The Minisitry of Pray: Part 4 - Motivation to pray.
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
A messenger at a photo lab was leaving a building one day when his beeper went off. The message instructed him to pick up a package at an unfamiliar company with a 12-syllable, tongue-twisting name. The messenger looked skyward and sighed, “God, where am I supposed to go?” Just then the pager came on again, this time with the client’s address.
A man nearby witnessed this scene. Raising his arms to the heavens, he cried, “Why don’t you ever answer me?” (From Reader’s Digest [4/91], p. 127.)
All of us who are Christians have struggled with the problem of unanswered prayer.
In fact, that problem can discourage us so much that we start thinking, “What’s the use?” and we even quit praying.
We hear stories of how God answered prayer for others, but for us it just doesn’t seem to work.
Sometimes we may try again, but we’re like boys who ring the doorbell and run away.
We don’t stick around long enough to find out if God is home and if He is going to open the door and answer our request.
Jesus is responding to the request of an unnamed disciple, “Lord, teach us to pray” (11:1).
In 11:2-4, He gives us the pattern for prayer, that we are to pray to the Father about His concerns and we are to pray about the family’s needs.
In 11:5-13, Jesus continues His instruction by showing us how we should approach God in prayer.
You don’t just drop in on the president and say hi.
If you live in a country with a monarch, like a king or queen, you don’t just pop in on the king and say, “Hey, how’s it going?”
There is procedure and etiquette to be followed, you need some coaching on what to say and do and what not to say and do.
You need to know what social courtesies are expected in the presence of the king.
That though, is one of the major differences between God and an earthly king.
We can approach God in prayer, not knowing what to say, or what to do.
Because, if we have trusted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we now have the Holy Spirit living inside of us.
He is going to God on our behalf.
It is still helpful though to understand how to pray and how to approach God as Jesus has shown us in 1-4 and now continues in 5-13.
Jesus shows us here how to approach God to receive the things we need as we seek to do His will:
1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread, 4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” 5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Jesus began teaching his disciples how to pray by giving the architecture of prayer.
First, he gave the foundation: “When you pray, say: ‘Father.’ ”
Then he supplied two vertical petitions of prayer: “hallowed be your name” and “your kingdom come.”
Praying first for God’s work to be done and His name to be glorified.
Third, he laid out the horizontal structures of prayer with three petitions:
“Give us each day our daily bread”—
“Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us”—
“And lead us not into temptation.”
How Jesus laid out this prayer is important because it directs our hearts.
It helps us to recognize as well that we have two options in this life.
Either we walk alone, or we walk hand in hand with God.
Praying in this way causes us to see that our hands need to be firmly placed in God’s.
Like a child walking with their parent across the street.
While we have the formula for prayer, Jesus next addresses another important aspect, the motivation or attitude.
When we pray, what is it that we really expect?
What do we really hope for?
How should we approach prayer?
Think about who it is you are praying to.
God is holy, he is perfect.
God is the creator of the universe.
And we can approach him anytime.
And yet our most common time we do go to him is when we are in dire need.
This kind of thinking is wrong.
Jesus through this parable presents God as approachable, gracious, generous, and ready to hear our request.
Jesus tells this parable to teach his disciples, and us about our attitude when it comes to prayer.
This parable is a story of a man and two of his friends.
To really understand this parable, we must understand some first century culture.
Today we have convenience stores, grocery stores that are open 24-7.
In the first century though, bread was baked daily to meet the needs of the day.
How long does fresh baked bread last? Not long
Hospitality was also held in extremely high regard in Jewish culture and it is clearly shown in scripture.
Think of the example of Abraham in Genesis 18.
1 And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth 3 and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5 while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.”
In the Jewish culture,
Luke Original Meaning
A visitor was to be welcomed and cared for, regardless of the hour of his arrival.
This is where the difficulty in this parable lies.
A late evening guests unexpected arrival and no food to provide for him.
Travelers would also frequently travel in hot summer months in the evening and into the night because of temperatures.
The heat of the day can consistently be over 100 F.
This man has a friend arrive at his home, has been traveling an unknown distance, and no food to put before him.
What is this host to do.
The host has but one option, go to another friend.
Also we must keep in mind the normal construction of homes during that time.
Most were a single room.
Families would sleep together in the middle of room.
So this man goes to his friends home.
He goes boldly, at the risk of waking his other friends family, to ask him for bread.
The parable begins “which of you.”
This story is meant to be absurd.
