Luke 11:1-13 | Lord, Teach Us to Pray | Matthew Dodd

us to pray lord teach us to pray let's pray father we thank you for this time to be in your word and father as we talk about a topic that's familiar to us all we also recognize it's one that creates a lot of questions for many of us too and i pray father god any mystery would be removed and father that you would move so mightily within our hearts that we would desire a more intimate relationship with you through prayer so father god i pray that you would move mightily in our hearts and raise up our church to be a church who are seeking you with all their heart soul mind and faith and prayer to seeking you wholeheartedly lord so father please reign over this time raise up our church to be a church of prayer in jesus name we pray and all of god's people said amen and amen and as i mentioned during my prayer you know prayer is a simple concept really what we're talking about is talking with god right and yet when you talk to people about prayer i find that it generates a lot of questions questions like how do i approach god and when i do what do i say what does he want me to say or or will god ever get tired of me asking i mean is there a minimum number of requests or a maximum number of requests how often should i ask and more importantly what should i do when i feel like god isn't listening at all and another one especially when we're praying about god's will is what if i don't like god's answer that's a big one well truly the list could go on and on but the question is are there any answers to these questions and i find it encouraging that the answer is a resounding yes and tonight we're going to look at the words of our savior jesus christ for the answers in luke chapter 11. when a disciple asked jesus lord teach us to pray they had watched jesus he was a man of prayer constantly the gospels tell us he was in communion with the father and so they saw something they weren't asking lord teach us how to preach or or teach us how to cast out a demon teach us how to pray it was so profound a relationship i wanted to know how to pray now in luke chapter 11 we're going to learn what to say how to approach the father how often to ask and what to do when it feels like god's not listening we're also going to learn why we can trust god even when our prayers are not answered the way we had hoped and my prayer tonight and this is truly my prayer for all of you it has been all week long but well before it as well that prayer would become such a part of who we are it's like it's just grained into our dna that we find ourselves throughout the day praying without ceasing because we're in this constant contact communion with our heavenly father god desires that kind of relationship with us and that's amazing to me that the god of all creation who knows us all by name wants an intimate relationship with us and as we look at these verses that's what's going to jump out off the page how much god desires a relationship with us through prayer so let's begin in luke chapter 11 verse 1. it happened that while jesus was praying in a certain place after he'd finished one of his of his disciples said to him lord teach us to pray just as john also taught his disciples and he said to them when you pray say father hallowed be your name your kingdom come give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us and lead us not into temptation then he said to them suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him friend lend me three loaves for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey and i have nothing to set before him and from inside he answers and says do not bother me the door has already been shut and my children and i are in bed i cannot get up and give you anything i tell you even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs so i say to you ask and it will be given to you seek and you will find knock and it will be open to you for everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it will be opened now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish he will not give him a snake instead of a fish will he or if he's asked for an egg he will not give him a scorpion will he 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 when we come to luke chapter 11 there's been a major shift in jesus ministry he's transitioned his ministry from the north and the galilee region into the southern region where jerusalem's at in preparation for the betrayal crucifixion burial and resurrection luke 9 51 tells us when the days were approaching for his ascension he was determined to go to jerusalem now it's also important to note and notice the progression in chapters 11 and 10 in luke's gospel in in chapter 10 verses 25 through 37 we noticed a lot a couple of weeks ago that jesus taught about the kind of relationship that we should have with our neighbors through the parable of the good samaritan and then last week we studied when we looked at mary and martha jesus talked about in verses 38 through 42 the kind of relationship we should have with him and now when we come to the first 13 verses of luke chapter 11 jesus is going to talk about the kind of relationship we should have with our heavenly father through prayer and so i want you to notice the first important principle concerning prayer which is this our heavenly father wants us to pray to him please let that sink deep into your hearts god wants a relationship with us our heavenly father wants us to pray to him and i must confess when i read this passage i'm struck for me when i read this passage it's like drinking a slurpee on a hot day real fast i get a brain freeze when i read this passage it's overwhelming to me because when i look at this passage i realize the heavenly father is speaking through his son jesus christ to you and me about prayer it's like god is saying to us i've been listening to people pray for a very very long time and so i have a few things i'd like to share with you about prayer and all of it we need to see the father's heart for us that our heavenly father truly desires relationship and he wants us to pray to him now in verse 2 please notice that jesus assumed his people would pray for he said when you pray it's assumed that christians would pray that his disciples would understand the importance of spending time with our heavenly father in prayer to shut out the noise of the world and take time to be quiet and alone with our god and then when you're walking through the noise of the world still