The Church of Eleven22 - Wk 4: How to Pray

Episode Date: May 14, 2017

Prayer is about who you are praying to not just what and how you are praying. When we RIGHTLY see God for who He is, then we will rightly respond in desperate, persistent, humble prayer.

Amen, amen. How we do it, church doing? All right? Looking good. There's a bunch of here. Hey, grab your Bibles if you got them. If you don't, there's one right in the seat back in front of you. We're going to be in Luke 11 and Luke 18, Luke 11 and Luke 18, both of those. And as you are turning there, as we continue in this series called The Storyteller, I want to say, Happy Mother's Day. Can we give it up to all the mamas here at 1122 at all of our locations? Amen and amen. So Jesus makes it very, very clear that he is the head of the church. what the scripture says, but church history teaches us that the backbone of the church for the last 2,000 years has been that of some praying mamas. Most of us are in the kingdom because our mama

kind of prayed us in there, all right? And so I also know this, that Mother's Day, that day can kind of represent some of your highest highs, praise God, and also sort of represent some of the lowest lows for some of you. And so let me just say this, just give you a little theology lesson on mommas real quick. Did you know that when Adam gave Eve her name, she had not given birth, and yet Eve means the mother of all living things? So here's what this means in the kingdom of God, in the church, that depending on your age and stage of life, if you are a female, then you are or will be a mama in the kingdom of God, because this whole thing is called a family. And so we need, like for instance, every mother's day, I send all of the elders wives

flowers from me, not because they're my mama, but because they're kind of like the mothers of our church. Amen? And so we need every single church mama to be what God has called and anointed and appointed you to be. This thing is a family and we all do this thing together. And so if this day represents great joy, then give God the praise. And if this day represents great pain, give God the praise. But he have gathered us here together for his glory and we could not make it without you Mamas. One more time for the Mamas. Amen. All right. And that's all I'm going to say about Mamas today, but I did tuck my shirt in for you. You're welcome. All right. I'll do it. I'll do it again next year. Real quick, by way of announcement, something really, really special for us as a church.

This week, we closed on our San Pablo location. So church, we bought a Walmart. And so that is a really, really big deal. We own this now. So welcome. So when you go shop at Hobby Lobby, be real kind to them, they are our tenants. And we were trying to catch up with Bay Meadows and Mandarin. We already owned those and now we own this place. And here's why this is a really, really big deal. Because we are here at our San Pablo location, we are sitting in an answer to prayer. Because like five years ago, it was impossible. I mean, more impossible than you know. From this point of it, it looks easy. But I'm telling you, five years ago, four and a half years ago, every day I would go stand in that parking lot and beg God to do something that was

financially impossible, was legally impossible. There were laws about not being able to have a church here. The covenant said they were impossible because of the little shopping center that we had, but we just really believe that in him all things are possible. And if back in the Old Testament if some trumpeteers can march around a building, a city and make the walls fall down, then I'm pretty sure the Lord could release a Walmart to a church, all right? And he did. And see, prayer matters. Prayer makes stuff happen under the sovereignty of God that would not happen if you didn't pray for those things that he preordained to happen. I know it's hard to understand. It's just the way it works. And so as we sign those pieces of paper like a million of them, if you ever bought a thing like

this, this week, it was just a reminder that prayer matters. And so as we talk about prayer, that's where we're going to be today, I'd ask you this, if God would answer any prayer of yours, what would that be? I mean, if you could pray for anything and you knew that he would answer that prayer, what would it be? Or to show you how weak most of our prayer lives are, if we put that thing in reverse, and over the last seven days, God answered every single prayer that we had prayed. How would our world be different? You'd have a good parking spot? the putt would go in. She would say yes.

I mean, I don't know what it is, but sometimes our prayer lives are just super, super weak, and it reveals to us how weak our prayer lives are. You see, all throughout the scriptures, prayer always preceded a move of God. Just like this whole 1122 thing, prayer preceded it. We're in the parking lot praying, God, would you do something?

And he says, okay. And this is the way it happens in the Bible. Before the Exodus, before God calls his people, rescues his people out of Egypt, what happened? God heard the cries of his people. Before they dedicated the temple to worship God and to show the world that a substitutionary atoning sacrifice was coming one day. What did they do? They gathered around and they dedicated it in prayer.

