Bold & Persistent Prayer

BOLD & PERSISTENT PRAYER; Luke 11:5-13, 18:1-8; MHAFB, 25 August 19 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------Series: Prayer / Topics: Teachings of Jesus; Prayer; Prayer: Intercession; Prayer: Petition Before Service: Check w/Ch Payne for his role in service & pray with leaders! Opening Verse: Revelation Song; God of Wonders, Refuse to be Denied Songs for Worship: Psalm 103:1-14 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------SLIDE-Transition to Sermon, Ps. 119:105 Introduction Introduction 1. Attention: a. What is the longest that you have ever prayed for something? i. Not in one setting—but over days, weeks, months, even years. ii. Have any of you had prayers like this? iii. Do any of you still have a prayer like this? b. Maybe it is for a lost loved one, a chronic pain, a challenging relationship, an annoying temptation-i. Who knows! c. But I hope that we can all agree that... i. There are some issues in life that take quite a bit of time to resolve… ii. There is some wisdom that take years for us to receive… d. And far from being distant from such needs— i. Our God is one who understands, draws close, & invites us to draw close to Him in such times. ii. SLIDE-Title: And for such things as this, our God is one who calls us to "Bold & Persistent Prayer” 2. Big Picture: a. Today we conclude a three-sermon series I have led on prayer i. Started with Luke 10:38-42 where Luke introduces the contrasting responses of Martha & Mary’s to Jesus, in which we learned that... 1. Listening carefully to Jesus must be a highest priority in our lives ii. Then moved on to Luke 11:1-4, where Jesus’ disciples ask Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray.” And here we learned that... 1. As God’s dearly loved children, Jesus calls us to God-centered prayer 2. A lesson which Jesus teaches through a model prayer, frequently known as “The Lord’s Prayer,” although perhaps better known as "The Christians’/Disciples’ Prayer” iii. And that brings us to today, a teaching into which Jesus immediately roles after this model prayer-showing us that... 1. SLIDE-Thesis: Jesus calls us to bold & persistent prayer to our trustworthy & gracious God b. For today’s sermon we will actually be in two sections of Luke: i. Luke 11:5-13 (which is just after where we’ve been) and ii. Luke 18:1-8, a later parable Jesus teaches on prayer. c. Two things I hope that we will see through todays’ Word: i. Two key qualities of our prayers 1. In what ways ought we pray? 2. How do we approach our God in prayer? 3. The foundation of this question is the other focus of today— ii. Two key qualities of our God 1. How does the nature of God shape the way that we pray? iii. It is with this structure that I hope to lead us through today’s key passages 3. Verses: And so I invite you to stand in reverence as we read God’s Word, beginning in... a. Passage 1: Luke 11:5-13, 6 SLIDES-Luke 11:5-13 Luke 11:5–13 CSB 5 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, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ 7 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.’ 8 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 shameless boldness, he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 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?” i. Now, I invite you to join me in Luke 18 where we pick up Jesus’ second major teaching in Luke on prayer 1. For some context, note that this comes just after Jesus speaks about when the Kingdom of God would come— a. Specifically when He, the Son of Man, will return b. You’ll see a connection to this in the final verse ii. As a quick application point while we read this— 1. One way we can stay strong until Jesus’ return is through the persistent prayer that we are discussing today… b. 3 SLIDES-Luke 18:1-8 Passage 2: Now, without further adieu, Luke 18:1–8 CSB 1 Now he told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain town who didn’t fear God or respect people. 3 And a widow in that town kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 “For a while he was unwilling, but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or respect people, 5 yet because this widow keeps pestering me, I will give her justice, so that she doesn’t wear me out by her persistent coming.’ ” 6 Then the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 Will not God grant justice to his elect who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay helping them? 8 I tell you that he will swiftly grant them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” 4. Transition: Please be seated. a. Now, let us turn our hearts to consider what God is sharing in His Word— i. How it is that Jesus calls us to bold & persistent prayer to our trustworthy & gracious God b. And to begin this proclamation, we first consider the... Main Point 1a: Qualities of Our God 1. Explain & Expand: a. In some ways we dove into this back on the 4th when we discussed what Jesus highlights about our relationship with God in "The Christians’ Prayer” i. God is our Father, King, Provider, Forgiver, & Guide ii. While these qualities specifically relate to our relationship with God, iii. In today’s verses Jesus highlights two other key qualities that are simply part of God’s eternal