REVIEW
FLIP CHART: SOM’S KEY VERSE, GOAL, MOTTO
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness ….” (Mt. 6:33a).
The law sends us to Christ for justification; Christ sends us back to the law for sanctification.
FLIP CHART: Show new “Perfect Righteousness” chart explaining steps to coming to Christ (As a worm, mourning, meek, spiritual hunger/thirst with the result of legal righteousness). Explain: moral righteousness, immediate moral change at conversion, gradual change through life’s challenges and speeding up moral change via CCRC (Concentration, Choice, Reflection and Confession/Thanksgiving). Key verse, “By one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Heb. 10:14).
FLIP CHART: John Stott’s outline of SOM.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:7-12)
INTRODUCTION:
We have long accepted the understanding that God, in giving us free will, has limited Himself in human affairs in order to honor and protect our freedom.
How do we get God to “violate” our freedom, to interpose Himself into our world, into human affairs. Prayer is the means, prayer is the necessary opening. Through our fervent and persevering requests God allows Himself to be persuaded to act on our behalf. Prayers are our ways of allowing God to “violate” our human freedom and intervene in our affairs.
One theologian wrote: “Praying is rattling God’s cage and waking God up and setting God free and giving this famished God water and cutting the ropes off God’s hands and manacles off God’s feet and the caked sweat from God’s eyes and then watching God.” (Rudolf Bultman, Jesus and the Word, p. 185).
So, what kind of prayer so moves God that He intervenes and willingly violates human freedom? Today we will discuss one aspect of such prayer.
OUTLINE FOR TODAY:
KEY QUESTIONS ABOUT PRAYER
I. Why Should We Pray? (Jesus Prayed, Relationship, Partnership)
II. Why Doesn’t God Answer Every Prayer? (Holy, Won’t Abdicate)
III. Why Does God Delay in Answering prayer?
1. Conflict, Opposition from Satanic Forces
2. He Loves to Hear Our Voice, Fellowship with Us
3. Humble us, The Answer is not Due to Our Merit
4. We’re not Ready to Receive the Mercy We Seek
5. We Must Become More Unified with Object of Our Prayer
6. Must Work in Others First, Many Pieces to the Puzzle.
7. Answer Will Be More Prized, Sweeter When It Comes.
IV. Perseverance in Prayer
1. The Parable of “The Friend at Midnight”
2. The A.S.K. Promise of Mt. 7:7-8
PERSEVERANCE IN PRAYER
THE PARABLE OF THE FRIEND AT MIDNIGHT
Luke talks more about prayer than the other Gospel writers. He records nine prayers of Jesus. Seven of these nine are only found in Luke! He has two unique parables about persistence in prayer that are not found in the other Gospels – The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Lk. 18:1-8) and – The Friend at Midnight (Lk. 11:5-8).
The parable “The Friend at Midnight” follows “The Disciples Prayer” in Luke and immediately precedes the “Ask – Seek – Knock” exhortation to prayer that we find in Matthew 7 and also in Luke. It seemed, that since both the “Three Friends” and the “Ask – Seek – Knock” texts talk about perseverance, it would be good to talk a bit about the “The Parable of the Three Friends” also called “The Friend at Midnight.”
FLIP-CHART: Make two columns. On the left write order of the text in Matthew: Disciples Prayer (Mt. 6:9-13) …. Fasting, Treasures in Heaven, Do Not Worry, Judging Others; Ask-Seek-Knock.
Luke: Disciples Prayer (Lk. 11:2-4), Friend at Midnight, Ask-Seek-Knock.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:7-12)
5 “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 friend-ship’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, ask [and keep on asking], and you will receive what you ask for. Seek [and keep on seeking], and you will find. Knock [and 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.” (Lk 11:5-13)
THE SETTING AND BACKGROUND OF THE PARABLE
”The poor Palestinian house consisted of one room with only one little window. The floor was simply of beaten earth covered with dried reeds and rushes. The room was divided into two parts, not by a partition but by a low platform. Two-thirds of it was on ground level. The other third was slightly raised. On the raised part the charcoal stove burned all night, and round it the whole family slept, not on raised beds but on sleeping mats. Families were large and they slept close together for warmth. For one to rise was inevitably to disturb the whole family. Further, in the villages it was the custom to bring the livestock, the herds and the cocks and the goats, into the house at night.” (Barclay on Luke, 145-6).
