Luke 11:5-13 (3)
Notes
Transcript
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- Let me invite you to turn in your Bibles to Luke 11.
We’re going to be looking at Verses 5-13 this morning.
If you haven’t been here in the past few weeks...
We’ve been taking our time...
…and going through that model prayer...
…that Jesus taught his disciples to pray...
…which is most often referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer.”
-And, it would appear, that...
(even though the text doesn’t necessarily specify...
…the chronological sequence of the two teachings)
(Although I do think it is implied)
…Luke certainly seems to have...
...placed it after this model prayer...
…intending for Theophilus (and us by extension)...
…to have in these teachings...
…a great encouragement...
…to continue steadfastly in prayer...
…despite our circumstances.
I think that, that… is is an impetus...
We all need dearly!
That will be a great encouragement to our souls.
-So, let’s read it together (beginning in Verse 5)...
And, we’ll ask for the Lord’s blessing...
…to be upon it.
Luke 11:5–13 (ESV)
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!”
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Pray
-Let me draw your attention back to Verse 5.
(Show on Screen, but don’t read)
Luke 11:5 (ESV)
5 And he said to them...
And notice that, that first clause contains...
…everything that Luke specifies...
…about the context and setting of this section.
All he tells us, is that...
“he” = Jesus
...Is still talking to...
“them” = his disciples.
So, in light of the absence of any other details...
…and in light of the presence of that connecting conjunction “and” . . .
…it seems clear enough to me that...
…what follows in this section...
…is, in some capacity...
…meant to be seen as...
…a continuation of the previous discussion.
-Let’s be reminded of what that was:
Luke 11:2–4 (ESV)
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.”
And my over-arching thesis to you, has been...
…that Jesus gave this prayer...
...and its elements...
...As a model to guide us...
...in the way in which we ourselves...
...ought to come to God in prayer.
-So… it makes sense, then...
...that it is to these petitions...
…that Jesus is now speaking...
…when he gives those two illustrations...
…that we just read.
- Let’s look at the first one again.
It comes in the form of a question...
…about a hypothetical scenario.
Jesus asks them (rhetorically):
Luke 11:5–6 (ESV)
5 . . . “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,
In the ancient Near East, people went to bed pretty early.
Midnight was a very unusual hour for a visit.
Why in the world would anyone do that to their friend?
6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;
Now, this is not so unusual.
Because of the heat, some folks would travel at night.
And Remember, that in the context of ancient Middle Eastern culture...
…being hospitable to travellers (especially your own friends)...
…was a matter of cultural honor and holy obligation.
It was a most solemn and sacred duty.
And the reality was...
…that the first thing that a weary traveller would need...
…would be food and drink.
-So, in this hypothetical scenario...
…Jesus is telling his disciples...
…to imagine that they’ve received...
…an unexpected guest in the middle of the night...
…and they’re so caught off guard by it...
…that they don’t even have “bread” to give him.
And they go to their other friends house...
…in an attempt to...
Salvage their own honor and dignity
Be able to fulfill their cultural obligations to the traveler.
And Jesus says (again, rhetorically)...
…which one of you who did that...
…would expect their other friend to do this:
Luke 11:7 (ESV)
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’?
Already, we've lost respect for this “friend,” haven’t we?
His “cannot” is really a “will not,” isn’t it?
Nothing he has said, makes him unable...
…to get up and help the man and his weary traveller.
The door can be opened and shut back safely
The children could be put back to bed.
What kind of a friend is this?
Rather than be inconvenienced a little...
…he’s willing to...
Let his friend’s friend, go hungry
Make his friend suffer great shame and humiliation.
Who would expect this from their friend?
-Now, look at what Jesus says in Verse 8:
Luke 11:8 (ESV)
8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend...
Even if the friendship wouldn’t be enough to make him acquiesce...
Luke 11:8 (ESV)
8 ...yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.
“impudence” = shamelessness, persistence
In other words, this man is desperately insistent...
...on getting his friend’s help.
And if for no other reason than that shameless persistence...
…the man will prevail...
…in getting what he needs for his guest.
-So, what is Jesus getting at, here?
Well, I think it would be hard...
…to explain it any better than this:
The sense is obvious: If the churlish and self-indulgent—deaf both to friendship and necessity—can after a positive refusal, be won over, by sheer persistency (sic), to do all that is needed,
how much more may the same determined perseverance in prayer be expected to prevail with Him whose very nature is “rich unto all that call upon Him” (Ro 10:12). — JFB Commentary
The point is not to compare the uncaring friend to God...
But to make a sharp contrast between them.
It’s very similar to...
…the parable that Jesus told in Luke 18...
Luke 18:1–8 (ESV)
1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.
This is a wicked judge
Meant to be contrasted to God
Not Compared
3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’
4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man,
5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ ”
6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
And in contrast, he says:
7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?
8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily...
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-Do you see the point?
God isn’t an unrighteous Judge.
He’s the Judge of all the earth...
…and he WILL do what is right!
And his people...
…are chosen and precious to Him!
They DON’T have to pester him to death...
…in order to get Him to pay attention to their plight.
He hears and responds speedily to them!
-Now, we have to interpret...
…the perspective of immediacy, here...
…in the light of other passages of Scripture, as well:
For example:
Revelation 6:9–11 (ESV)
9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.