Before Jesus went to the cross, where did he go? He went to the Garden of Gassimony to pray. And what were the disciples doing when the Holy Spirit of God? God fell on the church, they were praying. And so, if that's true, it makes us wonder, why don't we pray? So let's be honest. I mean, do you, do you, now, look, we got some prayer warriors around here, okay? We really do. We got some like Jedi ninja intercessors, okay? They sit right there. There's a bunch of them, okay? And they do. They get here before you. They pray for the chairs. I'm like, what are these people doing? They're praying for the chairs.

It's sweet. I'll sit in one. Well, they pray for me. I mean, they do. And I just need to confess to you, I don't think pray first. I think do first. I think read first. I think think think first. But all throughout the scripture, it is prayer first. And I think one of the reasons that we don't pray like we ought to, we don't feel the urgency to pray, is because we don't really understand prayer. We don't. A lot of us learn to pray as little kids, you know? Your parents would teach you to say your prayers. And that's not what I'm talking about. Like my mama taught me how to pray that way. would kneel down beside the bed. She would teach me to interlock my fingers like this and then pray one of the most awful prayers in the history of prayer. Do you remember this one? Now I lay me down to sleep.

I pray the Lord my soul to keep if I should die before I wake. I'm like, mama, what is happening tonight at our house that we are praying that the Lord sustained me through it that I wake up tomorrow? I mean, is it really that bad? I mean, give me a break. I'm six. And in fact, I didn't for years. I didn't even know what we were proud of praying. And then I was going to ask questions.

I've always been a question to ask her. And so I go to Mama and I go to Mama. So what does Fashidae mean? So who are you talking about, baby? You know, Fashidae four I wake. She's like, no, no, we kind of mumbled in South Carolina. That's many words. I thought we were speaking in tongues, but we were just Fashideon.

And I remember, when I got saved at Camp Pine Hill by my hero, Coach Bull Lee, and I was a camp counselor there, end up being on staff there, and I was like the camp pastor, camp counselor, and I was responsible for this little cabin of young men, and I would just abandon them in the morning and get up about 5 o'clock, and I would go fishing like Jesus. And so, I mean, the bass ponds at Pine Hill were amazing.

And so I'd sneak out, and I'd be going by Coach Lee's cabin. And I remember the first time I was going to invite him to come with him, me and I go to stick my head in his little window and see what he's doing because his light was on and there he is man the hero of faith for me and he's on the concrete floor kneeled down by his little bunk just praying at 5 a.m. and then I go and just slam on a little top water plug all right again like Jesus and then I came back at six and when I stick my head back in to see what he's doing before I go wake my guys up he's just getting up from his prayer time like an hour straight on his knees and I was like boom that's what I'm doing that's my man that's what I'm gonna do okay because I want to be I want to walk with Jesus like he walks and so that next day I set my alarm for 455 I needed a little five minutes to take care of some stuff and then come back to my bed and kneeled down like this man and I I mean I poured out my soul I prayed I confessed sin I quoted the Lord's prayer I prayed for missionaries for unreached people groups I quoted every verse that I had memorized probably about three and

half at that point in my walk with Jesus and I mean I laid it out boom look at my clock four minutes okay all right think I'm gonna go fishing again I don't think I can do an hour it's just true and then my my first ever experience with any kind of public speaking or public prayer was in the first grade in the first grade the first grade class of Dylan elementary school puts on the first grade play and there's nothing else to do in that town so the whole the whole whole town shows up to the Dillon Theater. And we did the little orphan Annie, and you had to audition for it. And I was not talented enough as an actor or a speaker or a singer to have a spot,

but everybody has to have to do something. And so I was just going to do the welcome. That was how much talented I have. That's all they would let me do. And literally, all I was supposed to do is say, welcome to the Dillon Theater, enjoy the show. That was it. We practiced for weeks. I went to rehearsal.

The whole thing, man, we were there. And as Friday night happens, we only ran one show, and I'm standing on the stage and the curtain parts and the lights come up. And I am overwhelmed by the magnificence of all that is the Dillon Theater. And I looked out in the audience and I saw every human being that I've ever met in my life. And I panicked. I froze. I had stage right.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say. And it wasn't just like a cute little pause because I was nervous. I mean, it was awkward for everybody. And my teachers over there just giving me the peanuts, whant, want, wint, whant, in my air. And so I did what any little Southern Baptist would do. I said, let us pray.

