Today, we will be looking at the seventh parable in Luke's Gospel, found in chapter 12:13-21. It is one of those parables that will harden your heart or break your heart, but it will not leave your heart the same. It is one of those parables that will open your eyes or blind your eyes, but it will not leave your eyes unchanged. It is one of those parables that will sharpen your ears or dull your ears, but it will not leave your ears the same. It is one of those parables that will totally turn your way of life upside down and revolutionize your walk with God, or it will drive you even further away from His heart and His Kingdom. This parable is so powerful because it is so easy for us to identify with in America today. It paints of a picture of what it means to be an American, and sadly, what it means to be an American "Christian."
What instigates this parable is the shout of someone in the crowd. "Someone in the crowd said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." Tell my brother to give me my money!
Stop! Let's think about this a minute. Jesus is on his way to the cross. He has washed his hands as far as material things are concerned. Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but he has no where to lay his head. He has come to bring people to God, not to bring property to people. But since the man brought it up, Jesus spoke to his issue. Guard against all covetousness! Literally take heed, beware, guard yourself. Jesus is not talking about making a defensive move. He is not talking about defending yourself from these urges when they come your way. He is talking about taking an offensive move, which is clear from the literal Greek. This is taking positive action to ward off a foe. It is kind of like building a high fence around your property. You take the first stop to guard your family. It is an offensive maneuver. Whereas, fighting off an intruder because you didn't have a fence, would be a defensive move. Jesus is saying, don't fight it off when it comes. Take action to keep it away! Go on the offensive. Take heed against ALL covetousness: All kinds of greed. Greed becomes so consuming that all of life becomes focused on the accumulation of wealth. Someone once asked one of the Rockefeller's, "How much money is enough?" His answer: "Always a little bit more." Greed becomes so consuming that all of life becomes focused on the accumulation of wealth. There is no room for anything else, not even God. So, Jesus says, guard against greed and covetousness because they will blind your eyes and dull your ears to more important matters and that is exactly what happened to this guy! Back up to the verses before he interrupts Jesus in verse 13. Look at what Jesus is talking about.
"I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. 8 "And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, 9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."
Then all of a sudden, after being told to fear God, after being told to have faith, after being told to be sure he acknowledges the Son of God before his fellow men, and after being warned about the unpardonable sin, he buts in with, "Tell my brother to give me my share of the inheritance." What part of Jesus' message did he miss? All of it! This guy cannot wait for Jesus to stop talking about spiritual matters and eternity and get to the good stuff! Material things! His inheritance! How could he!? How could we? Let's examine the petitions that we bring to Jesus: health, wealth, and temporal happiness for the most part. Let's think about where our mind wanders during the preaching of the Word of God and during study of God's Word? To work...to bills...to finances etc. That is why Jesus reminds us that the meaning and purpose of life is not found in the accumulation of wealth and possessions (verse 15). How desperately we need to be on guard that we don't get wrapped up in prosperity and pursuing possessions, prosperity, and the pleasures that this world offers. Next time we will see the parable that helps Jesus drive home this important and relevant point. Until next time...
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The Promise of Prayer
We have been encountered by some great motivation to pray in this parable. We have been motivated by the person of Christ. We have been motivated by a parable told by Christ. Now, let us be motivated by the promise given by Christ in verses 9-13. Jesus said,
And I tell 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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
ESV
He tells us to Ask, Seek, and Knock. The three words are all commands…not suggestions. We are instructed to pray! We are instructed to ask, to seek, and to knock. The tense of the verbs in Greek describe a continuous action; keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. Each of the commands gets a little more serious and confrontational. Each word is a little more intense than the word preceding it. You can ask, and you can even seek. You can even knock (bang) on the door, and you should. Why? Because, everyone who asks receives, everyone who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. This is indeed one of the greatest promises concerning prayer in all of the Bible.
There are other promises concerning prayer all throughout the Word. For example, Matt 18:19 says, "if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven." Matt 21:22 says, "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." Jesus said in Mark 11:24, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. He said in John 14:13-14, "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." The promise of prayer is that He will hear and He will answer! Think about this. We have access to the God of the universe! We have access to the Omnipresent, Omniscient, All wise, Omnipotent, Almighty, Sovereign God of all creation! He has given us access to Him through the blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ! He has promised to hear and to answer our petitions. That is motivation to pray! We read in Jer 29:11-13, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart."
Before we close, we need to stop to be sure we understand the point of Prayer. In these promises concerning prayer, is Jesus giving us a blank check? No. This is not a blank check. It's already been qualified by verses 2 through 4, hasn't it? Here's how you pray (the Model Prayer). The point of prayer is not to change God's mind. God is Sovereign. Listen to what he says in the following Scriptures.
