WE KNOW WHERE TO GET IT

Luke 11:5-10  ⁵And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; ⁶For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?  ⁷And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. ⁸I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. ⁹And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. ¹⁰For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

·         Context: disciples ask “Lord teach us to pray,” Jesus teaches the Lord’s prayer, tells this unusual story, and ends with ask-seek-knock

·         MIDNIGHT HOUR – if a man traveled at this hour, he was lost! (the midnight hour also points to the end of the age)

·         Family already comfortable – I don’t need anything for me! I’m warm and fed. Why should I bother? It’s their fault they got lost!

·         Jonah – the world was praying while the church was sleeping!

·         CHURCH – don’t put up a “Do Not Disturb” sign!

·         Thankfully, this was not the attitude of the man in Jesus’ parable – he left his comfort zone and went to the house of another for help

·         Although his friend wouldn’t rouse himself because of friendship, he did it because of persistence!

·         Why would I bother? It’s not my need! But we cannot be selfish, even though we are already fed – lost people are at our door!

·         WE MAY NOT HAVE IT, BUT WE KNOW WHERE WE CAN GET IT

·         Ask, Seek, Knock – continuing tense!

·         Jesus uses the word “importunity” here, the only time in the NT. It means “shamelessness, insistence, persistence, impudence, and troublesome.” When you pray like this, you get results!

·         We are the delivery people for the Bread of God – if we don’t deliver it, God will fire us and hire someone else!

·         But this won’t benefit me! That’s selfish – and wrong! Look on the FIELDS! Let down your NETS! Get involved in someone else’s need!

Matthew 15:22-28  ²²And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. ²³But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. ²⁴But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ²⁵Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. ²⁶But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. ²⁷And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. ²⁸Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

ASK – she asked Jesus and He didn’t even answer her

SEEK – she began to persistently seek help from the disciples

KNOCK – even when insulted, she kept right on knocking!

·         Can you imagine the power created when a GROUP begins to knock! The friend inside the house would never be able to stand the noise!

·         There are only two avenues to the throne of God: accusing or interceding. What is your attitude toward the world?

·         What produces miracles? Not our faith, but our COMPASSION!

·         It is more blessed to give than it is to receive.

·         God’s power is always given for a purpose. Find the purpose and you’ll have the power!

MY FRIEND

My friend, I stand in the judgment now and feel that you’re to blame somehow

On earth, I walked with you day by day, and never did you point the way

You knew the Lord in truth and glory, but never did you tell the story

My knowledge then was very dim, you could have led me safe to Him

Though we lived together on the earth, you never told me of the second birth

And now I stand this day condemned, because you failed to mention Him

You taught me many things, that’s true, I called you friend and trusted you

But I learned now that it’s too late, you could have kept me from this fate

We walked by day and talked by night, and yet you showed me not the light

You let me live and love and die, you knew I’d never live on high

Yes, I called you friend in life, and trusted you through joy and strife

And yet on coming to the end, I cannot now call you my friend!