The Messengers of John the Baptist

Introduction

Read Luke 11:1-13

Luke 11:1–13 ESV

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.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” 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, for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 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’? 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. 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. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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!”

Sometimes, I pray the Lord’s Prayer when I have nothing else to say. And sometimes, my heart doesn’t want to pray it, but I pray it until my heart wants what I am praying. That is what praying the Scriptures does for us.

Explanation

Luke 11:1-4.

The Lord’s Prayer in Luke is missing some of the elements of the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew. Does that mean that one of them are illegitimate?

Preachers sometimes repeat themselves. Little trade secret.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I repeat myself. Why? Because repeating oneself helps to engrain something in another’s mind.

I have to tell my little boy everyday to put on his shoes so that one day, he will put his shoes on by himself and I won’t have to ask or tell him.

A pastor/mentor of mine once said, “About the time you get tired of saying it is about the time that they start to get it.”

Contrasts the intimacy of God with the immensity of God.

Physical provision and spiritual provision.

The Father forgives us of our sins, and He keeps us from sinning further.

Luke 11:5-8.

What is the most obvious characteristic you would place on the man who walked up to another man’s house in the middle of the night?

Kent Hughes: Shameless (Impudence)

Three loaves of bread are more than enough to feed a large group of guests.

Not only was the timing shameless, but what he is asking for is shameless.

He asked for big things. He asked for inopportune things.

Have you ever refused someone’s request to borrow something reasonable?

If a man in the middle of the night with children in their beds won’t refuse you something that you need, what makes you think that your heavenly father won’t give you everything that you need.

I would advise keeping a prayer journal. A prayer journal helps you to track your prayers.

I love finding an old prayer list for my life.

I have never looked at an old prayer list and found the Lord to be unfaithful in what I asked Him.

Now, he might not have given me what I asked for, but He has always given me what I needed.

Luke 11:9-10.

Ask the Lord.

Pray.

Pray the audacious prayers.

Pray the small prayers.

Asking, Seeking, and Knocking are each difficult things.

Ask - Requesting something that you need.

Seeking - Asking but with actions.

Knocking - seeking with persistence.

Luke 11:11-13.

Sometimes, we don’t ask, because we are mistrustful of our Father. We are mistrustful of our Heavenly Father.

We know that God will give us what we need, but we may not like it.

Invitation