We turn to God's word this morning, to the gospel according to Mark, Mark chapter six. Mark chapter six, we'll begin reading at verse 30, and we'll read to the end of the chapter. Mark chapter six, verse 30. And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus and told him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. And he said unto them, come ye yourselves apart into a desert place and rest a while. For there were many coming and going and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately. And the people saw them departing, and many knew him, and ran afoot thither out of all cities, and out went them, and came together unto him. And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep, not having a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things. When the day was now far spent, his disciples came unto him and said, this is a desert place and now the time is far past. Send them away that they may go into the country roundabout and into the villages and buy themselves bread, for they have nothing to eat. He answered and said unto them, give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, shall we go and buy 200 penny worth of bread and give them to eat? He saith unto them, how many loaves have ye? Go and see. And when they knew, they say, five and two fishes. And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks by hundreds and by fifties. And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven and blessed and break the loaves and gave them to his disciples to set before them. And the two fishes divided he among them all. And they did all eat and were filled. And they took up 12 baskets full of the fragments and of the fishes. And they that did eat of the loaves were about 5,000 men. And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. When he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray. And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea and he alone on land. And he saw them toiling in rowing. for the wind was contrary unto them. And about the fourth watch of the night, he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out, for they all saw him and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them and saith unto them, be of good cheer, it is I, be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship, and the wind ceased. And they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened. And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Gennesaret, and drew to the shore. And when they were come out of the ship straightway, they knew him. and ran through that whole region round about and began to carry about in beds those that were sick where they heard he was. And whether so ever he entered into villages or cities or country, they laid the sick in the streets and besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his garment and as many as touched him were made whole." Thus far we read God's holy and inspired word. It's on the basis of this text and others like it. We have the teaching of the Heidelberg Catechism in Lord's Day 50. Lord's Day 50 of the Heidelberg Catechism, question and answer 125, which is the fourth petition? Give us this day our daily bread. That is, be pleased to provide us with all things necessary for the body, and that we may thereby acknowledge thee to be the only fountain of all good, and that neither our care nor industry, nor even thy gifts can profit us without thy blessing. And therefore that we may withdraw our trust from all creatures and place it alone in thee. Beloved congregation in our Lord Jesus Christ, All of the miracles that our Lord and Savior performed during his earthly ministry, all of them have spiritual significance. The miracle that we read of here in Mark chapter six, the feeding of the 5,000, and then if you would even go forward a few more chapters to Mark chapter eight to the feeding of the 4,000, in those miracles, these two miracles, Jesus is teaching the people that He is the bread of life. Jesus is saying, just as I give you food for the body, so also you must know that there is food that you must eat for your souls, and that I am that food. And really, whatever the particular miracle it is that Jesus performs, in some way, shape or form, it always points us to the saving grace of God. We also learn from the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 and of the 4,000 that God is the one who supplies his people with earthly bread. So that we read here in Mark chapter six, the people gather around Jesus. He taught them throughout the course of the day, and now it's getting towards late afternoon. At the end of the day now, the disciples come to Jesus and they say to him, Jesus, it's getting late. Send the people away that they may go into their towns, that they may go into the villages, and that they may buy food for themselves to eat. And Jesus responds to that by saying, you disciples, you give them to eat. Give them, my disciples, you give them of what you have to eat. Now by responding that way, Jesus was teaching the disciples a lesson. He was making the disciples aware that even though you might have a little food, yet you don't have nearly enough food for all of these people to provide for the daily bread for this great multitude. And Jesus teaching the disciples, teaching us that for our daily provision of food, clothing, shelter, whatever it is that we stand in need of, We can't provide it ourselves, but therefore that we seek it from God. Now, as we consider this fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer, there's going to be two elements that are present in this petition. The two elements are these, number one, the gift of earthly goods, material possessions, And the other gift is the gift of God's grace, the spiritual blessing that we seek from God. Because now consider, if the only thing that we have in mind when we pray this petition, give us this day our daily bread. If the only thing we have in mind is those things that I desire, food and clothing and shelter, then I have failed to pray this petition rightly. Because even the ungodly in the world, especially in their time of desperation, When they become very desperate, they too will fall down on their knees and they will cry out to God to give them what they need. And then we say, well, what's the difference? What's the difference between that ungodly man who only wants things from God and myself? If there's no difference in the way that you and I approach God, simply seeking and desiring earthly things. But for us who are the children of God, we always want more and we always need more than simply earthly material gifts. We also desire a heavenly spiritual blessing so that when we pray, give us this day our daily bread, we are also asking God to give us the spiritual blessings of of trust, that we will trust in Him. We are asking God for contentment with what He pleases to give us, with what it might please God not to give us. We are asking God for gratitude for what He has already given in the past. So a petition for earthly bread, it is, but also a petition for heavenly spiritual graces. Well, let's consider this petition of the Lord's Prayer, taking as our theme a petition for our daily bread. We note in the first place what our bread consists of, and secondly, the purpose in receiving it. A petition for our daily bread. In making this petition, we are asking God As the Heidelberg Catechism instructs us, be pleased to provide us with all things necessary for the body. And that's in harmony with what the catechism teaches earlier in Lord's Day 45. What has God commanded us to ask of him? All things necessary for soul and body. So that this petition certainly regards those things, those things that you and I need for the body. In the first place, because the petition as Jesus teaches us, it says that we must pray for bread. Bread refers very immediately and very specifically to the food that you and I need every day to survive. All the food that you and I eat and the drink besides, that's bread for you and for me. And let's not forget that. and especially for you children. Keep that in mind, be aware of that. Every sandwich in your lunch bag, every piece of fruit in it, every drink of water, the good food that you're going to eat around the dinner table this afternoon, God is the one who gives it to you. And he gives it to you in answer to your prayer Give us this day our daily bread. Bread not only represents all of the food that we need, but it also refers to all of the things that you and I need for our physical existence here on this earth. Bread is used here as a figure of speech by which one thing, bread, is used to refer to a multitude of other things of earthly necessities for the body that you and I need, things like clothing, and shelter, and employment, and money, and so many other things. And these are things that are necessary for the body. But let's keep in mind that they are not necessary for the body in the same way that the world would have us think that they are necessary for the body. Because the world also wants these things. They want food, they want clothing, and shelter, and money, and employment, and all of the rest. But from the world you will hear, well, those things are necessary because then our life is easier. then that makes our life manageable and more comfortable. And so we need those things. But people of God, our earthly bodily comfort. is not God's primary concern when He gives us our daily bread. Our earthly bread is given us not that we would serve ourselves in our own comfort but that we would serve God, that we would do His will, that we would seek His kingdom. And in the process of doing those very godly and spiritual activities, in the process we find that our bodies, yes, they grow weak and they grow weary. And so we need food and clothing and shelter, but you see, it's not for us. It's not for me. But it's all things that God gives us that we may press it into the service of God's name. So that's what bread is, all the things that we need for the body. In the second place in this petition, we ask God to give us the things that we need for today. Not for tomorrow or the next day, but we ask God for those things that we need today. That's what Jesus teaches us in this petition. Give us this day our daily bread. And Jesus demonstrates that here in Mark 6 in the miracle that he performed with the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus supplied their needs for that day. Jesus did not send them home with all kinds of baskets full of food for all of the families to bring home, but he gave them in their present need and hunger and no more. Well, what does that mean for us? It means for us, give us this day our daily bread, not give me a long time of being fed, not give me storehouses of food, but give me this day my daily bread. You wonder what it must have been like for Elijah the prophet when he was at the Brook Cherith. And there was water for him in the stream, but slowly that stream dried up. But in the morning