Untitled Sermon (15)

Good Morning turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of Luke.

(Let’s Pray)

is our passage this morning, if you would turn with me to Luke chapter 11.

Luke 11:1–13 HCSB

He was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say: Father, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone in debt to us. And do not bring us into temptation.” He also said to them: “Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs. “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. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 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?”

Luke 11:1-

This is Gods word

I want to speak to you this morning on this subject: GOD IS NOT A SLEEPY FRIEND

The disciples watched and waited as JEsus prayed, when He finished one of them said, Lord you know JTB taught his disciples how to pray, would you teach us how to pray?

Its that question which gives the backdrop for this text. Everything that Jesus says in verse 2 through 13 is in response to this question in verse 1. The Lord gives us important instructions on prayer in this text but before we consider the Lords instructions let’s think for a moment at this disciples request.

First of all this request was made after they had observed Jesus in prayer. There was something bout the prayer life of Jesus that moved and motivated the disciples. The repeated references to the prayer life of Jesus in Lukes Gospel alone is enough to prove that our Lord Jesus was a man of prayer and something about his prayers impacted his disciples. it should have the same effect on us.

One of the primary reasons you and I should take prayer more seriously is because Jesus prayed. Jesus is the blending of diety and humanity. Jesus is the meeting place of time and eternity, Jesus is the intersection between Heaven and Earth, and even though Jesus us all of these things.... Jesus found it neccesarry to pray.

If Jesus the son of the living God needed to pray, how much more do you and i need to pray? This rquest is made to Jesus, which is obvious, if you wanna learn a new skill, wisdom will lead you to a qualified teacher and that is simply what the disciples are doing here. Jesus is in fact THE expert in prayer.

Being fully human Jesus knows how to offer prayer, but being fully God Jesus knows how to answer prayer. So the best place to go to learn about prayer and even learn how to pray is simply to the feet of JEsus.

But think about the request itself: LORD TEACH US TO PRAY

is the only place in the gospels where the disciples directly asked Jesus to teach them anything. Jesus is not asked here to teach the disciples to preach or do miracles. If you go back and read the two previous chapters 9 & 10 Jesus sends his disiples out with power and authority, to preach and do miracles.

But even thought the fellas were out doing miracles and working wonders they still felt the need to learn to pray.

This shows me that prayer is one of the most difficult things for a disciples to learn, and its one of the most difficult things for a disciples to learn, because it is one of the most important things for a disciple to learn.

So I want you to draw in this morning, and join in with this anonymous disciple and ask the Lord, LORD TEACH US TO PRAY.

Think about how this request was made.

LORD TEACH US TO PRAY AS JOHN TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES

Now we don’t see in the Bible what John taught his disciples or how he taught them but this reference is enough to prove that JTB did teach his disciples how to pray.

IT was normal for rabbis to teach his followers how to pray and more specifically he would teach his followers how he would pray. This is most likely was what the disciples wanted to learn from Jesus, they most likely wanted Jesus to teach them what gave his pray life such power.

They had the right request from the wrong perspective but you will see that Jesus replies to this request NOT with a technique but with a truth. It is the truth i want you to go home with today.

GOD ANSWERS PRAYER

I thought you’d be more excited about that, because friends I dont know any greater thing to say to you today to motivate you to take prayer more seriously in your life or in the life of our church than this fundamental truth.

GOD IS WILLING TO HEAR AND ABLE TO ANSWER PRAYER

God is NOT a sleepy friend. God is our Heavenly Father who graciously provides for His childrens needs through believing prayer. How then should we pray?

3 major lessons in the text before us today:

Pray with reverence for God

verses 2-4 records what it is commonly called the Lords prayer, but its really better to call this the model prayer, or the disciples prayer.

It is only the Lords in the sense that He taught it NOT that He prayed it. This is not a prayer that Jesus could pray because Jesus had never committed any sin for which He would need to pray forgive us our debts and thank God for that!

BECAUSE YOU CANT BE A SINNER AND A SAVIOR AT THE SAME TIME

But here Jesus teaches His disciples how they should pray.

