The Power of Persistent Prayer

 

"Then He said to them, "Which of you has a friend and will go to him at midnight and say 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 rise up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not arise 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."
Luke 11:5-10

Good Morning my beloved,

We welcome you to worship today in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for joining us today, we're so glad you're here. Truly, it is all about Jesus, isn't it? He's the reason we're here. The Gospel isn't merely a set of moral principles; it's a profound life-altering encounter with God Himself. It's because of Jesus and His finished work on the cross that we have free access to the throne room of God, therefore, our prayers know no boundaries, no boarders, they are limitless, so long as we ask in accordance to His will and for His purpose.  As we rejoice, let us not forget to pray for those who are facing difficult situations, whether persecution or natural disasters, doing whatever we can to help those in need.  

Today, as we come to the Word of God, we'll be exploring the often-uncomfortable reality of faith. Recently, I have been surprised, shocked really, to discover how many Christians, both young and old, who have been around the church for some time, who possess only a superficial knowledge of Scripture, contributing to a surface-level knowledge of what the Word of God means, contributing to limited understanding and limited faith and therefore, a limited trust in God. What we're really talking about is spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity. What is spiritual maturity? Spiritual maturity is the ongoing the process of growing in one's faith, characterized by becoming more like Jesus Christ, which involves deepening one's understanding of God, developing a closer relationship with Him, integrating the teachings and values and living out the principles of Christianity that Jesus Himself exemplified in every aspect of our daily lives. Its more than just merely attending regular church services or following a few man-made traditions, it is evidenced by spiritual fruit, such as forgiveness, patience, self-control and loving others despite themselves, as God calls us to love. Spiritual maturity is really about understanding the nature of God, it is essential that understanding be shaped by what God Himself says in Scripture, not from what you think He says. Or far worse, what some one of Satan's minions disguised as an angel of light standing in the pulpit tells you He says. Jesus says in Luke 8 it's been granted to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. That's why I just can't wrap my mind around why more Christians people don't pour their life into the knowing and understanding of Scripture. Do you understand what a privilege it is to study the Word of God, to know the Truth? I am overwhelmed by what a privilege it is to partner with God, praying in accordance with God's will to see His mission fulfilled. God knows what is best for His children. Those of us who are genuinely in the family of God, are enjoying all of the rich benefits of that privilege to the max. We understand what a wonderful gift we've been given, that comes with spiritual maturity.

One of the greatest misconceptions we have in Christianity, it that spiritual maturity is automatic, it comes with being a Christian over time. But the Bible makes it clear that we are called to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, being intentional in our faith, by abiding in Christ, surrendering to God and dying to self daily, to become more like Christ continually. The author of Hebrews 5 says "For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern both good and evil."

It is essential that spiritually mature Christians understand that God is holy, that He is unchangeable. God is in absolute perfect control of everything He has created all the time. There is never a single moment that God doesn't know exactly what's going on, He has perfect knowledge and understanding of everything all the time? There are times when I get so caught up in what I'm doing, I can scarcely pay attention to what's going on right around me. But that's not the case with God, He is omniscient, He is omnipresent. Nothing God says ever changes because there’s never any new information, everything God had to say has already been revealed in Scripture. God isn't giving anybody a "fresh word," only a clearer understanding. Our plans however change all the time because our circumstances change. God never changes anything, because everything already been fixed, He foreordained all events. From before the foundation of the world, God determined the end. His plans are eternal and unchanging. Numbers 23:19, "God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not establish it?"

It's always a challenge to identify something so magnificent, so majestic and so  awesome, so high and lofty as God without getting into a big, long explanation. It seems for many Christians today the goal is to know the facts of the Bible, to know the history, to be able to quote chapter and verse. It's not that I don't want to know those things, but that's not the objective of Scripture, that's not the end goal, it's only the means to an end, and that alone only produces a limited view of our Lord Jesus Christ, which produces a limited capacity to worship and therefore, a limited motivation to serve. The great objective of Scripture is to know Christ so that you can behold Him to love Him more, so that you can be swept away in wonder, worship and praise. It should never be about gaining knowledge, knowledge only puffs up, it makes one more prideful, which only destroys relationships. Pride destroys unity, the lack of unity destroys the church. That's God hates a proud heart.

