Power in the Pulpit | Luke 11:5–13
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Intro: If you have a Bible with you tonight, please turn to Luke 11:5-13.Tonight is the third message in our “When The Earth Trembles,” series. When you think about pretty much any Sunday School gathering or Wednesday night gathering, what is the one thing almost always asked at the end? It’s usually what prayer request there are. Maybe they are done at the beginning, but for the most part they are done at the end, but they are typically done. Why do we do prayer requests? In children’s classes it’s sometimes so the kids can tell a story, but we typically give prayer requests because there is something going on in our lives that we need prayer for. There is a situation that we or somebody we know or know of needs resolved. Let me ask you a question, does your personal prayer life reflect the things you say during prayer requests as being important. Or let me ask you this, if God was not all present and all knowing, would your prayer life allow Him to know what was going on in your life? When we look at tonight’s text, we will see that, Our prayer lives should be marked by urgency, consistency, and a right understanding of who God is. We will see an example to follow and why we persist. Would you please stand as we honor the reading of God’s Word.
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!”
The Example To Follow (5-8)
Exposition: Jesus starts this passage with a parable that sounds crazy to us, but would have been a common thing in this time. We read in verses five and six. Luke 11:5-6
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’;
Exposition: In today’s world if you were coming to visit somebody, you set that up ahead of time. You probably call and check their calendar and see what weekend works for both of you. Then you buy plane tickets and let the person know what time you are going to land. Or, if you are driving, you tell them when you are leaving and what time the GPS says you are going to be there. But in this time, there was no way to do that. If you were travelling, you just left on your journey and got there when you got there. For this reason, in a culture where hospitality was an expected thing. People always kept enough bread and food on hand that if somebody showed up to visit, you had a way to be a good host. In this situation, the homeowner went to bed without having anything, clearly expecting that nobody was going to show up. It was, “It will probably be fine. I’ll get what I need tomorrow situations.” Well, he guessed wrong because somebody did show up and he has nothing to give them which is a big no no in this culture. So, what does he do? He runs to his neighbors house and starts knocking on the door. Saying, “hey somebody just showed up at my house, I need you to let me borrow some bread so I have something to feed him.” Jesus then tells us the initial response of the person whose door is being knocked on in the middle of night, and it’s about what you would expect. Verse seven reads Luke 11:7
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’?
Exposition: Now this is a situation that parent that has or has had young kids can sympathize with. There is nothing worse as a parent than when you finally have little ones asleep, and somebody rings the doorbell, knocks at the door, or just walks by and causes the dog to start barking. You feel so out of control hoping the kid doesn’t wake up. In this region of the world at this time, most houses were small one bed room houses. The entire family, parents and kids slept on a mat on the floor. So this guy finally gets his kids down to sleep. He’s laying down ready to go to sleep himself. Maybe he’s finally drifted off to sleep. And he hears (knock knock knock). That can’t be. Surely, I dreamed that. He hears it again. Hey, it’s me. From next door. I need you to come get me some bread. The man in the home is like, “Dude, go away. I would have to walk through everybody to get to the kitchen and back to the door. There’s no way I’m doing that. Meanwhile, he’s checking around the room to see if anybody is stirring. The man keeps knocking, now his wife is whispering, “tell him to go away,” and he’s like, “I already did what do you want me to do.” Does the man who knocked catch a hint and go away. Nope. We read in verse 8. Luke 11:8
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.
Exposition: So clearly, the man knocking never goes away. And the man whose house he was at eventually relents. Why? Not because they were close friends, which Jesus seems to imply they are.
Explanation/ Application: The word Jesus uses there that is translated impudence carries the meaning of shameless immodesty without concern for propriety or one’s own dignity. What Jesus is saying, is the reason the person whose house it was finally got up and got the bread is because the man was so bold and shameless in order to get what he needed. The man was not going to stop asking until he got what he needed. You may be wondering why this is an example to follow. I think I can ask a question to explain it rather than just tell you. How many of you, when you see the things you or others need, take it to God with this kind of persistence? How many of you take what you need to God and ask in this way. Or do you mention it once and then just move on?
Transition: Jesus is using the example of a shameless person for us to follow? Why is that? Does he want us to be shameless? No, he wants us to be urgent. But understanding this example only happens if we understand God.
Why We Persist (9-13)
Exposition: Jesus goes on to explain why this parable applies to us. he says in verse 9 Matthew 11:9-10
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.
Exposition: Jesus gives three imperatives here. The first is ask. We see this played out in the parable. The man saw he needed bread, so he went and asked. But he didn’t just call out from his widow. No, he humbled himself and went to the man’s house seeking the bread. The man’s door was shut and it was a time of night where it would be generally assumed the man was unavailable. So he knocked at the door. And what ultimately happened, he got his bread.
