Matthew 6:11-15

DAYS 44 and 45

Dates: 3-23-25 and 3-30-25 (this lesson will be covered in two parts)

The LORD’S PRAYER, parts 2 & 3

* Everything with an asterisk and is italicized and purple is my own added words and thoughts and are not part of the actual verse or quote. 

Pray

Read scripture: Matthew 6:11-15

(NIV 1984)
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 if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

If you recall from last week, Section 1 of the Lord’s Prayer, verses 9 & 10, which has three parts:

The Focus is on GOD. 

1. Who He is: Our FATHER in Heaven
2. His Kingdom 
3. His Will

This week is the OUR NEEDS SECTION,

Section 2 of the Lord’s Prayer, which also has three parts:

1. Requests (petitions)
2. Relationships (forgiving)
3. Direction and Protection (lead, deliver)

1. Our first verse today is Matthew 6:11 Give us today our daily bread. 
   1. This is where we make our requests, our petitions; where we ask God to meet our needs. Our book says, on pg 82, “This petition is probably best taken at face value—as a request for the food needed daily…” Does everybody/anybody agree with that? Disagree? 
   2. I think this speaks to our food for sure. But I also think it refers to ALL our needs. 
   3. Our needs fall into two main categories.
      1. The physical or material needs. 
      2. And the spiritual. We need both. We need our “mana from heaven.” We need shelter and food and clothes and health and other physical needs. But even more than that, we have spiritual needs. Jesus said in John 6 that He is the bread of life, and that we need to feed on Him – SPIRITUALLY. 
      3. What does that mean? What does that look like? At a foundational level, it means, since Jesus is THE WORD, we are to feed our spirits, our hearts, on the Word of God every day. Every day. Just as we eat physical food every day to stay healthy and nourished physically, we need to feed our hearts and spirits on the Word of God EVERY day to stay healthy and nourished SPIRITUALLY. If we don’t stay fed spiritually, we will starve spiritually. Literally, we will slowly and literally die spiritually if we are not prayerfully in the Word of God. If we are only in the Word of God occasionally, our spiritual growth will be stunted.  We will literally harm ourselves and become spiritually retarded. We will never grow past spiritual infancy. Spend quality time and a quantity of time in God’s Word, asking for spiritual nourishment and understanding. Spend time with Jesus. It will be the best time you ever could spend.
         1. For more from Jesus Himself about this verse, slowly and prayerfully read John, chapter 6, where we see the need for physical bread – food for our bodies, but also, spiritual bread – food for our souls.
            1. John 6:1-15 shows Jesus meeting out physical, material needs, with physical bread.
            2. In John 6:25-59, Jesus tells us He is the “Bread of Life,” and teaches us about our real need for spiritual bread, or spiritual nourishment. 
            3. Also see Joshua 1:8-9. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
2. Matthew 6:12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. We need to be forgiving if we are to maintain healthy hearts, souls and relationships.
   1. With respect to the word ‘debts,’ our book says, also on pg 82, that “It is clear that Jesus and Matthew intended the word to mean “sins” here.” And then goes on to say, “The choice of this word reflects the fact that all sins place us in debt to God.” (Holman Commentary) And this is a debt we are not able to pay. Only Jesus can pay our debt to God for us. This is why the Gospel is so precious to us. So beautiful. So very important. 
   2. Our “healthy” relationship with God starts with repentance, and asking forgiveness. 1 John 1:8-9 says that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” But it doesn’t end there. Genuine forgiveness by a true Christian is cyclical. It is an ongoing cycle – in this life – of being forgiven, and forgiving others. If, as true Christians, we are truly forgiven (which we are!), then we will never withhold forgiveness from those who sin against us. Never. That is not to say that it is not sometimes hard. It can be very hard. But an unforgiving heart is a heart that is in very serious trouble. An unforgiving heart can destroy relations. That is what Satan wants. But that is NOT what God wants. If God has been so very good to you that He died on the cross to pay for all your sins, past, present and future sins, how can we not forgive others?
      1. Our book, very well says, “One does not gain forgiveness by forgiving. But a person evidences his or her own forgiveness by forgiving others. This very important principle is also taught in other parts of the New Testament.
3. And then we pray for direction and protection in Matthew 6:13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. – 
   1. Does anyone know what the Christian’s three enemies are?
   2. The flesh, the World and Satan
   3. These two verses taken together are a prayer to protect us from ALL enemies: The flesh, the World and Satan. Let;s look at each verse separately.
      1. And lead us not into temptation. We desperately need the Lord to lead, guide, direct and protect us in all areas of our lives. We need Him to lead us in paths of righteousness for His Names sake (see Ps 25:4-5 and Pro. 12:28, etc). We need His leading for wisdom and discernment, and for living other-centered lives. But sometimes we need a little extra help. We are told to pray that God would not lead us into temptation, but He may not always answer that prayer the way we would like. Sometimes, because He loves us and knows what is best for us, He answers prayers contrary to our own wishes and desires.
         1.  Some people are confused by this verse, and for good reason. They may be confused because James 1:13 says. “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;” Why would we pray that God would NOT lead us into temptation, if James clearly says that God will not tempt us? To be clear, Scripture clearly does teach that God will NOT tempt us. Period. But that does not mean that He will never allow temptations and trials to occur in our lives? Tempting us, and ALLOWING temptations are two very different things. Sometimes God allows the evil inclinations of others to teach and strengthen His children. A study of Job in the Old Testament teaches us that. God May, at His choosing, and according to His Will and His good purposes, allow temptations and trials into our lives for a greater good. Indeed, going back to James, which we just read, James 1 also says that trials can actually be good for us in that they build spiritual muscles and develop perseverance.  This means that sometimes, He will allow temptations or trials to cross our path, and sometimes He will lead us to a “place” of temptation or trials. 
