’s time as welcomed guest but things changed and they were put into slavery. Many years of suppression and cruelty by the overseers. Pharaoh’s own son died just before this as the worst of the ten plagues to hit Egypt.

1. Plague of Blood, from all the waters of Egypt. Magicians did it too.
2. Plague of Frog, magicians did the same--more frogs than before!
3. Plague of Gnats, Magicians with their secret arts could not!
4. Plague of Flies--everywhere! Egypt ruined by flies. Moses added to the request: three days trip to sacrifice as our offering would be detestable in their eyes. Pharaoh said yes...then NO! Heart grew harder.

Do not harden your heart toward God’s Way with you--when you are young or when you are old. Not when you are young because you may not make it to be older. Not older, because your heart may be too hard and to much to work through.

5. Plague on Livestock--farming society-depended on animals.
6. Plague on Boils. Men and animals--painful!
7. Plague of Hail--farms destroyed. 9:23-26.
8. Plague of Locusts-worst yet. Eat everything left in Egypt. 10:7.
Pharaoh said only the men as you are bent on evil…:10.
verse 16 Quickly summoned Moses and Aaron...but verse 20-hard heart.
9. Plague of Darkness- for 3 days-no light-except where the Jews lived.
10. PLAGUE OF The DEATH of The First Born. Symbol of darkness of not only the leader’s heart but of the spiritual darkness of the land. Bent on evil. Worship of false gods. Pressure on God’s People.

Resulting in God preparing His People/Protecting His People during a dreaded time of death.

He would PASS OVER them during the travels of the Angel of Death over Egypt. The Death of the First Born was felt in every family in Egypt. If it was not the first born infant, the first born adult. There was a first born everywhere...even in the household of Pharaoh. The Pharaoh’s life was not taken as he was not the first born child of his parents. Read Exodus 11:4-10!

Then the People got ready for a visitation of God: the likes of which had never been seen nor again. 12:29-32.

Then, about 600,000 men plus women and children plundered Egypt of their gold and silver.

The length of time the People of God lived in Egypt was 430 years...to the very day.

Key idea here is: Obey and God will act. 12:50-51

So that is where it came from and what it is: Set up as a memorial for all time. Some things have changed over time, not wine, but juice, not unleavened bread but every day bread. But at the time of Jesus, this is what happened: Turn to Luke 22:7~20.

Why do we do it?

Most of us in this room are not Jewish. We do not have that same history as they did, so why do we celebrate this Exodus from Egypt?

In truth, we do not. Jesus changed all that.

In Jesus’ time a Day was set aside every year in Jerusalem for this holiday. Preparations made to have the meal with His Disciples. This is the Day that the Passover Lamb was to be killed/sacrificed in the Temple. Found the guest room and got ready.

Verse 14: “...before I suffer.”

First element: His Body!

Verse 17: “...He gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."

Second element: His Blood!

Remember back to His teachings in John 6 on being the Bread of Life? He also taught somethings that were disagreeable to many.

53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.”

The simple truth is, His 12 now were ready to do that but not in the way that was misunderstood by non-believers in Rome. Not cannibalism but real fellowship in Jesus.

An intimate relationship in His Name with The Person of Christ Jesus, Himself.

So then, after Jesus did all that in the upper room, the teaching was not forsaken. Paul picks it up in his first letter to the Church in Corinth. They were having a real bad time of it as a Church. Misusing this memorial service as an opportunity to party well beyond normal and decent behavior. They were using this time to get drunk, beat each other in who’d finish first, showing little respect for the poor, for each other and none for the Lord. A real bash without regard for common grace and Christian Love.

Paul needed to stop it!

In 1 Corinthians 11:1 & 2, he was soft but soon he really lets them--and us--have it!
1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.

And now that I have your attention: WAME! verse 17-22.

17 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21 for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. 22 Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!

Then Paul gives the teaching as he got it from the Lord.

23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you:

So, here it is, once again. Not to become automatic, cold, formal, but voluntary, warm and Family.

To remember.

