Hello Friends!
Welcome back to our Bible study series titled
“Luke 11: The Biblical Boldness of Prayer!”
The
providential PARABLE of Luke 11:5-13
is a very remarkable passage of Scripture. It starts out with a very simple
routine glimpse of a little village incident concerning a certain “friend”
of a “neighbor” who was in “need” of a few “loaves” to feed another
“friend” who arrived to his
home at the “midnight” hour.
And it concludes with profound theology found within the
final verse of this excellent exposition from the perfect
wonderful “Word of God” – Praise the Lord!
With
that said… Let’s dig DEEPER
into God’s WONDERFUL Word as we mine
and refine our serious study of Biblical “prayer” by reconsidering
and revisiting a few of the poignant points made by “Jesus Christ” as we move ever closer to
the conclusion & completion of
our “prayerful” joy-filled
journey together – Through God’s Word!
Luke 11: The Biblical Boldness of Prayer! (Part 3)
Let’s
continue with the full context of our fabulous foundational passage as we
continue in our study…
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and
shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 For a
friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before
him? 7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the
door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give
thee. 8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he
is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many
as he needeth. 9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For
every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he
give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if
he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If ye
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more
shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? – Luke
11:5-13
OPENING POINTS TO PONDER: The ONE and only true
& living mighty GOD
of the Bible, the “God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ” is very different from the “false” demonic deities and the gross gods fabricated
by “men” and “demons.” And the direct
contrast is found in the thrice “Holy”
richness of His CHARACTER
and NATURE
within the ETERNAL
Godhead. In fact, our God the CREATOR
is alone WORTHY of His luminous “loving”, “merciful,”
“gracious,” “forgiving,” “approachable,” “available”
and “generous” caring KINDNESS towards His own – Praise the Lord!
Conversely,
the phony gods of false “religions”
have been formulated throughout human history and these “demonic” entities are dictated through the
line of “wicked” and “worldly” evilly inspired kings,
monarchs and rulers of “man” whom are unavailable
and unapproachable. In fact, as diligently described in
the Old Testament book of Esther we
find such an EXAMPLE of a maniacal
monarch modeled for us from within the Persian Empire:
All the king's servants, and
the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or
women, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there
is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold
out the golden sceptre, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in
unto the king these thirty days – Esther 4:11
That
historical narrative represents the typical way in which these
wicked “kings” functioned
within their spheres of WORLDLY
influence. In fact, you approached ONLY
when invited and did so very delicately!
You may have approached going in bowed over or backwards
or even in some cases crawling into his presence. And
typically the “king” was elevated
on his throne. WHY? So that it was quite clear
to ALL that he was way above
you having been fixed somewhere under his feet.
And most importantly, you certainly NEVER
approached these earthly “kings”
with an attitude of expecting anything from
him – NEVER… EVER!
However… Our GRACIOUS God is just the OPPOSITE! He’s absolutely COMPASSIONATE and KIND in allowing each of “us” to boldly
continue to “ask” for whatever
we “need” of Him according
to His “divine” design.
Therefore, “we” may indeed “go” BOLDLY
unto Him any time and NEVER
ever “fear” interrupting Him – God DESIRES this!
REIGNING REMINDER: As we’ve already “diligently” discussed, God by His Sove-REIGN-ty
has “predestined” the ENDS of human history before
He even “created” the “foundations of the world” and He has also
“predestined” the MEANS according to His perfect
“will” of which are eternally fixed
unto His Glory. And one of the MEANS God uses to
achieve His ENDS is our BOLD and purposefully
poignant “prayers” unto Him!
That’s why Jesus’ little brother James
said this concerning an “effective”
ministry of “prayer” unto “our” Lord Jesus Christ:
…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous
man availeth much – James 5:16b
God
“elects” some to “salvation” in “Jesus
Christ” and though “choosing”
them (His ENDS), their “faith” and “repentance”
(His MEANS) is activated. Those
who “believe” will “escape” the final “judgment” of God – Man’s Responsibility. On the other hand,
those who “do not believe”
are “condemned already”
– The Sovereignty of God. And
while we will not fully understand this demanding “doctrine” in our “frail”
and “fallen” human “minds,” it is indeed Biblical “truth” revealed directly
from the “mind of the Lord”
Himself. Therefore, God “reminds”
His “followers” of His eternal SOVERIGNTY coupled with Man’s earthly RESPONSIBILITY working together through “salvation” in Him alone – The doctrine of
concurrence!