         2. For an example, consider that Matthew 4:1, which says, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” So, we know clearly from this verse in Matthew that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert, the place of His famous temptations. But we also know from this verse that it was not God who actually tempted Jesus. It was the devil. And God, as we know, allowed that to happen for very good reasons. It was all part of the “big picture,”His master plan for defeating sin and securing salvation for us. 
         3. So, the next question is, would God ever to that to us? Would He lead us into a place of testing or temptation? If necessary for our own good, I would say “yes,” he might. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” The “all things” in that verse, includes evil things done by evil people. I think James helps with the answer, and tells us more insight as to why. Right after vs James  1:13, James says in vs 1:14-15 “… each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” Now Jesus did NOT have His “own evil desire.” But we do. 
         4. See also Hebrews 4:15: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.“
         5. Also consider what Jesus prayed to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemene just before His crucifixion in Matthew 26:39. It says, “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Jesus was facing something He clearly did NOT want to face, but He chose to do the Fathers Will. And we are saved because of it. The parallel in this passage to our passage today in Matthew 6:13 is that God, the Father, was leading Jesus, God the Son, into a situation where the worst criminal act of evil in the history of the world was going to carried out AGAINST HIS SON, by  Pilate, Herod and the Jewish leaders. God, the Father was NOT the one committing the crime, but He was ALLOWING it. He orchestrated the whole event from before the foundations of the earth. He was allowing the Jews and Pontius Pilate and Herod to do exactly what THEY wanted to do. BUT, God was going to work all things together – as only He can do – for the good of those who love Him, and were called according to His purpose. On the one hand, Jesus did not want to be beaten and tortured and crucified, but He was willing to, because He …
            1. Loves the Father and always does the Fathers Will; 
            2. And because He loves us.
         6. I believe God can and does allow certain trails and temptations into our lives. It can happen to us. But, Jesus does say to pray that this will not happen to us. So, I pray it every day. However, if it does happen to us, our defense is the same as Jesus’ defense in the desert during His temptation. He resisted the temptations of Satan with SCRIPTURE. 
         7. Interesting note: The Greek word that is translated “temptation” in the Lord’s Prayer is often times, in other places in scripture, translated as “trials.” Such a place is in James. James 1:2-3 says,  “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” 
            1. The word “trials” in this verse is the same Greek word as the word “temptation” in Matt 6:13. They are both the game Greek word peirasmos.
            2. So, what does all this mean? Let’s use both Matt 4:1 and James 1:13-15 to explain. 
            3. According to Matt 4:1, God can, and does lead us, as He did Jesus, into the desert, into the PLACE of temptation. The Holy Spirit LED Jesus there, and He occasionally does the same for us. BUT – the scripture is very clear in James that God is NOT the one who actually does the tempting. James says, “…each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire…” Again, this whole thing boils down to a matter of the heart. God may choose place us in the place of temptation, or put us in the path of temptation to test us. This place or path would be an external place of temptation. But the real temptation occurs in our own hearts. It is always a matter of the heart. We have, in this life, an “inclination” to sin. If you have a sin that in your heart, a sin that you think you love – and I have had a few in my life – then you will be sorely tempted when placed in the path of that temptation. Jesus did not love any sin in His heart, so, by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was able to resist incredible temptations, by knowing, believing in and using the Scriptures. Having the Holy Spirit living in us, WE CAN DO THE SAME!!
            4. God allows all of this to happen for our own good.
               1. Psalms 119:71 says,  “It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”
               2. And Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
               3. but deliver us from the evil one.
                  1. Some translations have deliver us from the “evil one,” and some say deliver us from “evil.” Both are very similar and both are valid translation. The point we need to remember here is that we, as Christians,” are always, to some degree or another, involved in spiritual warfare. We have an evil enemy, the “evil one,” who is completely vigilant. He is non-stop. He is unrelenting and unforgiving.
                     1. In point of fact, we actually have three enemies, all of which are a result of Satan and his evil work:
                        1. The FLESH
                        2. The WORLD
                        3. Satan himself
                  2. Psalms 119:93 says, “I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.” What does this verse mean? It means that God’s Word, when hidden in our hearts, when memorized and meditated on, will work – together with the  Holy Spirit – to protect us; to defend us against the evil one, Satan, and all his evil devices.
                  3. Ephesians 6 says that we need to always have on our spiritual armor because we are always in spiritual warfare. Satan will try to get us not to pray. He will try to get us to not ask God for the things we need, like leading, guidance, protection and our daily bread. He will also try, very subtly to turn us against one another. But we must always remember what Ephesians 6:12-18 says,
                     1. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