Over the past few months, while talking to my own Mother on the phone, she has complained to me that she is forgetting things, words, topics, situations, how to do things. She knows she is getting older and this bothers her. She realizes that she can not control this memory thing from slipping away. Almost every day, I pray that her mind remains strong and open, memory in tact, but, God in His Mercy and Wisdom has not yet seen fit to answer that way for her--or for me. To remember at her age is so important because there are not a lot of things yet to happen for her. She most likely will not met another man who will fall in love with her and marry. She will not likely travel far from the residence. A number of her friends at Church have already passed on and she is becoming alone. Not much she’d want to remember about more time with them ‘cause they are no more. She remembers some important things. The names of her grandsons and granddaughters. That Joseph did wrestling last year at CAJ. That Bethany was a back ground actress. That I like to fish and eat them raw! She remembers coming to Japan and meeting the Misaki family and the Kondo family. She remembers birthdays and how much some things cost. But things are slipping.

That is what Jesus does not want to happen between us and Him! No slipping away to forget Him or forget the fact that He died for us. Not to forget the pain He suffered for our sins--the very sins we still commit today. The very sins that He died for...on that Cross.

Paul goes over what Jesus said and tells them that their worship is to be done as they remember Him and His Word...in light of what these Jewish men already knew about the meaning of the Passover.

A Memorial to Remember God’s Grace Covering Us From Death.

And as we remember Him, we need to give thanks.

Give thanks with a greatful heart
Give thanks to the Holy one
give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ His son
And now let the weak say “I am strong”
Let the poor say “I am rich”
Because of what the Lord has done for us. Give thanks.

And Give Us ...

When the going gets tough, what does a Disciple of Jesus do?

Some crash and burn. Others grin and bear it. Still others, turn to their God for His direction. If that disciple is loaded down with the attitudes and expectations of the culture in which he/she lives, then all bets are off; they loose. That person may respond in almost any way, without reference to the Faith that is supposed to be the bedrock foundation of life. Often, the onset of hard times brings out the worst in us: arguments, rage, heavy drinking, self destruction or marital failure. Sometimes, the hard times are the result of nothing we have done: loss of employment or serious illness, for example. Still, how we respond to these situations demonstrates to us and to those around us, who we really are.

If we are Disciples of Jesus, then our response is that we begin to pray. We start to seek God’s Face, asking Him a number of questions as we search our own hearts. Trying not to get to Me-Centered, we look inside. Have we erred in some area? Is there un-confessed sin in our lives? Is our relationship with our families, co-workers, and friends in good order? God, what are You showing us? Is this simply the result of living in a fallen world, or is there spiritual warfare afoot? How can we stay the course, continue in our Faith, and be strong, when all that is within us is crying out desperately for help?

We don't always bring prayer to the front when we experience setbacks in our lives, do we? It is as though we are asleep. The alarm is ringing in our ears, and we seem deaf to Prayer’s insistent call. Romans 13:11 exhorts us to wake up. This Sunday, we will look at the Matthew 6 passage concerning the prayer Jesus taught us to examine several reasons why we need to be praying seriously right now. Then, we will do just that: we will take some of our time together to pray, because we need to seek the Lord as a community, and we need to do that together today. (Thanks Ed for the words and ideas...)

Last week, we started on our study of what is called the Lord’s Prayer. We followed the prayer right up to this section and will, most likely, finish today.

this then, is how you should pray ...

" 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,’ but deliver us from the evil one for Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever. Amen.”

1. “Give us…”

“Give me!” is one of the first things children say. Or “Mine!” “Satisfy my longings!” is the statement that child says as (s)he grows up. “I need!” continues to be the theme over the years up until death when “I need more medicine!” is heard above the sounds of the heart machine.

The heart is to be satisfied.

This section of the teaching prayer teaches us to have compassion; compassion for the poor and needy. It really takes our eyes off our own needs and puts them where He would want them. There is such a need for today’s church to have compassion of those who are in need.
Our call in life:

Isaiah 58:6 “… to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” イザヤ書 /58章 6節 わたしの選ぶ断食とはこれではないか。悪による束縛を断ち、軛の結び目をほどいて／虐げられた人を解放し、軛をことごとく折ること。

Isaiah 42:6-7 6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.” イザヤ書 / 42章 6節-7節 主であるわたしは、恵みをもってあなたを呼び／あなたの手を取った。民の契約、諸国の光として／あなたを形づくり、あなたを立てた。見ることのできない目を開き／捕らわれ人をその枷から／闇に住む人をその牢獄から救い出すために。

