Meeting Jesus - keep on asking
You know, I have been in ministry for just about 26 years, and regardless of whether I am in a room filled with men, women, children, pastors, deacons, parents, volunteers, or staff – everybody can be chatting, laughing, cutting up…but the moment the words are said, “who wants to open us up in prayer?” the room grows quiet.
People look down at the floor to avoid eye contact.
Some people have been followers of Jesus for a long time, yet they have never prayed in public. If that sounds like you, its ok! You don’t have to pray out loud in front of other people to experience a life-changing relationship with God.
According to research, the number one fear in America is “Speaking in Public.”
The second fear in America is death.
This means some people would rather die than speak in public!
Just a couple of months after I had surrendered to Jesus, in the fall of 1991, I was sitting in church on a Sunday night. I had been clowning around with one of my buddies during the message and closing, and when the Pastor had a “Sunday night routine” of asking somebody to pray. That night, because I was not paying attention, I thought he said my name! My heart raced. My breathing went shallow. Searching for the churchy words, I prayed out loud for the first time…but the Pastor did not call on me! He asked the person behind me! To make my prayer even more awkward, people came up to me afterward and congratulated me on such a wonderful prayer. That was weird.
In today’s passage, the disciples had recognized that Jesus had a different prayer life than anybody else they had come across. Jesus was often going out to quiet places by himself to pray. Sometimes he took along his disciples, sometimes he went by himself. On this occasion, after Jesus had been praying to God, the disciples turned to Jesus and said, “Lord teach us to pray.” Then – Jesus gave them what is known today as “The Lord’s Prayer” - or if you are Catholic or former Catholic, you know it is as the bead that comes after the 10 Hail Mary’s on a Rosary bead.
Jesus did not just teach them how to model their prayer – but then he taught them some crucial principals about prayer that we all need to apply to our lives. If your prayer life has felt empty recently, my prayer is that today, the empty prayer life will change.
Luke 11:1-13
1 Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. 3 Give us each day the food we need, 4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.” 5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. 9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 So if you sinful people 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.”
It sounds to me like Jesus had been waiting for years for his disciples to ask Him to teach them to pray. He gave them powerful life changing advice. He didn’t tell them to “fold their hands, close their eyes, bow their heads…” Every evening when we give God thanks for dinner, I wait for the girls to bow their heads, close their eyes, sit down at the table, and stop teasing each other…but Jesus did not focus on the external, Jesus addressed the inward attitude. He emphasized the heart, not the action. He emphasized the “experience of prayer” he was not focused on “kneeling down, lifting hands, closing eyes, or bowing heads.” He wasn’t focused on the loudness of prayer, he focused on the heart.
One of the ways he emphasizes the heart in this passage is that…
THE HEART OF PRAYER IS UNCOMFORTABLE GRACE
Take a look again at verse 4.
Luke 11:4
4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
Jesus taught that at the very core of our conversation with God – is an attitude that offers UNCOMFORTABLE GRACE to those around us. When we pray and ask God to forgive us of our sins, we must be willing to forgive those who have offended us. That means friends who betrayed us, wounded us, and hurt us deeply, are the first ones on our minds when we pray. Have you ever noticed it usually is not strangers that bother us, hurt us, or offend us when they sin against us? Strangers may sin against us, but they don’t hurt us like those that we trust. It is our friends, our family, and those we love who hurt us the deepest. It is not the people that cut us off in traffic or call us repeatedly on our cell phones that we can hold a grudge against.
But the people we love, trust, admire, and hold in high regard – when they sin against us, they usually hurt and wound us deeply. When trust is broken, it can wound us for a long time if we let it. But here is the beautiful thing! It is only when we are wounded and broken that we get to join Jesus in demonstrating GRACE to those who don’t deserve it. It is only when we are hurt that we can radiate the beautiful, overwhelming kindness of God. So, when was the last time you demonstrated uncomfortable grace in your prayer life? When was the last time, alone in the presence of God, you released your hurt, anger, and grudge against those who hurt you?
Do they deserve to be forgiven?
No.
But neither do you.
See, you and I – we cannot earn forgiveness from God, and we do not deserve his forgiveness for our rebellion. Each of us in this room have thought evil thoughts, we have lied, we have cheated, we have lusted, we have lived in open rebellion against our Creator God and because of our rebellion, we deserve to be separated from God forever.
1 Peter 3:18
18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
If you are a believer in Jesus and you have surrendered your life to Him, you have been brought safely home to God. You are wrapped up in his presence in prayer…and bring that attitude of uncomfortable grace with you. As God wraps you up in his presence as you pray, make sure that you aren’t sticking your tongue out at somebody else that needs you to show them uncomfortable grace.
And, if you have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus, our prayer team will be at the front of the stage after the last worship song is sung. They will be here to answer any questions you may have about how to surrender your life to Jesus and be forgiven for your sins.
A second thing we learn about prayer from this passage is that…
PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER DEMONSTRATES FAITH
Persistence in prayer demonstrates faith. Sometimes people say things like, “Well, I asked God to set me free from this addiction…” He never did, so he must not love me enough to answer my prayers or maybe, “I asked God to help me in my marriage, but He hasn’t. He must not love me.” If you want to be rescued from addictions in your life, then you must be persistent in your ask. Be persistent in your request. Is it really important to you? Do you really want to experience God’s power in your life?
Look at the story Jesus told: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
One man did not want to get out of bed. The other man refused to go away. He was obnoxious. It was midnight. He kept knocking! Can you imagine a neighbor knocking on your door at midnight and refusing to go away? If that happened today, we would call the police. Jesus is teaching us that it is okay to be obnoxious in prayer! Every day, I am reminded by persistence in prayer because my children refuse to take “no” for an answer. “Dad, can I have this? Dad, can I please have this? Dad, please, oh please can I have that?”
If you understand what I’m talking about, say, “Help me, Jesus!” Persistence in prayer is a sign of faith and finally, we understand this third principle:
GOD IS GOOD AND WANTS TO BLESS YOU, SO ASK, SEEK, AND KNOCK!
Luke 11:13
13 So if you sinful people 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.
And God wants to bless you first by giving you His Holy Spirit. When you surrender your life to Jesus and receive forgiveness for your sins, you are made NEW and you receive the Holy Spirit. So how will you demonstrate your faith? What is a need in your life that is screaming for you to ask and knock until God meets that need? Be obnoxious and keep asking God. Keep knocking on his door. Be persistent. Jesus said you have the freedom to ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK at the house of God anytime!
Keep on asking God for healing in your marriage.
Keep on asking God to set you free from addiction.
Keep on asking God to heal relationships with your children.
Keep on asking God to set you free from insecurity.
Keep on asking God to set you free from doubt.
Keep on asking God to heal your cancer.
Keep on asking God for that job.
Keep on asking God to help you forgive.
Keep on asking God to set you free from a grudge.
Keep on asking, keep on knocking.
If it sounds obnoxious to you, then you are learning the principle Jesus wants us to practice.
Persistence in ASKING means we continue to TRUST that He is Good.