Beloved,
even our simplest and humble needful
“prayers” are NOT in any way insignificant
to God! After all, the “friend”
in “need” simply requested
three little “loaves” of “bread” for his traveling “friend” and “family”
members. And that may seem like a TRIVIAL
thing or an unimportant “need”
in OUR formidable MINDS.
However, that’s exactly WHY
Jesus used this precious “parable”
as an illustration for “us”
from which to glean this great “truth!”
In other words, what may seem like a small
thing to “us” considering the GREATNESS of God, the VASTNESS of His KINGDOM and His ETERNALLY perfect “purposes”
in life, they are indeed – NO small thing unto HIM!
In
fact, here’s another wonderful verse found in the book of Hebrews that we’ll use as a launching point
for this week’s study as we further EXAMINE
the Biblical principle of “prayer”
in which we are exploring throughout our poignant passage from Luke chapter 11:
Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in
time of need
– Hebrews 4:16
The
word “boldness” in the Greek
is parrēsia meaning “freedom in speaking” and
as we would say in today’s vernacular: “To be up
front and say it like it is!” Therefore, we are to “come boldly” unto God with parrēsia
and CONFIDENCE by “asking” for WHATEVER we may “need” from the ONE whom sits upon His “throne of grace” displaying His great “mercy” and “help”
towards His “beloved” children
– Thank You, Lord Jesus!
Brethren,
this is a POWERFUL and PRECIOUS “prayer”
PROMISE from God that “we” often overlook.
This kind of approach is EXACTLY
what “Jesus Christ” is “teaching” us here in these wonderfully
rich passages! We as “believers”
are COMMANDED to “come boldly” unto God with Biblical BOLDNESS for WHATEVER is on our “hearts.” WHY?
Because the Bible “teaches”
the true “believer” that these
“desires” are FROM Him and were – FIRST on HIS
heart FOR us!
Therefore,
as we continue to mine the doctrinal soil
of this amazing PARABLE
recorded by Doctor Luke and spoken
directly from the “heart” of
our Lord “Jesus Christ” Himself, we
will further find in our study TWO
more important
aspects of the Biblical boldness
of “prayer” for us to
consider:
God’s
great PROVISION!
God’s
great PROMISE!
The
FIRST
key point in our Luke 11 story is the
great PROVISION that comes
from our “persistence” in
which Jesus contends concerning the “friend”
in “need” from HIS perspective:
I say
unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet
because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth – Luke
11:8
THEOLOGICAL THOUGHTS: As we have already
discussed, the Greek word anaideian for “persistence” is a very interesting word of
which means “importunity” and
is quite different than the word “opportunity” that is so common to our
lives. HOW? The word “opportunity” is simply referring to a circumstance
that is favorable unto YOU
alone. However, “importunity”
is another word all together in our English language used to refer to being “over
bold” or to “NAG”
as such. And as we discussed in our previous study, the word anaideian
means “shameless” and describes a “rushing
in where angels fear to tread” kind of UNSELFISH approach to “prayer” concerning the – BENEFIT of ANOTHER
person!
Therefore,
Jesus is exclaiming here that this “friend”
did indeed “received” what he
“needed” in his life. WHY? Because he was anaideian! This
“friend” in “need” woke up in the middle of
the night and went right over to bother his “neighbor” and he did NOT
seem too concerned that the man was fast asleep “in bed” with his entire family! And this
is just one of the MANY
important and poignant points of this wonderful story. Therefore, when we’re
not “ashamed” to “ask” of God according to our
true “need” and the “needs” of “another,”
we WILL indeed “receive” it – However…
Let’s
also “remember” what Jesus’
little half-brother James has ALSO sternly stated in his own excellent
epistle:
Ye
lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight
and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume
it upon your lusts – James 4:2-3
Pastor
James utilizes many different kinds of metaphorical vocabulary to make his “doctrinal” points evident to his readers.