Isaiah 61:1 “to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” イザヤ書 / 61章 1節 主はわたしに油を注ぎ／主なる神の霊がわたしをとらえた。わたしを遣わして／貧しい人に良い知らせを伝えさせるために。打ち砕かれた心を包み／捕らわれ人には自由を／つながれている人には解放を告知させるために。

It is our call to be these things to the society we live in. While it is important to help in foreign lands, those around us are in need of being set free. Many today are in fear of going outside. Many are in fear of people. Many today are in fear of failure. They are slaves to sin; slaves in their social dungeons. Tied to superstitions that cannot free them. Cords are holding them to family traditions that are not based on truth.

So many times we are eager to ask God for things WE need and we do forget about those others who are needing more than us.

One of the easier pitfalls we might fall into is to want things for ourselves. There is a great book out today that has been so very helpful to many as they look for principles to live with concerning the treasures of the heart. I am tempted to just read/preach the book straight from the pages. The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving.

In a nut shell, here it is: We should not live for the dot but for the line. He writes: “The person who lives for the dot lives for treasures on earth that end up in junkyards. The person who lives for the line lives for the treasures in heaven that will never end.”

Yes, we do need things. Yes, it is right that we ask for them. Yes, it is OK to ask for things we really don’t need but don’t place your Salvation on getting it. All that we ask or even think … according to our needs in Christ Jesus. An X-Box? Trip to Hawaii? That great looking man? The job of your dreams? The experience of a life-time? The answer to the questions of life? Does it fit with what we need in Christ Jesus? If yes, than ask. Which leads us to the ONE thing we all need: forgiveness for our sins.

I heard once that if the patients in mental hospitals could deal with guilt and forgiveness, there would be very few there. Lack of forgiveness kills us--literally kills us. It most be dealt with!

2. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…”

Here is a promise! If you forgive, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. We must forgive, as we hope to be forgiven. Those who desire to find mercy with God, must show mercy to others. Christ came into the world as the great Peace-maker, not only to reconcile us to God, but one to another.

We are taught to hate and dread sin while we hope for mercy, to distrust ourselves, to rely on the providence and grace of God to keep us from sin, to be prepared to resist the tempter, and not to become tempters of others. There is a condition here!

Again, as one man put it, this prayer puts it all together: comprehending all our real wants: FORGIVENESS, expressing all our lawful desires: to be forgiven. If we desire Forgiveness from God, we NEED to give forgiveness to anyone who has sinned against us. If we can not, His forgiveness is not ours. It will not come to us--unless we forgive.

And forgive us our sins, as we also forgive those who sin against us.

3. "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" — We do live in a wicked world with all sorts of temptations in front of us. The Lord does not tempt us--according to

James 1:13-14 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ヤコブの手紙 / 1章 13節-14節 誘惑に遭うとき、だれも、「神に誘惑されている」と言ってはなりません。神は、悪の誘惑を受けるような方ではなく、また、御自分でも人を誘惑したりなさらないからです。 むしろ、人はそれぞれ、自分自身の欲望に引かれ、唆されて、誘惑に陥るのです。

And in 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul wrote: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. コリントの信徒への手紙一 / 10章 13節 あなたがたを襲った試練で、人間として耐えられないようなものはなかったはずです。神は真実な方です。あなたがたを耐えられないような試練に遭わせることはなさらず、試練と共に、それに耐えられるよう、逃れる道をも備えていてくださいます。

We do not HAVE to fall. When we do, we can ask for forgiveness. God has made a way for us to escape, through His Son, Jesus, so that we may be more than conquerors. Through His love, through His Son, we are more than conquerors over sin and all the consequences of sin. This part of the prayer is connected to the part on forgiveness. He is working with us--well, He is wanting us to work with Him in His Plan to bring His kingdom to come, as in...

4. "For Yours is the Kingdom" — The sovereign right of all things that are or ever were created: Everything is His. All that we have is His. All that we ever will be is His. We can’t get away from His possession of us. He, after all, made us and all that we have around us. To look at the world any other way is to be selfish. This is His Kingdom. Not the dot but the line. With eternity in mind.