Knowledge leads to a lack of understanding about Christ, which cripples your worship and believe me, there is no amount of emotional, mood-inducing music is going to produce true Christ-centered worship, which rises out of a heart filled with an overwhelming wonder concerning Christ, no matter how spiritual it might seem. The reason I study Scripture is so that, like Paul, I may know Him, Who we find in the pages of Scripture. The more I study the Bible, the more I come know Him, the more glorious Christ becomes to me, the more I am in complete awe of Him and the more I want to know Him. It's a vicious circle, in which the apparent solution only increases the difficulty of solving the original problem, by creating a new and subsequent problem. To know Christ is an insatiable hunger. And so, I've spent tens of thousands of hours studying the Bible to know Christ and I still don't understand everything there is to know. The more you know about the person of Christ, the more likely you are to become like Him. The greatest desire of my heart is to know Christ, so that I can become more like Him. Don't you want to become more like Christ?

In 1 John 1, John plainly tells us that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not do the truth. John uses the metaphor of Light and darkness to contrast the difference between purity, holiness, and truth and sin, evil, and falsehood. If we claim to have a deep, personal relationship with Christ, yet continue to live in darkness, we are deceiving ourselves because we are not living according to the Truth. Once we know Christ, once we know Christ, we must abide in Christ. Abiding in Christ means being in constant communication with Him, and  maintaining that connection much like a branch remains attached to the vine, drawing life and sustenance. Christians are to be people of faith, I mean, after all that's how we are identified, right? Still, I am convinced that many Christians today, lack faith because they don't really know Christ, even though they regularly attend church. They know about Him. And, so they face the greatest struggles of this life with limited faith in the God they really do not know. Faith, true faith, authentic faith, faith as defined in Scripture is believing what God said simply because He said it, to the point that you're willing to base your entire life on it, and defend it at all cost, even to the point of death. I've often said many Christians today don't have sufficient faith because they don't understand Who Christ is and that's why they don't know who they are called to be in Christ. The only reason for a Christian not to know Christ, is they're too lazy to read the Bible. I know that comes as a shock to some of you because the Truth isn't popular these days, even many churches have adjusted the message of the Gospel to remove anything that might be offensive.  The biggest reason they don't read the Gospel is because they don’t like what it says. But I digress. 

In the parable before us today, Jesus challenges us to examine the limitations we place upon God and the boundless potential that awaits us when we dare to believe His promises without reservation. Heaven is full of resources, that through prayer are just waiting to be dispensed on our behalf by our gracious and loving Father, Who desires to provide for His children, and all that is required is that we ask in accordance to His will and His divine purposes for you. In fact, you wouldn't be alive today if God didn't have a purpose for you. 

First let's pray

Heavenly Father,

Father, we thank You for Your Word that is more precious than gold. Sunday after Sunday, my heart is so thrilled to be able to teach the Truths recorded in this book. It is a privilege beyond expression. May You use it to plow up the hardened places in our hearts and make it soft to receive the Truth of the gospel. We know our hearts can't be opened unless You open them. Father, help us, to continually examine our own hearts, so we might know their condition. Then, bring enough trials and enough persecution to reveal that to us, as You can continue to instruct us, mold us for Your eternal glory. Use us, as we proclaim the Word to plow the hearts of sinners for a saving reception of the gospel. Father, that would be our highest and most privileged calling. We ask and pray these things in Christ's precious name. Amen.

Today's Message: The Power of Persistent Prayer

Before we get into our message, I want to talk to you about something God has laid very heavily on my heart, quite frankly, thinking about it keeps me up many nights. There are many people, sitting in the pews, listen to the Word of God being preached, who think they're Christian, that think they're going to enter the kingdom of God, and they're not going to be able. Look to the person on your right and your left, and think about that for a moment. Now, imagine that applies to you. I don't know how that affects you but I find it disturbing that anyone who hears the true Gospel proclaimed may go to Hell from a pew. It's shocking because it goes against the grain of what all of us have been exposed to in most churches for the last several decades. 

