PENTECOSTAL LITURGIES: PROVISION
Pastor Josh Weisbrod – June 7, 2020
KEY IDEA: When we seek God and His daily provision we are freed from the insatiable hunger and worry of the world and find contentment.
KEY PASSAGE: Give us this day our daily bread. (Matthew 6:9-13); Matthew 6:25-34
SUMMARY: We are over-worked, over-medicated, under-rested, and over-worried; always hungry, never content. When we seek God and His provision, we find contentment. We find rest in our souls and freedom in our lives. God frees us from slavery to “more”. Matthew 6:25-34 is an expansion of the Lord’s Prayer. When we pray a prayer of provision, we are making a request from God. How do we pray for provision?
God Cares for Your Needs
· God cares for your needs when you pray. Matthew 7:7-11; Psalm 146:5-7
· God is not Santa. God is your Abba Father. He intimately cares for you and your needs.
· What are we asking for when we pray ‘Give us today our daily bread’?
· Daily – the amount for the day
· Bread – the provision for my needs
· Daily bread – What we need today
· I ask for provision for my basic needs for that day, not my basic wants for that day.
· This passage reminded the listeners of the people of Israel in the desert. They were hungry and God sent manna from heaven. They tried to store it up instead of relying on God to meet their daily needs.
· When we seek God and his provision we are freed from the insatiable hunger and worry of the world.
Trusting God Daily will Free You from Worry
· Matthew 6:27, 34
· How much time do we spend worrying about tomorrow, regretting yesterday, and completely detaching from today?
· Trusting in God daily is not a rejection of the future. It means we are submitting today.
· God I trust you for today. I submit my worries, fears, and lack of control to you, God. Give me what I need today for today.
Trusting in God’s Provision will Free You from Slavery to “More”
· We are enslaved to the idea of more. When we pray for daily bread we ask for something humble and simple. Bread is the most basic human provision.
· God provide for my needs today. You know my wants and the desires of my heart. God would you provide for my needs today?
· By asking for daily bread, we reject slavery to more, more, more. I am not going to focus on getting, but on the One who gives.
· Proverbs 30:7-9; Matthew 6; 1 Timothy 6:6-10
· When was the last time you were content? When was the last time you stopped and thanked God for all that you have?
· A life of contentment is a life of simple reliance on God. Because God provides I don’t worry about the future and I don’t get swept up in greed and constant selfish pursuit.
How do we reject the slavery of the flesh to the insatiable worry and hunger of the world?
1. Submit Your Life to the Lord
· Come under the authority of God in your life. God must be on the throne of your heart.
· Jesus is the Prince of Peace and came to take away our sin and shame. Galatians 5:24
· There is such freedom when you say “I am not master of my life; God is.” Lord, I submit my life to you. Lead me.
2. Pray “Give us Today our Daily Bread”
· Actively pray for God’s provision for today.
· God I submit my day to you. Provide for my needs, and help me be content in them, but resting in your divine providence.
· Philippians 4:4-7
· May the blessings I receive not stop with me. Let me be a river that pours our blessings on others around me.
· Who did God send as an answer to provision? Me!
· You might be the provision for the person who has prayed to God for provision.
· What if God has blessed you so that you can bless others? Do what you are gifted to do and pour it out into someone else.
3. Actively Seek and Practice Contentment in God’s Provision
· Isn’t it amazing how our miracles can so quickly become the source of our moaning?
· How do we counter this attitude of “never satisfied”?
· Thanksgiving – counter whining and complaining by taking time to thank God
· Practicing Sabbath – counter hurry by practicing rest with intent
· Generosity – counter greed and selfishness by being generous
· Fasting – counter gluttony of flesh by fasting and feasting on God. When is the last time you told yourself ‘No’ or ‘Wait’?
· Setting aside social media – counter envy by stepping back and acknowledging how God has blessed me
· Praying - Give us this day our daily bread. Make me content.
Pray:
God, you know my need. I ask that you would provide for my needs today and that as I pursue your provision I would be content and released from the worry and hunger of the world.
REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Use these reflection questions as a way to deepen your relationship with God. Allow the Holy Spirit to shine a light into your heart.
1) Why do you think so many Christians find it difficult to trust in God’s daily provision?
2) In what area of your life do you most need God’s provision right now?
3) Describe a time when you experienced God’s provision. How did that provision come?
4) How does experiencing God’s provision—in whatever form it comes—either 1. Lead you to whine and complain and store up His provision, or 2. Build your trust and faith in God’s provision for the future?
5) What would it look like to the world if each person in the body of Christ lived out the full meaning of “Give us this day our daily bread”? How would it change how we lived, how we interacted with others in the world, and how we displayed the character and nature of God to the world?
6) When you look around your sphere of influence, what needs of others do you see?
Pastor Josh said we may be the provision to another person’s prayer for God’s provision. What can you do to meet those needs in your sphere of influence?
Full Podcast Episode: http://banner.church/podcast/2020/9/10/pentecostal-liturgies-liturgy-for-provision-672020
Link To Liturgy: http://banner.church/provision