July 7, 2024
Austin Hawkins, Director of Discipleship at Bear Creek Church, offers this teaching lesson on the practice of prayer:
11 "It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” 2 And He said to them, “When you pray, say:
‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3 ‘Give us each day our daily bread. 4 ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’”
5 Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 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 get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up 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.
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. 10 For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. 11 Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? 12 Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? 13 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?”
Luke 11:1-13 (NASB1995)
The Idea:
God desires for His people to depend on Him in prayer.
1. Prayer was a practice that Jesus highly valued so it should be something we value highly as well. (Luke 11:1)
2. It is good that we ask God to teach us to pray. (Luke 11:1)
3. God is our Father, we can depend on Him. (Luke 11:2)
4. The Structure of prayer (Luke 11:2-4)
Honor God,
Seek His Will,
Bring your needs,
Confess your sins,
Ask for guidance.
5. The pattern of prayer: shameless and persistent (Luke 11:5-8)
6. The promise of prayer: God will do it. (Luke 11:9-10)
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