And, to conclude the Lord’s Prayer, a final word of encouragement via a warning:

Matthew 6:14-15 

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Q:  What do you think these verses mean?

Q:  What can we wrongly assume about these verses?

A:  That if we do not forgive others, we, ourselves, are not forgiven. And then, if we are not forgiven, we are not saved. The assumption is that we can lose our salvation if we do not forgive others. 

THIS ASSUMPTION IS NOT BIBLICAL, AND, NOT TRUE.

We can NEVER, in ANY WAY, ever lose our salvation. It is impossible and completely unbiblical to think or believe that we can ever lose our salvation. 

These verses are sort of like a rhetorical question in reverse. It is a conditional statement. 

We can easily – yet erroneously – conclude from these verses that: 

“IF” – A rhetorical question – you do not forgive, “Then” you are not saved. 

This conclusion is NOT TRUE!!

What this verse is actually saying is what the characteristic of a true believer is. It is saying that “IF” you are a true believer – and you are if you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior – “Then” you will be a forgiving person. 

It is an inherent part of who you are as a Christian. 

2 Cor 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

This verse in 2 Cor 5:17 is also a form of a rhetorical question. It says, “IF” you are in Christ – “Then” you are a new creation. And IF” you are a new creation “Then” you will, by virtue of your new nature in Christ, be a forgiving person. It is who you are. 

Now, that does not mean that we always do this – or anything – perfectly. We are all still learning and growing. We are still human and still live in a fallen and sinful world. Sometimes, we will find it hard to forgive. Sometimes, we will, momentarily, not feel like forgiving. But, in our hearts, if we have been forgiven our sins by Christ’s shed blood on the cross, we know we must forgive others as we have been forgiven. 

Stephen, in Acts 7:59-60, forgave his murders, even as they were in the act of stoning him to death.

And Jesus Himself, did the very same thing in Luke 23:34. He asked God to forgive His murders, even as they were in the act of murdering Him. 

So, what these verses, Matthew 6:14-15, really mean is this: 

They are an encouragement via a warning.

The warning is this:
Do not be tempted to withhold forgiveness. 

The encouragement is this:
Forgive others as the Lord has forgiven you.

Healthy and Right Relationships Require Forgiveness.

They are an encouragement to believers to be forgiving, just as Stephen was, and as the Lord Himself was, not matter how badly we have been wronged, and no matter how much we do not feel like forgiving. If we are Christian’s, and we are, then we are also forgivers. We must forgive others, as we ourselves have been forgiven. 

Also see the parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:21-35. It us a very powerful and convicting parable. Read it slowly and prayerfully. At certain points in our lives, we can all be a little bit like this guy. But pray that you won’t be. God answers prayers – SO PRAY!!

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RELAVANT VERSE

Joshua 1:8-9
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Psalms 119:1-4 
Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the LORD.
Blessed are those who keep his statutes
and seek him with all their heart—
they do no wrong
but follow his ways.
You have laid down precepts
that are to be fully obeyed.

Psalms 119:11 
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.

Psalms 119:18 
Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.

Psalms 119:24 
Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.

Psalms 119:29 
Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me and teach me your law.

Psalms 119:30 
I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I have set my heart on your laws.

Psalms 119:33 
Teach me, LORD, the way of your decrees,
that I may follow it to the end.

Psalms 119:34 
Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.

Psalms 119:66 
Teach me knowledge and good judgment,
for I trust your commands.

Psalms 119:71 
It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees.

Psalms 119:75 
I know, LORD, that your laws are righteous,
and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. (*This is a sign of a mature believer!)

Psalms 119:80 
May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees,
that I may not be put to shame.

Psalms 119:93 
I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have preserved my life.

Psalms 119:105 
Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.

Psalms 119:129 
Your statutes are wonderful;
therefore I obey them.

Psalms 119:137 
You are righteous, LORD,
and your laws are right.

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NEXT WEEK:

FASTING

Matthew 6:16-18

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Notes:

* Everything with an asterisk and is italicized and purple is my own added words and thoughts and are not part of the actual verse or quote.