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[Silence] [Music] ♪ I keep the every law ♪ ♪ Those measures, Lord ♪

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♪ Those carenамos by sight ♪ ♪拿 me aboard ♪ ♪ A yiddi, oh, a yiddi ♪ ♪ Every yod, a yiddi ♪

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♪ Oh, bless me now ♪ ♪ Oh, bless me now ♪ ♪ Oh, bless me now ♪ ♪ Oh, bless me now ♪

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♪ I come, I come, I come ♪ ♪ I come, I come, Lord ♪ ♪ I come, I come, I come to thee ♪ ♪

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♪ Bless me now ♪ ♪ Bless me now, oh Lord ♪ ♪ Bless me, bless me right now ♪ ♪ Come on and bless me now ♪

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♪ I say God, I come ♪ ♪ Come to me ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, bless me now ♪ ♪ Oh, bless me now ♪

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Oh, bless, bless me right now. Come on and bless me now. My savior, I come. ♪ My Savior, I come ♪

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♪ My Savior, my Savior, my God ♪ ♪ I come, I come, I come ♪ ♪ To thee ♪ (audience applauding)

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I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers, all our mothers, all Our fathers concerned with the Lord's prayer, and we continue that sermon series today. Would you bow your heads as we pray together the Lord's prayer? Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

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Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen. "Give us this day our daily bread."

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This is another petition that is included in that prayer. "Give us this day our daily bread." This recognizes the fact that we need food for the day, not only feed food to make it through the day, but food for the coming day.

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and eating are identified with bread and the request for daily bread may possibly be due to the fact that during the early period of the life of the people of God They had a nomadic society. They moved from place to place. They pitched tents for a time and then moved on.

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But as they grew, as they progressed, they had an agrarian economy where they planted crops, they stayed for a while before moving on. Most of the time when we think of an agrarian economy, we think of some stability.

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Give us this day our daily bread. Hebrew people in their early history were desert travelers. And in the desert, bread is often scarce. That was true in the life of Israel. And the life of many people today, as plentiful as we think of bread, it is scarce as far as most of our world is concerned.

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Almost every day we hear cries for bread, help for hungry children, help for people who are without the basic necessities of life. And the things that we notice Israel crying for as she leaves Egypt and enters the wilderness, she cries for bread and for water. Water and bread.

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It's written in the book of Ecclesiasticus that the essentials of life are bread and water, clothing, and a house to cover one's nakedness. If you have those things, you have the basic necessities. But so many people in our world are without those things. And so, Jesus is addressing all of the peoples of the world through this prayer when he teaches

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us to pray give us this day our daily bread. It was customary in making bread in biblical times to take a little of the dough from yesterday, save it and mix it with the new bread which was being made for today. We're not only concerned as I said a moment ago with the bread of yesterday, we're concerned with bread today and tomorrow.

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We want fresh bread. Day-old bread is not what we seek. In fact, when I was a boy I went to the bakery and we got day-old bread. We got that as a discount. And those who lack the means always purchase the old bread because that was the way that was necessary for our survival. Give us this day our daily bread. Jesus

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Christ is the bread of life. And as we celebrate this Labor Day, Labor Sunday, we focus concern upon our way of getting bread. One of the main topics of this day is the acquisition of bread, how people are receiving employment, we are outsourcing jobs so that there are fewer jobs available for us, And all of it has to be related to bread.

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Reports we get day after day about the economy, the employment and unemployment rates, have to do with bread. And we often sing a song for grace. "Thou art great and thou art good, and we thank thee for this food. By thy hand must all be fed. Give us, Lord, our daily bread."

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That's, that, we sang that when I was in college, as I was Grace, our Grace, period. I went to a labor meeting when I was a teenager, and I was interested in problems of labor, and so I drifted into this meeting, and I heard them singing this, Everything is higher, it's sure outrageous. Everything is higher but my daddy's wages. I never forgot that song about labor because more and more that is the concern.

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outcome of this election would largely be determined by what people believe about their bread. Whether it's going to be there when they need it, whether there's going to be enough of it when they need it. So in the practice of biblical religion, there was bread placed in the house of God. And this bread was called the bread of the presence.

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Bread of the presence. There were some 12 loaves, and these 12 loaves represented the 12 tribes. Everybody, everybody from everywhere, every living human being needs bread. It's one of the basic needs of this life to have bread.