nature—To start with, we note that God is… b. MP1b: Trustworthy: In an ultimate sense, God can always be trusted. i. MP1c: What He speaks is always the truth— 1. His Word, this Word, is something that we can build our lives upon ii. MP1d: He will keep every promise— 1. Those of kindness & justice iii. He powerfully demonstrates this trustworthiness to those who know Him as "Father" 1. We know that He will protect & nurture us 2. That we can intimately talk with Him, knowing that He greatly loves us. 3. That we can approach Him with boldness, receiving mercy & finding grace to help in our times of need (Heb 4:16) iv. Within His teachings Jesus demonstrates God’s trustworthiness 1. MP1e: Jesus teaches that God will answer us when we ask, seek, & knock (vv11:9-10) a. And while Jesus could have paused here and broken into a theological reflection on reasons why God doesn’t *always* do this (e.g. James 4:3, Luke 22:42, etc.) b. He purposefully uses this hyperbolic language, these absolute terms to drive home His points— i. God can be trusted to answer the prayers of His children! ii. (And corresponding to that, we must pray while trusting in God’s goodness & willingness to answer! But that is the focus of the next main point...) 2. Jesus teaches that God will fulfill His promises to bring good to us: a. Such as the Holy Spirit (v11:13) & justice (vv18:7-8) 3. To demonstrate this trustworthiness, Jesus uses several “Lesser to Greater" comparisons-i. (a fortiori or a minori ad maius [from smaller to greater] argument) a. A friend who is reluctant to sacrificially serve you, i. A sinful father caring for his child, ii. Even a wicked judge who seeks to avoid giving legal protection— b. Even these individuals will grant the requests of those entreating them— i. How much more will your loving Heavenly Father! 4. He is trustworthy—He will come through for you! a. And this plays right into the next key quality—God is… c. MP1f: Gracious: i. Indeed God shows a general graciousness to us all 1. As Jesus shares in Matthew 5:45, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” ii. Yet to those in relationship with Him we receive such special demonstrations of His graciousness! 1. MP1g: God greatly desires to help His children 2. MP1h: When we ask for good gifts— a. He gives us the ultimate Good Gift of Himself! i. The Holy Spirit indwelling within (v11:13)! b. And with His Spirit, i. The fruit of love, joy, peace, etc. that come with Him! ii. The Comforter & Advocate who helps us pray when our own words fail us! iii. And so much more! 3. And yet this is even a “Greater to Lesser” comparison, too! a. If God gives His Holy Spirit to us... b. MP1i: How much more will He provide other good things for us (see Mt. 7:11), from our “daily bread” (Lk 11:3) & beyond! 4. God bountifully provides for His family, a. He will give when we ask, reveal when we seek, open when we knock (vv11:9-10)! b. He never gives a snake for a fish, or a scorpion for an egg (vv11:11-12)! iii. And while His help may not seem to come “quick” by how we measure time (compare Luke 18:7-8 and 2 Peter 3:8), we can still trust that He will demonstrate His grace to us. 2. Transition: Now, with this simple foundation laid, let’s look at our next main point— a. The qualities of our God are what shape the... Main Point 2a: Qualities of Our Prayer 1. Explain: a. We pray knowing to Whom we are praying b. c. d. e. i. And growing in this regards is a key way to help us pray better! ii. Do you want to be a better prayer’er? 1. Get to know better that God to Whom you pray! Jesus highlights two key qualities of our prayer in these verses… MP2b: Bold: i. This comes out in both the friend & the widow. 1. The friend could have let the shame of not having food or of waking a neighbor in the dead of night keep him from making his request—but he didn’t… a. As Luke 11:8 shares, "because of his friend’s shameless boldness, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.” (CSB) 2. The widow could have let the shame of being treated like worthless scum keep her from continuing to ask the judge for justice—but she didn’t… 3. MP2c: We must never let shame to separate you from God! ii. And so for us—while approaching our Great & Awesome God, we can have great boldness! 1. I love how Hebrews 4:16 puts it, after considering the qualities of God— a. Jesus our Great High Priest, the Son of God who sympathizes with our weakness— b. He shares, “Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.” (CSB) 2. We should approach the throne of grace with consistent boldness! a. MP2d: Yet remember that in prayer we must be bold & reverent (humility!), i. Recognizing that this is your Heavenly Father, the King of all creation! iii. I opened today asking “What is the longest that you have ever prayed for something?” 1. Sometimes we may not pray long for something because we feel ashamed to bring it back to our Father 2. Perhaps we’ve been struggling for years with it & He seems to be silent about the issue… 3. I encourage you—be bold in your prayers, even of these things. 