and in the evening, the ravens would bring him a little piece of meat and a little bit of bread. just enough in the morning for him to survive till the evening, and in the evening just enough for him to have enough energy to rest at night, and the next day the ravens would come again. And so think of Elijah as he prayed to God to supply his needs, and Elijah could have come to no other conclusion. God has given me my daily bread. And that means that for us, we don't need a lot. We don't pray for luxuries that will follow me all the days of my life. We don't pray for full bank accounts. We don't pray that our pantry will always be stocked with all kinds of food and all the best kinds of food. We pray for the things that we need today. Give us this day our daily bread. And then further Jesus teaches us about these physical things that we need when he inserts the word daily. Give us this day our daily bread. Now that word daily, that's not a repeat of this day. That phrase this day is the word that limits the amount of time that we're praying for just for this day, but daily is a different word. Daily is the word that means give me the food that is appointed for me. My daily ration, my daily amount so that somebody made a decision about how much food I will need today and the one who makes that decision is not me, it's not you. Give us this day our daily bread, our daily allotment and this is a confession then on our part that We don't know how much we need day by day, and we don't get to determine how much we do receive day by day. I think I know what I need. I have all kinds of ideas as to what my necessities are, but the decision isn't up to me. That decision is up to somebody else to give me my daily appointed rations, and that someone else is Jehovah God. Sometimes the daily portion that God has determined to give us, well, he gives to one person in great abundance. And that person has an overabundance of his or her daily bread. For another person, God gives so little that that child of God perhaps might be ready to starve at the end of the day. And perhaps it doesn't seem like he has enough, but God, who is all wise, He knows exactly how much you and I need, and He knows exactly how to give that in the right amount and at the right time. Give us this day our daily appointed bread. Now concerning these earthly necessities, there are two things that we ought to note. In the first place, Remember that we are making this petition to God. We don't go to the government, give us this day our daily bread. We don't go to some other local charity, give us this day our daily bread. We don't go to anybody else but one, Jehovah God. We seek it from him. Give us this day our daily bread. And that means in the first place that we can't do it. We can't provide our daily bread. Doesn't matter how old you are, whether you are a young man full of strength and energy, whether you are an elderly person, we cannot provide for ourselves. And that's something that we must live in the constant awareness of. Especially when we are younger, when we are healthier, when it's very easy in the morning to bounce out of bed and to get to work and to get to doing our daily activities. and work is going good, business is great, and there are relatively few cares and concerns that we have in life, and it's easy for us to think, and the devil would plant that seed in our minds that it's you who's doing it, it's your strength, it's your determination, it's your effort, you are providing for your daily bread. But then we remember the fact is that all our strength, all our labor, all our industry, all our good work ethic, and we thank God when he provides all the above. But those are all gifts that God gives. Those are all tools that God uses to give us our daily bread. But at the end of the day, we come to God with this prayer and seek it from Him alone. Give us this day, oh Heavenly Father, my God and my Savior, give me my daily bread. And I dare say that as one gets older, he or she recognizes and especially experiences more and more that God is the one who provides. And God uses even the passing of time and using the aging process to teach us that. Because as we grow older, our bodies grow weak. As we get into our 30s and 40s and 50s, then our muscles don't work the way they used to work. We get injured a whole lot easier. And there are times when, because of an injury in our later years, that now we are laid up in bed for a week or two. Maybe an injury that lasts for the rest of our life that we otherwise would have overcome when we were younger. And then especially as one advances in age, and you think of our elderly grandparents, whether they are in their 70s or 80s or 90s, and they're physically not able to do the kind of work that they once were able to do. Now, they still need their daily bread. And in those circumstances, God uses other means to provide. But now the point is this, that it doesn't matter what your situation in life is. It doesn't matter what your physical condition is, whether you are young or old. God is the one who provides. Seek your daily bread from your heavenly Father. In the second place, we are also asking God to grant His blessing along with His daily provision of our bread. Here we get to that second element that I spoke of in the introduction. We have the earthly provision, the material goods we seek from God, but now we also want the spiritual heavenly blessing. And that's what the catechism teaches us. when it says that neither our care nor industry, nor