Lucas 11
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 11
Spurgeon - See the power of importunate prayer; and you, beloved, can have all that you really need (NOT GREED) for yourselves or others if you will only ask for it in the right way. If, summoning every faculty of your being, you resolve to plead, and plead, and plead yet again and again, and never take “No” for an answer, your heart’s desire shall be granted. (Luke 11 - exposition)
Lucas 11
Spurgeon - This is the simplest form of prayer. Follow up your prayer by the effort. “Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Add force to your petitions and to your prayers. If the door blocks the way, knock until it is opened...Prayer knocks till the door opens. Open it will, for so runs the promise of our faithful God, "To him that knocketh it shall be opened." "If the angel opened the door of the prison to let Peter out, it was prayer that opened the door of heaven to let the angel out." (Luke 11 - exposition) Mattoon - The word "knock" includes asking, acting, and persevering, like someone who keeps knocking on a closed door or one who keeps calling your house when they don't get an answer on the phone! Again, the fact that this word is in the present imperative tense gives it a more intense and stronger meaning. We are to keep on knocking and the door will be opened to us. This word "knock" will reveal a number of insights. This word reveals insights about our faith. We are to pray with faith and trust in the Lord. That may sound so simple, yet many do not put this simple truth into practice because they are consumed or overwhelmed with fretting, frustration, and failure. One knocks on a door that is closed. Sometimes when we pray to the Lord, the door appears closed. We may feel we are not getting anywhere and get discouraged. The Lord, however, wants us to keep knocking on His door. We are to demonstrate our faith in Him by continuing to bring our petitions before Him. We are to live by faith even when our situation challenges our faith. The difficulties of our lives reveal the strength of our faith and also strengthen it if we respond properly to those difficulties. Our Lord has the ability to unlock closed doors. The word "knock" also reveals the fact that when we pray, we are not to come before the Lord with pride and cockiness, but with a reverent attitude. There are two words for 'knock' in the Greek, one which refers to an unceremonious pounding and the other refers to a polite knock. The word "knock" used here comes from the Greek word krouo which means "to rap or knock reverently." This word does not mean to bang discourteously, or to kick in the door, but to knock courteously. Our praying to the Lord is to be done with respect for Him. We are not to demand, insist, or pray with an attitude that says God owes us the answer. (Treasures from the Scriptures) Knock ("keep on knocking") means to keep rapping on the door and implies a greater and more repetitive intensity than either asking or seeking. The English word "knock" comes from German word meaning to press! You knock and wait, then you knock again, then you say, “I know you’re in there,” then you knock again and say, “I can hear your voice. Come on, open the door.” Then you knock again. If you’re on the other side, you know how annoying it can be to listen as someone knocks and knocks and keeps on knocking. But that’s precisely the picture behind Jesus' command to keep on knocking! The idea might imply praying in the face of difficulty and even resistance. If you knock like this, your desire for entrance must be very great indeed. Mattoon commenting on the three present imperatives says that Jesus "is telling us to persist in our prayer life and never be discouraged in prayer and to never give up until the Lord removes the burden to stop praying about a matter. This will test our sincerity and steadfastness in the area of our praying. Do we really want a certain thing? Is a matter of such nature that we can bring it repeatedly into the presence of God? The biggest test of any desire that we have is, "Can I pray about it?" (Treasures from the Scriptures) CAVEAT regarding the present imperatives ask, seek, knock - As with all the over 1500 commands in the NT, there is simply no way you can obey this command in your natural strength. You need supernatural strength found ONLY in the enabling power (Eph 3:16, Acts 1:8, even Jesus was dependent on His power! He gave us the example of a Perfect Man which we are called to imitate - Acts 10:38, 1 Cor 11:1, 1 John 2:6, 1 Peter 2:21) of the indwelling Spirit (1 Cor 3:16, 6:19). See another explanation of our need to daily be dependent on the Spirit's empowerment. If you TRY to keep the commands in your natural strength, you will fall into the subtle snare of legalism. Beware. Cry out like Peter did when he was sinking "Lord, Help!" See also article on Praying in the Spirit. Spurgeon wrote that "There was a nailhead for the knocker to drop on, and people used to smite it so heavily that some remarked that such blows on the head were killing. Hence arose the mirthful proverb, "as dead as a doornail." It betokens a hearty kind of knocking, which I would have you imitate in prayer. Knock at heaven's gate as earnestly as people knocked at doors in the olden time." (Luke 11 - exposition) Ask ("keep on asking")(154) (aiteo) means to ask for with urgency, even to the point of demanding. Aiteo more frequently suggests attitude of a suppliant (one who supplicates [supplicate is from Latin supplex = bowed] means to makes a humble, earnest plea or entreaty), the petitioning of one who is lesser in position than he to whom the petition is made. To ask means to to call on for an answer, which indicates that we believe there is someone (our Father) listening. It also implies that we expect Him to answer or otherwise why ask? The self-righteous person does not ask but tells God how good he is (see parable Luke 18:10, 11, 12, 13). Mattoon adds that aiteo "suggests humility in asking and recognizing our needs and limitations. When we approach the Lord in prayer, we are not to have a cocky, proud, demanding spirit." Aiteo in Luke and Acts - Lk. 1:63; Lk. 6:30; Lk. 11:9; Lk. 11:10; Lk. 11:11; Lk. 11:12; Lk. 11:13; Lk. 12:48; Lk. 23:23; Lk. 23:25; Lk. 23:52; Acts 3:2; Acts 3:14; Acts 7:46; Acts 9:2; Acts 12:20; Acts 13:21; Acts 13:28; Acts 16:29; Acts 25:3; Acts 25:15 Seek ("keep on seeking")(2212) (zeteo) means to attempt to learn something by careful investigation or searching, to look for something earnestly and intently. Seeking is asking plus acting, implying earnest petitioning coupled with an active endeavoring to fulfill needs. When you seek something, you rearrange your priorities so that you can search for what you desire until you find it. Do you prioritize prayer? Zeteo in Luke and Acts - Lk. 2:48; Lk. 2:49; Lk. 5:18; Lk. 6:19; Lk. 9:9; Lk. 11:9; Lk. 11:10; Lk. 11:16; Lk. 11:24; Lk. 11:29; Lk. 12:29; Lk. 12:31; Lk. 13:6; Lk. 13:7; Lk. 13:24; Lk. 15:8; Lk. 17:33; Lk. 19:3; Lk. 19:10; Lk. 19:47; Lk. 20:19; Lk. 22:2; Lk. 22:6; Lk. 24:5; Acts 9:11; Acts 10:19; Acts 10:21; Acts 13:8; Acts 13:11; Acts 16:10; Acts 17:5; Acts 17:27; Acts 21:31; Acts 27:30 Knock (keep on knocking)(2925) krouo means seeking entrance by knock (at a door or gate. Figuratively, krouo speaks of seeking spiritual access and so to ask to be accepted (Rev 3.20+) BDAG - "to deliver a blow against something, strike, knock." Krouo - 9x in 9v - Matt 7:7-8; Luke 11:9-10; 12:36; 13:25; Acts 12:13, 16; Rev 3:20. Will be opened (455) (anoigo from ana = again + oigo = to open) means to open, to open up, to open again, to give access to. To open one's eyes causing them to see (Acts 26:18). To open one's mouth that they might begin to speak (Mt 5:2). Figuratively, to open a "door" meaning to make possible (Col 4:3). Anoigo - 76v - break(1), broke(7), open(22), opened(41), opening(2), opens(4), spoken freely(1). Matt. 2:11; Matt. 3:16; Matt. 5:2; Matt. 7:7; Matt. 7:8; Matt. 9:30; Matt. 13:35; Matt. 17:27; Matt. 20:33; Matt. 25:11; Matt. 27:52; Mk. 7:35; Lk. 1:64; Lk. 3:21; Lk. 4:17; Lk. 11:9; Lk. 11:10; Lk. 12:36; Lk. 13:25; Jn. 1:51; Jn. 9:10; Jn. 9:14; Jn. 9:17; Jn. 9:21; Jn. 9:26; Jn. 9:30; Jn. 9:32; Jn. 10:3; Jn. 10:21; Jn. 11:37; Acts 5:19; Acts 5:23; Acts 8:32; Acts 8:35; Acts 9:8; Acts 9:40; Acts 10:11; Acts 10:34; Acts 12:10; Acts 12:14; Acts 12:16; Acts 14:27; Acts 16:26; Acts 16:27; Acts 18:14; Acts 26:18; Rom. 3:13; 1 Co. 16:9; 2 Co. 2:12; 2 Co. 6:11; Col. 4:3; Rev. 3:7; Rev. 3:8; Rev. 3:20; Rev. 4:1; Rev. 5:2; Rev. 5:3; Rev. 5:4; Rev. 5:5; Rev. 5:9; Rev. 6:1; Rev. 6:3; Rev. 6:5; Rev. 6:7; Rev. 6:9; Rev. 6:12; Rev. 8:1; Rev. 9:2; Rev. 10:2; Rev. 10:8; Rev. 11:19; Rev. 12:16; Rev. 13:6; Rev. 15:5; Rev. 19:11; Rev. 20:12 QUESTION - What did Jesus mean when He told us to ask, seek, and knock? ANSWER - Matthew 7 is part of what is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount. It’s a description of the truly righteous life, an outlining of “the law of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:21, ESV). When Jesus says, “Ask and it will be given to you,” continual prayer is in view (Matthew 7:7a). Prayer is how we communicate our needs and desires to God. Of course, God, being omniscient, knows what Christians need whether they ask or not, but prayer is the means God has chosen to bring about those answers (James 4:2b). Jesus is not saying that believers always get what they ask for—wrong motives, for example, will hinder answers to prayer (James 4:3). However, the more time a Christian spends in communion with God, the more he or she will know what to ask for in accordance with God’s will. Prayer, in and of itself, does not produce sanctification (an increasing holiness in a believer’s life), but it does show a dependence on God for needs that can be met no other way. God is always pleased with such displays of faith. It is only faith in what God can do, and what Christ has done, that brings about true sanctification, not an artificial self-righteousness (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus went on to say, “Seek, and you will find” (Matthew 7:7b). What is it believers ought to be seeking? It is God Himself! “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek’” (Psalm 27:8). “The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:10). “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” (Psalm 105:4). “Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart” (Psalm 119:2). God is not hiding from His children. His heart’s desire is for us to persistently and passionately look for Him all around us, and when we do, He promises He will be found (Proverbs 8:17). Seeking is a matter of paying attention with an engaged mind and acute awareness. Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Seeking God’s kingdom means putting God’s plan before our own; seeking God’s righteousness means setting a priority on personal holiness and desiring to be sanctified. Jesus then said, “Knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7c). Here, the Lord uses a metaphor for the action a desire produces. If a person needs something from someone behind a door, the most natural thing to do is knock—and keep knocking until the door is opened and the desire is met. In the same way, a believer should pray in faith for God’s provision and be persistent in prayer (see Luke 18:1). Ask, seek, knock. Notice the three different senses being considered here. Asking is verbal; Christians are to use their mouths and petition God for their needs and desires. And believers are to seek with their minds—this is more than asking; it is a setting of priorities and a focusing of the heart. To knock involves physical movement, one in which the Christian takes action. Although asking and seeking are of great importance, they would be incomplete without knocking. The apostle John said Christians ought not to love in word alone but with actions also (1 John 3:18). In the same way, it’s good to pray and seek God, but if one does not also act in ways that are pleasing to God, all is for naught. It’s no accident that Jesus said believers should love God with all their heart, soul, strength, and mind (Luke 10:27). The commands are followed by promises: “Everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:8). God delights in the prayer of faith, and He promises to give us what we need.GotQuestions.org QUESTION - What did Jesus mean when He said, “Ask and you shall receive”? Watch Video ANSWER - Jesus said, “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” in John 16:24. Similar statements are found in Matthew 7:7; 21:22; Mark 11:24; Luke 11:9; and John 15:7. Is this a blanket promise with no conditions? If we ask for three hundred pounds of chocolate delivered to our door, is God obligated to give it to us? Or are Jesus’ words to be understood in light of other revelation? If we assume that “ask and you will receive” means “ask for anything you want and I’ll give it to you,” then we have turned the Lord into a cosmic genie who serves our every whim. This is the problem of prosperity gospel and word of faith teachings. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that whoever asks receives, whoever seeks finds, and whoever knocks will find an open door (Matthew 7:7–8). But with this and all other verses we must examine the context. Jesus goes on to say that God will not fail to give His children good things (verse 11). So, this is one condition to the promise of “ask and receive”: what we ask for must be good in God’s estimation. God will give advantageous gifts to His children; He will not give us bad or injurious things, no matter how much we clamor for them. The best example of a good gift is the Holy Spirit, according to Luke 11:13. We begin to see a two-fold purpose of prayer—to increase our understanding of what God calls “good” and to cultivate a desire in us for what is good. Our prayers to God are not unlike our requests of men. Our prayers are based in a relationship, as Jesus points out in Matthew 7:8. If a child asks his father for something the father knows to be hurtful, the request is denied. The child may be frustrated and unhappy when he doesn’t get what he asked for, but he should trust his father. Conversely, when the child asks for something that the father knows is beneficial, the father will provide it eagerly because he loves his child. We have another condition to the promise of “ask and receive” in John 14:14, “You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” Here, Jesus does not promise His disciples anything and everything they want; rather, He instructs them to ask “in my name.” To pray in Jesus’ name is to pray on the basis of Jesus’ authority, but it also involves praying according to the will of God, for the will of God is what Jesus always did (John 6:38). This truth is stated explicitly in 1 John 5:14, “If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” Our requests must be congruent with the will of God. The promise of “ask and receive,” even with its conditions, can never disappoint. There is no chance of things we need not being in God’s will. He promises to supply what we need when we “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Of course, what we want is not always what we need. If what we want is not in God’s will, then we really don’t want to receive it. God knows what is good for us and is faithful and loving to say “no” to selfish and foolish prayers, no matter how much we want what we’re asking for. God will always give us good things. Our job is to understand what is good, so that we know what to ask for. The natural mind cannot understand this. But, when we offer ourselves as “a living sacrifice” and are transformed by the renewing of our minds, then we “will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:1–2). Then, asking for what we need in faith, we will have all we need for life, godliness, and fullness of joy (John 16:24). The biblical instruction concerning prayer is that we pray for the good things that we truly need, according to the will of God, in the authority of Jesus Christ, persistently (see Luke 18:1), unselfishly (see James 4:3), and in faith (see James 1:6). In Matthew 21:22 Jesus again emphasizes faith: “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Those who truly believe God will witness the amazing, infinite power of God. However, comparing Scripture with Scripture, we know that the asking must be done within the will of God. Part of having faith is acceding to God’s plan as best. If we ask for healing, and that is the best thing for us, we should not doubt that God will heal us. If He does not heal, then not being healed is a necessary part of a larger plan—one that is ultimately for our good. Consider Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” This verse does not give us a way to manipulate God; nor does it mean that, if we obey, He will reward us with whatever treat we crave. Rather, it means that, when we delight ourselves in God, then we will find everything we want and need in Him. The key here is that the heart of the seeker is changed—when we delight in the Lord, God’s desires begin to become our own. When our desires match God’s, then our prayers are automatically aligned with His will. Among the most important prayers in the life of a Christian are “Teach me to love you above all else” and “Cause me to want what you want.” When we truly desire God, when we are passionate to see His will accomplished in this world, and when we ask for what brings Him glory, He is eager to give us anything we ask. Sometimes the things that glorify God are pleasant—a marriage or a child. Sometimes they are difficult for us—a failure that humbles us or a physical weakness that makes us more dependent upon God (see 2 Corinthians 12:7). But, when we pray within His will, in the authority of Jesus, persistently, unselfishly, and in faith, we will receive what we need.GotQuestions.org Related Resources: Six Keys to Answered Prayer by Adrian Rogers (youtube audio) Questions about Prayer (All) | GotQuestions.org What is the meaning of “you have not because you ask not” in James 4:2? | GotQuestions.org Are there any conditions to answered prayer? | GotQuestions.org What is the key to effective prayer?| GotQuestions.org Why doesn’t God respond when I cry out, “God, please help me!”? | GotQuestions.org? Does God answer prayers? | GotQuestions.org What is the Lord's prayer and should we pray it? | GotQuestions.org What are some hindrances to a potent prayer life? | GotQuestions.org What did Jesus mean when He said "Ask and you shall receive"? Is there evidence that God answers prayer? | GotQuestions.org What is the power of prayer? | GotQuestions.org Does prayer change God’s mind? | GotQuestions.org Does God hear my prayers? | GotQuestions.org How can I have my prayers answered by God? | GotQuestions.org How should a Christian respond to unanswered prayer? | GotQuestions.org How can I become a prayer warrior? | GotQuestions.org Is it allowable to use candles in connection with prayer? | GotQuestions.org ILLUSTRATION -