There is a specific point that Jesus is trying to make, THE GOD WHO ANSWERS PRAYER IS GOD, that is God is NOT “the man upstairs” He is not some HEavenly Bellhop, some kind of servant who waits on you and I hand and foot, waiting to do our bidding. THE GOD WHO ANSWERS PRAYER IS IN FACT GOD ALL BY HIMSELF!

We have to approach Him reverently in prayer, we need to talk to God AS God. As we pray we should pray GOD SIZED, GOD CENTERED, GOD EXALTING PRAYERS.

In these opening verses as it relates to honoring God Jesus, says that you can pray reverently by praying directly to God.

Luke 11:2 ESV

And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.

Jesus simply teaches here to call God by the name HE loves most. FATHER

Almighty God, Lord of all creation

Ancient of days, The Holy One

So many names, You have given us to call you

But One remains your favorite name

Your favorite name is father, You loves to here Youre children call,

Your there to catch us when were falling

Your favorite name is Father

Jesus emphasizes the nearness the closeness the intimate nature of God. Jesus is saying we have the right to take our needs and wants, and goals and fears to GOD HIMSELF!

Not a preist in a booth, not a guardian angel, we can go to God, and when we go to God in prayer, Jesus is saying that we dont have to go to God like a desperate beggar going to a wealthy stranger asking for a big favor. We can go to God as confident children going before a loving Father.

Trusting that He knows what is best for us, and that He knows what is best to meet our needs.

In the OT there were many names for God. Jehovah this, Jehovah that. But when JEsus teaches His disciples to address God in prayer He doesnt give them any OT names for God, HE simply tells them to talk to God as Father.

He teaches us to pray this way, because Jesus Himself is the One, who makes intimate communion with God possible.

Hebrews

Hebrews 4:14–16 HCSB

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to the confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tested in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time.

We can pray directly to God. But then Jesus says in this model prayer, that as you approach God, you should pray about things that bring God glory. He is saying we can address God as Father but as we approach God we shouldnt rush into Gods presence with a grocery list of personal requests.

There used to be a song called Jesus is on the mainline tell Him what you want. But Jesus is saying here before you tell Him what YOU WANT why dont you consider what HE WANTS. You should pray about the things that matter to God. You should pray that His name would be hallowed that His Kingdom come that His will be done.

He is saying in prayer God and His glory must come before you and your desires. Prayer is Gods way of accomplishing His will on Earth not your way of accomplishing your way.

James 4:2 HCSB

You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask.

James 4:3 HCSB

You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires.

We should pray about things that bring glory to God but ....

We should also pray with dependence upon God.

Jesus warns us not to rush into Gods presence with a personal list of demands. But that doesn’t mean that you cant bring your personal needs and concerns and issues to God in prayer. Jesus here says you can pray about your daily needs, (3) give us this day our daily bread. You can pray about your past mistakes (4) forgive us our sins and we forgive those who have trespassed against us.

You can even pray about your future tests… “lead us not into temptation” you can bring your personal requests to God but more importantly in these verses Jesus is teaching us how to bring our personal needs to God in prayer. He is saying that we need to pray with dependence on God as if it all depends on God.

Luke 11

Luke 11:3 HCSB

Give us each day our daily bread.

Jesus says that we should pray with such a sense of neediness and dependence upon god, that our prayers reflect that we recognize WE WONT EAT OUR NEXT PEICE OF BREAD IF GOD DOESNT PROVIDE IT.

Its all of God, this doesnt mean for you to be lazy in your work or carefree in your sins. No you are responsible for what god makes you responsible for. Vance Havner said it well

GOD FEEDS THE BIRDS EVERYDAY BUT HE DOESNT PUT WORMS IN THEIR NESTS.

You are reponsible for what God makes you responsible for but really you work as if it all depends on you, but you pray as if it all depends on God.

So the first lesson Jesus teaches us is to pray with reverence to God. But then He leans in a second here about praying with dependence upon God.

Pray with total dependence on God

Instead of reading it let me retell it.

It is late at night a man has locked his door and bedded down with his family for the night but in the late hours of the night there is an unexpected guest that arrives at his house. A friend is on a journey, night has overtaken him, there maybe no room in the inn, so he comes to his friend who he knows lives nearby.

