Word of Salvation – Vol. 13 No.32 – August 1967

 

The Petition Of Humility

 

Sermon by Rev. G. I. Williamson on Matt.6:11

Scripture reading: Prov.30:1-9; Matt.6:24-34

Psalter Hymnal: 101; 145; 276; 63

 

Beloved Congregation,

Every true believer is a Reformed Christian at heart and none but a Reformed Christian can really pray the Lord’s Prayer.  This does not mean that everyone who is called a Reformed Christian really is one.  Nor does it mean that there are none who really are such who are not called by that name.  But the fact is that no one can really pray this prayer unless he is truly a Reformed Christian on his knees before the Lord!

I say this because it is a fact that no other system of Christian teaching reflects the two main aspects of true prayer, as taught by our Lord Jesus Christ.  These two main aspects are: the supremacy of God, and the unworthiness of man.

(1)  When we pray as our Lord Jesus taught us to pray, we will first of all magnify the one living and true God, who cannot share his glory with another.  We will acknowledge his complete sovereignty over all things, because He is Lord of all.  And it will be our heart-felt desire that his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  But what is that, if it is not the very essence of the Reformed Christian faith?  For it the Reformed faith alone which teaches the unlimited and unqualified sovereignty of God – who created all things – who rules all things – who determines the destiny of every living creature – and who works all things after the counsel of his own will, to the praise of His own grace and glory.

(2)  But this also, at the same time, involves a certain view of man, which we also find in the prayer that our Lord taught us to pray.  For according to the Reformed Faith, man is nothing in order that God might be all in all.  Because of the fact that man is a mere creature – and then, much more, because he is a fallen and sinful creature – there is nothing pleasant that can be said for him!  He is totally depraved by nature: corrupted in every part of body and soul.  He is utterly guilty and unworthy before God: deserving only His wrath and curse.  And he is completely without power to do anything at all to remedy his own cursed and sinful estate before God.  And remember: these two things always go together.  We cannot really hold to the supremacy of God, unless we also accept what scripture says about the terrible plight of man.  Nor can we accept the truth about man, without acknowledging the absolute sovereignty of God.  Or, in other words, we cannot pray, “give us this day our daily bread,” unless we also pray the first part of the Lord’s Prayer!

I.  IT IS ALL OF GRACE

We can see this, in the first place, from the simple fact that our Lord taught us to ask for the most basic necessity of life.  “Give us this day our daily bread,” we pray, and this is just another way of saying that we recognize that even this is a free and un-merited gift!  In effect, we are taught to say what Jacob said, so long ago when he at last came to realise the true account of his standing before God.  “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant!”

Truly, there is no teaching of scripture more often expressed than this.  And yet, it is the hardest truth in all the world for sinners to accept!  In fact, they cannot and will not accept it, except they be born from above.  For the one thing that is common to the thinking of all men in this world who are not regenerated by the Holy Spirit, is the idea that they do deserve at least some consideration from God.

(1)  We can see this quite clearly from the fact that every religion on earth – except one – is based upon the idea that men do deserve something from God, or at least, that they can do something to make themselves worthy of something from God.  It may be good works.  Or it may be penance.  It may be some kind of self-inflicted suffering.  Or it may be some kind of strict self-denial.  But every single religion except one is based on the very idea that man can expect some consideration from God.

(2)  And indeed, this is even true of many ‘so-called’ systems of Christian teaching.  Listen, for example to the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, as it asks the question: “How can we make our most ordinary actions merit a heavenly reward?”  The answer is: “We can make our most ordinary actions merit a heavenly reward by doing them for the love of God and by keeping ourselves in the state of grace.”  And we find the same essential teaching in the view of many Protestants, who reject the doctrine of divine election because they say that it is unfair!  They say that God must give the same chance’ to all men, because all men deserve an equal chance to be saved!  And so, in both Roman Catholicism and Arminian Protestantism, there is also the basic idea that men do deserve something from God, or at least, that they can do something to make themselves worthy of obtaining something from God.