even thy gifts can profit us without thy blessing. And that's the same truth that the psalmist speaks in Psalm 90. Establish thou the work of our hands, yea, the work of our hands, establish thou it. And that means that we can have all kinds of possessions, we can have all kinds of earthly goods and resources, and we can use all of those resources in our line of labor so that we can have a profitable business, so that we can make a good product for the customer. But insofar as we would labor without the blessing of Jehovah God, then our work is not established. If we labor without the blessing of Jehovah God, then our work is not grounded. And apart from God's blessing, our work only becomes a self-seeking and self-serving activity, and ultimately, that work doesn't help us at all. We seek God's blessing as we go about our daily work. Well, that same principle applies to our daily bread. We can think of all the material gifts and goods that God has given unto us, and God has given unto us so much. He's given us so much food, more food than we really need, and we throw food away. More than sufficient clothing, more than sufficient housing, and these are all things that we use in our life day by day But if God does not add his blessing along with these earthly goods, then we're never gonna use these earthly goods in the right way. We're never going to use them as a gift from God, and we're never going to press them into the service of God. And so when we pray to God, give us this day our daily bread, we are asking for the bread, but we're asking God and bless me with grace. Give me wisdom to use these things rightly in the service of thy name and for the good of the neighbor. But this tells us then that there is a division, that there is a separation between the gifts that God gives, which are common to all mankind. God gives earthly gifts to everybody. There's a division between those earthly gifts that God gives to everybody, and then on the other hand, the spiritual blessings that God gives only to his people. Which spiritual blessings are particular? And there are two errors that we have to be mindful of in this regard. In the first place, there's the error of common grace. Common grace says this, that there is a grace of God that is common to all mankind, the elect and the reprobate. It's not a saving grace, but it's a grace that operates in the lives of the reprobate. And then the question is, well, how does God, supposedly, how does God give this common grace to all mankind? How do they get it? Well, the answer is, well, God sees to it that they hear the gospel. that according to common grace, the bare preaching of the gospel to elect and reprobate alike somehow now becomes an indication, a token of the favor of God upon everybody who hears the gospel, a favor of God even that becomes a love of God and a desire of God that everybody who hears the gospel be saved. But then also how does God supposedly show this common grace? The answer is because God gives to the reprobate many of the same good gifts that he gives to the elect. So that the elect farmer receives abundant rain for his crops, and the unbelieving farmer across the road receives the same abundant rain. And now, if that rain all by itself is interpreted to be a blessing of God and of His favor for the believing man, that believing farmer, then that same rain must be a token of God's blessing and God's favor for the unbelieving farmer. Well, that's very telling about the teaching of common grace. Common grace does not make the necessary distinction between the earthly gift as such on the one hand, and then the spiritual blessing of God on the other hand, whereas the Reformed faith does. And the Reformed faith makes that distinction right here in Lord's Day 50. All these gifts we receive from God cannot profit us without thy blessing. There's not only the air of common grace, but then there's also the air of common grace really carried out to its logical end. And that's the air that we know as the prosperity gospel. The prosperity gospel says God wants you to be happy. And because we all know that we're the happiest when we get flush bank accounts and all kinds of material possessions and all kinds of earthly goods, then that must mean that the more stuff that we have, well, the more of the blessing of God that rests upon us. But the prosperity gospel also says the opposite, that if you don't have as many things as you want, then that means that God isn't blessing you. He's not blessing you. And then you've gotta work harder. Then there's something wrong with you, there's something wrong with your faith if you don't have a lot of stuff, because a lot of stuff is the equivalent of God blessing you. and we immediately recognize the foolishness of that type of thinking. According to the prosperity gospel, then what we consider the last two Sundays from Luke chapter 16, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, that man Lazarus according to the prosperity gospel would be a man who would be the least blessed of God. because in this life he had little to next to nothing, but the parable proves it wrong because when he died, he went into the bosom of Abraham. Well, it's not difficult to see the error. It assumes that when God gives things, he's also granting his blessing at the same time in those things and with those things, and that's not true. Because God may give gifts, and he so often does, he gives good gifts to wicked men, but they don't use it aright. They don't use it in the fear