What is Jesus inviting us to ask for in this passage? What or Who is he promising to give?

Unforgiveness refuses to release another person from a debt that is owed. Bad judgement will not rest until every blemish – every fault – is brought out into the light to be scrutinized. Is that how God dealt with you? Is that the judgement that you received?

In today's passage, we see and know who Jesus is. We also discover how Jesus faced - and overcame - temptation.

Last week Jesus warned us not to succumb to greed. He reminded us that it is foolish and faithless to devote our lives to the storing up of treasure here on earth because everything on earth will ultimately fade away. Now, he turns his attention to the topic of anxiety and – at first glance – this feels like a new subject entirely but it isn't.

The hypocrite seeks treasure in the praise and approval of others. The worldly person seeks treasure in the comforts and pleasures of this life. Both are chasing the wrong treasure. Both are living in unbelief.

If you choose to fast, trust that the Lord will meet you in your fasting. He will reorient your appetites and grow in you a deeper longing for Him. He will listen to your prayer and He will answer.

The mission of John the Baptist was to turn people back to God, which would be made evident in their turning to one another. And in that way, people would be prepared to see the Lord.

We live in a culture that HATES forgiveness. Forgiveness gives the offender a mercy that they do not deserve. Jesus knows that forgiveness is HARD. As we consider this passage, we will see that the principle itself is clear, but the application is challenging.

In our sin, we will be tempted to treat prayer like a magic formula. But – as Jesus reminded us – our Heavenly Father knows what we need before we even ask Him. After giving that correction, Jesus presents us here with a model prayer that is striking in its simplicity.

Our passage this morning reminds us that alone in our humanity. There is someone who has suffered as we have. There is someone who has experienced our strife. There is someone who knows what it means to be a human—Jesus Christ, Son of Man and Son of God.