"The Power" - His executive power, as Sovereign Lord God, whereby He governs all things in His everlasting Kingdom: The power of creation, the power of the sun rise, the power of the Resurrection, the power of a changed life. All this Power is found in Jesus.

And "the Glory" - The praise due from every creature, for His Power, and all His wondrous works, and the mightiness of His vast Kingdom, which endures through all ages, even for ever and ever.

It is to be seen, that though this doxology (the ending), as well as the petitions of this prayer, all this is directed to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. This prayer shows us not only how to pray, but also what are the things in our lives we will need to be exposed to His sight and touch. Listen to Jesus, when He said:

Matthew 6:7-15 (The Message) 7-13 "The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and He knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what's best— as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with You and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You're in charge! You can do anything You want! You're ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.”

14-15 "In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part.”

And Give us…

When the going gets tough, what does a Disciple of Jesus do?

Some crash and burn. Others grin and bear it. Still others, turn to their God for His direction. If that disciple is loaded down with the attitudes and expectations of the culture in which he/she lives, then all bets are off; they loose. That person may respond in almost any way, without reference to the Faith that is supposed to be the bedrock foundation of life. Often, the onset of hard times brings out the worst in us: arguments, rage, heavy drinking, self destruction or marital failure. Sometimes, the hard times are the result of nothing we have done: loss of employment or serious illness, for example. Still, how we respond to these situations demonstrates to us and to those around us, who we really are.

If we are Disciples of Jesus, then our response is that we begin to pray. We start to seek God’s Face, asking Him a number of questions as we search our own hearts. Trying not to get to Me-Centered, we look inside. Have we erred in some area? Is there un-confessed sin in our lives? Is our relationship with our families, co-workers, and friends in good order? God, what are You showing us? Is this simply the result of living in a fallen world, or is there spiritual warfare afoot? How can we stay the course, continue in our Faith, and be strong, when all that is within us is crying out desperately for help?

We don't always bring prayer to the front when we experience setbacks in our lives, do we? It is as though we are asleep. The alarm is ringing in our ears, and we seem deaf to Prayer’s insistent call. Romans 13:11 exhorts us to wake up. This Sunday, we will look at the Matthew 6 passage concerning the prayer Jesus taught us to examine several reasons why we need to be praying seriously right now. Then, we will do just that: we will take some of our time together to pray, because we need to seek the Lord as a community, and we need to do that together today. (Thank you, Ed, for these words...)

Last week, we started on our study of what is called the Lord’s Prayer. We followed the prayer right up to this section and will, most likely, finish today.

this then, is how you should pray ...
" 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your Name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,’ but deliver us from the evil one for Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever. Amen.”

1. “Give us…”
“Give me!” is one of the first things children say. Or “Mine!” “Satisfy my longings!” is the statement that child says as (s)he grows up. “I need!” continues to be the theme over the years up until death when “I need more medicine!” is heard above the sounds of the heart machine.

The heart is to be satisfied.

This section of the teaching prayer teaches us to have compassion; compassion for the poor and needy. It really takes our eyes off our own needs and puts them where He would want them. There is such a need for today’s church to have compassion of those who are in need. Our call in life:

Isaiah 58:6 “… to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?”

イザヤ書 /58章 6節 わたしの選ぶ断食とはこれではないか。悪による束縛を断ち、軛の結び目をほどいて／虐げられた人を解放し、軛をことごとく折ること。

Isaiah 42:6-7 6 “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.”

イザヤ書 / 42章 6節-7節 主であるわたしは、恵みをもってあなたを呼び／あなたの手を取った。民の契約、諸国の光として／あなたを形づくり、あなたを立てた。見ることのできない目を開き／捕らわれ人をその枷から／闇に住む人をその牢獄から救い出すために。

Isaiah 61:1 “to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.”

イザヤ書 / 61章 1節 主はわたしに油を注ぎ／主なる神の霊がわたしをとらえた。わたしを遣わして／貧しい人に良い知らせを伝えさせるために。打ち砕かれた心を包み／捕らわれ人には自由を／つながれている人には解放を告知させるために。

It is our call to be these things to the society we live in. While it is important to help in foreign lands, those around us are in need of being set free. Many today are in fear of going outside. Many are in fear of people. Many today are in fear of failure. They are slaves to sin; slaves in their social dungeons. Tied to superstitions that cannot free them. Cords are holding them to family traditions that are not based on truth.