Application: Is this what you see in your prayer life. Do you ask God, seek from God what you are asking for, and knock. Or do you pray one time and let it go. Is the only time that you bring something up in prayer requests. Do you have others praying for you and doing this same thing on your behalf. This parable comes after the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. It’s not just how you pray, but how often you pray. Jesus tells us in verse ten that God has a pretty open door policy when it comes to us going to Him in prayer. But how often do we just sit on what it is we need or what it is we see others needing. In the parable Jesus told, the man had a need, and He went to the neighbor with urgency and asked for what he needed. Is your prayer life marked by that same kind of urgency? Are you truly seeking from God the things you pray for. Are you praying not just once but over and over again with urgency. Jesus said we can. Not because we will or can annoy God into granting our request, but because of God’s goodness. We read in verses 11-12. Luke 11:11-13
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!”
Exposition: Jesus then points out something. Our expectation of God should be to give us what we need. Generally speaking, Fathers give their children what it is they ask for when it is something they need. Jesus uses two contrasts that would have been pretty apparent to his audience, but also to us. Fish and eggs were two common foods people Jesus was talking to would eat. It would not have been an uncommon thing for children to ask for. he then contrasts it with two common hazards. Poisonous snakes and scorpions. A normal Father, let me say here there are obviously bad fathers out there, but that’s not what Jesus is referring to. Most fathers who know that their children are hungry are not going to give them something bad for them if the child asks. It would be a foolish thing for the child to not ask because the Father is going to give him or her what she needs.
Application: In the same way, it’s a foolish thing for us not to ask. As Jesus, says in verse 13, if flawed sinful men give their children what they need, how much more will the Perfect Father that loves us give us. Why do we suffer in silence when there is a God that bends his ear to our prayer. Prayer is an act of trusting in God’s power and HIs goodness. But it’s not a time to make a Christmas wishlist.
Illustration: Part of being a parent is having to make the discernment of what is good for my children and what is not. The first year we ever had a Christmas party in the youth group I put students in charge of desserts. I did that at my last church and it worked well. The problem was that at our last church we had about six youth come to our Christmas party. That year we had like 15. We had more sweets than we knew what to do with. And all of you who were here were giving loading Amelia up with sweets. When we were cleaning up, she wanted another brownie. We had to tell her now, because that’s not what she needed.
Application: Verse 13 is not a promise to receive everything we could ask for. Luke 11:13
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!”
Exposition: Jesus tells us in verses nine and ten that if we ask seek, and knock it will be given to us. I think there are truly times where if we go to God in prayer and ask Him for what we need He will grant that specific request. I have seen it too many times to think otherwise. But in verse 13, we see that what God will always give us is Himself. Jesus says Luke 11:13 “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!”” The Holy Spirit is God. He is the third person of the Trinity that was poured out on the disciples at Pentecost, something we can read about in the book of Acts, and since comes to dwell in the hearts of everyone who places his or her faith in Jesus. He is the very presence of God with us.
Illustration: The apostle Paul had an experience many of us may have one day where what we ask for isn’t what is granted. In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul speaking in the third person as to show some humility, describes a vision of heaven he had. He said what he saw was too good to even be put into words. But he says to be kept humble, he was given a thorn in the flesh. He never tells us what it is, but it was obviously a real challenge for him. He pleaded with God three times for it to be removed. But it never was. But instead this is what he heard. He writes in 2 Cor. 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Application: I can’t promise you this evening that you will always receive everything you ask for in prayer. I can’t tell you that relationships with family of friends will be healed. I can’t assure you that sickness will always be made better. I can’t tell you there will always be a miracle. I can assure you that sometimes there will. And it will be an incredible testimony to the power and character of God. But what I can tell you, is that like Paul, when you don’t get exactly what you ask for, you will find God’s grace to be sufficient. I can assure you that even though it looks to somebody on the outside like an unanswered prayer, you will feel the power of God in your life allowing you to be at peace with knowing that while you may not have exactly what you prayed for. You have the presence of God. A God who loves you dearly. A God who sent His son to die on the cross for your sins so that you may have the kind of relationship where you can pray to Him and ask for what it is you need. I can also assure you, that if you do not make prayer a regular part of your life. You will find that you neither see what it is that you need or ask for, or feel the grace of God being made known in your weakness.
Proportion: Corresponding in size, degree, or intensity.” — Merriam-Webster
Proportion: Corresponding in size, degree, or intensity.” — Merriam-Webster
Conclusion: As we close, there’s a term I want you to think about in terms of your prayer life. That term is proportionality. Obviously, the root word in proportionality is proportion. The definition of proportion is, “Corresponding in size, degree or intensity.” Let me ask you this question. Is there proportionality between the issues you see in your life and your prayer life? When you look at the things in your life, or the lives of those you love. When you look at the brokenness and tragedies you see throughout the world. Is your prayer life proportional to you perception of the problem? When somebody looks at your life, do they see somebody that asks, seeks and knocks. Or are you passive in your prayer life. Young people, I encourage you to go to God in prayer. Not once, but pray through the problem. But maybe what you need to start with, is a prayer to have a relationship with Jesus. Maybe you have never allowed Jesus to be Lord of your life. Maybe the reason you don’t pray is because you don’t have a relationship with Jesus. If that’s the case, I want to pray with you tonight. Jesus died on the cross for you to have this access to God. Don’t live your life without that. Let’s pray.
