The Lord's Great Lessons on Prayer
Luke 11:1-13
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared June 17, 2023)
(Revised July 19, 2023 to correct the timing of the Sermon on the Mount)
BACKGROUND:
*Do you ever wish you could learn how to pray better? You are not the only one. In Luke 11:1, one of the disciples saw Jesus praying, and when the Lord finished praying, that disciple said, "Lord, teach us to pray." Jesus replied by giving them a prayer very similar to the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. There Jesus said:
9. "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
10. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
11. Give us this day our daily bread.
12. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
13. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil (or the evil one). for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
*Here in Luke 11:2-4 Jesus said to them:
2. . . "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
3. Give us day by day our daily bread.
4. and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.''
*These two prayers are so similar that for years I thought Luke 11 was a different report on the same event. But I was wrong. The Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 was given about a year into Jesus's 3 1/2 year ministry. But the prayer in Luke 11 was given just a few months before the cross.
*John Gill explained that "though the prayer in Luke 11 is similar, the prayer in Matthew 6 was given at another time and in another place. In Matthew 6, Jesus was in Galilee. The Luke prayer was given in Judea. The Matthew instructions were given as part of the Sermon on the Mount. But in Luke, the instructions came after a request from one of the disciples who saw Jesus praying." (1)
*And the thing that stands out to me, is that after following Jesus for maybe over two years, this disciple was still hungry to learn more about prayer. Now, God wants us to have that same kind of hunger. He wants us to know more about prayer, so our prayer life will grow stronger than ever before. That's why we are about to study one of the Lord's great parables about prayer. But in today's Scripture, Jesus also gave some great prayer promises, and a great picture to help us pray. Let's get started by reading Luke 11:1-13.
MESSAGE:
*Many of the best things that have ever happened in this world, have happened in answer to prayer. I know this is true in my life, and Christians, I am quite sure it's true in your lives too. But how should we pray? The Lord wants us to know. And starting with today's parable, Jesus gives us 4 great lessons on prayer.
1. FIRST, HE GIVES US THE LESSON OF A PERSISTENT FRIEND.
*When it comes to prayer, the Lord wants us to have the same kind of determination that we see in vs. 5-8. Here 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 at the door had great persistence in his asking. There was great energy and determination in his request. James 5:16 tells us that the energized prayer of a righteous man does great things. And that's the kind of energy this man had when he was knocking on that door.
*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 kind of boldness this man had when he went to his friend for help. He had the determination to come, even though he had to come at the worst possible time. It was midnight in vs. 5. That was 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 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 still remember the little, yellow baby carrier we had when Becky was a baby. Every night we rocked that thing for 30 minutes just waiting for her to doze off. 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 the poor, sleeping dad this Scripture had it much worse than I ever did. They probably lived in a one room house, and all slept together on a big mat. Don't you know that dad was aggravated? But the friend knocking at the door didn't let that keep him from asking.
*You see, this was an urgent situation: Midnight prayers. This pleading man loved the out-of-town friend who had come to see him, so even though it was the worst possible time, he kept on speaking up for his hungry friend. And in vs. 8, Jesus said, "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."
*The man at the door simply wouldn't take "no" for an answer. He passionately prayed with persistence or "importunity" the KJV says. The NIV says he prayed with "boldness," but the New Living Translation says he prayed with "shamelessness," and that's the essential idea behind the original word. This persistent man wasn't about to let embarrassment or fear of rejection keep him from asking. He didn't care if he woke up the whole neighborhood! He didn't give up. And neither should we, -- especially because God loves us infinitely more than this sleepy dad loved his friend at the door. (2)
*But why was this praying man so determined? 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 faced a need he couldn't possibly meet on his own. Well what about us? Will we ever face needs we can't meet on our own? Many times. When it comes to our families, our health, our nation, and the world situation, we will surely face needs that we cannot supply. But that's not the time to give up! It's the time to pray with more determination than ever!
2. SO JESUS GIVES US THE LESSON OF THE PERSISTENT FRIEND. HE ALSO GIVES US THE LESSON OF GOD'S PROMISES.
*In vs. 9-10, the Lord gives us some very powerful promises for our prayers. Here Jesus said:
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."
*Bible scholars tell us that the original language 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!
*Notice that here the Lord promises to answer our prayers not once or twice, but 6 different times! Six times in two verses Jesus promises to answer prayer:
-"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 he who seeks finds.
-And to him who knocks it will be opened."
*I like to call that a double-triple guaranty! But also notice that these promises cover every situation: Ask. Seek. Knock. David Brown explained it this way: "We ask for what we want. We seek for what we miss. And we knock when we feel shut out from something." David DeWitt noted that "when we knock, we try every door until we find the right one. And once we find the right door we keep knocking until God opens the door. This (reveals) how much we depend on God." John Hamby pointed out that knocking in prayer is trying to get through a barrier to find safety, shelter or fellowship." (3)
*In Revelation 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 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. That means everyone who believes in Jesus Christ, everyone who trusts God enough to call on Him in prayer. Everyone: That includes you and me! -- So we should ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking. Don't give up when you pray!
3. PRAY WITH GREAT EXPECTATION, BECAUSE JESUS GIVES US THE LESSON OF GOD'S PROMISES. HE ALSO GIVES US THE LESSON OF A PARENT'S LOVE.
