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The Message for July 24, 2016
Luke 11:1-13
The Church is.
Rob Miller, Pastor
We continue our series on The Church is. We tend to put all kinds of things in that blank. Last week we talked about how the church is about one thing – a life changing relationship with Jesus.
Today we consider howThe church is about prayer. Prayer is how we keep our relationship with Jesus strong and healthy. Prayer is simply a conversation with God.
I’m a talker. I enjoy sitting down and having a conversation with someone - anyone. A good conversationalist (not saying that I am one)… A good conversationalist is able to maintain a balance between talking and listening. It’s a two way street.
Conversation with Godthrough prayer helps keep our faith strong and growing.
Last week we talked abouthow important it is for us to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to him like Mary did. That’s perhaps the most important part of a conversation with Jesus. Listening... what we have to say to Jesus is never quite as important as what he has to say to us.
The church is about prayer. Prayer is our language. Dogs bark. Cats meow. Christians pray. We learn how to pray from Jesus. He gives us a model for prayer andthen teaches us to pray boldly and with confidence.
Luke 11:1-13
Jesus teaches us to pray for the right things…
Jesus was praying in a certain place one day. The time and place arenot important. The fact that Jesus was praying, is important. Throughout his ministry, Jesus would often go into the wilderness, or to a mountain, or to a quiet place and pray. Jesus was in constant conversation with God - his Father in heaven.
Prayer was a priority for Jesus and if we want to be like him(his disciples) then prayer should be a priority for us too every day.
The natural question is this -- How much timeshould we spend in prayer everyday?
Martin Luther was a full time seminary professor, a prolific writer, a full time pastor of achurch in Wittenberg, and helped many churches in Germany find the truth of the Gospel. Luther was a workaholic - working 24/7.
Luther once remarked that if he didn’t spend at least three hours a day in prayer, he wouldn’t have time for anything.
Sounds illogical, doesn’t it? And yet, God promises us that whatever we dedicate to God – be it our time, our talents, our treasures – God promises to bless us and give us even more. There really is no excuse for our lack of prayer. I mean, how much time does it take to say…
“Thank you, Lord.” Or “Help me, Lord.” Or “Forgive me, Lord.”
Jesus finished praying and one of his disciples says, “Lord teach us to pray.” So Jesus gave them (and us) a model for prayer -- we call the Lord’s Prayer. As you can see in this text, the whole prayer isn’t even included in Luke’s account. For the entire prayer -- take a look at Matthew 6.
Here is what Jesus says about prayer…
The Lord’s Prayer is a model, an example, a teaching tool for his disciples. It was notto be the prayer of all prayers like some people make it today. The Lord’s Prayer is not more powerful than any other prayer. It does not have magical powers when you pray it. And it doesn’t bring us any kind of special blessing from God when we say it.
I wonder how oftenwe say the Lord’s Prayer without even thinking about what we are saying…
If I’m having a conversation with you and it appears like I’m not even paying attention to what you are saying, how would that make you feel? Not good… How do you think it makes God feel when we pray the Lord’s Prayer without even thinking about it?
I’m so glad when someone says to me, “Why aren’t we using the right version or the traditional version of the Lord’s Prayer at 10:30 worship?” The answer is because we want you to think about what you are praying… We don’t talk in the Shakespearian language using“thy” and “thine.” Why do so many of us insist that we should talk that way when it comes to praying the Lord’s Prayer?
The Lord’s Prayer is a special prayer --it teaches us what Jesus says we should ask for. The Lord’s Prayer has seven petitions, -- seven requests, seven parts. Of those seven petitions, six are for spiritual things and only one is for something physical - food. “Give us today our daily bread.”
Now… what are some of the things we usually pray for? When we’re sick we ask that God heal us. Or… we ask for help at our job or for a new job, or a new car, or money to make it through the week to pay our bills.
But how often do we ask for more faith?
How often do we ask for forgiveness?
How often do we ask for strength to forgive others?
How often do we ask God to use us to share the gospelevery day with others?
