TWL - Parables S5E3 3.4.25 Description: Exploring Luke 11, Chris emphasizes persistent, bold prayer aligned with God's will, using the Lord's Prayer and a parable to illustrate effective communication with God. Recorded on March 4, 2025 at Skycrest Community Church.
Hello Skycrest Community Church Family,
This past Sunday, Pastor Chris delivered a thought-provoking sermon on the parable of persistent prayer from Luke 11. We explored the profound lessons Jesus taught about the power and necessity of praying with unwavering faith and shameless audacity. As we delve deeper into this parable, here are some key points to ponder:
- **Praying with Boldness**: Pastor Chris emphasized that our prayers should be marked by a bold and persistent spirit, much like the friend who sought bread at midnight. This boldness reflects our trust in God's willingness to provide.
- **The Heart of Prayer**: We were reminded that prayer is not about the right words but about aligning our desires with God's will, focusing on the hallowing of His name and the coming of His kingdom.
- **The Promise of Persistence**: Jesus assures us that if we ask, seek, and knock with determination and faith, God will respond. This promise encourages us to remain steadfast in prayer, confident in His provision.
As we reflect on these teachings, let's approach this week with a renewed commitment to prayer, seeking God's guidance and strength in all we do. We're blessed to have you in our community, and we hope to see you at our next gathering.
In Christ's love,
The Team at Skycrest Community Church
Welcome to Truth Worth Living, where we seek to understand God's word so we can live in God's will.
Today we're going to continue our series on the parables by looking at a parable that Jesus shared about prayer.
Now, it's found in Luke, chapter 11, and as always, the context is especially important for understanding what Jesus was teaching.
He was the the text says he was praying in a certain place, which seems to be code for a favorite place.
His disciples were watching, presumably trying to pick up on what it was about his prayers that made them so uniquely effective.
Whatever he was doing, it was abundantly clear that his prayers moved both heaven and earth.
What they found was they couldn't tell by watching, obviously.
So one of his guys said, Lord, teach us to pray.
Jesus responded by giving them the condensed version of the Lord's Prayer, essentially saying, hey, knuckleheads, we've been over this.
Remember the Sermon on the Mount?
Here's a review.
Luke, chapter 11, verse 2.
He said to them, when you pray, say, father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us, and lead us not into temptation.
When you pray, be sure that you acknowledge God as Father, that you declare your intent to hallow his name.
Peter would later put it like this, to help us understand in your heart, set apart Christ as Lord.
He said, commit yourself to his kingdom, doing your part to ensure that what's up there comes down here.
And then ask God to do what God provide.
Forgive, help us forgive and protect us from the ambush of the enemy.
That was it.
No surprises, no great mystery, no magic words.
Pray to your Father and invite him to be Lord of your life and your surroundings.
They had heard it all before.
But then Jesus added a twist.
He told a story.
It was a parable like all the others.
A story that everyone, at least in their time, could relate to.
Here was the story.
Luke, chapter 11, verse 5.
Then Jesus said to them, suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, friend, lend me three loaves of bread.
A friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.
And suppose the one inside answers, don't bother me, the door is already locked and my children and I are in bed.
I can't get up and give you anything.
I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shame audacity, he will surely get up and give you as much as you need now.
In their culture, traveling Jews could expect welcoming hospitality from other Jews.
The unexpected pop in was like a constant level occurrence.
And when a visitor came knocking at your door, you were expected to provide them not just a place to sleep, but actually room and board.
Okay, but what?
It actually wasn't quite that simple.
It didn't just end there.
In their honor shame culture, the travelers experience in the community was a reflection of the entire community.
If it was good, the community itself got a five star review.
If it was wanting, they got crushed.
It was shameful to fail.
So in their minds, the one receiving the visitor was a representative of the entire town.
And if they couldn't fully meet the needs of the traveler, their friends and neighbors were honor bound to step up and fill in the gaps.
That's just how it worked.
And everyone knew it.
And everyone was all in.
So in Jesus story, the town rep didn't have any bread.
So he did what he was supposed to do.
He turned to his friend for help.
But it was late and his friend had just gotten the kids to sleep.
And if he got up and started clanging around the kitchen, well, you know, they were in for a long night.
So the sleeping friend told the seeking friend to go away.
But the man without the bread knew what was right.
So he didn't just slink away discouraged into the night.
He wasn't going to give up.
The hallowed name of the village was at stake.
And Jesus said with shameless audacity, he held his ground and eventually got what he needed.
Now what was the point?
When you're praying the right way, pray like you mean it.
Don't give up.
Don't slink away.
Pray boldly with persistent, humble, shameless audacity.
This is the way prayer works.
If you pray the right way for the right reasons, which are the hallowing of God's name and the coming of his kingdom, then you can be confident and you must never give up.
The coming of the kingdom is at stake and the king will respond.
Jesus concluded his story with the promise.
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.
For everyone who asks receives.
The one who seeks, finds.
And to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Jesus concluded with this promise.
Luke, chapter 11, verses 9 and 10.
So I say to you, ask and it will be given to you.
Seek and you will find.
Knock, and the door will be open to you.
For everyone who asks receives the one who seeks.
Finds.
And to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Jesus said, if we pray with God and his desires as our aim and we don't easily give up, he will answer.
See, the truth is, God works through our prayers.
That's a truth worth believing.
And this is truth worth living.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
I hope you have a great afternoon.
God bless you and keep you and cause his face to shine upon you and give you peace.
Have a good day.