Pastors everywhere, in churches all over the world, have made it really easy to become a Christian, with the simplified understanding of salvation. Based on the fact that John 3:16 says that "God so loved that world that He sent His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." We've all heard that "Jesus died on that cross for you, so if you want your sins forgiven, just believe in Jesus, say these words, "Jesus save me" and accept Jesus into your heart, and that's it; you're in the family of God. In other words, salvation is dependent upon the human will, so anything that you can do to manipulate the human will, do it and they will come, because you've made it easy for them to become a Christian. Throughout the service, we've added worship music that stirs the heart, works on their emotions, whips them up and the result is you get masses and masses of  "souls accepting Christ." It's not inherently wrong with wanting people to come to Christ, there's nothing wrong with extending an invitation to salvation to sinners, asking the lost to come to Christ, in fact, it's right. Jesus was preaching the Gospel of salvation, inviting sinners to His kingdom, and He did it through His entire ministry. That's what we're supposed to do, that's why the church is here. So what's the problem? I'm so glad that you've asked! The problem is, we don't necessarily disagree on what the text says, but we very clearly disagree on what the text means. The problem is, that when many people read the Word of God, they don't think that Jesus really means what He says. And, I say, that once you say the text doesn't mean what God says it says, you can now make it say anything you want. Because you've now presupposed that God doesn't mean He says, things that appear on the surface to be very clear, very precise, things I'm convinced that He says, He actually means something other than what He says. Now we have an authority problem. I've often heard there are different rules for interpreting certain books of the Bible, however, I'm convinced that God has been pretty clear in what He means no say, yet, there's no denying that the debate over homosexuality and transgenderism has become one of the defining issues of our day, along with abortion and women in ministry in the war on Truth. The way some pastors have now re-interpreted the Bible, it has significantly changed the way many churches and denominations think about them. 

When I read the Bible, the Gospel invitation to salvation, that is not the invitation I see. I don't see an invitation offering cheap grace and easy believism, producing masses of superficial converts. I very clearly see that its not about the quantity, it's about the quality. I see that Jesus made the invitation to enter the kingdom of God difficult, so difficult, in fact, that many people are going to want to enter and will not be able. we really don’t know how to do evangelism the biblical way. I see in Matthew 5, as He delivered the most profound, most famous and most influential discourse ever preached in Christian theology, the Sermon on the Mount, outlining the spiritual principles of the Kingdom of God, immediately after stating who will receive the kingdom, who will inherit eternal life, He stated, "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven." Then, He expounded the Old Testament laws, emphasizing inward righteousness over legalism. 

In Matthew 6, He warned against the dangers of the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, the most righteous religious people in all of Israel, stating, "Beware of doing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven." How could they be so blind as not see it? How could it be that Jesus came unto His own people and His own received Him not? The Jewish religious leaders were perverters of the Old Testament. In fact, they were so far from God, when He was in their midst, they thought He was the devil. In Matthew 23:15, Jesus called the Pharisees sons of hell, and those 