Now… I am sure that God is please when we ask for any kind of help – be it for healing or a job or a new car. The question is one of priorities. What is more important - our spiritual well-being is… We are to be spiritual people first and for most and the physical things will be taken care of…
Prayer should be a priority in our lives like it was for Jesus. When we pray, our prayers ought not simply be… “give me, give me, give me.” Our prayers ought to be – “God may your will be done in us and through us no matter what, thank you.”
After giving his disciples this “model prayer”, Jesus tells two parables – two stories – two illustrations.
The first is about a man whose friend comes in the middle of the night to borrow some food. The man is tired. The house is locked up. The kids are in bed. When the friend comes, he tells him: “It’s three in the morning, leave me alone.” But because of the friend’s persistence,his boldness (the Greek word here implies that the man had no shame), he gets up and gives his friend what he is asking for.
In the same way, Jesus says that we are to be as bold and persistent in our prayer request with God.
Story: there was a fisherman who was a C & E Christian – Christmas and Easter. One day he was caught in a terrible storm at sea, he prayed to God saying, “Lord, I know I haven’t prayed to you in at least 15 years, but if you only will save me right now, I won’t bother you again for at least another 15 years.”
That’s a funny story – and yet – it reflects the attitude many people have today when it comes to prayer. God is busy. God has a lot of other important things to do. Why should I bother God with my measly little problems?
Because God wants us to…. That’s why…
In verses 9 and 10Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Everyone who asks receives; everyone who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
That leads us to Jesus’ second illustration. Jesus is talking to earthly fathers. He says: “If your child asks you for food, would you give him/her something poisonous – like a snake or a scorpion? No… You wouldn’t! So… how much more would God, your heavenly Father, who loves you, give you whatever you ask for…”
Wait a minute, hold on…Does that mean I could ask God, right here and right now, for a new 2017 Mustang… and if God doesn’t give it to me then God is lying?
Well, of course not. Our heavenly Father is only going to give us what is good for us. Our heavenly Father knows what’s best for us. God often say “yes” to our prayers; but sometimes God says “no.” Sometimes God even says “Wait!”
God always answers our prayer in a way that is good for us. There is no such thing as an unanswered prayer.
There is a great country song by Garth Brooks called, “Unanswered Prayers.” I am not into country music but I love the message in garth’s song. I could tell you about it but instead I invite you to listen to how he sings about unanswered prayer in this video. Check it out…
Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. That’s because sometimes God has something better waiting for us, so we wait…
Jesus teaches us to pray boldly and with confidence because we are God’s children. Through Jesus we can ask God for anything and everything. Not so that our will is done but so that God’s will is done in us and through us. We don’t always know what’s best for us, but God certainly does.
Closing story:
A man’s daughter asked her pastor to come and visit her sick father at home. When the pastor arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed. The pastor assumed the elderly man had been informed of his visit. “I guess you were expecting me,” the pastor said.
“No, who are you?”
“I’m the new pastor at your church. When I saw the empty chair beside the bed, I figured you knew I was going to show up.”
“Oh, yeah, the chair,” said the man, “Pastor, would you mind closing the door?” Puzzled, the pastor shut the door.
“I’ve never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” said the man. “But all of my life I never knew how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it always went right over my head.”
“I abandoned any attempt at prayer until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, ‘Joe, prayer is simply having a conversation with Jesus. Try this... Sit down on a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith, see Jesus sitting in that other chair. It’s not spooky, because he promised, ‘I will be with you always.’ Then just speak to him in the same way you’re speaking with me right now.’”
“So, I tried it…” the elderly man said, “And I’ve liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.”
The pastor was deeply moved… and encouraged the man to continue to pray that way. They had a brief devotion and the pastor left.
Two days later, the daughter called to tell the pastor that her father had died that afternoon. “Before I left the house around two o’clock,” she said, “He called me over to his bedside, told me one of his corny jokes and kissed me on the cheek. When I returned an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange… Apparently just before dad died, he leaned over and put his head on the chair that was beside his bed.”
We are to be in conversation with Jesus,no matter where our life’s journey takes us. So here is my prayer for you… take it - whatever “it” happens to be… your hopes, your dreams, your problems, your failures–whatever“it” is -- take it to the Lord in prayer. Follow the example that Jesus gave us. Prayboldly and with confidence every day. Amen.