Prov 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Isa 14:24 The Lord of hosts has sworn: "As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,
Isa 46:9-10 Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'
God has ordained the end as well as the means to the end. Prayer is not about changing God's mind. It's not about changing God's plans. It's not about giving Him information He doesn't have. God has got it all figured out. He is sovereign. So why even pray? What is the point of prayer? Here is the point: Through prayer, we can be used by God. Prayer is not about changing God's mind. It is about changing our hearts. When our hearts are changed, then we see Him, His will, His purposes and then we join Him. We don't pray our will….we pray His. Someone has said, "Prayer is surrender--surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God."
Oh how we need to pray. If we are ever to see a move of God, we must pray. I am asking you to pray for the following needs throughout April.
Pray for the men who are on the mission trip to Columbus, MS this week.
Pray for the mission trip to India April 20-30.
Pray for the Mappila people of Kozhikode India that God would begin preparing their hearts and their minds to hear and respond to His Gospel. Many Muslims around the world are having dreams and visions of Jesus just prior to the arrival of a mission team. Pray that the Mappila Muslims of Kozhikode will begin having dreams and visions that will encourage them to seek the truth.
Pray for the men who will travel to the DR in May
Will you be a watchman on the walls for these requests?
Isa 62:6-7 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.
Please forward this along to everyone in your inbox to ask them to help us pray.
And I tell 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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
ESV
He tells us to Ask, Seek, and Knock. The three words are all commands…not suggestions. We are instructed to pray! We are instructed to ask, to seek, and to knock. The tense of the verbs in Greek describe a continuous action; keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking. Each of the commands gets a little more serious and confrontational. Each word is a little more intense than the word preceding it. You can ask, and you can even seek. You can even knock (bang) on the door, and you should. Why? Because, everyone who asks receives, everyone who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. This is indeed one of the greatest promises concerning prayer in all of the Bible.
There are other promises concerning prayer all throughout the Word. For example, Matt 18:19 says, "if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven." Matt 21:22 says, "And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith." Jesus said in Mark 11:24, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. He said in John 14:13-14, "Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it." The promise of prayer is that He will hear and He will answer! Think about this. We have access to the God of the universe! We have access to the Omnipresent, Omniscient, All wise, Omnipotent, Almighty, Sovereign God of all creation! He has given us access to Him through the blood of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ! He has promised to hear and to answer our petitions. That is motivation to pray! We read in Jer 29:11-13, For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart."
Before we close, we need to stop to be sure we understand the point of Prayer. In these promises concerning prayer, is Jesus giving us a blank check? No. This is not a blank check. It's already been qualified by verses 2 through 4, hasn't it? Here's how you pray (the Model Prayer). The point of prayer is not to change God's mind. God is Sovereign. Listen to what he says in the following Scriptures.
Prov 19:21 Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
Isa 14:24 The Lord of hosts has sworn: "As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand,
Isa 46:9-10 Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,'
God has ordained the end as well as the means to the end. Prayer is not about changing God's mind. It's not about changing God's plans. It's not about giving Him information He doesn't have. God has got it all figured out. He is sovereign. So why even pray? What is the point of prayer? Here is the point: Through prayer, we can be used by God. Prayer is not about changing God's mind. It is about changing our hearts. When our hearts are changed, then we see Him, His will, His purposes and then we join Him. We don't pray our will….we pray His. Someone has said, "Prayer is surrender--surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God."
Oh how we need to pray. If we are ever to see a move of God, we must pray. I am asking you to pray for the following needs throughout April.
Pray for the men who are on the mission trip to Columbus, MS this week.
Pray for the mission trip to India April 20-30.
Pray for the Mappila people of Kozhikode India that God would begin preparing their hearts and their minds to hear and respond to His Gospel. Many Muslims around the world are having dreams and visions of Jesus just prior to the arrival of a mission team. Pray that the Mappila Muslims of Kozhikode will begin having dreams and visions that will encourage them to seek the truth.
Pray for the men who will travel to the DR in May
Will you be a watchman on the walls for these requests?
Isa 62:6-7 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.
Please forward this along to everyone in your inbox to ask them to help us pray.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Parable of Prayer
Last time we saw the person who motivates us to prayer. Today, let us look at the parable that Jesus told in hopes of motivating and moving us to pray. He shares the parable in verses 5-8.
Luke 11:5-8
And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; 7 and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs
ESV
This is one of the more humorous and entertaining parables in the Bible. It is the parable of the persistent friend. This poor man who had this guest arrive at midnight at his house is between a rock and a hard place. He was in a dilemma. He could be a poor host or, he could be a poor neighbor. Being a poor host was not an option because hospitality was a priority in this culture. So, he goes next door in the middle of the night to disturb his neighbor.
His neighbor awakes to the knock on the door. There must be some kind of emergency! But this is not an emergency. He isn't saying, "My wife is having a baby!" He is not saying, "Someone is dying or is injured." He's not saying, "We've got a robber in the house." It is in the middle of the night and he says, "I want these three loaves (literally just 3 flat pieces of bread).