Lucas 11
Spurgeon - We know of a place in England still existing, where a dole of bread is served to every passerby who chooses to ask for it. Whoever the traveller may be, he has but to knock at the door of St. Cross Hospital, and there is the dole of bread for him. Jesus Christ so loveth sinners that he has built a St. Cross Hospital, so that whenever a sinner is hungry, he has but to knock and have his wants supplied. Nay, he has done better; he has attached to this Hospital of the Cross a bath; and whenever a soul is black and filthy, it has but to go there and be washed. The fountain is always full, always efficacious. No sinner ever went into it and found that it could not wash away his stains. Sins which were scarlet and crimson have all disappeared, and the sinner has been whiter than snow. As if this were not enough, there is attached to this Hospital of the Cross a wardrobe, and a sinner making application simply as a sinner, may be clothed from head to foot; and if he wishes to be a soldier, he may not merely have a garment for ordinary wear, but armour which shall cover him from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. If he asks for a sword, he shall have that given to him, and a shield too. Nothing that is good for him shall be denied him. He shall have spending-money so long as he lives, and he shall have an eternal heritage of glorious treasure when he enters into the joy of his Lord. If all these things are to be had by merely knocking at mercy’s door, O my soul, knock hard this morning, and ask large things of thy generous Lord. Leave not the throne of grace till all thy wants have been spread before the Lord, and until by faith thou hast a comfortable prospect that they shall be all supplied. No bashfulness need retard when Jesus invites. No unbelief should hinder when Jesus promises. No cold-heartedness should restrain when such blessings are to be obtained. Thomas Kelley described how we can continually be asking, seeking, knocking - There is a way of ordering our mental life on more than one level at once. On one level we can be thinking, discussing, seeing, calculating, meeting all the demands of external affairs. But deep within, behind the scenes, at a profounder level, we may also be in prayer and adoration, song and worship, and a gentle receptiveness to divine breathings. (Thomas Kelly, Testament of Devotion New York: Harper, 1941) We thank You, Lord, for fathers true Who always spoke to us of You; Their great concern and tender care Assured us of their constant prayer. —Bosch A praying father reflects the love of our heavenly Father. Luke 11:10 "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. KJV Luke 11:10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. For everyone who asks, receives Luke 18:1; Ps 31:22; Lam 3:8,18,54-58; Jonah 2:2-8; Jas 4:3; 5:11 Luke 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 11:5-10 Pray Boldly - John MacArthur PROMISES FOR PRAYER For (gar) is a term of explanation and here Jesus is explaining why we should obey the 3 commands regarding prayer in Lk 11:9.
Lucas 11
Spurgeon - We must all feel that if we are to pray aright, we must be taught of God, by his Holy Spirit. We are full of infirmities, and if there is any time when our infirmities are felt most, it is when we engage in prayer, but “the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as are ought.” Let us, then, breathe this prayer to our great Teacher, “Lord, teach us to pray.” (Luke 11 - exposition) A T
Lucas 11
Spurgeon comments that "There are different methods of praying, and each one has its special adaptation to the state in which you may be; so use that method to which the Holy Spirit guides you, so use all methods until you prevail." (Luke 11 - exposition) Asks...seeks...knocks - Regarding this section Spurgeon draws an interesting conclusion in his book Power in Prayer (borrow book)... Until God had said that word or a word to that effect (Asks...seeks...knocks...receives...finds...opened), it was at His own option to hear prayer or not, but it is not so now. For now, if it is true prayer offered through Jesus Christ, His truth binds Him to hear it. A man may be perfectly free, but the moment he makes a promise, he is not free to break it; and the everlasting God does not want to break His promise. He delights to fulfill it. He has declared that all His promises are “yea” and “amen” (2 Cor. 1:20) in Christ Jesus. For our consolation, when we survey God under the high and awesome aspect of His sovereignty, we have this to reflect on: He is under covenant bonds of promise to be faithful to the souls that seek Him. His throne must be a throne of grace to His people. Once more, and the sweetest thought of all, every covenant promise has been endorsed and sealed with blood, and far be it from the everlasting God to pour scorn upon the blood of His dear Son. When a king has given a charter to a city, he may have been absolute before, and there may have been nothing to check his prerogatives; however, when the city has its charter, then it pleads its rights before the king. Even thus, God has given to His people a charter of untold blessings, bestowing upon them the sure mercies of David. Very much of the validity of a charter depends on the signature and the seal, and, my friends, how sure is the charter of covenant grace! The signature is the handwriting of God Himself, and the seal is the blood of the Only Begotten. The covenant is ratified with blood, the blood of His own dear Son. It is not possible that we can plead in vain with God when we plead the blood-sealed covenant, ordered in all things and sure. “Heaven and earth shall pass away” (Matt. 24:35), but the power of the blood of Jesus can never fail with God. It speaks when we are silent, and it prevails when we are defeated. “Better things than that of Abel” (see note Hebrews 12:24) does it ask for, and its cry is heard. Let us come boldly, for we bear the promise in our hearts. When we feel alarmed because of the sovereignty of God, let us cheerfully sing: The gospel bears my spirit up, A faithful and unchanging God Lays the foundation for my hope In oaths, and promises, and blood. May God the Holy Spirit help us to use rightly from this time forward “the throne of grace.” Amen. (from Power in Prayer borrow book) Spurgeon writes regarding receives...finds...opened... This is the rule of God’s kingdom invariably, whenever the request is a right one, and is presented in a right manner. Ask the people of God whether it is not so. Go among them, and question them upon this matter. They know the power of prayer, so let them tell you whether they have been deceived or not. Well, then, as it has been so with them, let this encourage you to expect that it shall be the same with you also. One way or another you will get the blessing if you are but persevering, and blessed is the man who is a master of the art of asking, but does not forget the labor of seeking an entrance through the importunity of knocking. In John Piper's book Desiring God he explains why more Christians are not asking, seeking, knocking writing that… Unless I'm badly mistaken, one of the main reasons so many of God's children don't have a significant life of prayer is not so much that we don't want to, but that we don't plan to. If you want to take a four-week vacation, you don't just get up one summer morning and say, "Hey, let's go today!" You won't have anything ready. You won't know where to go. Nothing has been planned. But that is how many of us treat prayer. We get up day after day and realize that significant times of prayer should be part of our life, but nothing's ever ready. We don't know where to go. Nothing has been planned. No time. No place. No procedure. And we all know that the opposite of planning is not a wonderful flow of deep, spontaneous experiences in prayer. The opposite of planning is the rut. If you don't plan a vacation you will probably stay home and watch TV! The natural unplanned flow of spiritual life sinks to the lowest ebb of vitality. There is a race to be run and a fight to be fought. If you want renewal in your life of prayer you must plan to see it. Therefore, my simple exhortation is this: Let us take time this very day to rethink our priorities and how prayer fits in. Make some new resolve. Try some new venture with God. Set a time. Set a place. Choose a portion of Scripture to guide you. Don't be tyrannized by the press of busy days. We all need mid-course corrections. Make this a day of turning to prayer — for the glory of God and for the fullness of your joy. (Available online - Desiring God - Meditations of A Christian Hedonist) (Bolding added) Steven
Lucas 11