The guest had travelled into the night, probably to avoid the heat of the day. He arrives at midnight at his friend’s house. Hospitality is of vital importance in the Middle East. The guest came and the host had no food. The host was desperate and it was his sacred duty to care for his guest. A Palestinian hearing this story would understand the dilemma. The only solution was to wake the neighbor.
“In the East no one would knock on a shut door unless the need was imperative. In the morning the door was opened and remained open all day, for there was little privacy; but if the door was shut, that was a definite sign that the householder did not wish to be disturbed.” (Barclay, 145).
QUESTION: How would we tend to perceive a guy that came and knocked on our door at midnight and would not stop until we gave him what he was asking for? What would your wife say to you if you tried to do that?
Possible responses: no conscience, no decorum, no sensitivity, a little touched. Some might say, “What in the world is the matter with that guy?”
There is no question that the picture of an obnoxious neighbor/friend knocking on a door of a house full of sleeping children at midnight is a very unattractive image of prayer.
THE LESSON OF THE PARABLE
QUESTION: What is the main point our Lord is seeking to make with this parable?
The Greek term for “boldness” in Lk. 11:8, ἀναίδεια anaideia, is only used here in the NT. The King James and several other translations used the English term “importunity” as the equivalent. But that is not a common term for us.
“Importunity” just means shameless, impudent, persistent pestering and demanding, especially in an annoying or unreasonable way. It is the persistent demanding of an insensitive person that has no conscience in order to get something he needs or wants.
ILL: It might be compared to a whining dog who has a nice, warm room and plenty of food and water but who still whines until you give in and let him come into the house. Of course we can forgive a dog but a grown man should know better than to be so annoying.
An important point is that friendship was not enough to get the bread needed. He had to be persistent or the friend would not have met his need. If the knocking friend seeking bread had gone home after the first refusal, he would have had no bread.
APPLICATION: Now we must remember that Jesus is not comparing our Father in Heaven with the friend sleeping with his wife and children, he is contrasting our Father with that friend. A parable is simply “something laid along side” according to William Barclay, for he sake of comparison. A friend may eventually be coerced into getting out of bed and helping; not so our Father, He that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps!
John Piper quotes Andrew Murray: Importunity begins with the refusal to at once accept a denial. It grows to the determination to persevere, to spare no time or trouble, till an answer comes. It rises to the intensity in which the whole being is given to God in supplication, and the boldness comes to lay hold on God’s strength.” (A quote from Andrew Murray, as taken from Mighty Prevailing Prayer by Wesley Duewel, Zondervan Publishing House, 1990).
George Mueller: The great fault of the children of God is, they do not continue in payer; they do not go on praying; they do no persevere. If they desire anything for God’s glory, they should pray until they get it. Oh, how good and kind and gracious, and condescending is our God! He has given me, unworthy as I am, immeasurable above all I had asked or thought!”
ILL: Do you come back to our Father again and again and again …. Until maybe He says, “You again?!, Not that same request!? Won’t you ever stop pestering me?!”
Someone said that there are three rules for prayer: (1) Keep it honest; (2) Keep in simple; (3) Keep it up!
KEY LESSON: Prayer is not just subjective, e.g. changes us. If that were all it was, prayer would be absurd. How would a prayer sound if it said, “Lord, I don’t expect my prayer to influence you in the least but at least I am experiencing a change in my own heart.” Prayer does influence God. It does change situations (not just me). Prayer is not just subjective. It is also objective. God does answer prayer. If we did not believe in the objective influence of prayer there is no way that prayer would have a subjective influence on us. The “Friend at Midnight” was not hoping for any subjective influence. He wanted bread!!!!! And he got bread!!!