being in communion with god having a heart heart mindful of his presence and a heart that is desiring communion through prayer and so here jesus offered deep insights into the kind of relationship our father desires to have with those who seek him into prayer in prayer and these 13 verses can be divided into three sections three sections verses two through four you have jesus model for prayer verses five through eight you have the parable about prayer and verses 9 through 13 jesus promise when we pray now in verses 2 through 4 we have jesus model for prayer and it's also mentioned in matthew chapter 6 and there's a difference between the two passages what you have in luke is a more consolidated form in matthew it's more expanded now what we need to also see is in matthew 6 jesus taught about prayer when he was near the sea of galilee and now he's near jerusalem and teachers would repeat their messages and so that's what we have here is a repeat of what he had shared when he was near the sea of galilee in the sermon of the mount now this model for prayer is an example or a pattern what i mean by that is this it's not intended to be repeated by memory without engaging the heart or the mind just don't shoot up ten hail marys or or ten our fathers here from memory okay that's not the idea here now we're supposed to engage our heart we're supposed to engage our mind and jesus model for prayer his pattern includes five types of prayer requests the first two are directed towards god acknowledging his uniqueness and his eternal plan the next three are directed towards our needs for god's provision for his forgiveness and for his protection now first when you pray begin your prayers by honoring the father when you pray in jesus name begin by honoring the father jesus began here with an invitation and really i think it's an upward call of sorts he's calling the believer to look upward he's calling the believer to set their mind on things above to have an intimate relationship with father god because he truly is our heavenly father our prayers need to be directed to father god sometimes not here of course but sometimes when you hear people pray publicly have you ever noticed or maybe even thought while you're listening to the prayer are they praying to god or are they praying to me are they praying to god or are they trying to impress me are they praying to god are they trying to preach to me but making it look like a prayer our prayers need to be directed towards father god i'm reminded of a funny story of when the former baptist minister from east texas bill moyers he served as a special assistant to president lyndon baines johnson well he was asked to say grace before a meal in the family quarters of the white house and so as moyers began to pray softly president johnson interrupted him and shouted speak up bill speak up without looking up moyers replied i wasn't addressing you mr president good word how do we approach god the word father father it's similar to our english word daddy and by using the word daddy or father jesus was revealing that his disciples have a close familiar relationship with father god through jesus you see through jesus father god is not our stranger there's no stranger danger here and through jesus father god really is now our abba father our daddy romans chapter 8 verses 14 through 16 the apostle paul says for all who are being led by the spirit of god these are the sons of god for you've not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again but you've received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out abba father the spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of god oh this is so special so precious so important for us to understand that we can call the god of all creation god the father the first person in the godhead our father and jesus invites us to do so how do we approach god call him your father then how do we begin our prayers after we've done so how should we approach the one who created us and sustains us let me tell you by giving honor where honor is due give honor where honor is due what do i mean by that well the word hollywood means to set apart or to sanctify or in this case to treat as holy and it's associated with god's name what's the significance of god's name well the name represents or is the sum of his attributes meaning all that is god that he is holy that he's eternal that he's infinite all-knowing all-powerful all-present never changes all that is god is wrapped up in the name in the name of god hallowed be your name so our first request is that god be honored and revered by all beginning with you and me and so this prayer request lifts our eyes towards god and asks that we you and me live such lives in such a way that we reflect his character to a world that desperately needs to know him in essence we are asking that god's name be honored as holy through the thoughts we think through the words that we speak through the things that we do remember back in the day people used to wear those wwjd bracelets what would jesus do remember that well jesus was way ahead of those bracelets when he was teaching the disciples to pray hallowed be your name father may your name be treated as holy through everything that i think through everything that i say through everything that i do may my life be a catalyst that draws people to you to consider jesus verses be used as a cause for people to blaspheme god and to mock him that's why paul says in colossians chapter 3 verse 17 whatever you do in word or deed do all in the name of the lord jesus giving thanks through him to god the father hallowed be your name the second request is for the coming of god's kingdom this prayer request represents the hope for the full revelation of god's promised rule when all that's wrong in our world as it stands today will be made right and will be right forevermore i can't wait for that day you see when a christian makes this their prayer they are literally identifying themselves with the fulfillment of jesus christ kingdom message the coming of the messianic age the book of revelation how does it close with john the apostle saying come lord jesus come that's the prayer of the saints you see jesus christ is coming back to establish his kingdom here on earth and as christians god wants us to live expectant lives looking for and praying for the return of our savior jesus christ and that's why paul tells us in titus 2 verses 11 through 14 for the grace of god has appeared bringing salvation to all men instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly righteously and godly in the present age looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great god and savior christ jesus by the way right there one of your most powerful proofs for the deity of jesus christ right there linking god and our savior and christ jesus all together powerful proof for the deity of christ if anyone ever says paul didn't believe in the deity of christ take him to titus 2. there it is who gave himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and to purify for himself a people for his own possession zealous for good deeds why are we zealous for good deeds because our savior's coming back and we want to be ready and not shrink back at his appearing you see far too many people spend too much of their lives fixated on their navels yes you heard me on their belly buttons looking too much at themselves and their circumstances and you know what whenever you do that questions will inevitably arise people will begin to wonder if god cares they'll begin to wonder and question if god can do anything about the mess our world is in but when we begin our prayers by saying father hallowed be your name your kingdom come our hearts and our thoughts are turned towards heaven and this is so important because we need a heavenly perspective before we engage with the problems of this life before we look to the things of this earth we must set our minds on things above and that's why jesus told us in matthew 6 33 but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you this is why the apostle paul also said in colossians chapter 3 verses 1 through four therefore if you've been raised up with christ keep seeking the things above where christ is seated at the right hand of god set your mind on these things not on the things that are on earth for you've died in your life is hidden with christ in god when christ who is our life is revealed then you will also be revealed with him in glory after praying for your heavenly father to be honored for his name to be treated as holy and then praying for his kingdom then you shift gears and you bring your needs to your father in prayer bring your needs to your father in prayer the third request is a prayer for god's provision in verse three give us each day our daily bread today the truth is with the difficulties in our world many many people are living month to month paycheck to paycheck and it was true in jesus day too but then it was living day by day paycheck by paycheck very very poor times and so jesus invites us as he did them to ask our heavenly father each day for his provision trusting that he will provide what we need underlying need in bold need exclamation point need not our wants what we need which reminds me of a funny story about this co-worker who asked his friend why he was buying donuts if he was trying to live by a diet going on a diet losing weight and so the guy says well i came around the corner where the donut shop was and so i told god if he wanted me to buy some donuts to have a parking spot right in front and on the eighth time around there was no philippians 4 19 and my god will supply all your needs not your doughnuts according to his riches in glory in christ jesus the fourth request is a prayer for god's forgiveness verse 4 and forgive us our sins for we ourselves also forgive everyone who's indebted to us now i want to clarify something here because when a person receives jesus christ as their savior their sin is forgiven the guilt of their sin is forgiven meaning they stand justified before god and that's why the apostle paul tells us in romans chapter 5 verse 1 therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with god through our lord jesus christ so when we come to luke chapter 11 jesus is not talking about justification or becoming born again so that we have a right standing before god through faith in jesus christ he's talking about something different here he's teaching about the kind of forgiveness that's necessary for maintaining fellowship with god once you've become a believer the truth is as believers we still sin it does happen hopefully the longer we walk with christ the less we do so but god makes a provision for that you see when we sin as believers it doesn't kick us out of the family of god but it does minimize create a tension in our fellowship with god because when we sin and then if we choose to remain in that sin guess what the truth is not as strong in us and if we're not careful it can begin to even pull us away and deceive us into thinking everything's okay when it really is not and so that's why we're told in first john chapter one we're supposed to walk in the light as he is in the light and when we walk in the light his light reveals the sin that we commit and instead of pretending it doesn't exist what do we do well first john chapter 1 verses 8 9 says if we say that we have no sin we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us but if we confess our sins he's faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and so when we confess our sin if we make a mistake what happens we walk in the light we are standing firm in his presence and in his fellowship and that lie because of our sin can't pull us away can't deceive us further into further darkness it helps us maintain that relationship that fellowship with our father god now the other thing that we see here is that god wants us to forgive others who sin against us and he really does and this is very very important because some might say well i can't forgive that bozo because they don't deserve it to which one might respond well did you deserve god's forgiveness you see if we forgive others then it protects us from a root of bitterness from developing in our hearts but if we choose to not forgive others guess what happens a root of bitterness can spring up in our lives and will literally pollute everything in our lives it will define you unforgiveness will define you and the bitter fruit that flows from it i've seen it happen in many many people's lives so really we need to see that forgiveness is a choice we need to forgive others because we've been forgiven and when we forgive others we need to realize that what we're forgiving is nothing in comparison to what we've been forgiven by god it's a choice that we need to make it reminds me of the story of clara barton the founder of the american red cross one day she was reminded of a vicious deed that someone had done to her years before but