Spurgeon - A Father! There is music in that word, but not to a fatherless child—to him it is full of sorrowful memories. Those who have never lost a father can scarcely know how precious a relation a father is. A father who is a father indeed, is very dear! Do we not remember how we climbed his knee? Do we not recollect the kisses we imprinted on his cheeks? Do we not recall to-day with gratitude the chidings of his wisdom and the gentle encouragements of his affection? We owe all! Who shall tell how much we owe to our fathers according to the flesh, and when they are taken from us we lament their loss, and feel that a great gap is made in our family circle. Listen, then, to these words, "Our Father, Who is in heaven." Consider the grace contained in the Lord's deigning to take us into the relationship of children, and giving us with the relationship the nature and the spirit of children, so that we say, "Abba, Father." Did you ever lie in bed with your limbs vexed with sore pains, and cry, "Father, pity thy child"? Did you ever look into the face of death, and as you thought you were about to depart, cry, "My Father, help me; uphold me with thy gracious hand, and bear me through the stream of death"? It is at such times that we realize the glory of the Fatherhood of God, and in our feebleness learn to cling to the divine strength, and catch at the divine love. (Flashes of Thought) J. I. Packer considers one's grasp of God's Fatherhood and adoption as His child as of essential importance in one's spiritual life explaining that "If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God's child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all. For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new, and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. "Father" is the Christian name for God." (Borrow Knowing God) The Net Bible notes explains that "God is addressed in terms of intimacy (Father). The original Semitic term here was probably Abba. The term is a little unusual in a personal prayer, especially as it lacks qualification. It is not the exact equivalent of “daddy” (as is sometimes popularly suggested), but it does suggest a close, familial relationship." (The NET Bible; Bible. Biblical Studies Press) To open this prayer addressing God as Father, indicates He is personal (not merely "a higher power") and that He cares for His family (as a father would). Without faith in Christ’s blood and union with Him, it is useless to talk of trusting in the “Fatherhood” of God. Only believers can truly call God "Father" because we alone are His children, having received Jesus as Savior and believed in His Name (Jesus means "Jehovah saves") He (Jesus) came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13+) Jesus answered (Nicodemus) and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:3-5+) It is interesting that the early church actually forbade non-Christians from reciting this prayer as vigorously as they forbade them from joining with believers at the Lord's Table! Kent
Lucas 11
Spurgeon - When we come to God in prayer, we are apt to think first of our own necessities, but if we came aright, in the spirit of sonship, truly saying, “Our Father who art in heaven,” we should begin our prayer like this, “’Hallowed be thy name.’ May all men honour, reverence, and adore thy holy name. ‘Thy kingdom come.’ We are not satisfied that thou shouldst be anything less than king; our heart’s desire is, ‘Reign, gracious God over us and over all men.’ (Luke 11 - exposition) Phillip Keller on Your kingdom come - When all is said and done, most of us from our earliest childhood believe we are the king of our own castle. We determine our own destinies; we arrange our own affairs; we govern our own lives. We become supreme specialists in selfish, self-centered living where all of life revolves around the epicenter of me, I, mine. So, if I sincerely, earnestly, and genuinely implore God to come into my life and experiences, there to establish His Kingdom, I can only expect that there is bound to be a most tremendous confrontation. It is inevitable that there will follow a formidable conflict between His divine sovereignty and my self-willed ego. When I pray, “Thy kingdom come,” I am willing to relinquish the rule of my own life, to give up governing my own affairs, to abstain from making my own decisions in order to allow God, by His indwelling Spirit, to decide for me what I shall do. Paul emphasized this concept in 1 Corinthians 3:16: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” Also, “Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Co 6:16-18). So when Christ uttered the simple yet profound petition, “Thy kingdom come,” He envisaged His own future kingdom on earth and also the very Spirit of the living God coming into a human heart at regeneration to make it His holy habitation. He pictured the King of kings so permeating and invading a life that His authority would be established in that person’s mind and will. He saw a human being as a temple, an abode, a residence of the Most High. But He knew that only when such an occupied heart is held and controlled by the indwelling Spirit could it be truly said that here indeed is a part of the spiritual Kingdom of God where His will was done on earth. (Borrow A layman looks at the Lord's prayer) Bishop Taylor Smith of the Church of England applied "Thy Kingdom Come" this way - “As soon as I awake each morning I rise from bed at once. I dress promptly. I wash myself, shave and comb my hair. Then fully attired, wide awake and properly groomed I go quietly to my study. There, before God Almighty, and Christ my King, I humbly present myself as a loyal subject to my Sovereign, ready and eager to be of service to Him for the day.” (ED: I LIKE THIS DESCRIPTION WHICH SOUNDS SIMILAR TO PAUL'S EXHORTATION IN Romans 12:1+ to present ourselves as a living and holy sacrifice to God). Steven
Lucas 11
Spurgeon - “The man who prays ‘Lead us not into temptation,’ and then goes into it is a liar before God…‘Lead us not into temptation,’ is shameful profanity when it comes from the lips of men who resort to places of amusement whose moral tone is bad.” Zodhiates adds that "When the purpose of testing is for us to acquire experience, then God is the Author. He is testing us to determine if we can handle greater responsibility. God considers testing necessary, not to lead us into an evil act, but to acquire experience and strength. If you have wondered why God has not entrusted you with greater responsibility, is it possible that you have tried to avoid His testing? Whenever Satan tests us, the word should be translated "tempts," because his purpose is to cause us to fail, to fall into sin." (1 Corinthians Commentary) Thomas Watson - The devil tempts, that he may deceive; but God suffers (allows) us to be tempted, to try us. Temptation is a trial of our sincerity." Think of yourself as a tube of "spiritual toothpaste". Pressures (trials) bring out what's really on the inside! Or as "Trials are intended to make us think, to wean us from the world, to send us to the Bible, to drive us to our knees." -- J C Ryle Spurgeon explains the great value of his personal trials writing "I am afraid that all the grace that I have got out of my comfortable and easy times and happy hours might almost lie on a penny. But the good that I have received from my sorrows, and pains, and griefs, is altogether incalculable. What do I not owe to the crucible and the furnace, the bellows that have blown up the coals, and the hand which has thrust me into the heat?… I bear my witness that the worst days I have ever had have turned out to be my best days… I can bear my personal testimony that the best piece of furniture that I ever had in the house was a cross. I do not mean a material cross; I mean the cross of affliction and trouble… In shunning a trial we are seeking to avoid a blessing." (Luke 11 - exposition) D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones sums up these last 3 petitions - Our whole life is found there in those three petitions, and that is what makes this prayer so utterly amazing. In such a small compass our Lord has covered the whole life of the believer in every respect. Our physical needs, our mental needs and, of course, our spiritual needs are included. The body is remembered, the soul is remembered, the spirit is remembered…. We cannot fail to be impressed by the all-inclusiveness of these petitions. That does not mean that we should never enter into details; we must, we are taught to do so. We are taught to bring our life in detail to God in prayer; but here we have only the great headings. Our Lord gives us these and we fill in the details, but it is important for us to be sure that all our petitions should belong under one or other of the headings. (Borrow Sermon on the Mount go to page 87) Forgive (863)(aphiemi [see detailed study] from apo = prefix speaks of separation, putting some distance between + hiemi = put in motion, send) conveys the basic idea of an action which causes separation. Literally aphiemi means to send from one's self, to forsake, to hurl away, to put away, let alone, disregard, put off. It conveys the basic idea of an action which causes separation and refers to total detachment, total separation, from a previous location or condition. It means “to send away,” to remove the sin from the sinner so that he is free of it, and so that the sin can never be found and charged against him before the judgment bar of God.In secular Greek aphiemi initially conveyed the sense of to throw and in one secular writing we read "let the pot drop" (aphiemi). From this early literal use the word came to mean leave or let go. "Perhaps the synonym that best reflects its use in this passage is “to hurl.” Just as God figuratively hurled believers’ sins into the depths of the sea at salvation (Mic. 7:19), so also must believers hurl away the sins of others and not hold on to them. Only then will the Lord forgive the sins that disrupt their relationship with Him." (MacArthur) Sins (plural)(266)(hamartia)literally conveys the idea of missing the mark as when hunting with a bow and arrow (in Homer some hundred times of a warrior hurling his spear but missing his foe). Later hamartia came to mean missing or falling short of any goal, standard, or purpose. Hamartia in the Bible signifies a departure from God's holy, perfect standard of what is right in word or deed (righteous). It pictures the idea of missing His appointed goal (His will) which results in a deviation from what is pleasing to Him. In short, sin is conceived as a missing the true end and scope of our lives, which is the Triune God Himself. As Martin Luther put it "Sin is essentially a departure from God." Hamaria in Luke and Acts - Lk. 1:77; Lk. 3:3; Lk. 5:20; Lk. 5:21; Lk. 5:23; Lk. 5:24; Lk. 7:47; Lk. 7:48; Lk. 7:49; Lk. 11:4; Lk. 24:47; Acts 2:38; Acts 3:19; Acts 5:31; Acts 7:60; Acts 10:43; Acts 13:38; Acts 22:16; Acts 26:18; Indebted (3784) opheilo from ophéllo = heap up) means to owe something to someone. Literally it speaks of financial indebtedness and thus means to owe money, to be in debt, or to describe that which is due (Mt 18:28, Lk 7:41, 16:5, 7, Philemon 1:18). The verb opheilo was sometimes used to describe "the debt" itself. Figuratively, opheilo describes a sense of indebtedness to someone for something. For example, it was used to describe owing good will (1Co 7:3), love (Ro 13:8 = we can never love enough and will always "owe" this debt). Opheilo in most of the NT uses conveys the sense of necessity, duty or to be under obligation (obligation = moral requirement which conveys the binding force of civility, kindness or gratitude, when the performance of a duty cannot be enforced by law). The idea is that one is held or bound by duty, moral obligation or necessity to do something. Opheilo - 34v - had(1), have(1), indebted(2), must(1), obligated(3), ought(15), owe(4), owed(4), owes(1), responsible(1), should(2). Matt. 18:28; Matt. 18:30; Matt. 18:34; Matt. 23:16; Matt. 23:18; Lk. 7:41; Lk. 11:4; Lk. 16:5; Lk. 16:7; Lk. 17:10; Jn. 13:14; Jn. 19:7; Acts 17:29; Rom. 13:8; Rom. 15:1; Rom. 15:27; 1 Co. 5:10; 1 Co. 7:36; 1 Co. 9:10; 1 Co. 11:7; 1 Co. 11:10; 2 Co. 12:11; 2 Co. 12:14; Eph. 5:28; 2 Th. 1:3; 2 Th 2:13; Philemon 1:18; Heb. 2:17; Heb. 5:3; Heb. 5:12; 1 Jn. 2:6; 1 Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn. 4:11; 3 Jn. 1:8 Temptation (trial, test) (3986)(peirasmos from peirazo = to make trial of, try, tempt, prove in either a good or bad sense - classic Greek of a medical test to prove health or disease) describes first the idea of putting to the test and then refers to the tests or pressures that come in order to discover a person’s nature or the quality of some thing. The key to accurately interpreting the meaning of peirasmos is to examine the context to see if the effect of the peirasmos is to lead one into sin ("temptation") or for a beneficial effect (usually translated "trial"). Context is the key. Peirasmos - temptation(12), testing(2), trial(3), trials(4). Matt. 6:13; Matt. 26:41; Mk. 14:38; Lk. 4:13; Lk. 8:13; Lk. 11:4; Lk. 22:28; Lk. 22:40; Lk. 22:46; Acts 20:19; 1 Co. 10:13; Gal. 4:14; 1 Tim. 6:9; Heb. 3:8; Jas. 1:2; Jas. 1:12; 1 Pet. 1:6; 1 Pet. 4:12; 2 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 3:10 Steven
Lucas 11
Spurgeon - Morning and Evening - “Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil [or, the evil one].” —Luke 11:4 What we are taught to seek or shun in prayer, we should equally pursue or avoid in action. Very earnestly, therefore, should we avoid temptation, seeking to walk so guardedly in the path of obedience, that we may never tempt the devil to tempt us. We are not to enter the thicket in search of the lion. Dearly might we pay for such presumption. This lion may cross our path or leap upon us from the thicket, but we have nothing to do with hunting him. He that meeteth with him, even though he winneth the day, will find it a stern struggle. Let the Christian pray that he may be spared the encounter. Our Saviour, who had experience of what temptation meant, thus earnestly admonished his disciples—“Pray that ye enter not into temptation.” But let us do as we will, we shall be tempted; hence the prayer “deliver us from evil.” God had one Son without sin; but he has no son without temptation. The natural man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upwards, and the Christian man is born to temptation just as certainly. We must be always on our watch against Satan, because, like a thief, he gives no intimation of his approach. Believers who have had experience of the ways of Satan, know that there are certain seasons when he will most probably make an attack, just as at certain seasons bleak winds may be expected; thus the Christian is put on a double guard by fear of danger, and the danger is averted by preparing to meet it. Prevention is better than cure: it is better to be so well armed that the devil will not attack you, than to endure the perils of the fight, even though you come off a conqueror. Pray this evening first that you may not be tempted, and next that if temptation be permitted, you may be delivered from the evil one. ILLUSTRATION - an unknown author put together an interesting (convicting) summary of how we cannot pray the Disciples’ Prayer I cannot say “our” if I live only for myself. I cannot say, “Father” if I do not endeavor each day to act like His child. I cannot say, “hallowed be your name” if I am playing around with sin. I cannot say “your kingdom come” if I am not allowing God to reign in my life. I cannot say, “Forgive us our sins” if I am nursing a grudge or withholding forgiveness from someone else. I cannot say, “lead us not into temptation” if I deliberately place myself in its path. Luke 11:5 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; KJV Luke 11:5 And 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; NET Luke 11:5 Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, CSB Luke 11:5 He also 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 of bread, ESV Luke 11:5 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, NIV Luke 11:5 Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, NLT Luke 11:5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, NRS Luke 11:5 And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; YLT Luke 11:5 And he said unto them, 'Who of you shall have a friend, and shall go on unto him at midnight, and may say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves, GWN Luke 11:5 Jesus said to his disciples, "Suppose one of you has a friend. Suppose you go to him at midnight and say, 'Friend, let me borrow three loaves of bread. NKJ Luke 11:5 And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him,`Friend, lend me three loaves; NAB Luke 11:5 And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, MIT Luke 11:5 He said to them: Who among you would respond as follows? A man had a friend who came over at midnight with this request, "Friend, lend me three loaves of bread NJB Luke 11:5 He also said to them, 'Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, "My friend, lend me three loaves, ASV Luke 11:5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves; DBY Luke 11:5 And he said to them, Who among you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, let me have three loaves, BBE Luke 11:5 And he said to them, Which of you, having a friend, would go to him in the middle of the night and say to him, Friend, let me have three cakes of bread; NAS Luke 11:5 And He said to them, "Suppose one of you shall have a friend, and shall go to him at midnight, and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; NIRV Luke 11:5 Then Jesus said to them, "Suppose someone has a friend. He goes to him at midnight. He says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. RSV Luke 11:5 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; Luke 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 11:5-10 Pray Boldly - John MacArthur A BREAD REQUEST FROM A FRIEND AT MIDNIGHT Then He said to them - Jesus is begins this story by asking a simple practical question, in the form of a hypothetical story, which most writers consider to be a parable, one which is unique to the Gospel of Luke. Suppose one of you (disciples) has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend (philos) lend (aorist imperative = conveys a sense of urgency) three loaves - One of you would refer to the disciples listening to His teaching. Jesus begins with Suppose introducing a "suppositional" parabolic tale to teach the disciples a particular point about prayer. Friend (philos) refers to one generally kindly disposed. Why midnight? Because the guest has just arrived (Lk 11:6). In ancient Israel journeys were often undertaken by night in order to avoid the stifling heat of the day. But more importantly in context of a parable about prayer, midnight is not normally when you would knock on a neighbor's door. The neighbor is naturally going to be much less accommodating than if the same request were made before the neighbor had gone to bed. Jesus thus paints a scene where the likelihood of getting a positive response is low. Three loaves gives us no justification for seeing the number three as having some allegorical meaning as you will read in some commentaries. Three loaves serves to heighten the tension in the story, for how many neighbors have three loaves at immediate disposal. It is interesting that in Lk 11:3 the petition was for bread and here the story is a request for bread. The friend who had just arrived must have been famished!