THE A.S.K. PROMISE OF MT. 7:7-8
TRANSITION: In Luke the “Friend at Midnight” parable leads directly into the Ask-Seek-Knock promise (which is almost identical to the text in Matthew). The A.S.K promise really emphasizes persistence and perseverance in prayer.
“And so I tell you, ask [and keep on asking], and you will receive what you ask for. Seek [and keep on seeking], and you will find. Knock [and 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.“ (Lk. 11:9-10)
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Mt. 7:7-8)
I. THE ENCOURAGEMENT IN THE A.S.K. PROMISE
This is a gracious promise for as John Calvin wrote, “Nothing is better adapted to excite us to pray than a full conviction that we shall be heard.” Martin Luther wrote, “He knows that we are timid and shy, that we feel unworthy and unfit to present our needs to God . . . We think that God is so great and we are so tiny that we do not dare to pray . . . . That is why Christ wants to lure us away from such timid thoughts, to remove our doubts and to have us go ahead confidently and boldly.” (John Stott, 184).
In this great promise he invites us to pray three times, e.g. ask, seek, knock. And then he gives three promises e.g. receives, finds, door will be opened.
In Luke he uses the word “everyone” and that is intimated in Matthew as well. This is a promise for all followers of Christ. For the timid, for the shy, for the hesitant, for those who feel unworthy, for those who feel God doesn’t care or hear. For those with little faith. For the helpless.
One brother wrote that prayer, in its essence, is the conscious spreading of our helplessness out in the presence of God and asking for His help. This A.S.K. promise is for everyone including the helpless!!!
Prayer here is shown as God’s appointed means for us to receive what we need from Him. It is God’s ways of meeting our needs.
Billy Graham said that there are rooms in heaven filled with answers to prayer that no one has thought to pray, failed to ask for.
II. THE INTENSITY OF THE A.S.K. PROMISE
“In the Greek there are two kinds of imperatives; there is the aorist imperative which issues one definite command. ‘Shut the door behind you,’ would be an aorist imperative. There is the present imperative which issues a command that a person should always do something or should go on doing something. ‘Always shut doors behind you,’ would be present imperative. The imperatives here are present imperatives.” (Barclay, 272)
The ‘present imperative’ tells us the importance of continuance and constancy in prayer – keep on asking, seeking, knocking.
If you are instructing your child on how to cross a street you would always use the present imperative which would indicate always look before you cross the street and not just today. “Look (always look, continue to look, keep on following this command) before you cross a street.”
A person who prays could be described as “the always asking one,” “the always knocking one,” “the always seeking one”!
Some Bible scholars see and ascending order of urgency here: You ask and then you seek and then you knock!
“Jesus’ language is unusually compelling because the three verbs “ask …seek…knock” command an ascending intensity. ‘Ask’ implies asking for a conscious need. The word also suggests humility in asking, for it is commonly used of one asking a superior. The next step, ‘seek,’ involves asking but adds action. The idea is not merely to express one’s need, but to get up and look around for help. It involves effort. ‘Knock’ includes asking plus acting plus persevering – like someone who keeps pounding on a closed door! The stacking of these words is extremely forceful, but the fact that they are present imperatives gives them even more punch.” (Hughes, 234)
Some have even gone so far as to think you have three levels of prayer here. Though that may not be the case you certainly have three words that build to a climax.
And note that the Friend at Midnight asked for bread, went seeking for bread and knocked on the door asking for bread. His order was Seek-Knock-Ask. So maybe we shouldn’t make too much of the order.
III. THE FERVENCY INTIMATED IN THE A.S.K. PROMISE
You can’t read the Parable of the Persistent Widow or this parable without being impressed by the fervency of the request. You can almost be assured that fervency was one of the reasons the request was granted.
