"the Power Of Confident Prayer" Series

"The Power of Confident Prayer"

Luke 11:1-13

A sermon for 6/26/22 – Third Sunday after Pentecost

Pastor John Bright

Luke 11 “5 And He said to them, “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.

9 “So I say to you, 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. 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!””

Pause right there. Those words I just read; they were “Breathed by God”! God wants you to hear His Word right now! So, what is your response? Do you want to transformed by that Word or do you want to be informed about the words? You have to choose.

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What is a parable? Is it an illustration? Sure, but it’s so much more! Often it is an exaggeration of a real situation for those listening. Jesus’ parables are grounded in the culture of His day so they were believable for those around Him. Two things we often miss:

• Parables are meant to shock and bother you!

• Parables are meant to show God’s extravagant love!

Here we have “Parable of the Friend at Midnight.”

The Setting, v. 1-4

“1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

2 So He said to them, “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.”

The Disciples ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. They mention that John the Baptizer has been teaching his disciples. We recognize what was taught because we have been praying this since we were children and learned the Lord’s Pray (some prefer to call this The Disciples Prayer). Why mention the setting? That’s the context for the parable. It is meant to encourage the Disciples – that’s us – to pray with CONFIDENCE. Later, in Luke 18, we will meet the widow who is persistent, for now the lesson for us is to have confidence in our prayers to be answered.

The Parable, v. 5-8

“5 And He said to them, “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.”

In the Greek, this parable begins with a phrase that is much like, “Can you imagine?” In that day, the answer would be, “No! Never!” Here is how Harry Wendt (“The Parables of Jesus” 1997) describes the situation:

“A friend from a distant village comes to your home just before midnight, and you must provide him with a meal and accommodation. But you don’t have the necessary items to feed him as you should. So you go to one of your neighbors to borrow some bread – and the neighbor offers ridiculous excuses about a locked door and sleeping children.”