Luke 11.5-13 click for audio

Lord, Teach Us to Pray (part 2)

Last week, our Lord taught us the principles of prayer content.  Our prayers should consist of praying to our heavenly Father for His decreed end…His name being vindicated and His Kingdom consummating on earth.  Jesus went on to explain that we should also ask God; depending on Him for our every need from the bread we eat to the sins that need to be forgiven.  Jesus shows us we are to pray for the things that God promises to accomplish.  When we pray correctly, we pray for God to accomplish His will.

This week our Lord shows us what our approach should be to prayer.  In other words, Jesus shows us a proper prayer attitude.  Last week the key word was dependence this week it is persistence. 

After giving us the model prayer, Jesus tells a parable to illustrate how to pray.  Notice in this parable words like impudence, ask, seek, knock…all these are words of persistence.  We are to keep asking, seeking, and knocking until our godly requests are answered.

The big problem with our praying is that we are often praying very selfish trivial prayers.  Rather, we should be praying God ordained big prayers.

Let’s look together at how Jesus so masterfully teaches us to pray.

This is God’s Word…

Lk 11:5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves,

Lk 11:6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;

Lk 11:7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’?

Lk 11:8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.

Lk 11:9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Lk 11:10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Lk 11:11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;

Lk 11:12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

Lk 11:13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Lord, grant us perseverance in prayer as we trust You as Father. Continue Reading

Luke 11.1-4 %22Click for audio%22

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

Introduction

Jesus was a man of prayer.  Luke shows us all through his gospel that time and time again Jesus could be found praying.  He was always in the mode of prayer.

Lk 6:12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.

The disciples watched Jesus.  They knew that if he could not be found, He was probably hiding away in prayer.  They also saw the power of Jesus’ prayers.  They knew that many amazing things took place after Jesus had prayed.  The feeding of the five thousand is one example.

Lk 9:16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

The connection to last week’s message with Mary and Martha is that there, Luke showed the importance of listening to God, here we learn the importance of speaking to God.

We must be careful to really listen and we must be careful when we speak.  Regardless what many moderns say, God is not our homeboy.  It is true we can approach the throne of grace with boldness because of the work of Christ but we had also better approach God with fear and reverence.

The disciples wanted to be closer to God and in Jesus they saw this.  When they watched His life, they saw a life totally dedicated to and in communion with God.

I pray that you also like this unnamed disciple desire a closer communion with God.  Since Luke leaves this disciple unnamed, let’s plug ours into the sentence.  Let’s ask Jesus the same question…Lord, teach us to pray.

This is not the same prayer found in Matthew.  There, Jesus is preaching the Sermon on the Mount and instructs on prayer.  Here, Jesus is approached by a disciple and asked about prayer.

A disciple is dependent on God for instruction in godliness through the Word.  A disciple is also dependent on God for not only proper instruction but also everything else as well.  Notice how this short prayer models a disciple’s dependence on God for all things.

This is God’s Word…

Lk 11:1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”

Lk 11:2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.

Lk 11:3 Give us each day our daily bread,

Lk 11:4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”

Jesus, teach us to pray in the right manner and for the right things… Continue Reading