4. And as you are bold, be… MP2e: Persistent: i. The friend who had need undoubtedly demonstrated persistence when he knocked on his neighbors door late at night—and indeed the door was opened! ii. When Jesus then says, “Ask… Seek… Knock”, realize that the Greek tense for these words could more accurately be translated as, 1. MP2f: “Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking” (see NLT) iii. MP2g: Jesus is saying that a practical outworking of bold prayer is to keep coming back to God again & again 1. For the same things & for new things 2. We are to be persistent prayer’ers! iv. Consider even how Luke introduces our Luke 18 passage, “Now He told them a parable on the need for them to pray always and not give up.” (CSB) 1. MP2h: So we must “pray always and not give up” 2. As Jesus is later recorded as having said in Luke 21:36, “But be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.”” (CSB) 3. Or as Paul succinctly puts it in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray constantly” (CSB) v. Why do we do this? 1. Because we know that our good God is trustworthy & gracious. 2. He will answer us, provide for us, care for us. 3. Our persistent prayers will be rewarded! Now, as a quick qualifier here— i. There may be times when we should stop a persistent prayer. ii. When would that be? Perhaps... 1. ...Our heart has changed & it is no longer something we desire 2. ...We realized that we were praying with the wrong motives (James 4:3) 3. ...As we’ve prayed it, we’ve come to realize that it is not God’s will Luke 22:42) a. That is to say, that it does not line up with “the name of Jesus.” (John 14:13-14, 15:7, 15:16; 16:23–24; 1 John 5:14) 4. ...God has given us an answer and we simply need to accept it a. This reminds me of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:6–10 when he shares that he pleaded with the Lord three times for the “thorn in the flesh” to leave him— b. Do you remember what happened next? God answered him! c. God shared, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” (CSB) f. Knowing the goodness of our God, we are to be a people who are bold & persistent in prayer. 2. Transition: Now, let’s close this off… Conclusion-a: Conclusion 1. Reiterate: Jesus calls us to bold & persistent prayer to our trustworthy & gracious God a. By considering key the qualities of God, b. Jesus guides us to understand key qualities of our prayers 2. Apply: So, how should we respond? a. Con-b: Get to better know God! i. Keep seeking Him! ii. Dive into His Word, learn from other believers, pursue His character in prayer iii. And always let that educate your prayers b. Con-c: Admit your great needs! i. Ultimately we each have the need of forgiveness 1. This was satisfied by Jesus on the cross 2. And when we come to God in faith-filled prayer, a. Repenting from our sins, seeking His forgiveness from them. i. Turning to Him as our Savior & Lord— b. We can have confidence in the trustworthiness & grace of God— i. He saves us & gives us the Holy Spirit, the sign of this great salvation! ii. Yet beyond our ultimate need, 1. We also need to humble ourselves to come to Him for our ‘daily bread’ 2. We are inclined toward self-sufficiency, assuming we can handle our own business just fine. 3. If possible, we like to ignore our helplessness & great need iii. But as God’s children, I urge you to hear the voice of your Heavenly Father this morning-1. Come to Him with your every need! 2. Learn to rely on Him & not your own strength or wit. 3. Con-d: Learn to depend on your Father’s goodness & love a. He is far better than a flaky friend, a sinful father, or a wicked judge! c. Con-e: Consistently ask for His provision & guidance in all things! i. Physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, & social things! 1. For physical needs, justice, faith, & more! 2. For yourself & for those whom He lays on your heart! ii. Don’t merely list these needs & expect immediate results 1. Rather, take your time in prayer 2. Engage in a continual talk with God 3. Work through the depths of your life with Him iii. Be persistent about those things that He has laid on your heart 1. And then trust that He will answer when/where/how He chooses d. Con-f: Expect God to give good gifts to you! i. When speaking about praying for wisdom, James shares that we should “ask in faith without doubting” (James 1:5-8) ii. Do you really believe that He is good? trustworthy? gracious? iii. Let your prayers match your theology! iv. And if you struggle with truly accepting this… pray that you will! v. Pray that you will better understand and trust in what God has revealed about Himself! 3. Appeal: Brothers & sisters, a. Life will throw many trials & tribulations your way. i. These things will try your faith in God b. To weather such storms, i. You must know your God ii. You must be bold & persistent in prayer iii. You must do these very things that we are talking about now c. To conclude today I offer up this quote from Billy Graham, i. “Prayer is for every moment of our lives, not just for times of suffering or joy. Prayer is really a place; a place where you meet God in genuine conversation … Instead of beginning with prayer, we sometimes resort to it after all other resources have been used. When we come to the end of ourselves, we come to the beginning of God. We don’t need to be embarrassed that we are needy … Every feeble, stumbling prayer uttered by a believer is heard by God.” - Billy Graham 4. Conclude: Pray with me...