Lucas 11
Spurgeon - The point is, not only that God gives, but that He knows how to give. If He were always to give according to our prayers, it might be very injurious to us. He might give us that with which we could do hurt, as when a father should put a stone into a boy's hand; or he might give us that which might do us hurt, as if a father were to give his child a serpent. He will do neither of these things; but He will answer us in discretion, and with prudence will He fulfill our desires. You know how to give to your children; How much more shall your infinitely-wise Father, Who from heaven sees all the surroundings of men, give good things to them that ask Him? J R Miller - Good Things from God - No father will answer his hungry child's cry for bread with a stone, or give the child a serpent if he asks for a fish. Even sinful parents have in their hearts something of the image of God's own fatherhood. The argument is from the less to the greater. If a true earthly father, with all his imperfection, will not mock a child's cry, but will respond lovingly, how much more will our Father in heaven do for us? "How much more?" is a question none can answer. We can only say as much more as the heavenly Father is more loving, and wiser, and more able to give, than is the earthly father. Yet we must explain this promise also by other scriptures. The gate of prayer is set very wide open in this verse, yet those who would enter must come in the right way and seek "good" things. While no one who asks for bread will receive a stone, neither will one who asks for a stone receive a stone. And many times do we come to God pleading with Him to let us have a stone. Of course we imagine it is bread, and that it will be food to us. It is some earthly thing, some gift of honor or pleasure, some achievement of ambition, some object of heart desire. It looks like bread to our deluded vision. But God knows it is only a cold stone, that it would leave us starving if we were to receive it; and He loves us too well to listen to our piteous cries for it, or to be moved by our earnestness or our tears to give it to us. When we ask for a stone He will give us bread. Thus it is that many requests for earthly things are not granted. Yet the prayers are not unanswered. Instead of the stone we wish, God gives us the bread we need. We do not always know what is bread and what is a stone, and we must leave to God the final decision in all our prayers. Luke 11:12 "Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? KJV Luke 11:12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? will not give him a scorpion, will he Luke 10:19; Ezekiel 2:6; Rev 9:10 Luke 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 11:11-13 God's Generous Response to Boldness in Prayer - John MacArthur GOD'S GIFTS ARE NEVER HARMFUL Or if he is asked for an egg He will not give him a scorpion, will he? - Clearly the answer is "No!" To give something potentially harmful, in place of something useful would be unheard of. In the Middle East the effect of a scorpion sting on human beings is at the least severe pain, but occasionally led to collapse and death, especially in younger children. ESV Study Bible - Fish and eggs were common foods in Palestine, while serpents and scorpions were regular hazards. A far more important gift than material blessings is the powerful anointing and guidance of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life (see Mt. 12:28; Lk 4:1, 14; Acts 1:8; Ro 8:13–14, 26; 1 Cor. 12:11; Gal 5:18). (Borrow ESV Study Bible) Mattoon has an interesting comment on scorpion - When the scorpion is at rest, its claws and tail are folded inward. There is a pale kind of scorpion, which, when folded up, would look exactly like an egg. If a son asks for an egg, will his father mock him by handing him a biting scorpion? No! God is not deceptive in His giving. He does not trick the person asking for certain things by giving that person things which look like that which was requested, but in fact, are not. The character of the normal earthly father is not so mean as to give these deceptive things to his son. If an earthly father would not deceive his son in giving needed supplies for the son, neither will the heavenly Father. God has better character than to be deceitful and play mean tricks on people who come to Him in honest prayer for the basic needs of life. If He promises to answer your request, He will answer it. Keep in mind, however, that "No" is an answer. God will never refuse to answer our prayers in one way or another and He will never mock our prayers. Our Lord will always answer our prayers, but He will answer them in His own time and way, and His way will be the way of perfect wisdom and of perfect love. The bread and fish are good gifts. The stone and serpent, are bad, harmful gifts....There are some things that we pray for that are not good for us and would ruin us. The Lord in His love and wisdom says "No" to these requests. God's gifts are good and He will not give us something bad even though we have asked for that which could hurt us unless He wants to discipline or judge us by granting our selfish requests. Sometimes we pray for things that would harm us, but God will not answer those prayers as we have prayed them if it is His will. For example, the prophet Elijah prayed to die but God did not grant the request (1 Kings 19:4). It was not good for Elijah to die at that time. All of us can be grateful to God that His goodness has kept us from having some of our requests answered as we prayed them. There may be some exception to this when God grants something which we persisted in prayer for that which was not good for us. God may answer a bad prayer to discipline us and turn our life around in the right direction. He will chasten us to bring us close to Him. (Ps 119:67) (Treasures from the Scriptures) See below for example of God answering Israel's prayer for "meat" in Numbers 11). Remember that 1 Cor 10:6 makes it clear that "these things (1 Cor 10:5+) happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved." God gave sinful Israel what they wanted and then He disciplined them severely. Nu 11:13+ (Moses says to God) "Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, 'Give us meat that we may eat!' God answered Moses in Nu 11:18+ - "Say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for (EXPLAINS WHY THEY SHALL EAT MEAT) you have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, "Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt." Therefore the LORD will give you meat and you shall eat. 19 'You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the LORD who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"' Psalm 78:29 says So they ate and were well filled; And their desire He gave to them. Before they had satisfied their desire, While their food was in their mouths, The anger of God rose against them, And killed some of their stoutest ones, And subdued the choice men of Israel. (Ps 78:29-31) Why did God punish them even after answering their cry for meat? Ps 78:32 says In spite of all this they still sinned, And did not believe in His wonderful works. The simple answer is that Israel did not trust Him despite the wonderful works He had already accomplished in their midst (Passover salvation, Red Sea redemption, provision of daily manna, etc). THOUGHT- O that we might heed 1 Cor 10:5, and that our prayers never be from a heart of distrust of the good gifts of our gracious Father in heaven. Amen Psalm 78:29 is an especially frightening verse to me as it shows that if we persist in our willful rebellion, at the same time despising His good gifts, God will sometimes give us what our sinful rebellious hearts desire! Beware! Instead of the nourishing manna which they despised (Nu 21:5) God sent them a "blue plate special" of bird-meat which became "loathsome" (Nu 11:20) when it caused a great plague ("wasting disease") that took many lives (Nu 11:33,34, Ps 106:15) Here is another potential application: If our prayers focus primarily on physical rather than spiritual desires, God's answer may be one of physical satiation but spiritual poverty. Let me encourage you to take three and one half minutes to read (and sing or read along as Matt Foreman sings) John Newton's words, especially "Thou art coming to