He thinks if he can get to his friends house surely his friend will let him in to spend the night but then the man in his home realizes that he doesnt have anything to feed his unexpected guest. He doesn’t panic, he doesnt have food to feed his unexpected guest but he knows where to get it.

He leaves and goes to his neighbors house and knocks on his door, explaining the situation, asking to have a few loaves until the morning only to hear his sleepy friend on the other side of the door say LEAVE ME ALONE THE DOOR IS LOCKED, this was more than just locking a latch they would literally lay a log in front of the door to secure it.

His friend says listen dude is late and i aint about to move that log right now. My kids are in bed with me, thats a literal statment in homes where they did not have much money would sleep on raised platforms and sleep together as a family. He says i cannnot get up and give you anything.

But the midnight caller just keeps standing there knocking at the door until his sleepy friend gets up and gives him however many loaves he needs not because of friendship, just because he wants to get back to sleep.

THATS THE STORY JESUS TELLS TO TEACH HIS DISCIPLES HOW TO PRAY

There are 2 big questions to ask

Do you pray?

Do you pray? Do you pray?

The midnight caller had a unexpected guest, he invited him into his home, but he had nothing to feed him. He doesnt panic when he has nothing to feed him, he knows where to find what he needs and goes to his neighbors house to get what he does not have.

Is that how you respond?

When there is a problem in your life that you have no way to handle it, do you panic and wrings your hands and worry or do you pray about it? If there is a need that you cannot meet, do you pray about it?\

If it is midnight in your life, and the cupboard is empty in your life do you worry, do you doubt, do you fear, or do you pray? I read that back during slavery there were many who while they were working out in the feilds would set aside a particular place in the field where they would go daily to spend time with God in prayer. They did it so much there knees would cut grooves in the space where they would kneel.

They did this because they took their devotional life seriously, but it was also a source of accountability. Because others could pass by and monitor and may come up to them and say hey friend there is grass growin on yo plot out yonder.

If I were able to look at your time spent alone in intimacy with God would there be grass on your plot up yonder?

There should never grass of prayerlessness where there should be grooves evident in your life from your radical dependence on God.

DO YOU PRAY?

DO YOU REALLY?

DO YOU PRAY LIKE YOU MEAN IT?

DO YOU PRAY LIKE YOU NEED IT?

DO YOU KEEP ON PRAYING WHEN YOU THINK NOTHING IS HAPPENING?

2. HOW DO YOU PRAY?

The key to the parable is found in verse 8

Luke 11:8 HCSB

I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

Even though the verse uses the english word persistence, the greek word used here is actually SHAMELSSNESS

He was without shame

think about that for a minute its the middle of the night, he goes over to knock on his sleepy friends door. manners, politeness all of that should have made this midnight caller leave as soon as his friend said NO!

But he had a need and there was nowhere left to get what he needed, the market was closed. This was the only place to get his need met. Therefore there was NO SHAME IN HIS GAME HE JUST KEPT KNOCKING NOT CARING IF HE WOKE UP THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY HE WOULD NOT STOP KNOCKING UNTIL HE GOT WHAT HE NEEDED.

CHURCH JESUS US SAYING TO YOU AND ME TODAY, IF YOU WANNA SEE GOD WORK IN YOUR LIFE THIS IS HOW WE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PRAY.

SHAMELESSLY

Sinful pride murders believing prayer.

You will never take prayer seriously as long as you are worried about what other people think about you because you value prayer and they dont.

You cant seek God’s face and save your face at the same time.

thats why every now and then God has to allow it to be midnight in your life and the cupboards to be bear in your life and present you with a need that you cant meet to show us that you aint as big and bad as you think you are, and to get you to a place WHERE YOU SAY FATHER I STRETCH MY HANDS TO THEE NO OTHER HELP I KNOW!

WE ARE TO PRAY SHAMELESSLY

as if it all depends on God

A lady, one hot summer afternoon went to her neighbors fruit stand, it was a hot day, a long line but she patienly stood in line to get grapes as he served others patiently warmly immediately, when she got to the front of the line she asked for her grapes, and she was a little taken aback when there wasnt alot of cordial conversation like the people in front of her, he didnt serve her immediately he just kinda took her bag and went around back and left her standing and waiting even longer.