But the solemn fact is that this is not so!  For the Bible tells us that we sinned in Adam, and fell with him, in his first transgression.  It tells us that we are therefore, by nature, the children of wrath – which means that we are all of us already under his wrath and curse.  And we deserve nothing at all from God, except the sentence of eternal death, and the suffering of eternal damnation.

(1)  Was this not the discovery that was always made whenever sinful men were confronted by the immediate presence of God?  It was Abraham, in the presence of the true and living God, who said, “I… am but dust and ashes!”  It was Job who said, “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee: wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.  And it was Peter who said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”  They might have imagined that they deserved something from God, while as yet they did not see God as He is, and themselves as they were.  But when they saw God as He is, they did see themselves as they were, and they were immediately cured of all thought that they deserved anything whatsoever from Him.

(2)  And so, to every man who thinks that he deserves something from God or that he has a right to ‘demand equal rights’ with others who may receive something from God, the Apostle says, “Nay, but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God… hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?”  And so God “hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth” because no man deserves anything at all from Him.

And this is clearly taught in the words of the fourth petition!  Our Lord here teaches us to pray first of all, as respects ourselves, for that which is our most basic need.  He teaches us to begin, not with the greatest, but with the least.  He teaches us to ask not for the gift of eternal life or even the forgiveness of sins, first – no, these are to be asked later.  First we must ask for the least of his many blessings, in order that we might never forget that we do not even deserve the least.  Truly, this is a lesson that none can learn except he be born from above.  As the book of Proverbs truly says: “Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?”  It requires a completely new nature for any man to sincerely pray: “Give us this day our daily bread!”

II.  IT IS ALL BY GRACE

But this is not all that is contrary to unconverted human nature, in this petition of the Lord’s Prayer.  For we also observe that our Lord would have us to pray for the rest of God’s children at the same time that we pray this for ourselves.  It is not “give me this day my daily bread,” but “give us this day our daily bread,” which means that our humblest and most urgent request is not to be the self-centered prayer of the world!  “Let no man seek his own,” says the Apostle, “but every man another’s wealth.”

And again, there is no question but that this is directly contrary to the spirit of this world.  For the Bible says, quite simply, that “all seek their own.  It is human nature, as it has been corrupted by sin, to seek one’s own welfare above all, and even at the expense of everyone else.  And even among those who confess the Christian faith, a man who does not put his own welfare first is usually the object of criticism and pity!  People say that it is his own fault that he has not done better in the struggle for material wealth and security in the world!  So, as the prophet Isaiah said, “They all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter,” and they say, “tomorrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant.”  Or, as the apostle said in writing to Timothy, “Men shall be lovers of their own selves… And having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” so they become like the Pharisee when they pray.  They pray with themselves saying, “I thank thee that I am not as other men.”  They are so concerned about themselves, and so satisfied with themselves, that they never stop to think that they are not really praying at all!  But they are not, because they still show that they have not grasped the essential truth upon which all true prayer is based.  They do not yet understand that they deserve nothing whatever from God.

For what is it, after all, that makes a man self-centered?  Well, it is just the notion that somehow he is a little bit better than others, and so, a little bit more deserving of the blessings and bounty of the Lord!  They may, like the Pharisees of old, pretend to great humility too.  They may disfigure their faces, and wear sack-cloth and ashes.  But they never quite believe in their hearts that they are not, somehow, a little more excellent and worthy than others.  So “they look to their own way” and seek for their “own gain” rather than that of others.

But the Bible says, “let no man seek his own, but every man another’s.”  And truly, this is impossible except a man be born again!  Was it not the apostle who boasted of the fact that he was the world’s number one Pharisee?  But how did he speak after he was radically and permanently changed of heart?  He said, “I am less than the least of all saints… not (worthy) to be called an apostle… but by the grace of God I am what I am!”  And because he really meant that, he spent the rest of his life, not seeking his own things, but seeking the things of others for the glory and honour of God.  And we find him constantly praying, but less for himself than for all the needy and scattered children of the Lord.  I “cease not to give thanks for you, ” he says, “making mention of you in my prayers.”  Because he understood that he deserved nothing whatsoever from the Lord; he was perfectly honest and sincere in his desire to become the servant of the servants of God.