of God's name, and God's love isn't upon them. God places them in slippery places, and they make themselves ripe for damnation. And so when God gives, he doesn't always add his blessing. but we are taught that when you receive, you ask God's blessing to come along with it. Not only give my daily bread, heavenly Father, but Father in heaven, grant thy blessing as well. And that's something good for us as parents, for us as fathers, especially that when we pray around the supper table with our family and with our little children, that we are making sure that we ask God not only for our daily bread, but that we also make very clear, and Heavenly Father, add thy blessing along with it. Because without thy blessing, this food and this bread and this house and this all my other stuff will do me no good. Well, not only is this a prayer for bodily necessities, but it's a prayer that we be blessed spiritually as well. The catechism underscores that and now we move to the second point of the sermon when it speaks to us of the effect or the purpose of God's providing us with daily bread. And according to the Heidelberg Catechism, the purpose is this, that we may thereby acknowledge thee to be the only fountain of all good and that we may withdraw our trust from all creatures and place it alone in thee. And that was the point of so many and of all of Jesus' miracles really to point us to the fact that man ought not to labor for that meat which perisheth but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which Jesus is the Son of Man shall give unto you. But the first purpose in God providing us with bread according to the catechism is this, that we may thereby acknowledge thee to be the only fountain of all good. Jesus teaches us to come to God And now in this petition that it would be impressed on our hearts that God alone provides, that he's the fountain of all good. And you think of that picture of a fountain, so that if you would go to some park in the middle of a city, and there is a big, beautiful fountain, and there's that lower level, and there's another level with water on it, and another level, and then up on top the water, It comes springing forth and it fills all of the various levels beneath that. And it's pretty obvious to see where that water comes from. It's coming from that big bottom basin. It's being pumped up to the top. But then you consider another illustration of a fountain. You consider a pond. And you don't necessarily see the fountain, but you know that there is a fountain at the bottom of that pond that is providing all of that good fresh water that's needed so that the pond maintains its level, good fresh water for all of the various creatures that might live within that pond, but the source of the water of that pond, it's coming from that fountain underneath. You don't see it all the time, but you know there's that fountain, and that fountain is the source. Well, that's instructive for us. It's instructive for us because we can become very accustomed to our pond, as it were, my life. And it's always full of water. We always have enough to eat. We always have enough to wear. What day of our life have we worried that we're not going to have enough food at the end of the day? I grant maybe there are a few here, but not many. How many times in our life have we really wondered that I don't know where I'm going to live tonight or the next day? How many of us have really had the problem of I don't know if I'm going to have clothing at the end of the day? I don't know if those necessities will be met. Well, the danger is that we become used to the very comfortable lifestyle that we have. The danger is that we become complacent. And if that thinking goes unchecked, the ultimate danger is that we forget that God is the one who is providing all these things for us. And so people of God, let's ever be mindful that our earthly bread, it doesn't come to us naturally, but it comes to us from the hand of God. God uses many different means that we are accustomed to, but at the end of the day, it comes to us from God, who is the fountain of all good. And now according to the catechism, the acknowledging of this and living in this reality serves a higher purpose. And that's this, that we may withdraw our trust from all creatures and place it alone in God, our Father. that we may withdraw our trust. Asking of God, God putting in us the awareness that I'm not the one who provides my daily bread, but then the purpose is that God would so impress it upon our hearts that we would look in the rest of our lives and see those things that we are tempted to trust in. And that is our sinful human nature to place our trust in the creature. And ultimately, the temptation is that we place our trust in me to provide. I will work, I will start a business, I will put food on the table, and I will do it all by myself. Or if hard times come along that we realize I can't do it all, that we would seek it from other created things, I've got medical bills, the government will take care of me. I've got other hardships, the government will do this for me. And I have so many other things that I can fall back on, insurance policies and whatnot. And if that becomes the case, people of God, that we rely upon ourselves, that we rely upon any other created thing for maintaining a certain standard of living, then sadly we will also turn to those same things for safety and security, for comfort, for protection, for happiness. We must withdraw any trust we have in created things and place