Andy Upton is the pastor of Knighton Evangelical Free Church in Leicester. He spoke on Saturday morning on Matthew 6:11-12

The heartbeat of mission is dependence on God. Think of the disciples sent out without any provisions, or Hudson Taylor and George Mueller.

The order of the Lord’s Prayer is important.

• We remind ourselves that God is our father; that his name is holy and we live for his kingdom. We seek his kingdom first.
• Then we ask for our bread and our needs.

Three petitions of a dependent people:

• Dependent for bread – so ask God for all your needs.
  
  • Daily bread is a reminder of manna, when the people only received enough for each day, but they always received enough for each day.
  • We’re not dependent on the provision, but on the Provider. And the Provider often surprises us in the way he gives us what we need.
  • Our bread is bread that is to be shared (Luke 6:38).
  • Things to remember:

• God is the good giver of good gifts. He’s not made in our image. We’re selfish and stingy, he’s not (Matthew 7:7ff).
• I am proud. I don’t want to acknowledge that I need help.
  • How can we avoid attitudes and lifestyles that weaken our dependence?
  • How can we grow to become more dependent?

• Dependent for forgiveness – so confess you sins to God.
  • Confession means owning up to sin. No excuses.
  • Confession means focusing on God. Your sin is an offense towards God (Psalm 51). It’s not really about you; you have offended an eternally holy God.
  • Confession means relying on grace. Confession requires us to trust Christ and his forgiveness, not to simply try harder. Confession is not resolving to reform, it is gambling on grace. But we need not worry whether Jesus willforgive us.

• Dependent for forgiving others – so know God’s grace and mercy.
  • How do we forgive others? Matthew 18 – the king forgives a huge debt, but the debtor won’t forgive the man who owes him a small debt.

• Matthew 18:35 tell us: So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.
• Matthew 6:14 tells us: For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

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  • If you won’t forgive others, you don’t understand the gospel. You haven’t grasped what God has done for me in Jesus Christ. When you get it, you have the fuel to forgive others.

We’re dependent on him for our provision, for our forgiveness, and for the power to forgive others. But when we depend on him, we’re a very powerful people.