Pray, People, Pray.
Luke 11:5-13
Highland Baptist Church
New Chapel Hill Baptist Church
May 15, 2011
Lesson by Rick Crandall
*We are here today to talk about prayer. Some of the best things that have ever happened in this world have happened in answer to prayer. I know this is true in your life, so at the end of class I would like to hear some of your stories on answered prayer.
*But how should we pray? -- The Lord wants us to know. And as Jesus taught His disciples in Luke 11, He also teaches us. How should you pray?
1. First: Pray with great determination.
*The Lord wants us to have the same kind of determination we see in vs. 5-8.
-Jesus said:
5. “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves;
6. for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him;’
7. and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you?’
8. I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.
*That man had great determination in his asking. There was great energy in his request. James 5:16 tells us that the energized prayer of a righteous man does great things. That’s the kind of energy this man had when he went to his friend.
*Hebrews 4:16 tells Christians to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” That’s the way our man in need went to his sleeping neighbor. He had the kind of determination to boldly ask his friend for help.
*He had the determination to come to his neighbor, even though he had to come at the worst possible time. It was midnight, the time when his friend was bound to say, “Do not trouble me! The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you!”
*I was awful going to bed as a little boy. I got more spankings for that than for anything else. When I was in the first grade, we lived in a two-story house that had front and back stairs. Lots of nights when my dad put me to bed, I would be down the back stairs before he could get down the front.
*Well, what goes around really does come around. All three of our children were terrible sleepers! I can still remember that little, yellow baby carrier we had when Becky was a baby. Every night one of us had to rock that thing at least 30 minutes just waiting for her to close her eyes. And when she finally got laid down, the last thing I wanted to hear was some guy banging on the door yelling for me to give him something.
*But this poor sleeping dad had it much worse than I ever did. They probably lived in a one room house and everyone slept packed in together on a mat.
*Don’t you know that dad was aggravated? -- But our prayer warrior didn’t let that stop him. Verse 8 tells us that he wouldn’t take “no” for an answer.
*He prayed with persistence or “importunity” in the KJV. The NIV says he prayed with “boldness.” The New Living Translation says he prayed with “shameless persistence,” and I like that. This man was not about to let embarrassment or fear of rejection keep him from asking.
-He didn’t care if he woke up the whole neighborhood!
-And that’s the way God wants us to pray.
*But why was this praying man so determined?
-That’s an important question, and he tells us in vs. 6: “A friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him.”
-The man was so determined, because he was faced with a need he couldn’t possibly meet on his own.
*What about us?
-Are we ever faced with needs we can’t meet on our own? -- Many times.
-When it comes to our families, our health, our economy, the world situation, we will surely face needs we cannot supply.
*This is not the time to give up! It is the time to pray with more determination than ever. That’s what Jesus tells us in vs. 9: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
*Bible scholars tell us that the original language here means not to do something just once, but to do it, and keep on doing it. Jesus is telling us: “Don’t give up! Ask and keep on asking. Seek and keep on seeking. Knock and keep on knocking.” Don’t give up. Pray with great determination.
2. But also pray with great expectation.
*We should pray with great expectation because of the promises Jesus gives to us in vs. 9&10. Jesus says:
9. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
10. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
*Notice that the Lord promises to answer our prayers in these verses, not once or twice, -- but 6 times.
-Six times in two verses Jesus promises to answer prayer.
-I like to call that a double-triple guaranty!
-But also notice that these promises cover every situation: Ask. Seek. Knock.
*David Brown explained these 3 types of prayer this way:
-We ask for what we wish.
-We seek for what we miss.
-We knock for that from which we feel ourselves shut out. (1)
*David DeWitt added this about knocking:
-When knocking, we try every door until we find the right one.
-Once we find the right door we continue knocking until we gain entrance.
-This (reveals) how much we depend on God. (2)
*John Hamby tells us that this knocking is seeking entrance or desiring fellowship. (3)
*In Rev 3:20, Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Thinking about that verse and what Jesus tells us here, someone wisely said: “The Lord knocks on our door, and He invites us to knock on His door. So we have a place to go in every situation.” (4)
*These promises are for every situation and they are for every seeker.
-Jesus tells us in vs. 8 that everyone who asks receives.
-Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ.
-Everyone who trusts Him enough to call on Him in prayer.
*Everyone: -- That’s you and me!
-Ask and keep on asking.
-Seek and keep on seeking.
-Knock and keep on knocking.
*Don’t give up. Pray with great expectation. George Mueller certainly did. Born in 1805, George was one of the greatest prayer warriors of all time. He kept a prayer journal over his long life that recorded 50,000 answers to prayer.
*Dr. A. T. Pierson talked with George shortly before he died in 1898. Pierson asked George if any of his prayers had not been answered. George replied that for 62 years he had prayed for 2 men who were still not saved.
*Pierson asked: “Do you expect God to convert them?” And George said, “Certainly. Do you suppose that God would put upon His child for 62 years the burden of two souls if He had not purpose of their salvation? I shall certainly meet them in Heaven.”
*After George died, Dr. Pierson was preaching in Bristol and he told about their conversation. At the end of the service, a lady came up to Dr. Pierson and said, “One of those men was my uncle. He was saved before he died a few weeks ago.” -- The other man who lived in Dublin was also won to the Lord. (5)
*George Mueller never gave up praying for those men. He had great expectations for his prayers and so should we.
*How should we pray? -- Pray with great expectation.
3. But also picture our Heavenly Father’s dedication.
*Jesus wants to remind us our Heavenly Father’s dedication. So in vs. 11-13, the Lord used the picture of a dedicated parent. Jesus said:
11. “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?
12. Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
*Jesus wants us to know for sure that our Heavenly Father answers prayer, and what better example than a parent’s love. The vast majority of parents love their children more than they love their own lives.
-There is no sacrifice they wouldn’t make for their children.
-There is no good thing they would keep from their children.
*Think about the precious children you have in church today. Do you think if any of them asked their parents for bread, they would give them a rock?
-If their children asked for a fish, would they give them a snake?
-If they asked for an egg, would their parents give them a scorpion?
*Of course not! -- Most parents would never intentionally harm their children.
-And the Lord wants us to make a strong comparison with our Heavenly Father.
*Years ago, Dr. Charlie Shedd held a contest called "One Neat Dad." He asked contestants to send in letters recommending their dad for this great honor.
*Here are some of the top 10 qualities children appreciated in their dads:
-He takes time for me.
-He listens to me.
-He invites me to go places with him.
-He lets me help him.
-He lets me say what I think.
-He is nice to my friends.
-He only punishes me when I deserve it. (6)
*That sounds a lot like our Heavenly Father to me. And the Lord wants us to make this comparison with our Heavenly Father. He is kind and loving to all of His children.
*One of my favorite Scriptures that reveal this truth is Psalm 103:8-14:
8. The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9. He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
11. For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
12. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13. As a father pities his children, So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
14. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.
*Let these verses be a comfort to you, especially if you have missed out on an earthly parent’s love, because through Jesus we can have the best parent of all!
-Through Jesus we can have the Heavenly Father who loves us beyond measure.
*He loves us with the devoted love of the best parents. And He will hear our prayers. So when you pray, picture our Heavenly Father’s dedication.
4. And ponder God’s escalation.
*We find God’s escalation in vs. 13, where Jesus said: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
*How much more? -- Infinitely more! -- Because God is infinitely more, and He is able to multiply anything we could do to infinity.
*God is infinite in His goodness. He is infinitely better than we are.
-Did you notice what the Lord said to those good dads in vs. 13? -- “You are evil.”
-And we are. The best of us falls far short of the glory of God.
*But God is good. And we can count on our heavenly Father to answer our prayers in the best possible way, whenever we call on Him. God is infinite in His goodness.
*And He is infinite in His knowledge. He knows all the stars by name.
-Jesus once said that God knows how many hairs are on your head.
-But He could just as well have said He knows how many cells are in your body.
*He knows everything. He knows the past, the present and the future. He knows your heart. And He knows exactly what you need exactly when you need it. God is infinite in His knowledge.
*And He is infinite in His power. All good things are possible with God.
-And the greatest power of all is that He can save your soul.
-He has the power to forgive our sins.
-He has the power to give us everlasting life and a home in Heaven with Him.
*God is infinite in His power. -- And He is infinite in His love.
-In Matthew 7:11, Jesus put the question this way, “How much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” This Matthew question tells us we can count on the Father to give us all good things.
*But here in Luke Jesus asked, “How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
-The Luke question tells us that we can count on God to give us the best thing, because the best thing God can ever give us is Himself!
*You don’t ever have to worry about whether God will give you His Holy Spirit.
-You don’t ever have to worry if God wants to have a relationship with you.
-You don’t ever have to worry if God will come to live in your heart.
*He loves you so much that he will give you good things.
-He loves you so much that he will give you the best thing.
-He even gave His Son to die on the cross for us.
*And right now the Risen Savior will save you forever, if you will open your heart to call on Him in faith.
-The best thing that can ever happen in your life can only happen through prayer, for Rom 10:13 says, “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
*If you have called on the Lord in faith, you can go to God in prayer anytime day or night. You can pray to our Heavenly Father expecting the greatest things, because Eph 3:20 tells us God “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think!”
*Mary used to work at Lakeshore School with a lady named Jan, and Jan gave this prayer testimony about her dad, James. I think he was 81 at the time.
*One day James was on a 4-wheeler spraying grass around their catfish pond. Suddenly, the 4-wheeler flipped over and threw James into pond. Unfortunately, he couldn’t swim.
*James was over his head, and went down 4 or 5 times. He fought and fought, but in his panic, he was only getting farther from the bank. He was absolutely worn out when he noticed a willow tree hanging low over the water. It was about 40 feet away when James prayed this prayer, “Now God, either you’re gonna have to take me home, or let me get to that willow tree.”
*James said he went down again, but when he came up he was under that willow tree. He grabbed it and started yelling for help. Their lab jumped in first. Every time James’ head would go down, the dog pushed his chin up. And the dog stayed with him until James’ relatives pulled him to safety.
*God surely answered his prayer in an amazing way.
-After that James said that God had something else for him to do.
*God has something else for us to do too. And one of the most important things is to pray! These days should be saturated with prayer, as we seek God's face for revival in our hearts, our families, our churches and our nation.
*Pray with great determination. Pray with great expectation. And as you do, keep focused on our Father’s dedication. Keep focused on God’s escalation. For “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”
*How much more? -- Infinitely more. -- Let’s pray.
1. Jamieson, Faussett & Brown Commentary - Matthew 7:7-11
2. Adapted from SermonCentral sermon “The Power of Persistent Prayer” by David DeWitt - Matt 7 7-11
3. SermonCentral sermon “Ask, Seek and Knock” by John Hamby - Matt 7 7-11
4. original source unknown
5. Adapted from -- A. T. Pierson Source: Signs of the Times, Copyright (c) Pacific Press, December 3, 1912. (found in email from sermons.com)
6. Ted Kyle and John Todd, A Treasury of Bible Illustrations, AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN., 1995, p. 147.