So many times we are eager to ask God for things WE need and we do forget about those others who are needing more than us.

One of the easier pitfalls we might fall into is to want things for ourselves. There is a great book out today that has been so very helpful to many as they look for principles to live with concerning the treasures of the heart. I am tempted to just read/preach the book straight from the pages. The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn. Unlocking the Secret of Joyful Giving.

In a nut shell, here it is: We should not live for the dot but for the line. He writes: “The person who lives for the dot lives for treasures on earth that end up in junkyards. The person who lives for the line lives for the treasures in heaven that will never end.”

Yes, we do need things. Yes, it is right that we ask for them. Yes, it is OK to ask for things we really don’t need but don’t place your Salvation on getting it. All that we ask or even think … according to our needs in Christ Jesus. An X-Box? Trip to Hawaii? That great looking man? The job of your dreams? The experience of a life-time? The answer to the questions of life? Does it fit with what we need in Christ Jesus? If yes, than ask.

Which leads us to the ONE thing we all need: forgiveness for our sins.

I heard once that if the patients in mental hospitals could deal with guilt and forgiveness, there would be very few there. Lack of forgiveness kills us--literally kills us. It most be dealt with!

2. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors…”

Here is a promise, If you forgive, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. We must forgive, as we hope to be forgiven. Those who desire to find mercy with God, must show mercy to others. Christ came into the world as the great Peace-maker, not only to reconcile us to God, but one to another.

We are taught to hate and dread sin while we hope for mercy, to distrust ourselves, to rely on the providence and grace of God to keep us from sin, to be prepared to resist the tempter, and not to become tempters of others. There is a condition here!

Again, as one man put it, this prayer puts it all together: comprehending all our real wants: FORGIVENESS, expressing all our lawful desires: to be forgiven. If we desire Forgiveness from God, we NEED to give forgiveness to anyone who has sinned against us. If we can not, His forgiveness is not ours. It will not come to us--unless we forgive.

And forgive us our sins, as we also forgive those who sin against us...

3. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil — We do live in a wicked world with all sorts of temptations in front of us. The Lord does not tempt us--according to

James 1:13-14 13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.
ヤコブの手紙 / 1章 13節-14節 誘惑に遭うとき、だれも、「神に誘惑されている」と言ってはなりません。神は、悪の誘惑を受けるような方ではなく、また、御自分でも人を誘惑したりなさらないからです。 むしろ、人はそれぞれ、自分自身の欲望に引かれ、唆されて、誘惑に陥るのです。

And in 1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul wrote: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

コリントの信徒への手紙一 / 10章 13節 あなたがたを襲った試練で、人間として耐えられないようなものはなかったはずです。神は真実な方です。あなたがたを耐えられないような試練に遭わせることはなさらず、試練と共に、それに耐えられるよう、逃れる道をも備えていてくださいます。

We do not HAVE to fall. When we do, we can ask for forgiveness. God has made a way for us to escape, through His Son, Jesus, so that we may be more than conquerors. Through His love, through His Son, we are more than conquerors over sin and all the consequences of sin. This part of the prayer is connected to the part on forgiveness. He is working with us--well, He is wanting us to work with Him in His Plan to bring His kingdom to come, as in...

4. For Yours is the Kingdom — The sovereign right of all things that are or ever were created: Everything is His. All that we have is His. All that we ever will be is His. We can’t get away from His possession of us. He, after all, made us and all that we have around us. To look at the world any other way is to be selfish. This is His Kingdom. Not the dot but the line. With eternity in mind.

The Power - His executive power, as Sovereign Lord God, whereby He governs all things in His everlasting Kingdom: The power of creation, the power of the sun rise, the power of the Resurrection, the power of a changed life. All this Power is found in Jesus.

And the Glory - The praise due from every creature, for His Power, and all His wondrous works, and the mightiness of His vast Kingdom, which endures through all ages, even for ever and ever.