Every head, every head, boom, you know it. We pray it. I looked over at my teachers. She gave me my line. I was like, oh, yeah. Amen. They lifted their head. I said, welcome to the Dillon Theater.

Hope you enjoy the show. And I walked off, all right? And my grandma said, I loved your little story. the way you prayed, you should be a preacher. I don't know about you, Mert, okay? You see, a few weeks ago, when Pastor Britt was teaching on prayer, he said that prayer is like the spiritual air that the Christian breathes. The prayer is the lifeblood of our walk with Jesus.

And yet, a bunch of us, a bunch of us don't pray. We just don't. And I would ask why. Why? You see, sometimes it's because of time. we say we're too busy. Let me tell you one reason we don't pray. This thing?

This thing. Remember if you're old like me? Remember what you used to do at stoplights? Remember that? You pull up to a stoplight? It was just like you and Jesus. And you would just pray. And now what do you do?

Any second, there's any dead air in your life, you pull up this thing to validate your own existence at the expense of leaning into the one that gave you that existence. your validation. Or some people don't pray because we don't understand. I think one of the biggest reasons we don't pray is because we think we got this. And the reality is, you ain't got this. And so one of the things that God has been growing in me, probably more than any other

area of my life since we launched the church of 1122, is my utter need and desperation for the presence of God to do something in me and through me that I could never do on my own. is I would read these biographies about these mighty men of God that God had used in magnificent ways. It seems like their prayer life was just epic, and mine was JV at best. One day, somebody asked Martin Luther what he had planned for the next day, and he said, I'm going to work, and I'm going to work, and I'm going to work from early until late. In fact, I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer. I don't know about you, but that's not typically where my mind goes.

And so, I got really good news for you. If you struggle with prayer, if you struggle with understanding prayer, then you could make a really, really good disciple. And here's why I say this, because in Luke chapter 11, verse one, the disciples who have been living with Jesus and walking with Jesus and have dropped everything they had to follow after Jesus, they've got this request of Jesus. We'll pick it up in Luke chapter 11, verse 1. Now Jesus was praying in a certain place. Now Luke is going to spend a whole bunch of time talking about the prayer life of Jesus. There are seven different prayers of Jesus

recorded in the book of Luke and seven of those are unique to the book of Luke. And so what you're going to find over and over and over is Jesus always finds time, makes time to pray. So Jesus is praying in a certain place. And when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray. Now there's two things I think that are a big deal here.

One is that Jesus, that Jesus does not rebuke him. Jesus doesn't go, are you being serious? You've been walking with me this long? Prayer is like class 101. I thought you were varsity. He's just going to gently instruct them on how to pray. And the second thing that I think is huge is that of all the things that the disciples

have seen and what they believe about Jesus, they believe Jesus is who he says he is, that he is the Christ, the Messiah, the creator of all things, and a miracle work. They've seen him walk on water. They've seen him feed 5,000 people. They've seen him bring dead people back to life. And they do not ask him, hey, can you show us how to do miracles? Because I would love to know how to walk on water. No.

What they ask for is would you teach us how to pray? Because I think they know intuitively that it is his prayer life, his connection with the Father, and that is the source of all of his power. And so they say, Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples. Verse 2. And so Jesus says to them, when you pray, and this means like whenever you pray, not if you pray, because the reality is, is everybody prays eventually. He says, and when you pray, and he's going to give them what we know as the Lord's prayer.

Now, if you've got any kind of church background and you try to read this, it's hard to read because your mind goes to sixth grade Sunday school when you add a bunch of these before thines, except after thou in there, okay? and he starts it out this way, Father. Now here's what we need to know. Now, again, if you've been around church and you've heard the Lord's Prayer a million times, it's natural to think our Father who art in heaven, Hallow would be thy name. But when Jesus says this, okay, when you pray, here's how I want you to start, boys,

Father, I'm telling you, the disciples' head blew up. They were like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, there, rabbi. It's a little casual, isn't it? Don't you mean almighty sovereign king of the universe? and Jesus is going to go, yeah, he just happens to be your dad based on what I'm going to do at the cross. Now here's what's crazy. I literally, this hit me for the very first time in all of my studying on prayer and on the Lord's prayer over all these years in ministry. The disciples ask this question, how do we pray?