And in this incident he chooses violent terminology such
as “murder”
and “covet”
to grab “our” attention. WHY? Because it expresses the intensity
and destructiveness of this conflict
existing WITHIN the “church” itself. These “fights” and “wars” were happening because there were some “brethren” (believers) in the “assembly” who were deeply in “love” with God. Conversely, there were
also “others” (unbelievers)
who were deeply in “love” with
the wicked “world” system.
Therefore, with these two OPPOSING
types of “friendships” present
among
the “brethren,” a major conflict
is inevitable as there are indeed – TARES among the WHEAT!
QUIZZING QUESTIONS: WHO is the “ye” spoken
of here by James? WHAT does he mean when he says “yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” And
WHAT
are the “ye”
here REALLY searching for?
These particular folks are the “unbelievers”
found within the church of whom are NOT searching FOR God. Rather, they are simply searching
only FOR all the “things” of which God can GIVE to them… So what – EVERYONE wants that!
However, these phony people do NOT actually “want” God Himself! WHY? Because they ONLY wistfully
“want” what their WORLDLY carnal “lusts” dictate. However, they will ONLY really “receive” what they “want” according to their warped
minds. WHY? Because they
selfishly “ask amiss”
to foolishly “spend” it upon themselves
according to their own hedonistic & narcissistic “pleasures” but NOT for the GLORY & HONOR of GOD.
In fact, it is God Who is the true “giver of
all good gifts” if you'd only properly “ask” of HIM
on HIS terms. Therefore,
James says: You do NOT have what you SPIRITUALLY
NEED because you do NOT ask OF Him!
Beloved,
all “Christians” must “seek” out God’s divine dictates for their
lives. This is God’s great PROVISION in
life – According to HIS perfect WILL!
The
SECOND
key point in our Luke 11 story is the
great PROMISE that comes
as we “receive”
eternal “Salvation” and “Sanctification” from the Lord:
And I
say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock,
and it shall be opened unto you. For
every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened – Luke 11:9-10
Just
as the one “friend” held another
personal “friend” to his
social obligation of showing hospitality by “giving”
to others in “need,”
God instructs us to hold Him to His Biblical PROMISE towards His own. Therefore, “we” can “ask”
of “God” and He will “give” it to
“us” according
to His SOVEREIGN wonderful
“will” – Thank YOU Lord Jesus!
And Jesus reiterates this “truth”
through the closing segment of His Sermon on
the Mount found in the Gospel
of Matthew:
Ask, and it shall be given you;
seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you – Matthew 7:7
Here is
how this PRAYER approach looks: To begin with, “you” start out “asking” of God. Then “you” get more aggressive
by “seeking” after God.
Finally, “you” start “knocking” as “your” appeal gets even more intense…
And
eventually “you”
will “receive”
from the Lord “according”
to His perfect “will”
through His “saving” grace!
Therefore, we MUST keep
our “prayers” focused ON the “purposes”
of the Lord and NOT our
own. The full CONTEXT of
this passage and the many others surrounding and
supporting it requires “our”
complete SUBMISSION to
God’s SOVEREIGN wonderful
“will” through “obedience” to HIM in relation to “our” eternal “Salvation” and “Sanctification” for HIS great “glory”
and “honor.” This is God’s
great PROMISE for “our” life IN Him – According to
His Word!
In
closing:
With
all of this wonderful “truth”
in mind, let’s further consider Matthew 6:9-13
where Jesus Christ “teaches”
His FRAMEWORK masterpiece MODEL of “prayer”
given to His disciples. This incredible PROVISION
and PROMISE from our Lord
speaks to the meeting of “our”
physical, spiritual and moral
necessary “needs” through
personal “petitions” offered
to GOD with “thanksgiving”
including “forgiveness” received FROM Him and is OFFEERED to one another according to
His PERFECT and SOVEREIGN and “Holy” CHARACTER & NATURE:
In this
manner, therefore, pray:
“Our Father
who art in heaven” ~ Speaks of God’s Paternity!