We are not taught in this petition to ask nothing for ourselves.  But we are taught that we have no right to ask anything for ourselves.  In fact, we have no more right to ask something for ourselves, than we do to ask it for others.  So it is only when we seek not our own, but the things of others, that we begin to pray the prayer that is pleasing to God.

III.  IT IS ALL UNTO GOD

In the third place we must observe that man’s undeserving position is further recognized in the fact that he is taught to ask only for this day’s bread!  “Give us this day our daily bread”.  Here again we see that which is absolutely contrary to the natural character of sinful man.  For the one thing that man seeks in this world, besides his own vanity, is the security that will make it unnecessary for him to beg for daily bread!

Our Lord Jesus Christ said that life and, of course he meant that word in his own true sense that life, does not consist in the abundance of the things we possess.  But is it not perfectly obvious that very few people have paid any attention to what he said?  Is there one of us who really acts as if what our Lord said is true?  To the contrary, we all seem to act as if we were quite convinced that this is not true at all!  Why else is it that we are always thinking about what we shall eat, and what we shall wear, and what material things we can possess?  And we never have enough, do we?  We are bound and determined to pile up just as much as we can get!  And what is the reason?  Well, it is just this: we feel a certain measure of security in material things.  The more treasures we can lay up on earth, the more secure we feel when it comes to keeping away the wolf from our door!  And so we all plan for that day that we can sit back and say to our soul, ‘take now thy rest, for you haven’t a worry in the world’.  Yes, that is the dream that young men dream, and it is the vision that old men see visions of.

The book of Proverbs records the prayer of another sort of person.  His name was Agur the son of Jakeh, who spoke the wisdom of God.  He said, “Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”  Well, it takes a new nature – a new heart – to pray a prayer like that!  For most of us it would be well-nigh impossible!  And why would it be so difficult?  Simply because we find it so hard to think that this is all that we have coming to us in this world!  You see, it always goes back to the same fundamental problem: we do not really face up to the fact that we deserve nothing at all from the Lord.  That is why we are not satisfied when we receive this day – our daily bread from God.

If we were satisfied we would stop complaining about our economic position!  We would not always be looking with envy at those who are a little better off than we are.  We would not always have the feeling that we were not being rewarded according to what we deserve.  The Bible says, “Having food and raiment, therewith be content.” But we, like the children of Israel in days of old, are never satisfied, never content, but always murmuring, always complaining, that God has not given us enough with this day’s daily bread!  The Bible says, “Be not anxious for the morrow” for “sufficient to the day is the evil thereof.”

IV.  IT IS ALL FOR GOD

The casual reader of the New Testament would probably never realize that our text contains one of the most perplexing problems in the history of Biblical interpretation.  For it contains one of the terms that is nowhere else to be found in all the Bible.  So for hundreds of years, it was only possible to make an ‘educated guess’ at the meaning.  The first Church father to comment on this difficulty was Origen of Alexandria, Egypt.  And he already complained that no one was quite sure what this word translated ‘daily bread’ really meant.  He knew just about all the literature of the ancient Greek world, and he was not able to locate any other place in which this strange word was used.  And then, just a few years ago, a very old papyrus was discovered in the sands of Egypt.  It was perfectly preserved after a period of nearly two thousand years.  And lo and behold, there was the mysterious word.  It was part of a military order.  And it had the precise meaning of a daily ration handed out daily to soldiers in combat.  A soldier in action cannot afford to carry a supply of food with him.  If he were to do that, he would not have the strength to carry the weapons of battle.  So, in order to safe-guard his own life, he casts aside all that is not necessary for the warfare of the day, depending on the one under whose banner he fights.  His present concern is to take the whole armour of battle, and he leaves it to his superior to see to it that he receives, each day, the needed physical ration.