And all of Jesus answer, he does not teach them how to pray. He teaches them who they're praying to. because if you get the who, the how just comes natural. And the whole answer to everything is in this one word, Father. That's it. That's it. Because if you know God as Father, then you know how to pray, I think is what he's saying. And he says, Father, Hallow would be your name.

And see, I used to think that this was like the introduction when you pray. Hey God, remember me, sinner? I know you. Hallow would be your name. And now that we've got the introductions out of the way, can we get to my list of things that I need? But that is not what the Lord's Prayer is. The Lord's prayer is, Father, Hallow would be your name. It's a theocentric prayer.

It is God that you are before all things. Now, everything that I am asking under this is to equip me to make the most of your name. Not, since you are in charge of all things, can you hook me up with some stuff I need? It's the other way around. How about everything that I need God to make your name great? That is what I'm asking for. Father, hallow it be your name. Your kingdom come.

Verse three, give us each day our daily bread. Not give me the things that I want God, but give me everything I need to glorify you. And forgive us our sins. Why? Because nothing glorifies you more than a sinner being saved. For we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. and lead us not into temptation. Now why does he pray?

God, don't leave me into temptation because he's thought, I think, I can handle that on my own. I can find all the temptation I need all by myself. And if you just boil it down to just kind of Dillon talk, here's what this means. God, I need your help. I need your help.

This is what he's praying here. Now, here's what we, and then that's it. That's the whole Lord's Prayer in the book of Luke. The Lord's prayers also recorded in the book of Matthew, the disciples come and say, They teach us to pray, and Jesus says, okay, he gives some commentary around it. And he says this, and when you pray, don't be like the religious showoffs. Because all they're doing is praying with their mouth.

They like to pray in front of big crowds. They like to have all the theologically accurate words that are impressive. They pray for a long time, and they don't pray from their heart. They just pray these like rote, memorized prayers over and over and over. So when you pray, why don't you pray like this? And then he gives the Lord's or the model prayer, and then what do we do? because we're just idiots, we're sheep. We take the thing that he said, don't do.

He said, pray from the heart, doesn't matter about the words. Here's an example, and we take the example, and we memorize it, and we do it over and over and over every single week. It literally is the opposite of what he said. And how do we know this? Because in Luke, Jesus messed up the Lord's prayer. He didn't even get all the words right. Father?

Whoa, whoa, whoa, rabbi, it's our father. Oh, hallow would be thy name? Thy kingdom come? Where's the thy will be done part? Jesus, you're messing up the prayer. You see, and we missed the whole point. And we just repeat it over and over and over. And so what he does, like he's been doing throughout our series, is now he's going to tell a story to illustrate what he was teaching here. So here goes the story. And he says to them, which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, friend lend me three loaves for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey and I have nothing to set before him. Now, when we hear this, we think too casually.

Hospitality in the first century was preeminent. It meant everything. If you had a guest come in from out of town and you could not be hospitable to them, if you couldn't take care of them, give them room and bored, then you would be shamed forever. Why? Because you better love your neighbor and the Israelites are taking. care of one another, particularly in the first century when they're being ruled and run over by Rome. And there's no holiday inexpress where you can just pull off the exit and stay there

for the night. This matters. So the moment Jesus starts saying this, everybody that hears this parable goes, they begin to feel this sense of desperation. It's like, oh my goodness, I can't imagine. If I had a friend showed up and I didn't have food for them, then I would do whatever it took. I would go to my neighbor's house. I don't care what time it was a knock on the door. You see, when we actually feel desperation, we all pray. Man, when you're kids sick, when you lose your job, when you have that health scare, when you know things are totally out of your control, what do you do? You pray.

This is what Jesus is talking about. Which means this. Prayerlessness is a gospel problem. Fundamentally, the reason that we don't pray like we ought to is because we have somehow taken our eyes off of the cross and we have lost sight of our utter desperation for the presence of God. You know why? Because we think, I got this. I got this.

