Teach me to Pray (W. 2) - Luke 11:5-10

“Prayer Answering Good Father”

It is important to recap HOW Jesus modeled a prayer for His disciples to follow.

Jesus taught them how to pray.

Approach Him with Praise

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name...

Accept His Plan

Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on heaven as in earth.

Ask for His Provision

Give us this day our daily bread

Abolish my Pride

Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us: and lead us not into temptation.

Jesus taught us to approach God with worship and praise.

Some people take this text and preach “God will give you whatever you ask for. Just ask.”

God answers prayer that are according to His purposes… (is this rightly worded? Be sure)

Outline:

The Parable about Prayer

verses 5-7

This is a parable… an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.

It also follows exactly what Jesus just taught His disciples. It follows His praying model.

Jesus teaches us how to pray, and now He is showing us the way God answers those prayers.

Notice:

The Context

Jews had to be hospitable.

The Characters

the man that needs bread

This represents us

The man in the house

He is arguing from the lesser to the greater.

Illustration about me being able to dunk a few years ago.

Imagine how Good God is!

THIS DOES NOT REPRESENT God.

God the Father is not a grouchy neighbor or even a nice friend to us, first and foremost to us in prayer, He is our loving Father!!

How can The Creator of the Universe become my Father?

You have to be born into His family.

I was born into the Crompton family. no matter what happens I was born into the Crompton family.

I can’t be born into the Smith family, not now. Not physically.

I hear people say, “all people are God’s children.”

Ephesians 2:2 — Ephesians 5:6 — Colossians 3:6 — Luke 10:6

The Meaning of the Message/ The Message from the Messiah

Verse 8

The man represents us

The home owner DOES NOT represent God the Father

God the Father is not a grouchy neighbor or even a nice friend, in prayer, God is our loving heavenly Father.

But this is a comparison.

Arguing from the lesser to the greater

Subpoints:

verses 5b-6

Need: “Please lend me 3 loaves

Petition: “a friend is coming, and i don’t want to be empty handed.”

Your will be done, either way!

The Timing: It’s the middle of the night

Illustration: Could you imagine going to a friend’s house now? The ring door camera will ding, the home owner will probably be mad. Story of July 3, “Hayden, it’s 9:15.”

This speaks to us as believers to know that if a friend will answer in the middle of the night, how much more better of a welcome will we receive from our Good Good Father??

Don’t you know that He will open His Almighty arms to meet our need. Don’t you know that He will answer, provide, shape, give peace… why? Love.

But I think this teaches something more...

The Motivation to answer the Prayer

The man gets up to answer the door, risking waking up his sleeping children, because of the “importunity.”

Importunity means “Shamelessness” or “avoidance of shame”

This can refer to two things:

1) the friend was shameless in coming in the middle of the night.

No matter what the cost, I have to ask!

2) it could also refer to the man in the house.

in this days, hospitality to strangers is a basic law in the east. (Genesis 18:1), if a person refused to entertain a guest, he brought disgrace on the whole village and the neighbors would have nothing to do with him. The man in the house knwo this and di dnot want to embarrass himself, his family, or his village, so he got up and met the need. Why does our Father in heaven answer prayer? Not just to meet the needs of His children, but to meet them in such a way that it brings glory to His name! “Hallowed be thy name.” When God’s people pray, God’s reputation is at stake.” - Warren Wiersbe.

The Call to the Christian