Sharon Reformed Presbyterian Church · Sermon study sheet

Relying on God - Matthew 6:11-12

Bryan Schneider · August 17, 2019

Matthew 6:11-12

sharonrpc.org/sermons/relying-on-god-matthew

Summary

The final petitions of the Lord's Prayer confront self-sufficiency by teaching disciples to rely on their Father for provision, forgiveness, and protection.
Daily bread represents ordinary bodily needs and is requested with thanksgiving, lawful work, and recognition that every result still depends on God's blessing.
The plural words ‘us’ and ‘our’ make prayer communal, requiring concern for neighbors, children, older people, and others who lack necessary provision.
Sin creates a moral debt whose wage is death; the humble tax collector illustrates asking for mercy rather than comparing oneself favorably with others.
Those forgiven much are called to forgive others, including sinful relatives, spouses, church members, and neighbors, rather than nurture grudges.
The sermon extends beyond its title verses into Matthew 6:13a: believers ask not to enter overwhelming trial and, when tested, to be delivered and refined by God.
Dependence in temptation includes prayer for one another, watchfulness, removing predictable occasions of sin, and relying on the Spirit rather than personal strength.

How does praying for daily bread challenge the assumption that we are self-made and self-sustaining?
How can lawful work and dependence on God's provision remain together without contradiction?
Why are the words ‘give us’ and ‘our daily bread’ important for concern beyond personal needs?
What does it mean to describe sin as a debt owed to God?
How does the tax collector's prayer differ from the Pharisee's self-comparison?
Why does receiving Christ's forgiveness create an obligation to forgive others?
How does the sermon distinguish asking to avoid temptation from trusting God when trials do arrive?
Which repeated occasion of temptation requires both prayer and a concrete act of watchfulness?

Daily bread: The ordinary provision needed for life, received through responsible work yet finally dependent on the Father's blessing.
Debt: The moral liability created by transgressing God's law, which sinners cannot discharge by self-justification.
Forgiveness: God's gracious pardon of sin in Christ, which produces a forgiving posture toward those who sin against us.
Justification: God's act of declaring sinners righteous in Christ rather than on the basis of their own moral record.
Temptation and trial: Testing in which Satan, the world, and sinful desires seek to draw a person into sin, while God may use testing to refine faith.
Sanctification: God's continuing work of making believers holy, including refining them through trials and teaching dependence on him.