And you know what the cross says, brother, sister? You ain't got this. And prayer is knowing that you need God's help and knowing by faith that he is willing to help. Man, if we could get our mind around those two truths, prayer is saying, God, I need your help. and prayer is knowing that by faith that God he's a good father and he actually wants to help. Verse 7, and he will answer from within. This is the guy on the inside, the neighbor, don't bother me.

The door is now shut and my children are with me in bed and I cannot get up and give you anything. Now see, on the initial reading of this, you think, that's what prayer is like? So are you saying that like when I go to pray God's kind of asleep and grumpy and he's laying down with his kids and he doesn't want to be bothered? And listen, man, I get this illustration a lot, okay? I despise the person that does not respect the nap. Can I just be honest?

You know what? Here's a question you should never ask another human. Are you asleep? Figure out another way to get that information, okay? Put a little mirror in front of their mouth and, you know, whatever you need to do. But if you ask, oh, goodness, right? And so I get this.

what this is brother, see in the first century, there were mostly one-room houses, they didn't have heating, everybody just piled in together, Talladega style, four wide, however many you had, come on in, okay? And then this brother's knocking on the door, and the guy from the inside is like, are you even being serious? Bro, quit, knocking on my door. You're going to wake the babies up. I don't really care much about that, but you're going to wake Mama up. Do you know Marie's Mother's Day, and I'm trying to get to the players, and you're going to screw this whole thing up for me right now with your lack of bread. Shut up.

That's what he's doing. But the guy just keeps knocking. Keeps knocking. Keeps knocking. Verse 8. I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend. It should say was his friend, but that's different. Yet because of his impudence.

That's not a word we use in Dillon. So here's what this means. Persistence. Because of his boldness. One translation is cockiness. Because of his shamelessness. He will rise and get him whatever he wants. Like he just won't quit.

He knocks and he knocks and he knocks and he knocks and he knocks. And again, so you look at this and you go, are you saying that what Jesus is saying when he says, how should we pray and Jesus just say, just don't quit and don't quit and don't quit? Because God's kind of tired and sometimes he doesn't hear the first one, you know. He's the old man upstairs and he's got his miracle of ears in and you just got to get up. No, he's not saying that at all. he's actually saying the opposite

you see remember parable means to cast alongside of and sometimes Jesus does parables where he says the kingdom of heaven is like and what he's doing on this parable is he's saying prayer is not like what he's saying here is if by your own persistence you could convince this guy this old crusty cruddy neighbor who's got a bunch of excuses not to help you

to give you what you need, then how much more is your tender heavenly father willing and wanting to help you? You see, you're starting in debt with your neighbor, and you're starting in righteousness through Christ with your heavenly father. So why wouldn't you ask? The whole point of this is how much more? And we know this because he keeps going. Verse 9. Now he's going to give commentary to the parable. and I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you.

Now, this word here ask does not mean ask one time. This word means to ask and ask and keep on asking. It is a present active imperative. It means to keep asking and keep asking and keep asking and keep asking and keep asking. Why? Because the Heavenly Father says, come on and ask me again. Come on and ask me again. Now listen, this blows me away.

You know why? Because I'm a dad. and in my house if the words ask me again come out of my mouth that is not a positive experience for anybody it's more like this ask me again and they don't but this is not a threat this is an actual invitation Jesus is like when you pray just ask and keep asking and keep asking and it'll be given to you and seek and keep on seeking and keep on seeking now here's where evangelicals lose it Some of us are good at the asking. We're just not good at the seeking and the knocking.

You see, what Jesus is saying is when you pray, man, you need to pray and pray and pray. And now, why don't you add some activity to that asking? It's like folks around here, man. I hear it all the time. I just been praying for a job. Well, that's great. Have you been applying for any? No, we're just waiting on the Lord to bring it to me.

Well, that's why you don't have a job. Kind of dumb, all right? Just put that on your resume. A bunch of young bucks around here, single guys, man. Just that, you know, loving the Lord, young guys, walking around with an ESV study Bible all thick, you know, coming to a disciple group, worshiping when their hands up. They're in my disciple group.