Fervency in different personalities comes through differently. It need not be displayed by loudness or shouting but fervency will always be passionate, ardent, enthusiastic.
J.C. Ryle wrote that words without heart, just lip-work and tongue-work will not be heard by God.
The King James version in James 5:16 says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
We can only show the reality and sincerity of our desire when we pray by our passion.
One person wrote that voice and words can not reach heaven but groans and sighs can.
We read of Jesus, “And being in anguish, he prayed more EARNESTLY, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling on the ground.” (Luke 22:44)
A couple of years ago when we studied “The Parable of the Persistent Widow” I used an illustration that Grant referred to a couple of weeks ago when we were talking about prayer. Some of you have not heard it and it is certainly worth repeating.
ILL: Fred Craddock, a retired teacher of preachers from West Tennessee: “I’ve met a desperate person since we’ve moved to the mountain. It is a woman. I had gone to the hospital in Fannin County to visit someone else. I didn’t know her, didn’t know I would encounter her, but when I went down the corridor, I saw her. Her head was against the door, and both fists were up beside her face, and she was banging on the door: “Let me in, let me in, let me in!” I couldn’t imagine someone locking her out of the room. I got there, and it was the chapel door. I said, “Let me help you.” I tried to open the door, but the knob wouldn’t turn. It was locked. I stopped a worker, and I said, “The chapel is locked.”
She said, “We have to keep it locked. There were some kids in here some time ago, and they trashed the chapel. We had to get all new furniture and paint the room. We can’t afford to keep doing that, so we keep it locked.”
“Well, find someone with a key.”
She came back a little bit later with another woman, who opened the door for us, and this woman and I went in. I would say she was about forty. She had the look of desperation. I could tell that she hadn’t come to the hospital with any planning; she came urgently, she came running. The dress she had on was not typical public wear. She had no shoes, just scuffs. Her hair had not been combed, no makeup. She had the look of desperation. She had the voice of desperation. I can’t tell you if she was screaming or crying or moaning or what it was, but it was desperation. Strange sound. I heard some of her words. “I know he’s going to die, I know he’s going to die, I know he’s going to die.”
“Who?”
“My husband.”
“What’s the matter?”
“He’s had a heart attack.”
I said, “Can I get you some water?”
She said, “No.”
I told her who I was, and I said, “Can I pray with you?”
And she said, “Please.”
I started to pray for her and for her husband, and she interrupted me. She didn’t just interrupt me; she took over. She started praying herself and stopped my prayer. I think maybe I was too quiet or too slow or saying the wrong thing or something. Anyway, my prayer wasn’t getting there, and she knew it. So she said, “Lord, this is not the time to take my husband. You know that better than I do, he’s not ready. Never prays, never goes to church or anything. He’s not ready, not a good time to take him. Don’t take him now. And what about me? If I have to raise these kids, what am I going to do? I don’t have any skills, can’t find any work. Quit school to marry him. If I’d have known you were going to take him, I’d have stayed in school.” She was really talking to God. “And what about the kids? They don’t mind me now with him around. If he’s gone, they’ll be wild as bucks. What about the kids? This is not the time to take my husband.” Whew.
I stayed as long as I felt useful I went back the next morning, and she had on a nice dress; she had on shoes; she had combed her hair. She looked fine. She was in the hallway outside intensive care. Before I could ask, she said, “He’s better.” She smiled and said, “I’m sorry about that crazy woman yesterday.”
I said, “Well, you weren’t crazy.”
She said, “I guess the Lord heard one of us.”
I said, “He heard you.”
SO WHAT???
1. Our Savior prayed! Our Savior challenges us to pray!
2. Our Savior challenges us to pray with persistency! “Ask and keep on asking; seek and keep on seeking; knock and keep on knocking!
3. Jesus promises us that prayer will produce objective results. He that asks receives; He that seeks finds; He that knocks has doors opened. There are more than just subjective benefits to prayer.
4. Jesus encourages us to pray with intensity and fervency and not be passionless in our prayers.