a King, Large petitions with thee bring." Come, My Soul, Thy Suit Prepare (Listen to a beautiful vocal by Matt Foreman - it will move you deeply!) by John Newton Come, my soul, thy suit prepare: Jesus loves to answer prayer; He Himself has bid thee pray, Therefore will not say thee nay; Therefore will not say thee nay. Thou art coming to a King, Large petitions with thee bring; For His grace and power are such, None can ever ask too much; None can ever ask too much. With my burden I begin: Lord, remove this load of sin; Let Thy blood, for sinners spilt, Set my conscience free from guilt; Set my conscience free from guilt. Lord, I come to Thee for rest, Take possession of my breast; There Thy blood bought right maintain, And without a rival reign; And without a rival reign. As the image in the glass Answers the beholder's face; Thus unto my heart appear, Print Thine own resemblance there; Print Thine own resemblance there. While I am a pilgrim here, Let Thy love my spirit cheer; As my Guide, my Guard, my Friend, Lead me to my journey's end; Lead me to my journey's end. Show me what I have to do, Every hour my strength renew: Let me live a life of faith, Let me die Thy people's death; Let me die Thy people's death. ILLUSTRATION OF "THOU ART COMING TO A KING, LARGE PETITIONS WITH THEE BRING." God wants to give us good things and has the ability to do so. We are to ask, seek, and knock on His door with humility, faith, reverence, and persistence and be prepared to receive His answer. The tyranny of the urgent should drive us to our knees. In his book Beyond Jabez, Bruce Wilkinson shares the story of an old African woman who demonstrated faith in God's power to provide. Although she lived in a tiny mud hut, she had taken on the responsibility of caring for 56 orphans. A small group of Wilkinson's "Dream for Africa" volunteers had arrived in this grandmother's native Swaziland to plant gardens. On the final day of their visit, they came upon her tiny home, surrounded by the many children in her care. A number of little gardens had been dug up all around the hut, but oddly, no plants were growing in any of them. The volunteers learned that, earlier on the same day, the woman had told the children to dig lots of gardens. When the children asked her why, since they had neither seeds nor money, she responded, "Last night I asked God to send someone to plant gardens for us. We must be ready for them when they come." Wilkinson's volunteers had come with hundreds of ready-to-plant seedlings. God sent them to the very place where one of his servants had begged for His intervening hand. The faithful grandmother and her children were ready when the answer came. Are you ready for your answer? Are you asking for an answer? May the tyranny of the urgent keep your face before the throne of God! (Rod Mattoon Treasures from the Scriptures) Luke 11:13 "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?" KJV Luke 11:13 If ye then, being vil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? If you then, being evil, Genesis 6:5,6; 8:21; Job 15:14-16; Ps 51:5; John 3:5,6; Ro 7:18; Titus 3:3 know how to give good gifts to your children Isa 49:15; Mt 7:11; Heb 12:9,10 how much more Mt 6:30; Ro 5:9,10,17; 8:32; 2 Cor 3:9-11 will your heavenly Father Luke 11:2; 15:30-32; Mt 5:16,45; 6:14,32 give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him Pr 1:23; Isa 44:3,4; Ezekiel 36:27; Joel 2:28; Mt 7:11; John 4:10; 7:37-39 Luke 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 11:11-13 God's Generous Response to Boldness in Prayer - John MacArthur THE BEST GIFT OF THE SPIRIT Matthew's version has “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (Mt 7:11) If you then, being (huparcho) evil (poneros) know (eido) how to give good (agathos) gifts (doma) to your children - This statement is true. Even "evil" (sinful) fathers generally give good gifts to their children, despite their sinful nature. Remember that Jesus is addressing His disciples and He reminds them of their own intrinsic depravity! And notice that Jesus does not say they DO evil but that they ARE evil (so they "do" evil because they "are" evil). His Own disciples are "evil!" In short, Jesus' brief description of mankind is that we are inherently evil, which is a reference to the fact that we have all inherited the sinful nature of Adam (total depravity Ro 5:12+, cf Ro 7:18+) and sin is evil (see Ge 39:9b, Dt 9:18, 1 Ki 15:26, 34)! Even the "best" of us still have evil dwelling within us! Sometimes the truth hurts!
Lucas 11
Spurgeon - Morning and Evening - “A certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.” —Luke 11:27, 28 It is fondly imagined by some that it must have involved very special privileges to have been the mother of our Lord, because they supposed that she had the benefit of looking into his very heart in a way in which we cannot hope to do. There may be an appearance of plausibility in the supposition, but not much. We do not know that Mary knew more than others; what she did know she did well to lay up in her heart; but she does not appear from anything we read in the Evangelists to have been a better-instructed believer than any other of Christ’s disciples. All that she knew we also may discover. Do you wonder that we should say so? Here is a text to prove it: “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will show them his covenant.” Remember the Master’s words—“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his Lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” So blessedly does this Divine Revealer of secrets tell us his heart, that he keepeth back nothing which is profitable to us; his own assurance is, “If it were not so, I would have told you.” Doth he not this day manifest himself unto us as he doth not unto the world? It is even so; and therefore we will not ignorantly cry out, “Blessed is the womb that bare thee,” but we will intelligently bless God that, having heard the Word and kept it, we have first of all as true a communion with the Saviour as the Virgin had, and in the second place as true an acquaintance with the secrets of his heart as she can be supposed to have obtained. Happy soul to be thus privileged! Luke 11:28 But He said, "On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it." KJV Luke 11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. blessed are those who hear the word of God Luke 6:47-49; Lk 8:21; Ps 1:1-3; 112:1; 119:1-6; 128:1; Isa 48:17,18; Mt 7:21-25; 12:48-50; John 13:17; James 1:21-25; 1 John 3:21-24; Rev 22:14 Luke 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 11:24-28 The Danger of Moral Reformation - John MacArthur NOT HEARERS BUT DOERS ARE BLESSED Notice that in contrast to moral "reformation" described in Lk 11:24-26, Jesus describes transformation, for only a person transformed by the Gospel of grace has the inner power to hear and observe the Word of God. We cannot observe the Word in reliance on our native (fallen, fleshy) power from within, but only by reliance on a supernatural from without, i.e., the power of God dispensed by His Spirit. On the contrary, blessed (makarios) are those who hear the word of God and observe (phulasso) it - Jon Courson says "Although this woman draws attention to His mother—a position that could be claimed by only one, Jesus redirects her attention to His family—a position available to all (John 1:12)." Thus Jesus corrects the woman's statement by explaining that it is not hearers of the Word who are blessed but doers of the Word. He is not saying keeping the law merits God's blessing, for apart from union with Christ and filling with His Spirit, a human being can do absolutely nothing to please God when what he does emanates from his sinful, fallen flesh (See Ro 8:5-8+). The only way to observe the Word of God is to possess the indwelling Spirit, who energizes the desire and gives the power to obey the Word (see Php 2:13NLT+). Jesus is "saying it is not enough to commend Jesus, you’re not necessarily with Me just because you commend Me, just because you honor Me, just because you respect Me." (
Lucas 11