I'm like, man, you know, you're dating anybody? Well, I'm just praying. I'm just praying God will send me that model P31. You don't know what that is. Proverbs 31 model. That's what they're praying for. Lord, would you just send it? Like, no, bro, you should ask, and then you should seek.

all right you should quit praying for a date and get you a job why don't you start there that'd be a good start you know show up to church do some ministry together and as you're running after the lord in service once you look to the left look to the right during our services you know you know how blessed you are single man that this is a hands-up worship kind of environment we're helping you here man people just praising the lord you can check that out nope nope nope nope oh that's a clean hand hey y'all got seats here that's seeking So he said, when you pray, you've got to ask and ask and ask and ask and then add some action and seek and knock and keep on and on and on. And it will be open to you for everyone who asks receives. You get this?

So you know that God always answers your prayers. Always, every single time. Sometimes with yes. And he's just been waiting on you to ask and seek and knock. Sometimes not now. And sometimes I've got something so much better. And this is the crazy thing. Sometimes that's so much better is just his glory that we cannot understand until we meet him face to face.

But think about it. Aren't you glad God doesn't give you everything you asked for? I mean, in the immortal words of one of the greatest theologians of all times, Garth Brooks, some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers. Amen? Thank God he didn't answer my 16-year-old prayers. All of us, we'd married the wrong person. dying a Lamborghini going 200 miles an hour.

That's what we would do. And so he says in verse 11, he says, What father among you, if his son ask for a fish, will instead of a fish, give him a serpent. Or if he asks for an egg, we'll give him a scorpion. Like, no dad would do that.

No dad. God would never give you anything to harm you. Every good and perfect gift is from above. And listen, sometimes where you're asking for stuff, and what kind of God would give us stuff for us to be duped into thinking that stuff satisfies and take our eyes off of the only satisfying entity in all of the cosmos, which is our sovereign Savior. You know, I travel kind of a bunch, go to all kind of great places, and for a while I was bringing my kids toys, and then I just put that on pause.

You know why I put it on pause? Because what I found happening is I would be in the utter ends of the earth, planting churches and spreading the gospel, and then I'd get my kids some kind of little trinkets, and then when I walked through the door, they ran right by me into the suitcase. What'd you get us? Nothing anymore. Now, that's just my own ego and insecurity.

The reason the Lord may withhold that is because for you to put your hopes and desires on anything other than him is idolatry, and God will not fuel and feed our own idolatry. So he says, listen, if you're a dad and your kid, asked for a fish, nobody to give him a serpent, or if he asked for an egg, we'll give him a scorpion. It's also implied this, by the way.

If you ask for a scorpion, he's also not going to give you a scorpion. And sometimes we actually pray for things that would really, really harm us, because we just don't know. We just don't know. And do you realize your relationship with God is the only relationship you will ever have where there are zero secrets? He knows everything about you. He even knows what drives you. He knows what you ask before you even ask it. and he knows best.

Verse 13. I love this. This is how you know the Bible is real and doesn't push, pull any punches. If you then, who are evil, parents, you realize you're evil, right? And if you didn't know you were evil, when you had a baby,

how much evil came out of you? I mean, honestly, happy Mother's Day. You're evil? We are. I mean, all kind of emotion. I did not know I possessed this type of love until I met my children. I mean, I met, they were out of here for a minute, and I'd looked at, J.P.

Look at a little Hulk Hogan, I think I've told you this before. He was bald and he had like a little, it's called a skullet. You know what I mean? What a skullet is, that's how he was born. So you know he's, you could trace his lineage back to Dylan. And so there he is. And I just thought, oh, my, that's my boy. Hi, nice to meet you.

I would kill for you. And yet, that same emotion can make you like a crazy person. Can it not? I mean, you will just, like a crazy person. and even as crazy as you are, me too, and evil, if you then who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children. Here it goes. How much more? How much more? You see, again, the point here is this. If an evil dad, which is just like a normal dad or mom, or a cruddy neighbor, which is just like a normal cruddy neighbor, a normal neighbor, if they can give good gifts to people asking,

how much more will your heavenly father give to you what is good and perfect than right on time? So again, the point of the parable, this is how it's usually taught. The point of the parable is, how do we pray? You just keep praying and keep praying and keep praying and keep praying and keep praying. Like, be like the kid that just is like, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, mom, all right? That's actually not. The point of the parable is not about how you and I pray.

the point of the parable is who God is, and if you know him as Heavenly Father, then it changes everything about the way you pray. You know why? Because your kids have no problem, no problem asking you as their parents for anything they want or need, do they? I mean, think about this. The best example I can think of this. Think about your kids when they come into your bedroom, especially if you've got younger kids, right? Did they have any problem just walking into your bedroom at whatever time of night they deem appropriate? Hey, Dad, can I get some water?