she acted as if she never heard about it and so her friend said to her don't you remember it and barton came back and said no i distinctly remember forgetting it it's a choice so jesus is saying that a root of bitterness will even prevent us from enjoying our relationship with god and it will hinder us and hinder our walk with him it'll define all that we are rather paul tells us in ephesians 4 verse 32 be kind to one another tenderhearted forgiving each other just as god in christ also has forgiven you the fifth request is a prayer for god's protection verse 4 and lead us not into temptation now what i want us to see here is this god's eternal let's just step back and look at an attribute of god god's eternal which means he's outside of time which means for god past present and future are an ever-present now which means he's as much with us in our future as he's here with us now now couple that with the idea that god is also all-knowing he knows everything which means he knows our strengths and our weaknesses now let's combine these together with what jesus is saying what jesus is saying is when you pray to the eternal all-knowing god pray a proactive prayer lead me not into temptation lord you know my tomorrow and you know me and you know what may cause me to stumble i want your name to be hallowed i want your kingdom to come keep me from temptation i don't want to be used as a cause for unbelievers to blaspheme or mock you i don't want that sin to creep into my life lead me from temptation keep me away from it now we need to see something here james chapter 1 verse 13 makes it clear that god's not tempted by evil nor does he tempt anyone but he is the one who can guide us away from that temptation and help us when we are tempted and are tempted first corinthians chapter 10 verse 13 no temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man look at this and god is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you're able but with the temptation we'll provide the way of escape also so that you may be able to endure it see jesus is our way of escape so here's just real practical i'm gonna share my day with you when i get up in the morning early i take time to be alone with the lord and i pray lord you know my areas of weakness and you know what this day is going to hold please keep me from temptation because i don't want to stumble in any way but if god allows that for some reason then guess what in the midst of the temptation what do i do i call out to the lord because the name of the lord's a strong tower the righteous run into it and they're safe and then when he provides the way of escape which is always through him i take it i don't flirt with the temptation i flee from the temptation when temptation comes knocking i know what the answer is nobody's home i don't answer the door right so it's very very practical there's that proactive side and there's in the middle of the battle side both ways god's faithful god will provide the way now what does all this mean well god the father knows what we need before we ask him but we need to ask him does god need our worship no but we need to worship him does god need our prayers no but we need to pray to him you see our father wants us to ask seek and knock our father wants us to ask to seek and to knock to further reveal the father's heart for us that he wants us to ask seek and knock jesus gave a parable about a persistent friend who asked his grumpy neighbor for three loaves of bread in the middle of the night verses five through eight now i would venture to guess because i've been in the same camp when you think of this parable you think of the horizontal plane what's my responsibility ask seek and knock be persistent in prayer but what's the point of asking and seeking and knocking what's the idea here why should i be persistent in prayer why should i ask seek and knock because our father is not a grumpy neighbor that's his point here it's more than just what happens this way it's who he is let me tell you if i think god's a grumpy neighbor i don't want to go ask i don't want to sink and i definitely don't want to knock on this door i don't want my ball to even trickle into his yard but god our father is not a grumpy neighbor now in jesus day hospitality was a high priority and if a traveler came to your door you were obligated to host him and care for their needs day or night even at midnight in fact failure to do so would ruin your reputation and by the way also mar the reputation of the village you lived in so what's the point of jesus parable jesus is saying this if a grumpy neighbor is willing to get out of bed in the middle of the night and give uh his friend bread how much more will your heavenly father answer your prayers it's from the lesser to the greater greater if the neighbor's willing to do it for a person outside the door how much more so our heavenly father for his children that's the idea the point of the parable is our heavenly father is eager and willing to answer our prayers and this answers the question will god ever get tired of me asking no you see there's not a do not disturb sign on the pearly gates and you'll never receive an automated email from god saying i'm out of the office until monday and you'll never hear a voice message saying if this is an emergency call 9-1-1 god wants you and i to ask in fact there is a progressive intensity from asking to seeking and to knocking in verses 9 and 10. and each word ask seek and knock is a present tense command jesus is actually commanding us to do this and it can be interpreted to mean keep on asking keep on seeking keep on knocking which then answers another question how often should i ask answer until you receive an answer here's the point god is the one giving you and me the invitation and the command to ask to seek and to knock god wants us to engage like this the father is saying to us i want you to ask i want you to seek me i want you to knock you see when you ask seek and knock god is inviting us into a relationship with him and when you ask seek and knock god is directing us away from self-reliance to god-reliance from independence to father dependence from self-confidence to christ's confidence that's why we're told in hebrews chapter 4 verse 16 therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need you see our father is good and our father knows best he knows what's best for us that's what jesus is saying here you see after the fall in the garden of eden we have this messed up idea of who god is