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And the lack of it has created most of our problems. When they got out into the wilderness, the first cry was for water, and the next cry was for bread. integral part of our life and integral part of our worship to cry for bread. Oh sure we need the butcher, the baker, the cattle, the steak maker, all of this to make life meaningful and helpful.

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So bread is not only the staff of life, it is the means by which we are sustained from day to day. Give us Lord our daily bread. The people in the wilderness found fault with God because they didn't have bread. Related to their religion they said, "Oh, if we had stayed in Egypt, why did you bring us out here Moses in this wilderness to die?"

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You could have left us in Egypt where we had fine meals, cucumbers, all of the delicacies that were provided. We had all of these things at our disposal for our consumption in Egypt. but here, out here in this wilderness, we are without bread. Well, among the serious problems confronting us as a nation and as a world is the cry for bread. And so since bread is so important, that's why Jesus includes it in our prayer life.

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He said, "When you pray as my disciples, when you pray, you say, 'Give us this day our daily bread.'" So each day, the people on their wilderness journey gathered manna from heaven that God rained down upon the people. And every day they received their daily bread. And on the end of the week they received, on the sixth day, they received a double portion

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so they wouldn't have to worry about Sunday. I'm sure ladies would appreciate that today if they didn't have to cook on Sunday. they received what they needed for every day, each day they gathered bread. And so we today still cry, give us this day our daily bread.

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And the day consists of morning and evening. The way the Hebrew reckoning was, evening and morning, the first day. So they received meat and bread morning or evening and morning. So this who, this one who is our model, this one who is our guide, teaches us to pray to

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the Father for our daily bread. Don't worry about your life, Lord, our daily bread. This is what Jesus encourages us to say, "Don't worry. Don't worry about having something to eat.

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Don't worry about having something to drink. Don't worry about having something to wear." Isn't life more than food or clothing? Look at the birds in the sky.

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They don't plant or harvest. even store grain. Yet the Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren't you more than birds? Only people who do not know God worry about such things. Your Father in heaven knows what you need so work first for that which is enduring those

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things that will be lasting don't worry about tomorrow tomorrow will take care of itself. You have enough to worry about today so don't worry just pray. First I might remember preaching from this passage it was during the civil rights movement in South Carolina and students were in the chapel service listening to

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me as I preached and a few moments later they would be in jail and as I talked about I could see smiles on their faces because they really understood not to worry about what was going to happen. The sheriff was rough and very cruel some of them we visited later in jail but still they were taking this word for

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what it really means don't worry don't worry about grave. Usually that's the first thing we worry about. And I hear it over and over again, "Rev. you see that's my bread." Because bread is not only a symbol of something we prepare in the kitchen, it's also a symbol of that which we have in our pockets.

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How much bread do you have? So Jesus teaches us in this prayer, "Give us this day, this day, our daily bread." In other words, give us this day the strength that we need. Give us this day the guidance that we need.

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give us this day the help that we need in order to make it through the day. Now one saying is that if I can just make it through the night. And some people think if they can just get enough Jack Daniels to make it through the night. But the prayer of our Lord is "Breathe, give us this breath, our physical and material

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needs, give them to us that we may make it through the day." Jesus says, "I am the bread of life." I'm the bread of life. And so this dialogue that we are to engage in,

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and it is a dialogue, prayer is a dialogue. It's not auto suggestion, just something you think about and that's it. It is a dialogue.

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Prayer is asking God to do that which is within the circle of His will. Remember that. Prayer is asking God to do that which is in the circle of His will. Now we ask God to do a lot of things that are not in the circle of His will.

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And so that he has what we need. Oh, they're on a picnic, as we'll be engaging the picnic tomorrow. They were on a picnic in the desert. They've been out there all day. Some had left early. They brought their little lunches.

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And when the time was late, the people were hungry, some of the disciples said, "Send them home. We don't have enough to feed this crowd. Send them home." And so Jesus said, "See what they have there." And they found a boy who had only his lunch. Had the people to sit down.

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Had the people to sit down. And he fed that multitude of over 3,000. 3,000, not counting the women and children. And had 12 baskets left over.

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preach of the disciples left over when we give our life to Jesus when we give our resources to him he takes those resources and multiplies them over and over again he does it sometimes we don't understand it we don't know how we make But somehow he steps in and there is a miracle of the master that changes the limited things that we have and we find him performing in an abundant way.

