Sermon
#1043. Let persevering prayer be fuelled by a true knowledge of The Father (26/4/24)
Publisher transcript
Transcript
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This week, in our Luke series, we have been reflecting on Jesus’ teaching on prayer from Luke 11:1-13. Today, in our final devotion on this section, we consider how that perseverance in prayer needs to be inspired by a true knowledge of God.
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‘Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. “So I say to you: 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; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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 the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:5-13)
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Lesson: We are to be inspired by God’s Fatherly love in order to persevere in prayer.
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You can listen to this devotional at:
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https://youtu.be/SFfE9pU2YE8
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In 2011, the British boxer, Frank Bruno led the London Marathon for about 200 metres! He, for fun, wanted to see how long he could lead…and it was not for long! Most of us can start something, but how many of us persevere and complete what we start? Many Christians make a good sprint start only to become tired, discouraged and shiftless. The key to sustaining prayer is faith that’s built on truly knowing God and His promises. In today’s text, Jesus gives us two parables that are designed to inspire us to persevere in prayer.
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Firstly, He tells shows how perseverance will get what it wants from a reluctant ‘friend’ at midnight. Secondly, He tells us that if fathers - who are evil compared to God - will give good things to their children, how much more should we expect God, the perfect Father, to listen and answer our prayers! Both of these parables tell us the same thing - God, our good and holy Father, will definitely hear and respond to our prayers! I love what Paul writes about the example of Epaphras:
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‘Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.’ (Colossians 4:12-13).
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We are not told, but I must believe that Epaphras was ‘always wrestling in prayer’ because He believed in the goodness of the Father. As Paul’s companion, he must have been inspired by Paul who was overflowing with God’s grace, which led to devotion to prayer. Here are a few examples of what Paul wrote about persistence in prayer:
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* Without ceasing I mention you always in my prayers. (Romans 1:9-10)
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* I give thanks to my God always for you. (1 Corinthians 1:4)
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* I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. (Ephesians 1:16)
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* Praying at all times in the Spirit. (Ephesians 6:18)
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* We have not ceased to pray for you. (Colossians 1:9)
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* Continue steadfastly in prayer. (Colossians 4:2)
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* Epaphras…always struggling on your behalf in his prayers. (Colossians 4:12)
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* Constantly mentioning you in our prayers. (1 Thessalonians 1:2)
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* We also thank God constantly for this. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
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* As we pray most earnestly night and day. (1 Thessalonians 3:10)
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* We always pray for you. (2 Thessalonians 1:11)
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* I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. (2 Timothy 1:3)
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* Be constant in prayer. (Romans 12:12)
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* Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
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I hope we can see that persistence in prayer is not born of insecurity that goes to extremes in order to be heard. We are not like the prophets of Baal who, in their showdown with Elijah, even cut themselves to be heard (1 Kings 18)! No! Our radical perseverance comes out of confidence that the Father hears us without fail and on the basis of our salvation and adoption in Christ!
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Response
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We are to be inspired by God’s Fatherly love in order to persevere in prayer. When we began this week’s devotionals in The Lord’s Prayer, we began by seeing how we are to begin with praise to God as our Father, and Jesus ends this section by recapitulating the goodness of the Father to us. I hope we can see that prayer begins and is sustained by worship. Seeing God as He is revealed in scripture is the fuel for persevering and powerful prayer.