Like lost sheep, lost people who have gone astray need a shepherd to lead them back to safety. A shepherd must carefully guard the flock, protect them, provide them with the proper food, since they are unable to determine the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous. People should never think that that’s some kind of intrusion to approach their pastor with a spiritual problem or request, that is just ridiculous. Personally, I find it embarrassing when people come to me and say their pastor hasn't got a clue what's going on in their church. And, far worse, is when they don't seem to care. The pastor's goal is not to please the sheep, by tickling their ears, but to feed them by nourishing their souls. I believe Jeremiah 23 clearly affirms that any shepherd who fails to feed the flock are unfit to be shepherds. "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!" declares Yahweh. Therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who are shepherding My people: "You have scattered My flock and banished them and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds," declares Yahweh. "Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the land where I have banished them and cause them to return to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. I will also raise up shepherds over them, and they will shepherd them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be left unattended," declares Yahweh." Pastors are going to be held accountable for how they lead, and care for the flock God has entrusted them with. Jesus epitomizes everything that a spiritual leader should be. He is truly the perfect example of a loving shepherd. His Undershepherds are called to guard the flock under the Chief Shepherd's watchful eye. While we may be tempted to rely on our own wisdom, I assure you, we do not control even this present day, much less the future! I caution you to remember, all of our plans are subject to God’s will. In John 15:4-5, Jesus said "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." If you are wondering why I’m so interested in who is really a Christian, and who is not,  it’s very personal to me. It was the lack of obedience that revealed my own self-delusion. That's when I began to realized just how many professing Christians are utterly self-deceived. I am confident that Christ expects all of His people, especially His shepherds, to live in such a way their conduct can only be explained by the supernatural transformation of the Holy Spirit, proof that Christ lives in us!

Open your Bibles, I trust you have your them with you, so that you can follow along with me as I read our text before us today. Let's explore this powerful passage in Luke 11:5-10, that teaches us about the importance of bold, persistent prayer, especially in desperate times. "Then He said to them, "Which of you has a friend and will go to him at midnight and say 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 rise up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not arise 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."

No sooner than Jesus taught them how to pray, He just jumps right in to an illustration on the power of bold and persistent prayer in our daily lives. I'm sure He knew the question would eventually come up, "Since God already has His will, and His divine purpose, should we even bother Him with our requests? Isn't He just going to do what He's going to do?" Let's look at verse 5, "Then He said to them, "Which of you has a friend and will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves.'" The word friend is the Greek word "phílos" someone your have a personal affection for, a trusted neighbor with whom you have a close bond. In the past, much like rural areas or third world countries today, in places where they don’t have a lot markets, people are  dependent upon their neighbors. A few of my neighbors and I have frequently depended on one another for milk, sugar or a few eggs when we're in the middle of making something and there's no time to run to a market. We depend on each other to help out in our time of need. Unfortunately, I've had people wake me up at midnight and all other times of the night asking for something, I'm not really a fan of it either, no matter what they want. Even though I'm often up, that's usually my time alone with God. Midnight wasn't a good time in Jesus' day either. There were no preservatives, no refrigerators, so you didn't have a stockpile of prepared food, everything needed to be made fresh daily. There wasn't any internet or television to keep you up at night. When the sun went down, you stayed awake a little while with the light of a candle or oil lamp, them went to bed, because you had to be up at 4 AM to prepare breakfast. In fact, my family had dinner just last night by oil lamp due to some pretty bad storms. I didn't mind, that's how things used to be. So, this man goes to his friend's house at midnight and probably starts yelling, "Hey, friend, lend me three loaves." That took a lot of nerve, desperate times call for desperate measures don't they. My grandmother and mother used to say things like that, I don’t hear it much anymore. I'm grateful to know they're with the Lord, but I miss them.

In verse 6, we learn the reason for his unashamed behavior in waking his neighbor, "for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him." His friend arrived unexpectedly in the middle of the night, after a presumably long journey, he had to host him, and there was nothing to offer him to eat. So, he urgently wakes up his neighbor and asks him for three loaves of bread to care for his friend who is obviously hungry. It's very hot in that part of the world during the day, so it was not uncommon for people to travel at night when the temperature was cooler. By the way, when I was growing up, hospitality was very common among people, it was expected that people would be hospitable, it was considered part of our social responsibility to care for one another, there wasn't really a provision for it being inconvenient. In the ancient world, it was very much the same, a cultural responsibility to care for one another, among the Jewish people, it was also considered a religious responsibility. I suppose we could say it came down to either being a bad host or a bad neighbor, and being a bad host wasn't really an option. How in the world does this verse apply to us today? Because when we're face overwhelming difficult situations, it's easy to feel like God is distant or that our prayers are ineffective. In this verse Jesus is reminding us that we must be willing to approach God with unwavering faith, being specific in our requests, knowing that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or understand. (Ephesians 3:20)  