Bro, you walk by water to get in here. What are you doing? It's just true, but they don't mind. They don't think they're an interruption to you or your sleep or anything. They have a need and they know that you are the meter of their needs. And so they just come to you. In fact, for years, man, for years, JP would sleep in the bed with us every night. And listen, everybody's got a theory on how you're going to do this until you actually get into it.

And I would have fought, no way, no kids in my room, until he started coming into my room. Because I can just tell you this, too. I didn't realize this until I got married. I'm a snuggler, baby. I am. I am. And Gretchen sleeps like a starfish, and she's the lightest sleeper in the history of sleeping. And if something touches her, she wakes up.

Every time I exhale, she wakes up. If a mosquito flies by the front of our neighborhood, she's up. Okay, so it sucks to be her. I don't know. It's bad. I, lay down, go to sleep, wake up. That's what I do. And I like it.

And she's like, did you breathe in my air? I'm like, I thought it was our air. But, look, it's a different sermon. So then, J.P.'s a couple years old. And he would just come up in our bedroom. And he'd go around mama's side because if I should die before I wake would be an appropriate prayer on that one, he'd come over to my side. parents you know this you ever just be sleeping and you're like i feel like i'm being watched

and you open your eyes your little psycho kid just looking at you like oh how long have you been here and every night man he would just put his hand up there on my shoulder and he'd go daddy can i lay down with you for a little while i'm like yeah buddy come here come here don't let mama see you and i'd scoot over like that and he would just tuck in here and boom man we're gone for the night then i remember the first night he didn't show up up. And I woke up and he wasn't there. I'm looking around. And I went in his room. Hey, bud. Hey, I did. Hey, Hey, hey, you want, he's like, what's up, daddy? I'm like, hey, you want to, you want to, you want to go, do you come? He's like, no, I'm all set. I was like, oh, growing up, you know, that's what

happened. Now why? Why? Why does he do? Why does he just walk up in my bedroom? Because he's my child. He doesn't need permission. That's my kid. And though you and I have a relationship, we have a very different relationship. If you try to roll up in my bedroom tonight, guess what happens? You don't get to lay down with me for a little while, okay? No, in fact, you're going to get shot. And that's not like a euphemism. That's not like, ha ha, that's literally like ratatat tat. That's what's happening. And I'm going to be in the news, okay? So if you knew him, if you really knew him, not just cognitively, but if like if you knew him in here as your father, your heavenly father, then no matter what your technique is, you know how to pray. You know how to pray. And so Jesus says, if then

you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more, check this out, will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask? To what you're like, I wasn't praying for the Holy Spirit. I was praying for a job or a date or to get into college. And what Jesus is driving home here is the prize of prayer is not what you're praying on. about the prize of prayer is who you're praying to. And he is always available and accessible by the blood of Jesus. That because what Christ did on the cross, the curtain between the Holy of Holies and the people of God,

the presence of God and the people of God has been torn from the top to the bottom and because our great high priest once and for all made that eternal sacrifice on our behalf, whoever would believe in Jesus can boldly enter the throne room of God because the king of the universe just happens to be your devil. dad and you don't have to wait in line. This is what Jesus is saying. And so flip over to chapter 18 because he's going to drive home the how to become a child of God. He's going to start out at the beginning of 18 with a parable with different details, but it's got the same point. And then I think

once you begin to hear this, he'll be like, oh, I would like to pray that way. But the question is, am I a child of God? Is he actually my father? And so Jesus is going to answer. And so Jesus is going to answer this in chapter 18 verse one and he told them a parable to this effect this is important Luke is going to tell us the points of the parable number one that they ought always to pray and number two and not to lose heart here's the point when you know him as your father you should always pray because you always have access to your heavenly father and also don't lose heart he's still got the whole world in his hands and sometimes you lose heart you've been praying and praying and praying and praying and your friend's still not saved.