and we think of him as this cosmic kill joy who's looking to stamp us out looking to shoe us away and nothing could be further from the point through jesus christ you are god's child and god's saying i want you to come and by the way i've got no favorites i love you all equally in christ come by the way know that i know what's best for your life you see through this parable and through jesus repeated command in verse 9 we are encouraged to pray in spite of no immediate answers in spite of no immediate answers here jesus addresses the common feeling that our prayers are useless because it feels like he's not listening or maybe he doesn't care or is unable to do anything it just feels like my prayers are hitting the ceiling and bouncing right back at me no jesus is telling us to keep praying because our heavenly father will answer us keep praying though because we need to realize god's timing is perfect this is very important the moment you pray he hears but that doesn't mean he's going to execute that prayer request answer right away let me tell you he's working all things at the same time he's setting the stage for the perfect timing for the prayer to be answered so that you look back and say oh now i see why you made me wait and it was worth it and it was worth it our father knows what's best for us this my friends is a promise we can stand on in fact jesus makes it clear that our heavenly father takes our prayers seriously when you look at verses 11 and 12 because jesus uses humor to illustrate his point jesus asked will a father give his son a snake when the son is asking for fish no of course not why would you do such a a terrible thing what a dirty trick or will a father give a son a scorpion when he asks for an egg of course not what's the point jesus is saying our father takes our prayers seriously and when he gives an answer there's no dirty trick associated with it he doesn't play dirty tricks on his kids he only gives good gifts to his children which means by the way when god says yes it's for our good but this also means that when god says no it's also for our good therefore we need to rejoice as much in the nose as we do in the yeses because either way our father in heaven is blessing us he's doing good by us which answers the next question what if i don't like god's answer what if i don't like god's answer trust god's heart for you father knows best he's looking out for your good maybe you don't see it right now and maybe you won't see it until eternity but i guarantee there will be a point where you look back and say oh thank you father god for not saying yes to that one because that would have been a big heap of problems there thank you for your nose you know what's best trust god's heart james chapter 1 verse 17 says every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow so as i close it's important for us to see when we talk about prayer it's not an incantation or a magic potion or a mystical formula nor is god a genie in a bottle waiting to grant your three wishes god's not a grumpy neighbor nor is he bothered by your frequent prayers god never plays dirty tricks on his kids nor does he ignore their cries for help god is a good father and he gives good gifts to his children you see he gave jesus christ his only begotten son to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin and to give us the gift of everlasting life and he also gave us the holy spirit to transform our lives and to empower us to live lives that glorify god and point people to consider jesus you see prayer is about faith and fellowship dependency his divine provision his divine priority and vision and protection and cleansing and healing over our lives and our god wants us to come to him in prayer and be expectant trusting him trusting his answers when he answers and the question for us tonight is will you seek him will you seek him now that we've made it clear about who god is and how we can have relationship with him through prayer because of what jesus christ did for us will you seek him you know it's interesting jesus christ when he came he said that he came to seek and save the lost he started it he was seeking you in revelation chapter 3 in one of his letters to the churches he says i stand at the door and knock he started it he's been pursuing you the question is will you accept that invitation and now seek him will you be like david god told david i want you to seek me i want you to seek me may your response be like david's response in psalm 27 verse 8. david says when you said seek my face my heart said to you your face o lord i shall seek let's pray father we thank you for this time and that's our heart tonight lord father thank you that through your word you've clarified and answered all these questions that we've had about prayer and i pray father god any of those obstacles that have been in the way they'll be taken out of the way that we realize we can trust you because of your heart for us because you're our abba father and we're your children so lord give us a heart for prayer lord your word tells us that you hear the prayers of your people and that when we pray according to your will you hear us and we have what we ask and that's what we desire lord align our hearts with yours raise up a church of intercessors we want to be a people of prayer in constant communion with you church i want to give you an opportunity to respond to the lord if that's your heart lord i want prayer to have a more prominent higher priority in my life i want more communion with god i need him to increase i answer the call he's inviting me to seek him and i will seek him would you just raise your hand and say that to the lord lord yes i want to be a man a woman of prayer i want that constant communion with you lord i thank you for the hands i thank you for the people who've responded i raise my hands too lord we need you our world needs you we hear our prayers and father transform our lives and use us to live our lives in such a way to point people to our savior in jesus name we pray amen can we

Channel: Calvary Chapel Worship Center - Hillsboro, Oregon

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Keywords: The Bible, God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Holy, Pastor Rich Jones, Pastor Matthew Dodd, Calvary Chapel, Faith, Grace, Revival, Truth, Prayer, Salvation, Calvary Chapel Hillsboro, Church, Christian, Jesus Return

Id: D7SwoyFUDEE

Length: 44min 54sec (2694 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 28 2021