“Hallowed
be thy name” ~ Speaks of God’s Priority!
“Thy
kingdom come” ~ Speaks of God’s Program!
“Thy will
be done” ~ Speaks
of God’s Purpose!
“Give us
this day our daily bread” ~ Speaks of God’s Provision!
“Forgive us
our debts as we forgive our debtors” ~ Speaks of God’s Pardon!
“And lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” ~ Speaks of God’s Protection!
“For thine
is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever, amen” ~ Speaks of God’s Preeminence!
In
stark opposition to the worthless
wrangling of lost humanity, please also notice there are NO selfish
“sinful” singular personal
pronouns found ANYWHERE in
this powerful passage found in the Gospel of
Matthew from
Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount!
In fact, ALL pronouns are
in the plural form of an “our,” “us”
and “we” nature. WHY? Because “our”
sincere “prayers” are to be primarily
focused on the “Lord” and His provision
for ALL of “us” according to HIS wonderful – Majesty &
Holiness!
EVERY phrase of Biblical “promise”
spoken here by Jesus Christ the Son
relates to God the Father
in heaven! In the first century, the “religious”
Jews “prayed” in an ungodly hypocritical
and pious manner that they may be “seen by men” while the “practicing” pagans “prayed” in an ungodly mindless
and mechanical manner. BOTH
of these ungodly rants were NOT at all pleasing to God
and this “truth” certainly applies
to Jesus’ perfect “prayer”
model as well – Praise His Holy Name!
In
fact, to further state this POWERFUL
point in condemning contention, Jesus relays the following
stinging statements when addressing this very important
subject earlier in His Sermon
on the Mount concerning such “religious”
and lifeless man-centered muttered “prayer” through piteous parades
of the flesh:
And
when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to
pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they
may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But
thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy
door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in
secret shall reward thee openly – Matthew 6:5-6
Similarly,
these unbiblical approaches and methodologies of men
regarding “prayers” to “god”
can be found in abundance within today’s lame “religious” landscape. Beloved, these
wonderful “words” from “Jesus Christ” concerning “prayer” were NEVER meant to be lifeless or
a rote mantra to be mindlessly repeated
over and over without “understanding”
their FOCUS, MEANING
and APPLICATION for life.
Therefore, if “we” are to “grow” in our PERSONAL HOLINESS and MATURITY in our Lord Jesus Christ, we must
see GOD for who HE is: “Holy,
Holy, Holy” in contrast to OUR fallen “flesh”
as being “sinful” by nature.
These are our – Proper PRAYER
Prerogatives!
REAL REFLECTIONS: Does Dr. Luke’s personal
and practical approach to “prayer”
found in his excellent Gospel letter turn God AWAY
from “us” or even somehow CONTRADICT Jesus’ precious “prayer” model? – Not at all!
Beloved, if we “ask”
and “seek”
and “knock” we WILL indeed “find” in “Jesus
Christ” what we “need”
the MOST in life.
Therefore, “we” are to
be UNSELFISH and “persistent” in “our” purposeful “prayer” life. WHY? Because to YEARN
for MORE of “Jesus
Christ” allows “us”
to BECOME more LIKE our “Jesus
Christ” through the “sanctifying”
power of the Holy Spirit
in CONFORMING all of “us” to the perfect LIKENESS of
“Jesus Christ” until our final “glorification” by “Jesus
Christ” as – The PROMISE
of Salvation & Sanctification IN Jesus Christ!
Therefore,
WHEN we “seek”
we WILL indeed “find” and WHEN
we “knock” the “door” WILL
indeed be “opened” unto “us” ACCORDING
to our “need” of which is in “loving” line WITH God’s PERFECT wonderful “will” for HIS
great “glory” and prominent “praise” – Our
GOD is so WONDERFUL!
Don’t miss our next exciting study – “Luke
11: The Biblical Boldness of Prayer!”
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Shane K. Morin <><
Encouraging Concepts
Truth for Today
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