Whenever Jesus introduces a parable with a phrase like this, he is introducing something outside of the character or cultural norm.
This helps us today know that he is about to describe something that would never happen.
No self respecting Jewish person of the day would refuse to help a neighbor in need no matter the hour.
Next Jesus stresses in this parable is the relationship of the asker to the giver.
The man asking goes to a friend.
Not only culturally would a neighbor not deny the request, but this man also went to a friend.
As readers and hearers, this indicates that our approaching God is like approaching a friend.
This can be difficult for us.
Especially when we have a high view of God and His sovereignty.
Is God all powerful, most certainly.
God has created the universe, he holds it all in his hand.
Yet he is also our friend, and we can call him our friend.
We need not fear approaching God with our needs because he is our friend.
The Greek word for friend is φίλος
having a special interest in someone
one who is on intimate terms or in close association w. another
Someone with whom we are to be familiar with.
Earthly friendships are often built on similar directions and interests.
When we find ourselves on a new path, friendships often falter and fade, but Jesus will never slip away from you like an evening sunset.
Nor will He disappear like the sun in the midst of a storm.
He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.
This man goes to his friend looking to get three loaves.
In the context of our prayers, this is addressing our coming to God and His response.
Under ordinary circumstances, even for the needs of his own family, this man would not have thought about bothering his friend at a late hour when their door was shut and everyone in bed.
Another custom of the day is that doors would remain open until families were in bed for the purpose of showing hospitality.
Like leaving your porch light on today.
The demand of hospitality required him to take action.
This demand was greater than the cultural need to not bother someone when their door was shut.
As the askers, the application to us and our prayers here has to do with motivation
Do we see our prayers as urgent enough to go to God in this manner?
Are we going to God with a sense of urgency and need in our prayers.
And are we going to God on behalf of others?
Jesus next shifts the story to the man inside the house.
English Standard Version Chapter 11
Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’?
Now remember Jesus is asking this question in a rhetorical sense.
No self respecting Jewish person would answer in this regard.
Jesus is providing for us an opposite picture of what God is like.
God does not respond in this way to our prayers.
However we understand this man.
We have all been in this position before haven’t we?
There we are lying in our cozy beds, just warmed up, and now something happens that you have to get out of bed, you just don’t want to.
This is how the friend felt when his friend came knocking on his door looking for food.
How many times can you say no?, ‘Do not bother me;’ ‘the door is shut’
this means that it is likely barred with a large wooden beam that would be loud and difficult to remove;
‘my children are in bed with me,’
If his children were not awakened by the knocking, he didn’t want to risk awakening them by getting up so he says
‘I cannot get up and give you anything.’
Again this is meant to be a contrast, showing what God is not like.
Jesus shifts back to the motivation of the asker though.
The person asking is to be so persistent as to rouse the one being asked out of their warm cozy bed.
8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.
The key word in this section is impudence, persistence (NKJV), shameless audacity (NIV) importunity (KJV) ἀναίδειαν
It was more wrong culturally to not provide hospitality in that day than it was to wake your neighbor to ask for help.
ESV translates this word impudence.
1 obsolete: lacking modesty
2: marked by contemptuous or cocky boldness or disregard of others
NKJV - Persistence
continuing without change
Shameless audacity
audacity = bold
KJV - Importunate
im•por•tu•nate \im-ˈpȯr-chə-nət, -tyu̇-nət\ adjective
1528
1: troublesomely urgent: overly persistent in request or demand
The Greek word means.
lack of sensitivity to what is proper, carelessness about the good opinion of others, shamelessness, impertinence, impudence, ignoring of convention
Luke, Vol. 1—That You May Know the Truth Shamelessness
What Jesus was saying here is, if a grouchy friend can be forced by his friend’s shameless insistence to give what he ought, how much more will our loving God respond to our shameless petitioning for what we need.
And this is the attitude we are to have as we pray.
Knowing that God cares.
Knowing that we have been taught to pray and that as are praying according to His standards, we can be bold.
As Christians, we are able to go to God and boldly ask because gospel.
Because of the good news of what Jesus has done for us on the cross.
We can go to God because He has adopted us as children.
Because he is raising us up as his children.
Which means he is not terrorizing us, causing us to walk on egg shells in his presence, but willing to give to us what we need.
Our boldness glorifies God.
Jesus builds on this with the next statement which is a very familiar for anyone who has been a Christians for some time.
9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
“Ask” implies requesting assistance for a conscious need.
We realize our lack and thus ask for help.