*The Lord wants us to know that we can always trust in the faithfulness of our Heavenly Father. So in vs. 11-13, the Lord used the picture of a caring, earthly father. And 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 the love of a good parent. The vast majority of parents love their children more than they love their own lives. They would make any sacrifice for their children, and give them every good thing they possibly could.
*Think about the precious children we have in our 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." Contestants were asked to send in letters to recommend their dads. And here are some of the top 10 qualities that 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. (5)
*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 reveals 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.
*These verses can be a great comfort to us, especially if we missed out on an earthly father's love. Through Jesus Christ, we can have the best Father of all! Through Jesus we have the Heavenly Father who loves us beyond measure. He loves us with the same kind of devoted love we see in good parents. And our Heavenly Father will hear our prayers!
4. THAT'S WHY JESUS GIVES US THE LESSON OF A PARENT'S LOVE. HE ALSO GIVES US THE LESSON OF OUR GOD'S PERFECTION.
*Verse 13 reminds us of the infinite perfection of God. Here Jesus told those earthly fathers, "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 better. Our Heavenly Father is perfect in His goodness. He is perfect in His holy goodness, so He is infinitely better than we are!
*Did you notice what Jesus 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 perfectly good. And we can always count on our Heavenly Father to answer our prayers in the best possible way.
*God is perfect in His goodness. He's also perfect in His knowledge. Isaiah 40:26 tell us that He knows all the stars by name. And in Matthew 10:30, Jesus said that God knows the number of hairs on our heads. But the Lord could have also said that He knows how many cells are in our bodies. God knows everything! He knows the past, the present and the future. As He said in Isaiah 46:9-10, "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.'"
*God knows everything. He knows our hearts. God looks at our hearts, and He sees us all. Psalm 33:13-15 says: "The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men. From the place of His habitation He looks on all the inhabitants of the earth; He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works." God sees into our hearts. King David knew this, and in Psalm 69:5-6 David prayed, "O God, You know my foolishness; And my sins are not hidden from You. Let not those who wait for You, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed because of me; Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel." God knows our hearts, and He knows exactly what we need exactly when we need it.
*God is perfect in His knowledge, and He is perfect in His power. All good things are possible with God! And the greatest power of all is that He can save our souls. 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 perfect in His power, and He is perfect 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 God the Father to give us all good things.
*But here in Luke 11:13, Jesus asked, "How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" This 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 or not 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. And He loves you so much that he will give you the best thing! He even gave His only begotten Son to die on the cross for us!
*Also think about this: The best thing that can ever happen in our lives can only happen through prayer. I'm talking about our salvation, and we know this is true because Romans 10:13 tells us that "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." And if we have called on the Lord Jesus in faith, we can go to God in prayer anytime day or night.
*We can also pray to our Heavenly Father expecting great things, even miraculous things. We know this is true because Ephesians 3:20 tells us that God "is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think!"
*My wife Mary used to work at Lakeshore School with a lady named Jan Ramsey. She was a member of FBC in Swartz, and Jan gave this prayer testimony about her dad. His name was James, and 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. It was a desperate situation because James didn't know how to swim. James was over his head, and he went down 4 or 5 times. He fought and fought, but in his panic, he was only getting farther from the bank.
*James was totally 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 that dog stayed with him until James' relatives pulled him to safety.
*God surely answered James' prayer in an amazing way. And after that rescue, James said he knew God had something else for him to do. That's a great lesson to take away from James' miracle. And God is still able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or even think, so one of the most important things we can ever do is pray!
CONCLUSION:
*We should lift-up prayers of praise for God's infinite goodness and greatness. We should pray with thanksgiving for God's amazing love, mercy, and kindness in our lives. We should pray to draw closer to God and seek His face. We should pray for the sick, grieving and lost. And we should pray for our families, our church, our sister churches, our nation, and our leaders.
*Pray with great persistence. Pray with great faith in God's promises. And as you do, keep focused on our Father's perfect love. For Jesus said, "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!"
*Let's get started right now. And if you have never received our Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, call on the Lord to save you now, as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) Sources:
-BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville - Copyright 1995 - "Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry" - Matthew 4:12-17 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2000-2019
-Adapted from JOHN GILL'S EXPOSITION OF THE BIBLE by Dr. John Gill, D. D. - 1697-1771 - Published in 1746-1766, 1816 - Luke 11:1 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(2) Sources:
-THAYER'S GREEK DEFINITIONS - Published in 1886, 1889; public domain - Luke 11:8 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas (A. T.) Robertson - Published in 1930-1933 - Luke 11:8 - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(3) Sources:
-JAMIESON, FAUSSET AND BROWN COMMENTARY CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY ON THE WHOLE BIBLE: Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, David Brown - 1871 - Luke 11:8
-Adapted from SermonCentral sermon “The Power of Persistent Prayer” by David DeWitt - Matthew 7 7-11
-SermonCentral sermon “Ask, Seek and Knock” by John Hamby - Matthew 7 7-11
(4) Original source unknown
(5) Ted Kyle and John Todd, A TREASURY OF BIBLE ILLUSTRATIONS, AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN - 1995 - p. 147.
