Since God cares for our physical & spiritual needs, to pray for daily bread teaches us to be dependent on the gift of God for Life itself. This message was given on March 22, 2015 at New City Church in Calgary by Pastor John Ferguson. For more info visit: www.newcitychurch.ca

1. Seeking the Face of God
Using the Ancient Prayer
Jesus Gave Us
“Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread”
The Gospel of Matthew 6:5-14

2. Eating is a small, good thing
in a time like this.
”
~ Raymond Carver’s short story
“A Small, Good Thing”“

3. 5 And when you pray, you must not be
Matthew 6:5-13
like the hypocrites. For they love to stand
and pray in the synagogues and at the
street corners, that they may be seen by
others. Truly, I tell you, they have received
their reward. 6 But when you pray,
go into your room and shut the door

4. Matthew 6:5-13
“…and pray to your Father who is in
secret. And your Father who sees in
secret will reward you.
7 “And when you pray, do not heap up
empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for
they think they will be heard for their
many words. 8 Do not be like them, for

5. Matthew 6:5-13
“your Father knows what you need before
you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

6. Matthew 6:5-13
11 “Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us of our debts, as
we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.”
Leader: This is the word of the Lord!
People: Thanks be to God!

7. Is it really
necessary to
pray for daily
bread?
1

8. Don’t worry,
Jesus. I’ve got
this one covered!

9. I don’t pray any more. I’ve
given it up for Lent. Also for
Advent and Easter…. How can
I maintain, without lying, that
God has a hand in this meal?
~ Publisher Don Brothy,
Qtd. in Ryken’s When You Pray
“

10. “Take care lest you forget the LORD your
God… lest, when you have eaten and are
full and have built good houses and live
in them, and when your herds and flocks
multiply and your silver and gold is
multiplied and all that you have is
multiplied, then your heart be lifted up,
and you forget the LORD your God…

11. “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My
power and the might of my hand have
gotten me this wealth.’ You shall
remember the LORD your God, for it is he
who gives you power to get wealth….”
~ The Prophet Moses in
Deuteronomy 8:11ff.

12. “And Jesus said to his
disciples, ‘Truly, I say to
you, only with great
difficulty will a rich man
enter the kingdom of
heaven. Again I tell you, it is
easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle
than for a rich person to
enter the kingdom of God.”
~ Jesus of Nazareth in
The Gospel of Matthew, 19:.22

13. “No one can serve two
masters, for either he
will hate the one and
love the other, or he
will be devoted to one
and despise the other.
You cannot serve both
God and money.”
~ Jesus of Nazareth in
The Gospel of Matthew, 6:24

14. “…give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and
disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal, and so
dishonor the name of my God.”
~ The Words of Agur son of Jakeh in
Proverbs 30:8b-9 (NIV)

15. Praying this prayer is a
revolutionary act against our
self-sufficient tendencies.
Key Point

16. What are we
really saying
when we pray
for daily bread?
2

17. We are saying,
“We are dependent
upon you, Lord.”
#1

18. Prayerlessness is our
declaration of independence
from God.
~ Anonymous
“

19. We are saying,
“Thank You”
in advance.
#2

20. “Thanksgiving is an
antidote to greed and envy.
It is a speed bump on
our restless road of
acquisition…. When we
give thanks we take our
eyes off what we do not
have. God grows larger in
our faith.”

21. “the grat-list"
(gratitude)

22. ~ The Apostle Paul in
Romans 1:21
“For although they
knew God, they
did not honour him
as God or give
thanks to him…”

23. Praying this prayer is a
revolutionary act of honouring
our Father by giving thanks to
Him in advance.
Key Point

24. What is Jesus
really teaching
us by our need
for daily bread?
3

25. Could it be that the
very reason we
have a sense of
physical hunger
is so that we can
learn something
vital about
spiritual hunger?
?

26. “‘Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me
not because you saw signs, but because you ate
your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for food that
perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal
life, which the Son of Man will give to you….
~ Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospel of John, 6:26-27, 33-35

27. “For the bread of God is he who comes down
from heaven and gives life to the world.’ And
they said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life;
whoever comes to me shall not hunger and
whoever believes in me shall never thirst.’ ”
~ Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospel of John, 6:26-27, 33-35

28. “Creatures are not born
with desires unless
satisfaction for those
desires exists. A baby
feels hunger: well, there
is such a thing as food. A
duckling wants to swim:
well, there is such a thing
as water. Men feel sexual
desire: well, there is such
a thing as sex….
~ CS Lewis
Mere Christianity

29. ~ CS Lewis
Mere Christianity
“If I find in myself a
desire which no
experience in this
world can satisfy, the
most probable
explanation is that I
was made for
another world….

30. “The danger is not
lest the soul should
doubt whether there
is any bread, but lest,
by a lie, it should
persuade itself that it
is not hungry.” ~ Simone Weil
Waiting for God

31. Praying this prayer is a
revolutionary act in which we
say, “We hunger, Lord, and
only you can give us the True
Bread of Life.”
Key Point