In the midst of this she started to get upset feeling like her friend and neighbor was taking advantage of her treating the others in a better way, and she decided she was gonna give him a piece of her mind when he got back,.

But her anger went away when he returned with the most beautiful ripe grapes she had ever seen. He came back with an apology, Im sorry it took me so long but I had to make you wait so that I could go around back and get you my best.

I’m talking to someone here today, you have been in line for a long time, waiting on God to move in a situation in your life and in your family for the salvation of a loved one, you have been in line for so long, you have been watching other people getting in line and get what they need and go on about their business.

While you are still waiting on God WHATEVER YOU DO DONT GET OUT OF LINE!!!!

Dont be angry, dont be bitter, dont be impatient..... JUST WAIT ON GOD!

TRUST THAT IN GODS OWN TIMING, HE WILL CAUSE ALL THINGS TO WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THEM THAT LOVE HIM AND ARE THE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE!

Pray with reverence to God

Pray with Dependence on God

Pray with confidence in God

Jesus begs us to pray with confidence that God is both willing and able to answer prayer.

GOD IS ABLE

Luke 11:9 HCSB

“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.

ASK SEEK AND KNOCK are commands.

Jesus doesnt present prayer as an optional remedy for lifes problems, God commands you to pray. these commands are emphasized which literally means KEEP ON ASKING, KEEP ON SEEKING, KEEP ON KNOCKING

Is it wrong to pray about something more than once?

Well listen to Jesus: KEEP ON ASKING, KEEP ON SEEKING, KEEEP ON KNOCKING

Jesus says its wrong not to pray about something more than once.

PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS!

Notice this Jesus dont tell us what to ask for what to seek or what door to knock on, He just simply says ask seek and knock. Which simply means you can ask seek and knock about ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING

WHAT A FREIND WE HAVE IN JESUS,

ALL OUR SINS AND GRIEFS TO BEAR

WHAT A PRIVELAGE IT IS TO CARRY EVERYTHING TO GOD IN PRAYER

OH WHAT PEACE WE OFTEN FORFEIT

OH WHAT NEEDLESS PAINS WE BEAR

ALL BECAUSE WE DO NOT CARRY

EVERYTHING TO GOD IN PRAYER

Jesus says if you ask seek or knock you will be rewarded with gift, discovery, and welcome.

ASK AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN

SEEK AND YOU SHALL FIND

KNOCK AND IT SHALL BE OPEN TO YOU

In fact he guarantees it

Luke 11:10 HCSB

For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

So am I saying god will answer every prayer?

Yes and no

No God does not answer every prayer the way we want him to. Thank god for that!

If your like me you can look back over your life and remember things that you prayed about that seemed to be so urgent and important to you at the time and now you see how foolish those same things are. If you are like me you can look back and thank God for things He was wise enough not to give you what you thought you needed!

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS UNANSWERED PRAYER EVEN IF IT IS NOT THE THING YOU DESIRE OR EXPECT. EVEN IF IT IS AN OUTRIGHT REJECTION IT IS STILL THE ANSWER OF THE LORD

So he says pray with confidence that God is able

but also pray with confidence that God is willing

Luke 11:11 HCSB

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish?

No good father would do that

A good father will meet his childrens needs

Luke 11:13

Luke 11:13 HCSB

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?”

Now wait a minute he is talking to his disciples now he is calling them evil!

Its a reminder that even though we are born again by the blood and righteousness of Christ there is still remaining sin. the most mature Christian in this room still has some evil stuff in us we need God to work out of us, we got some growing up to do.

But Jesus says even though you are evil you know how to take care of your children if thats true HOW MUCH MORE WILL THE FATHER IN HEAVEN GIVE GOOD GIFTS, THE HOLY SPIRIT

Can I leave you with one encouragment and one challenge?

THERE IS NOTHING AND I MEAN NOTHING THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD! ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU KEEP ON ASKING KEEP ON SEEKING AND KEEP ON KNOCKING!

There is no cancer that is bigger than God, There is no relationship that cannot be fixed, there is no financial issue that cannot be met....... NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD PRAY LIKE YOU BELIEVE THAT.

But before that encourages you

pick a time and a place

(prayer groups) (prayer closet)

Dont let grass grow where grooves of faithfulness to God should be instead

LET’S PRAY