10 They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”
11 Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.
He is impeccably righteous and just...
AND… He loves them inexhaustibly!
And He WILL, ultimately and finally...
…give them justice.
But even in the waiting...
…he is sympathetic and caring toward our plight.
Even in the waiting...
…we find rest for our souls, in Christ!
And the point is, that...
...We can come to Him (in Christ)...
…with full confidence.
We can...
Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)
16 ...with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
That is the point!
-Look at Verses 9-10 back in our text:
Luke 11:9–10 (ESV)
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.
All three of those verbs are...
Present tense
Imperatives (commands)
I love the way the CSB translates it, here:
Luke 11:9 (HCSB)
9 “So I say to you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
Now, notice the “For” in Verse 10:
10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
The Apostle John told the Ephesians:
1 John 5:14–15 (ESV)
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
Think of the second petition!
15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
-But, let me remind you of another important qualifier:
We need to tether passages like this...
...to passages like these:
James 4:3 (ESV)
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
Also:
2 Corinthians 4:16–18 (ESV)
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.
17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
2 Corinthians 12:7–10 (ESV)
7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” . . .
10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
You see, often times, what’s best for us...
…is not the same thing as what we want.
-That’s why the rest of our passage is so important.
Look at the second illustration Jesus gives in Verse 11:
Luke 11:11–12 (ESV)
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?
So, he’s moved the analogy....
From a Friend
To a FATHER!
What father with a dependent child...
If asked for something good for health and sustenance...
…will instead knowingly and willfully...
…(deceptively) give them something dangerous and deadly instead?
No One!
Even the worst of men...
(By the means of common grace)
…tend to love their children, right?
Look at what he says in Verse 13:
Luke 11:13 (ESV)
13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children...
Do you see the juxtaposition that He’s setting up?
Did you notice the implied statement...
…on man’s radical depravity in it?
Speaking to “his disciples” . . .
He said, if “you… who are (inherently) evil” . . .
…have the capacity to do good to your children...
(Jumping to the Sermon on the Mount)
Matthew 7:11 (ESV)
11. . . how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Calvin had this to say about it:
It is a comparison from the less to the greater. First, our Lord contrasts the malice of men with the boundless goodness of God.
Self-love (φιλαυτία) renders us malicious: for every man is too much devoted to himself, and neglects and disregards others.
But this vice yields to the stronger feelings of a father’s love, so that men forget themselves, and give to their children with overflowing liberality.
Whence comes this, but because God . . . drops into their hearts a portion of his goodness?
But if the little drops produce such an amount of beneficence, what ought we to expect from the inexhaustible ocean?
Would God, who thus opens the hearts of men, shut his own? — John Calvin
-Now, watch this:
Look at the clarification of what’s “good” . . .
…back in Verse 13 of our text:
Luke 11:13 (ESV)
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!”
Brethren, is there something badly wrong...
If you’re reading this text...
…about God giving you all good things...
…and you come to that...
…and you’re disappointed?
It’s not about...
Money
Land
Cars
Vacations
It’s about God himself.
What does it mean to be...
...”given the Holy Spirit?”
It means for God to give you himself!
It means for the Lord to be your inheritance!
It means to have his presence of blessing...
…restored to you.
It means for him to dwell within you!
Can there be a greater gift?
Is there anything better...
…that your heavenly Father could do for you?
Let me show you how formative this is.
Acts 1:4–5 (ESV)
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
And after He was given to them, Peter said:
Acts 2:38 (ESV)
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Oh brethren, we shouldn’t take...
…this indescribable gift for granted!
Consider this:
What will the Spirit do in us?
He will reveal the truth of God through the teaching of Scripture, which he himself first revealed.
He will give us the conviction of sin, granting us the gift of repentance.
He will persuade us of the truth of the gospel, working in us the gift of faith.
By faith he will unite us to Jesus Christ, so it is only through the Spirit we receive the blessings of salvation: justification, sanctification, and adoption.
That is not all; it is only the beginning.
The Spirit will win us the victory over sin.
The Spirit will equip us with gifts for ministry. The Spirit will grow in us the fruit of godliness.
The Spirit will assure us that we are the children of God.
One day the Spirit will raise us from the dead, just as he raised Jesus from the dead, and by his transforming grace he will change us into glory. — Philip Ryken
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This is what God’s people have waited for...
…since time immemorial.
We have received it!
We have recieved HIM!
-If God has given us THIS gift...
Can we “pray without ceasing” regardless of our circumstances?
Can we “ask, seek, and knock” with confidence?
(Brothers, could you please come up?)
-Brethren, what greater reminder do we have...
…of the certainty of God’s goodness toward us...
…than the continual and perpetual reminder...
…that we have in the Lord’s Supper?
His body given… FOR us
His blood poured out… FOR us
Paul said it like this:
32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Do we need more assurance than that?
Can there be a greater expression...
...of God’s commitment to our eternal good, than that?
No, there can not!
Let’s thank Him for it...
…before we partake.
Luke 22:19 (ESV)
19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Luke 22:20 (ESV)
20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
Paul includes the same call to remembrance here as well:
1 Corinthians 11:25 (ESV)
25 ...Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
As always, remember:
1 Corinthians 11:26 (ESV)
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Amen! Come Quickly!