The word also suggests humility in asking, for it is commonly used of one making a request of a superior.
“Seek” denotes asking but adds action.
The idea is not just to express our need, but to get up and look around for help.
It involves effort.
“Knock” includes asking plus acting plus persevering—like someone who keeps pounding on a closed door.
The stacking of these words is extremely forceful,
Each of these words present imperatives gives them even more punch.
Jesus is stating them as commands.
The text actually reads: “Keep on asking, and it will be given to you;
keep on seeking, and you will find;
keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”
The man in this picture just will not stop knocking!
Persistence in prayer is an indication of our soul’s confidence.
Jesus says, “it will be given … you will find … and the door will be opened.”
Those who “ask,” “seek,” and “knock” are people who believe God will answer.
There are a number of examples of this in scripture, one that comes to mind is that of Hannah in the OT.
When Hannah pled with God concerning her barrenness,
so great was her passion that the priest Eli “said to her, ‘How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine.’
‘Not so, my lord,’ Hannah replied, ‘I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD’ ” (1 Samuel 1:14, 15).
And God responded to Hannah’s passionate prayer by giving her a godly son.
We all pray at times though and don’t really think that God will answer,
we are more ready to explain why God shouldn’t answer than believe why He would.
Jesus after challenging us to come boldly, not only wants to change our attitude of approach but our expectation in God answering as well.
Prayer is not simply a blank check that is promising to answer any prayer our sinful hearts can conjure up.
No, Jesus has already outlined that we are to prayer for the glory of His name, for His kingdom and will, for our needs of provision, pardon and protection.
It goes without saying that Jesus is promising a ready answer for those who pray in accordance with God’s will.
We must in observing these verses stress the responsibility laid upon us to ask, seek and knock,
and how God has appointed that by the use of means,
in response to our praying,
God will cause His will to be brought to pass.
God is inviting us to cooperate with him through prayers.
To enter into the privileged partnership where in response to our prayers,
the prayers of feeble yet forgiven sinners,
the God of the universe, the holy and majestic God condescends to fulfil His will in response to us.
There is an equal stress on the condition of praying, by asking, seeking and knocking as there is on the certainty of the answer.
The strongest motivation Jesus gives for prayer come last.
He provides a clear between sinful fathers and our Heavenly Father.
It is a logical device where He argues from the lesser to the greater;
if an earthly father acts a certain way what can we expect from a perfect Father?
Jesus begins with another rhetorical question, ‘What father among you?’
Jesus is assuming that fathers are loving and generous not cold and malicious.
That they are to be seeking their children’s best interests not selfishly abusing them.
He is assuming the natural connection where a father feels a natural love and protectiveness towards his children and gladly provides for them.
If his child asks for fish he will not give him something that is poisonous and dangerous like a serpent.
Likewise if his child asks for an egg he will not give a scorpion.
If a child is hungry and asks for food a father would gladly give up his own meal that his children would eat.
As a parent you would be heartbroken if you found out that your child who was dealing with a big problem was too scared to talk to you because they were not assured of your love.
Our boldness puts on display that God is a good Father.
Does your faith dare to believe that God is this approachable and willing to hear your prayers?
The contrast is shown with verse 13.
13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
If sinful fathers are able to act this way, then how will God act?
Jesus assumes that even sinners can do good deeds.
Even though we are sinful and fallen, we are still made in the image of God,
we still know right from wrong and are still able to do good, like being good parents.
But even the very best parenting that we could find on earth would be nothing in comparison to our heavenly Father.
Think about some of the hesitation that some might have and the usefulness of this idea.
The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to ask for forgiveness for our daily sins,
We may think though “but what if God gets tired of me sinning and asking for forgiveness?
How can I expect to gain anything if I keep on sinning?
What if I do that sin that I asked for forgiveness yesterday, again?
Our ongoing struggle with sin constantly makes us unsure before a God we know to be holy.
There is a timidity that creeps into our prayers but Jesus is seeking to teach us boldness in our approach to God,
that we should go to Him for our needs as we would gladly go to a friend, or a good father, to get help in this hospitality crisis.
Prayer can be a difficult thing for each of us.
Especially when things don’t go according to how we are praying.
Our God works in ways that we don’t understand.
However as we pray as Jesus has taught us, using the structure he has given us, we can have confidence.
God delights to hear our petitions.
As we pray persistently, asking, seeking knocking.
Having the confidence that He will answer.
Praying passionately.
Praying expectantly.
We expect everything he gives us to be good—and it is! What a blessed people we are!