It is to be seen, that though this doxology (the ending), as well as the petitions of this prayer, all this is directed to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. This prayer shows us not only how to pray, but also what are the things in our lives we will need to be exposed to His sight and touch. Listen to Jesus, when He said:

Matthew 6:7-15 (The Message) 7-13 "The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and He knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are. Set the world right; Do what's best— as above, so below. Keep us alive with three square meals. Keep us forgiven with You and forgiving others. Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You're in charge! You can do anything You want! You're ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.”

14-15 "In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part.”

When you pray...

When you pray, what do you expect? We either ask for something or give thanks or proclaim praise.

We tend to look for answers or some form of movement toward a resolve, I would guess.

How has God answered your prayers, my friends? I will like you to share with the rest of us just how He did answer the prayer. It can’t be a long story-please, (I will have to interrupt in that case.) Tell us some of the history behind your prayers and how He answered them.

Let's look at Daniel 9:20-23

LOOKING BACK OVER THE BOOK OF DANIEL, we can see few situations where God’s People were placed into a situation where it was, for them, sink or swim. No turning back. Full steam ahead--no matter what! The three men were NOT going to be intimidated by the threats of being burnt alive rather then bowing and worshiping the image of the king. When the horns blew, ALL of Babylon was to bow down and give the king worship/honor...whatever that might mean. But what it meant to the Hebrew young men was that they could not bow down to this non-god. They were caught. Arrested and threatened again. Do it or else!

Their response was both surprising and bold. They said “No way are we going to defile our lives with this worthless worship. As we did not eat the kings wine and meat while we were younger men, we will not bow down to this idol either.” After threats were spoken, the fire was made hotter than before. The young men were bound up and pushed into the fire. Those who guided them to the fire was burnt up. The fire was intense. But listen to what they said before...according to their heart knowledge of this God they believed in:

Daniel 3:16-18 (The Message) Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered King Nebuchadnezzar, "Your threat means nothing to us. If you throw us in the fire, the God we serve can rescue us from your roaring furnace and anything else you might cook up, O king. But even if he doesn't, it wouldn't make a bit of difference, O king. We still wouldn't serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up."

It wouldn’t make a bit of difference!

Zechariah 4:6 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.

Not by the mighty hand of the most powerful king the world has ever known, but by the grace from the King of kings and Lord of lords.

ILL: An old story that touched my heart: A poor widow and her little boy were sitting together in great want, both feeling the pinch of hunger. The boy looked up into his Mother’s face and said: “Mother, God won’t starve us, will He?” “No, my child,” said the mother; “I do not think He will.”
“But, Mother,” said the child, “if He does, we will still praise Him as long as we live; won’t we Mother?”

That is the kind of response we, who have much to thank Him for should be saying as well!

Job 13:15 says:Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him: ヨブ記 / 13章 15節そうだ、神はわたしを殺されるかもしれない。だが、ただ待ってはいられない。わたしの道を神の前に申し立てよう。

We have received good from His Hand; shall we not also receive evil?

Job 1:21 And said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away, may the name of the LORD be praised." ヨブ記 / 1章 21節「わたしは裸で母の胎を出た。裸でそこに帰ろう。主は与え、主は奪う。主の御名はほめたたえられよ。」

Psalm 71:14 But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise You more and more. 詩編 / 71編 14節 わたしは常に待ち望み／繰り返し、あなたを賛美します。

Why do we not stay in the state of praise? We are instructed in the Word to pray without ceasing.

1 Thess 5: 16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

1 Timothy 2:8 I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing. テモテへの手紙一 / 2章 8節 だから、わたしが望むのは、男は怒らず争わず、清い手を上げてどこででも祈ることです。

I think you get the picture. We are to pray. And how are we to pray? Jesus taught us a way. He said in Matthew 6:9~13...

9 "This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, [but deliver us from the evil one for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]

This prayer an example of how and what we should pray for and not the only way we can pray. An example that can be copied and used as a prayer itself. It has for hundreds of years. Some churches use it every week: I don’t remember when we repeated this prayer together but we shall today--later.

Jesus is not satisfied that we claim to agree with His ethics; He wants us to live accordingly. It is not enough to claim Him to be a good ethics teacher, we will need to live our lives under His authority.

We first start with the beginning. So, this preface deals with the object of the prayer. God Himself. In fact, the first three petitions deal with Him and His Honor. (The remaining three deal with our own concerns, both those things that do not last-worldly, and those issues that deal with our soul, spirit and the hereafter.)