it alone in God. And we have every confidence that God will provide for our daily bread. We don't make this petition wondering. We don't make this petition with a hunch that maybe God will provide, but maybe not. But we have every confidence because God has already provided the bread that you and I ultimately need. And that bread is the Lord Jesus Christ, that manna, which is sent down from heaven. God has given us the greatest bread of all, the Lord Jesus Christ and him crucified for our sins and for our salvation. And if God has given us that greatest gift, the gift of salvation, then you can be absolutely sure and confident that God will give you all of the lesser things that you need in this life. food and clothing and shelter. And further, another purpose in this petition is that we be given the grace to recognize that my neighbor also has needs. Because after all, Jesus teaches us to pray this petition. Not give me this day my daily bread, but to give us this day our daily bread so that we pray this as members of one body. We pray this as members of the church. And so we have the Church of Jesus Christ in mind. When we pray the fourth petition of the Lord's Prayer, we have our brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ in mind. How selfish we would become if our attitude is, give me my daily bread and as long at the end of the day, as long as I have what I think I need, then I'm good. Then I really don't wanna be bothered with the lack that the neighbor might have. That's a horrible attitude. That's a wrong approach. And there is this striking illustration of that in the feeding of the 5,000 here in Mark chapter six, when the disciples tell Jesus to send the people away to get food, that they may go to their villages and whatnot. And Jesus answers in verse 37, give ye them to eat. As if to say, why hasn't it crossed your mind, my disciples, that you have bread, you have things, give of what you have for the good of all those people. And so also for us, we must give for others. We may not pray this petition only thinking of me, but we pray this petition thinking of others. Give us this day our daily bread means that I will be willing and ready to give of the excess bread that God gives me and that I may give it to the neighbor. Give us this day our daily bread means that I won't be so selfish with the daily provision of bread that God sees fit to give me, but that I will gladly give it for the good of the body. Give us this day our daily bread means that when the collection is taken for benevolence, I will give liberally and I will give cheerfully, knowing that this is one of the major means that God uses to supply the needs of his people in times of need. And in answer to their prayers, give us this day our daily bread. God hears and answers this prayer for bodily necessities. God answers it because of his promise that Jesus gives in Matthew 6 verse 33. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. All these what things? The things concerning your daily bread. But don't seek them first. Don't ever seek them first. First you seek the kingdom of heaven and its righteousness. Seek Jesus Christ, your Savior. Love Him, cling to Him. Seek your righteousness in Him alone. And God will provide everything else that you need. He gives you Jesus Christ. He will give you the lesser. In the second place, the miracle that Jesus performs in Mark 6 is a concrete demonstration of that. Jesus provided by way of a miracle. The people were not expecting it. They knew exactly what was going on. They were amazed because of it. God provides for us as well. It may not be like a miracle, the way that it was for the feeding of the 5,000 and the 4,000. The way that God provides for us now is through the ordinary means of his providential care and guidance and direction of all things. But isn't that a miracle at the end of the day too, that God would provide for us in such a unique way, in such a wise way, in such a perfect way, giving me what I need and giving me His blessing as well. And let's keep in mind as well that although God answers this prayer for daily bread, there will come a day when God will withhold our daily bread. And I have in mind now that day when we grow old, the body is growing weaker and weaker, and in that condition, God makes it plain that our immediate need is not earthly bread anymore because there is no appetite for that kind of earthly food anymore. But in the way of withholding earthly bread, God is preparing us for that day when he will deliver us from this earth into heaven where we will enjoy that true heavenly bread. forever and ever. May God give us our daily bread on this Sabbath day and that we may go forth and trust in Him all the days of our lives. Amen. Let us pray. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, the bread that thou has appointed and no more. Give it to us this day and not tomorrow, but today. May we withdraw our trust from all creatures and place it alone in Thee, our gracious Heavenly Father. For Jesus' sake, amen. We sing Psalter number 54. Psalter number 54, my faithful shepherd is the Lord supplying all my needs in pastures green, he makes me rest by quiet waters leads. Let's sing the five stanzas, Psalter number 54. He tenderly restores my soul, and I am in ecstasy. The Lord is safe, safe guides my feet in paths of righteousness. ♪ There is a song ♪ you O Lord, our Father's Son, eternal King, Forever more, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be and abide with you all. Amen.