And so it is with those who are to serve the Lord.  For the Bible says that we too are engaged in a mortal conflict with the devil.  He, like a roaring lion goeth about seeking whom he may devour.  And we, in order to be saved, must take unto us the whole armour of God.  So you know what will happen if a man is careless about his armour, because he is trying to carry the burden of provision for tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow as well.  The more he tries to concentrate upon making sure his own supply of bread, the more vulnerable he is to the onslaught of the devil.  But, on the other hand, the more he concentrates on doing battle with the devil the more, in other words, that he concentrates upon spiritual things the more dependent he will be on the Lord for his daily bread!  And there can be no doubt at all that this is the way that our Lord would have us to live in this world.  “Take no thought for the morrow,” he said, “but seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Now, of course, it is possible to stretch these words far beyond their original meaning and intent.  And some people have done this, when they have taken vows of poverty and chastity, in order that they might – as they say – give all of their time only to spiritual things, having no more concern at all for the things of the body.  Well, you know what the Bible says about that!  “We hear that there are some, says the Apostle, “which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.  Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.”  When we say “give us this day our daily bread” we are not given the right to eat someone else’s bread instead!  So the Bible says, quite simply, that if any will not work, neither shall he eat!  Does not the fourth commandment of God tell us to work six days, before we rest on the Sabbath?

But all the same, the emphasis of the Lord’s Prayer is identical with the rest of scripture.  And it is to the effect that “the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”  Or, as Job expressed the same thought, “The Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away: blessed be the name of the Lord.”  For again, we must remember, that we deserve nothing from God.  And not only that, but in order to be right with God we must acknowledge that we deserve nothing from him.  And in acknowledging this, we must also humbly resign ourselves into his sovereign will and power.  James says that “we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain that we can carry nothing out.”  So whatever we do receive from God that is of lasting importance and value, will have nothing to do with the vanity of this present world.  As Paul once said to the Corinthians: “The time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have… be as though they had none; and they that weep… as though they wept not; and they that rejoice… as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy… as though they possessed not; and they that use this world… as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.”

Someone has well said that the difference between truth and error is not a chasm but a razor’s edge!  And this is a true witness.  For what is it that the fool says in his heart?  Well, he says, “Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die.”  In other words, he says that we might just as well live it up while we can – seeking if possible to gain the whole world while there is yet time for the night cometh that we shall know nothing at all!  But what does the believer say in reply to the fool?  Well he says something that might almost sound the same to those who have not the Spirit.  For the believer also says, “Let us live for today!”  Does not the Apostle tell us that he tries to forget the things that are behind and does not our Lord Himself tell us not to be anxious for the morrow?  And so the believer also says, “Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart… live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity” and “whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”

But the reason – ah, that is where the difference is for it is only because the believer has found acceptance with God!  Why should we live without thankfulness for the good gifts of God in this world?  Can our grief and self-denial gain us any merit with God?  And why, on the other hand, should we seek our life in these perishing things?  Can they fill the longing of the human heart?  But when we have our treasure in heaven – setting our “affection on things above, not on things on the earth” – then the very things of this life become blessings that we can thankfully receive because we see in them nothing more nor less than our “daily bread” – our “daily soldier’s ration” – as we fight the good fight of the faith, and seek the crown of life.

And so the Lord would have us to recognize – first – his own absolute greatness.  He would have us to see that God alone is to be magnified in all his works, and according to the counsel of his will.

Then he would have us to see that we are sinners who deserve not the least of his many blessings.  He would have us to realize that we truly deserve only his wrath and curse.

But why would he have us to realize this?  Only in order that we might seek no more the world that perishes but rather eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord: asking no more than this day’s necessities as we press on through the wilderness unto the gates of the city of God.

Amen.