I am thinking this neighbor is extremely irritated. This is not emergency, and my door has already been shut. This door that had already been shut, was not a door like we would think of. Sometimes doors actually dropped through rings, a combination of metal and iron and removing it was not simple. It would be loud and there was a whole family in there. They had a big mat in a one-room house and they were all finally asleep! I am not waking them up for anyone, especially over 3 loaves of bread. After all, would he die if he waited till breakfast? Use some hospitable psychology on the guy. Tell him, you've been on a long journey, you're probably tired, just lay down. He'll fall asleep before he knows it and forget he's even hungry. Just leave me alone and let me get back to sleep before you awaken my family.
But… there's really no sense in not getting up because he's not going away. The Bible says he was troublesomely urgent, overly persistent: It is a word that conveys an annoying relentlessness. What happened here was this guy finally got out of bed and gave the man what he wanted because he was annoyingly persistent. He was overly persistent. He was troublesomely urgent; what the word literally means is shamelessness, somebody who just sets aside all sense of shame.
Jesus is saying, Pray like this! Pray without ceasing. Don't give up. John MacArthur says, "The picture here is of shameless nerve, boldness, importunity, things that seem almost ludicrous to us going into the presence of the God of the universe. But our Lord is teaching us how to be invasive, how to be bold in our prayers." Jesus is giving us permission to boldly approach the throne of grace, by His blood. I would ask that you do that. Pray for me, for our staff at Cleary, for revival among the church, and an awakening among the community, and this nation. Also I am asking you to pray for the following needs throughout April. Will you be a watchman on the walls for these requests?
Isa 62:6-7 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.
Pray for the men who are on the mission trip to Columbus, MS this week.
Pray for me as I conclude the revival services at Oakview Wednesday night.
Pray for the mission trip to India April 20-30.
Pray for the Mappila people of Kozhikode India that God would begin preparing their hearts and their minds to hear and respond to His Gospel. Many Muslims around the world are having dreams and visions of Jesus just prior to the arrival of a mission team. Pray that the Mappila Muslims of Kozhikode will begin having dreams and visions that will encourage them to seek the truth.
Pray for the men who will travel to the DR in May
Please forward this along to everyone in your inbox to ask them to help us pray.
Luke 11:5-8
And he said to them, "Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; 7 and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything'? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs
ESV
This is one of the more humorous and entertaining parables in the Bible. It is the parable of the persistent friend. This poor man who had this guest arrive at midnight at his house is between a rock and a hard place. He was in a dilemma. He could be a poor host or, he could be a poor neighbor. Being a poor host was not an option because hospitality was a priority in this culture. So, he goes next door in the middle of the night to disturb his neighbor.
His neighbor awakes to the knock on the door. There must be some kind of emergency! But this is not an emergency. He isn't saying, "My wife is having a baby!" He is not saying, "Someone is dying or is injured." He's not saying, "We've got a robber in the house." It is in the middle of the night and he says, "I want these three loaves (literally just 3 flat pieces of bread).
I am thinking this neighbor is extremely irritated. This is not emergency, and my door has already been shut. This door that had already been shut, was not a door like we would think of. Sometimes doors actually dropped through rings, a combination of metal and iron and removing it was not simple. It would be loud and there was a whole family in there. They had a big mat in a one-room house and they were all finally asleep! I am not waking them up for anyone, especially over 3 loaves of bread. After all, would he die if he waited till breakfast? Use some hospitable psychology on the guy. Tell him, you've been on a long journey, you're probably tired, just lay down. He'll fall asleep before he knows it and forget he's even hungry. Just leave me alone and let me get back to sleep before you awaken my family.
But… there's really no sense in not getting up because he's not going away. The Bible says he was troublesomely urgent, overly persistent: It is a word that conveys an annoying relentlessness. What happened here was this guy finally got out of bed and gave the man what he wanted because he was annoyingly persistent. He was overly persistent. He was troublesomely urgent; what the word literally means is shamelessness, somebody who just sets aside all sense of shame.
Jesus is saying, Pray like this! Pray without ceasing. Don't give up. John MacArthur says, "The picture here is of shameless nerve, boldness, importunity, things that seem almost ludicrous to us going into the presence of the God of the universe. But our Lord is teaching us how to be invasive, how to be bold in our prayers." Jesus is giving us permission to boldly approach the throne of grace, by His blood. I would ask that you do that. Pray for me, for our staff at Cleary, for revival among the church, and an awakening among the community, and this nation. Also I am asking you to pray for the following needs throughout April. Will you be a watchman on the walls for these requests?
Isa 62:6-7 On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.
Pray for the men who are on the mission trip to Columbus, MS this week.
Pray for me as I conclude the revival services at Oakview Wednesday night.
Pray for the mission trip to India April 20-30.
Pray for the Mappila people of Kozhikode India that God would begin preparing their hearts and their minds to hear and respond to His Gospel. Many Muslims around the world are having dreams and visions of Jesus just prior to the arrival of a mission team. Pray that the Mappila Muslims of Kozhikode will begin having dreams and visions that will encourage them to seek the truth.
Pray for the men who will travel to the DR in May
Please forward this along to everyone in your inbox to ask them to help us pray.
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