Luke 11:1-13
No one would ever do this!
When Jesus tells a story, it’s always given for a purpose, a divine purpose. Jesus knows His hearers/ He knows how they will react. He knows how they will behave. He knows what they are thinking before a thought enters their head. He knows your mind because He knows your heart.
Jesus tells a story that is contrary to fact. No one would
ever do that! Your elderly neighbor is stranded in her driveway with a flat
tire. She sees you retrieving your evening paper. You do not go back into the
comfort of your home! Instead, you change her tire or at the very least, you
call AAA. Retreat? Never! No one would ever do that!
Your neighbor calls at midnight. Company is coming. He needs
three loaves. A friend has come from a long journey. There is nothing to set
before him. “I say to you, though he will not rise and give him because he is a
friend, yet because of his importunity (persistence) he will rise and give him
as much as he needs.” V.8
“Trouble me not! The
door is shut. My children are with me in bed. I cannot rise and give thee.”
No one would ever do this!
With this story Jesus teaches His disciples He taught them to
pray. Bette than John. In teaching, He showed them the face of the Father. “God
would by these words tenderly invite us to believe that He is our Father and
that we are His true children so that we may ask Him confidently with all
assurance, as dear children ask their dear Father”.[1]
Fathers, mothers, grandparents only want what is best for
their children. If they ask for a loaf, do you give them a stone? If he asks
for a fish, do you give him a serpent? If she asks for an egg, do you give her
a scorpion?
Why do we fret? Because you only have one shot of being a
good parent. 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? V.13
Fathers, mothers, grandparents – evil? Yes! Evil! As sons of
Adam and daughters of Eve, we have inherited an evil spirit that has rendered
us terminal. The soul that sins it will die. Ezekiel 18:20 Indeed, there is no
one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins
Ecclesiastes 7:20 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in us. 1 John 1:8
As sinners, we each find ourselves in the same sinking ship.
No one can help us. No one can save us, except for Jesus Christ. He entered
time and space to be your redeemer. He took all of your sins, all of your
imperfections, all of your evil and wicked habits and foibles and took them to
Himself It was there at the cross he died for you.
His enemies made sure He was dead. They took deliberate steps
to make sure He was made to be silenced.
As He slept in the tomb, a doubting and skeptical world cried
out “He’s in bed with all of His children. The door is shut. It is night. He
can’t rise. The guard, the stone, the
seal. They would hold Him, His critics thought. He can’t disturb us any more
with His troubling words and His acts of mercy.
But on the third day, Christ victoriously rose from the dead.
He now offers to you forgiveness of all of your sin, life and salvation.
If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness. 1 John
1:8-9
Rejoice this day. Jesus provides for you. He gives you the opportunity to speak His peace of forgiveness to others and to each other. He provides eternal bread daily according to your need.
God gives daily bread,
even without our prayer even to all the wicked but we pray is this petition
that He would lead us to know and to receive our daily bread with thanksgiving.
And what is meant by Daily Bread? Daily Bread includes everything that belongs
to the support and wants of the body comes from your heavenly Father. This
includes meat drink clothing, shoes, house, homestead, field, cattle, Money,
goods, a pious spouse, pious children, pious servants, pious and faithful
magistrates, good government, good weather, peace, health, discipline, honor,
good friends, faithful neighbors and the like. [2]
In this life and in the world to come the Lord provides. In
this life, not only does he forgive sins but He also encourages us to forgive
and strengthen our neighbor.
When we pray, “forgive
is our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” we pray that
our Father in heaven would not look upon our sin, nor deny our prayers on
account of them. For we are worthy of none of the things for which we pray
neither have we deserved them. But that He would grant them all to us by grace.
For we daily sin much and indeed deserve nothing but punishment. So we too will
sincerely forgive and gladly do good to those who sin against us.[3]
All that is needed is the word “Amen”. What is meant by the
word “Amen”? That I should be certain
that these petitions are acceptable to our Father in heaven and heard by Him;
for He Himself has commanded us so to pray, and has promises that He will hear
us. Amen, Amen, that is yes, yes, yea, yea, yo, yo, it shall be so! [4]
Passive Sentences –10%
Readability – 84%
Reading Level – 4.3
[2] Explanation to the 4th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer Small Catechism of Martin Luther LSB pg. 324
[3] Explanation to the 5th Petition of the Lord’s Prayer Small Catechism of Martin Luther LSB pg. 324
[4] Explanation to Conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer Small Catechism of Martin Luther LSB pg. 324
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