Then, in verse 7, we see the neighbors rather predictable response. "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 rise up and give you anything.’" This is exactly what we'd expect, our human tendency is to prioritize our own personal comfort over the needs of others. However, reflecting on my own experiences in similar situations, and there have been numerous occasions where friends or neighbors have reached out to me during the night, needing help with matters urgent to them, whether medical emergencies or unexpected travel issues, never once did I entertain the idea of dismissing them, saying "What do you think you're doing bothering me at this hour? Go away!" I've just simply gotten up and tried to assist them to the very best of my ability, regardless of the hour. Then he says "the door has already been shut" in my house, if I get up and open the door in the middle of the night, everybody’s up, including our faithful family pet, letting everyone know somethings not right. And he adds, "my children and I are in bed." Back in the day, many families slept in one room, often even in one bed, "I cannot rise up and give you anything now, I'll wake up the whole house! I don't know who your guest is but I'm sure he's tired after traveling, just go to bed, then you can rise early and fix him something to eat! Surely he won't die before breakfast!"

In verse 8, Jesus gets right to the point of the story, "I tell you, even though he will not arise 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." In other words, don't give up after one prayer. If God hasn't answered, keep praying, keep asking, keep knocking, until He responds because of your unembarrassed boldness. While we are called to be boldly come to the throne, we must also approach God with humility, recognizing our dependence on Him. Luke uses the Greek noun "anaideia," which means importunity, repeatedly asking for something, in a forceful and at times, in an annoying way. Literally relentless faith, shamelessly refusing to be deterred by human fears, especially as it relates to carrying out God's plan to fulfill His purposes. This is a perfect illustration of persistence in ministry, can lead to some pretty remarkable outcomes, even if others accuse us of being excessive in our attempts to point others to Christ. Don't ever underestimate the power of perseverance! You'll be amazed at what God can accomplish through you!

Verse 9, "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." I love this, "So I say to you," He's laying the argument to rest, this isn't just somebody's over inflated opinion, this is absolute divine authority from the incarnate God Himself! Then He says ask, it's the verb "aiteó" which appears over seventy times in the New Testament, ranging from humble supplication to brazen demand, centered on making a request that acknowledges the Giver’s Authority and balances your own dependence. This is same principle found in Matthew 7:7-11, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!" In James 1:5–6, he applies the promise to wisdom for trials: "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith, doubting nothing, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind." As Christians, we are exhorted to respond graciously to those who are in need. In chapter 4, verses 2-3, James tells us "You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures." In Mark 15:43, Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent Council member, courageously went before Pontius Pilate, "asked" for the body of Jesus, turning humble petition into bold discipleship. We should not be embarrassed to boldly ask God for what we need, according to God’s will. Adding "In Jesus' Name after a prayer is not a blank check, as some heretical "Decree and declare," "Name it and Claim it," and If you can conceive it, just believe it and you'll Receive it," teachers would have us believe. 

That brings us to verse 10, "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened." What a tremendous promise of assurance. How often we apply these same principals to other areas of our lives, those who persistently work towards their goals are significantly more likely to achieve them, but here, Jesus assures us of the power of persistence and determination for everyone who asks, you'll receive, for everyone who seeks, you'll find, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. The word used for everyone is the Greek word "pás," the emphasis of the total picture then is on "one piece." God's plans are set, they’re fixed, and they are good, perfectly working out His divine purpose. But, if the next time you come into His presence, you will boldly pray, shamelessly pouring your heart out with a deep conviction that what you are asking Him for is important, pleading that He might make you part of the means of the fulfillment of His divine plans as they unfold, unlocking doors that might initially appear to be closed, you will experience the goodness of God. He wants us to bring our needs, our desires, and our concerns to Him, and prayer is the primary way we can communicate our needs with Him. So, as Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

May it be so..

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name

Amen

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