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just a picnic in the desert. One speaker said that this was a demonstration in sharing. I remember a picnic we had when I was in high school, was the last of school, and we had a picnic.

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And my mother gave me some money to buy something to carry for the picnic. But the time was short and when I got there, the truck that we were to go on was getting loaded and I didn't have time to stop at the store and buy anything. So I went to the picnic with nothing. group played for a while then we had as we're going to do tomorrow we had a time when we were

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going to sit down and eat and those who had brought their baskets got their baskets and had a few people gathered around them and started off to sit under a tree where they could eat and the teacher said oh no No, no, we're going to do it all together.

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Amen. Everybody bring your food here and put it down together and everybody will have all the food together and we'll eat together. Amen. My heart rejoiced.

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[laughter] I was not humiliated, I was not embarrassed, I had a good meal and the picnic was a wonderful success as far as I was concerned. Amen. But it was a demonstration in sharing.

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What all those people did who brought their lunches, no doubt, they shared what they had. And it was enough for everybody. But many of them were in the same shape I was in. They didn't have anything to share, but those who had something to share, shared as well.

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So Jesus says, "Come to me." Give us this day our daily bread. And when we come to Him, my brothers and sisters, we can rest assured that what we need for the journey will be provided.

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The strength we need for the weaknesses we have will be provided if we come to Him. It doesn't matter when you come, it can be at the midnight hour and he tells the story of the midnight visit to a man who came and knocked on the door at midnight and the man inside said, "Who's out there?" He said, "Well, I have a friend that has come at this hour, and I have nothing to set before him.

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Lend me three loaves." You see, this is an ungodly hour. I have to get up, my children are on the floor in the palace, I have to step over them and maybe step on them or I'll be in a lot of trouble. But the man who's outside continues to knock. Yes, he continues to knock.

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And he knocks until the man inside gets up and gives him what he wants. I don't know what experience you've had with prayer, but I've knocked many times. I'm knocked many times at the door and received no immediate answer but just keep knocking just keep knocking and keep knocking and keep knocking until God somehow comes to our rescue

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And what do you want? Well, I need three loads. I'm in a crisis, I'm up against it. I'm faced with humiliation and I need three loads because a friend has come to me at the midnight hour without any announcement. and this friend on the inside gets up and brings or gives him the three loaves. God will give you what you need. That was his need, his critical need God provides. And all along the way, Lord, we all talk about our ups and downs, but if we are honest, when we stayed with God, somehow He stepped right on time.

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He stepped right on time and provides our every need. And so that's why Jesus teaches us to pray, give us, not some of us, not pick out certain ones for God's sake, but give all of us. Give us this day our daily bread. That's something we can rely on because the one who tells us to pray this prayer is the one who comes all the way from heaven to this sin-cursed earth to be with us and to help us in our struggle. Yes. As we sing the hymn of invitation, we extend the privilege of the church to accept Jesus Christ as Lord of our life.

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And as we do so, if there's one who has not accepted Jesus Christ, this is a wonderful time. To give the preacher your hand, give God your heart. Because someday, somewhere, we expect to have that messianic feast with him where we will all eat bread together, baked bread together in the kingdom of God. [Music]

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[Music] ♪ Think thou, Lord, what of my dear Lord to me? ♪ ♪ Hast thou mistrained the Lord, His Lord, not me? ♪ ♪ Beyond the sacred gate ♪

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♪ I see thee, Lord ♪ ♪ My spirit has found thee ♪ ♪ O living Word ♪ ♪ Bless, well-wished youth, dear old ♪

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♪ Do be to me ♪ ♪ As proudest friends com'n ♪ ♪ I ever be ♪ ♪ Then shall the wondrous feast ♪

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♪ Of heaven's love ♪ ♪ Then I shall find my peace ♪ ♪ My hope in the Lord ♪ ♪ Lord, the bread of life ♪

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♪ Oh, Lord, to Thee ♪ ♪ I hold Thee by the cross ♪ ♪ And take my plea ♪ ♪ Give me to be the King ♪

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♪ Let there be a woman ♪ ♪ Teach me to love my true ♪ ♪ Above God ♪ Go home, boy! Go home!

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That's good news. In a world of bad news, to go home. For God is saying to us through Jesus Christ, "Come home." "Ye who are weary, come home."

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