Spurgeon reminds us that "Behold is a word of wonder; it is intended to excite admiration. Wherever you see it hung out in Scripture, it is like an ancient sign-board, signifying that there are rich wares within, or like the hands which solid readers have observed in the margin of the older Puritanic books, drawing attention to something particularly worthy of observation." I would add, behold is like a divine highlighter, a divine underlining of an especially striking or important text. It says in effect "Listen up, all ye who would be wise in the ways of Jehovah!" Zodhiates writes that idou is a "demonstrative particle. “Lo and behold!”, serving to call attention to something external or exterior to oneself; usually used at the beginning of a clause or only with kai (and), before it, but sometimes in the mid. of a clause before words which are to be particularly noted (Mt 23:34; Lk 13:16; Acts 2:7). (The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament. AMG) Idou in Luke and Acts - Lk. 1:20; Lk. 1:31; Lk. 1:36; Lk. 1:38; Lk. 1:44; Lk. 1:48; Lk. 2:10; Lk. 2:34; Lk. 2:48; Lk. 5:12; Lk. 6:23; Lk. 7:27; Lk. 7:34; Lk. 9:30; Lk. 10:3; Lk. 10:19; Lk. 11:31; Lk. 11:32; Lk. 11:41; Lk. 13:7; Lk. 13:16; Lk. 13:30; Lk. 13:32; Lk. 13:35; Lk. 14:2; Lk. 15:29; Lk. 17:21; Lk. 17:23; Lk. 18:28; Lk. 18:31; Lk. 19:8; Lk. 19:20; Lk. 22:10; Lk. 22:21; Lk. 22:31; Lk. 22:38; Lk. 22:47; Lk. 23:14; Lk. 23:15; Lk. 23:29; Lk. 24:4; Lk. 24:13; Lk. 24:49; Acts 1:10; Acts 2:7; Acts 5:9; Acts 5:28; Acts 7:56; Acts 8:36; Acts 9:10; Acts 10:17; Acts 10:19; Acts 10:21; Acts 10:30; Acts 11:11; Acts 12:7; Acts 13:11; Acts 13:25; Acts 13:46; Acts 20:22; Acts 20:25; Acts 27:24 Generation (1074) genea gives us our English genealogy) literally refers to those descended from a common ancestor and in this sense refers to a race, a clan or descendants. Generation, offspring, family, race, kind. Gingrich - clan, race, kind Lk 16:8. Generation, contemporaries Mt 12:41f; 17:17; Mk 9:19; 13:30; Lk 21:32; Hb 3:10. Age, period of time Mt 1:17; Lk 1:48, 50; Col 1:26. Jesus indicted “this generation,” in other words, His “contemporaries,” as “evil, adulterous, unbelieving, and perverse” (e.g., Matthew 11:16; 12:39–45; 17:17 with parallels; cf. Luke 11:29; Acts 2:40). In NT Gr. geneá literally means space of time, circle of time, which only in a derived sense signifies the meaning of a time, a race; then generally in the sense of affinity of communion based upon the sameness of stock Genea - 37v - generation(32), generations(10), kind(1).Matt. 1:17; Matt. 11:16; Matt. 12:39; Matt. 12:41; Matt. 12:42; Matt. 12:45; Matt. 16:4; Matt. 17:17; Matt. 23:36; Matt. 24:34; Mk. 8:12; Mk. 8:38; Mk. 9:19; Mk. 13:30; Lk. 1:48; Lk. 1:50; Lk. 7:31; Lk. 9:41; Lk. 11:29; Lk. 11:30; Lk. 11:31; Lk. 11:32; Lk. 11:50; Lk. 11:51; Lk. 16:8; Lk. 17:25; Lk. 21:32; Acts 2:40; Acts 8:33; Acts 13:36; Acts 14:16; Acts 15:21; Eph. 3:5; Eph. 3:21; Phil. 2:15; Col. 1:26; Heb. 3:10 Luke 11:33 "No one, after lighting a lamp, puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. KJV Luke 11:33 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light. No one, after lighting a lamp Lk 8:16,17; Mt 5:15; Mark 4:21,22 puts it away in a cellar nor under a basket, but on the lampstand, Mt 5:15 so that those who enter may see the light see Mt 5:16; 10:27; John 11:9; 12:46; Phil 2:15,16 Luke 11 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 11:33-36 A Question of Sight - John MacArthur JESUS' "LAMP" WAS LIT TO GIVE "LIGHT" Related Passages: John 3:19-21+ This is the judgment, that the Light (Jn 8:12) has come into the world, and men loved (agapao) the darkness rather than the Light, for (term of explanation) their deeds were evil. 20 “For (term of explanation) everyone who does (present tense - habitually practice) evil hates (present tense) the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (IN OTHER WORDS THEY LOVE THEIR SIN! THEY LOVE UNRIGHTEOUSNESS FAR MORE THAN RIGHTEOUSNESS) 21 “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” Matthew 5:15+ nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. (NOTE - SIMILAR METAPHOR BUT A DIFFERENT APPLICATION) Mark 4:21+ And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? (NOTE - SIMILAR METAPHOR BUT A DIFFERENT APPLICATION) Luke 8:16-17+ “Now no one after lighting a lamp covers it over with a container, or puts it under a bed; but he puts it on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see the light. 17 “For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light. (NOTE - SIMILAR METAPHOR BUT A DIFFERENT APPLICATION) Fortner - Our Master often used this symbolism of light (a candle on a candlestick) for various purposes (Matt. 5:15; Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16). His intention here is clearly revealed by the context. He is talking about himself. He is declaring that he (the Light of the World) had stood before these men as a bright, shining light. His works, his claims, his ministry were open, public and unmistakably clear. “These things were not done in a corner.” He who is greater a greater light and witness than both Jonah and Solomon is the Light which no man lighted. He is indeed the Light! Our Lord is here declaring that man’s unbelief and rebellion is inexcusable. He is continuing with the same line of thought and doctrine as he gave in verses 29-32. The doctrine of our text is plain. Thompson - remember the context. Many religious people were claiming they were right with God and at the same time they were calling Jesus Christ Satanic and demonic (11:14-15). These people were trying to convince others that they needed more proof that Christ was from God (11:16, 29). John Stevenson - Jesus now turns to the illustration of light. We normally think of these verses in sort of a "stand alone" manner, but they should not be divorced from the context of this passage. The point has already been made that Jesus is speaking to a generation who is being condemned for its unbelief, even though they have had great exposure to the light....I’ve had the opportunity to go into some caves and caverns that were deep enough so that when you turned out the light, there was total darkness. At such times, it does not matter if your vision is 20-20 of if it is blurry, in both cases you cannot see. Light exists in order that you might be able to see. Ritchie - the Lord God had given the Jewish people directly by the hand of Moses the law or truth of God's character and moral standards to live a life that would please him and bring joy to their lives. But they were to put that light ".on the lampstand, in order that those who enter may see the light [the truth of God]." Pulpit Commentary suggests that "The Lord continues his reply to those who asked him to support his claims by a visible sign from heaven, "Do not think for a moment that the sign I speak about, and which was prefigured in the story of the Prophet Jonah, will be an obscure or secret thing. No man lights a lamp to hide: so will it be with that sign which will be given to you." Jesus was speaking all the while of the mighty sign of his resurrection. Matthew
Lucas 11
Spurgeon - If you do not see Jesus, it is not because he has hidden himself in darkness, but because your eyes are blinded. (Luke 11 - exposition) Reformation Study Bible - When the eye is functioning correctly the body receives the benefit of light ("is full of light"; cf. Ps. 18:28). The people seeking a sign (Lk 11:29) did not need more light, but better receptiveness to the light they already had. What God was doing in Jesus was plain enough. But when it is bad (poneros), your body also is full of darkness (skoteinos) - An "evil" (bad) eye cannot see light and therefore is full of darkness. In a sense, the "light" of Christ was turned into darkness. Israel had seen the One Who was Light, had heard His teachings and had seen his miracles and yet now they even accused Him of being empowered by Satan. As Ritchie says "In essence this nation's lamp had gone out, and their hearts were filled with darkness caused by evil desires, pride and prejudice." THOUGHT - Jesus' teaching presents a vital principle in our modern age where visual stimuli are everywhere and sadly (and seductively) much of what our eyes are exposed to is spiritual darkness. The implication is clear --- when we take in the spiritual darkness that is so pervasive in our immoral, godless society, we are at definite risk of making out body full of darkness! This reality is why the command in the next verse is so crucial to obey!