In the words of one man who looked at this prayer: comprehending all our real wants, expressing all our lawful desires;

We must first KNOW this God before we can pray with confidence of being heard. This prayer test our own faith, our own humility and love of God and our fellows as we approach God in prayer.

Both in Ephesians 3:12 In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach the Throne of Grace with confidence, so that we may receive Mercy and find Grace to help us in our time of need.

We say: OUR FATHER: in saying this, we can begin to take in ALL His character, Power --His Name; above every name, Who is not only MY Father but the Father of the universe. He is known by every creature. He is known by every event in history, here on earth and in all the creation. “Our” speaks of community.

HOLY IS YOUR NAME: Again, His Character is known by this. When Moses asked Him what Name he should use back in Egypt to ID Him, He said: I AM THAT I AM! There is None other. He is the Holy One who created all things and now, you, in your little voice, are addressing Him.

YOUR KINGDOM COME: May His Kingdom of Grace come with fullness real soon. That Kingdom where all creation will bow down before Him as Lord and Master-not in a weird power thing, just the facts, People. That This Kingdom will be filled with God’s Righteousness, and Peace and Joy, with all holiness and divine happiness.

This may sound a little like a Hindu every-land: Nirvana. You can almost hear their priest say the same thing. The difference is found in the reality of Knowing Him. His Kingdom will come…

ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN: The great point at this junction is that it is His will that as things happen in Heaven--praise, holiness, redemption realized--He wills it to happen on earth. Within the spirit of Man is the element of His design that desires His best.

God is all that can fill the God-Shaped Vacuum within us. In his mid-thirties, Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) became interested in religion. He wrote:: "Within each one of us there is a God-shaped vacuum that only God can fill." Later, he wrote another book, "An Apology for the Christian Religion." In it he maintained that perfect knowledge arrived through Christian revelation. Pascal believed that faith is a sounder guide than reason; he wrote: "Reason can go only so far, but faith in God has no limits." Thus, reason hits a wall but faith opens a window, allowing fresh air and sunshine to invade.

Let’s close today with the one phrase: GIVE US. We ask God to give us all things that are needful for today in our souls as well as our bodies. In short, we pray for the needful supports and confronts during this time called ‘today.’

I wish this next material was mine. Years ago, Matthew Henry wrote this in his Concise Commentary on The Lord’s Prayer...which is not really The Lord’s Prayer but the Prayer the Lord used to guide His Disciples.

In any case, Mr. Henry said: Every word here has a lesson in it. We ask for bread; that teaches us sobriety and temperance: and we ask only for bread; not for what we do not need.

We ask for our bread; that teaches us honesty and industry: we do not ask for the bread of others, nor the bread of deceit, Proverbs 20:17; nor the bread of idleness, Proverbs 31:27, but the bread honestly gotten.
We ask for our daily bread; which teaches us constantly to depend upon Divine Providence. (Guidance)

We beg of God to give it (to) us; not sell it (to) us, nor lend it (to) us, but give it. The greatest of men must be beholden to the mercy of God for their daily bread. (So, w)e pray, Give it to us.

We pray that God would give it us this day; which teaches us to renew the desires of our souls toward God, as the wants of our bodies are renewed each day. As the day goes on, we must pray to our heavenly Father, and come to terms with this power of His to supply it all! The serious fact is, we could go a day without food, but not without prayer.

So, let’s pray. And be mindful that our prayers are communication to the One who loves us and desires us to be close to Him...no matter where we are in the Journey of Life...even if your heart is not ready to even speak to Him-let Him hear that from your heart. Let’s all walk a little closer to each other so as to help each other and to encourage one another to press on.

~Next week: "Forgive us...or else?"

NEW TIME CHANGE

Starting this week, service at ICCS will start at 10:00 AM and not 10:30 AM.

Please also note that our Grow Zone or Sunday School will restart in Sept on the third Sunday of the month (September 21). If you can, please attend one of our classes. There would be class for each of you--no matter what your age!

Enjoy the summer but remember, God never takes a vacation from us--let's not stop meeting with Him this summer.

Come and spend some time
with the Creator in Community.