You've been praying and praying and praying and they're still addicted. You've been praying and praying and the prodigal child has not come home. You still don't have a job. She's still sick, whatever it is. And Jesus says, listen, just keep praying and whatever you do, do not lose heart. And then he's going to tell them a story. Verse 2. He said, in a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.

And there was a widow in that city who kept. coming to him saying give me justice against my adversary. Verse four, for while he refused, the reason the judge refused, again, he's a bad guy, he doesn't fear God, he doesn't respect people. But afterwards he said to himself, though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming. Now again, if you look at that at first, you're like, so are you saying that our job and prayer

is to beat God down until we get on his nerves so bad where he's like, fine, here's a job, leave me alone. No. It's another, how much more? If an evil judge can give this lady her request, then how much more will your tender heavenly father give to those who ask what is good and perfect and according to his will? That's what he is saying. and here's why here's the fundamental difference you see the judge says this widow keeps on bothering me

look at me part of the reason some of you don't pray is you think you bother god and because of the gospel you've never been a bother to god you you lack the ability to bother him because all of your bothering has been covered at the cross this is why we hang out on the theological concept all the time that we learned when we studied the book of first john that jesus is the propensity for our sin. Propitiation means a payment that satisfies. And so since Jesus fully satisfied the law and wrath of God, if you've surrendered your life to Christ, if you are in him, then you've been adopted into the family and you cannot dissatisfy God. Because when Jesus died on the cross, which sins did he pay for? All of them. And none of the ones you're committing now were even here yet when he died on the cross. and yet he knew that we were going to be terrible prayers and terrible people and wretched, blackhearted sinners,

and he looked deep into your soul. And he said, yep, I know exactly what they're going to do and who they're going to do it with and when they're going to do it. And I choose them anyway. And he paid the full price. As the price has been paid, then you don't need to be trying to pay it anymore. Because he is the propitiation for our sin. And God is fully satisfied in Christ, which means he cannot be deceived. satisfied in you. This is why the book of Zefaniah, I know some of you think that's a water

bottling company, but it's a, he was a prophet. It's why the book of Zefaniah says things like, and God, God delights over his children. He sings loudly over his kids. That for every one of us that are in Christ, when he sees you, the face of God lights up. Not because you're awesome, because he is. And his own glory is reflected in the fact that Jesus paid the full price for you. And so you've never been a bother. You've never been a bother. Verse six, and the Lord said, hear what the unrighteous judge says.

And will not God give justice to his elect? Underline that word, his elect. It's just a theological term that means that you are gods. And it's going to make a bunch of you. Super uncomfortable in a minute, no problem. That God will give justice to his elect. who cry to him day and night. Will he delay long over them?

I tell you, he will give justice to them. That's his elect. Speedily, nevertheless, the son of man comes, when the son of man comes, will he find faith on earth? So, what does this term the elect mean? Here's what it means, very simply. Is that God is the initiating factor in our salvation,

that God chooses us, that God pursues us, that you when we say things like god's not in love with a future version of you that's because god knows you and he loves you right now that he ran a car fax on you and it came back busted up broken leaks oil crashed lemon and he said i'll take it pay full price and somehow when he steps into the driver's seat the thing begins to get restored this is what it means to be the elect now people people fight about this stuff and argue about this here's here's how to be elect you want to know hey, am I in the elect? Surrender your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ,

and yes, you're in the elect. How do I become one of those? Believe that when Jesus died on the cross, that counted for you. You see, because what he does here is he makes a distinction between him responding to the elect and the people that aren't.

In other words, here's what he's saying. I answer the prayers of my children. And every single person that's ever been created, is a creation of God, but we are not all children of God. You know why? Because that requires an adoption. It requires an adoption. And there's a whole bunch of people in our church that have adopted a whole bunch of kids. Praise God. And adoption, modern day adoption is a really good picture of salvation. You know what this is? This means a couple of parents that are deemed righteous choose a child.

And they believe, they know that God has chosen them to choose. And not by anything that that kid has done. Nobody's picking a kid because, you know, they're just trying to invest in their future. You know what, let's get a tall one. They can handle the rock a little bit and we'll cover our retirement. That's not what they're trying to do. It's because God has called them to choose this kid. And they do two things, man.

They choose them. And then, you know what they do? They pay the full price. I don't know if you know this about adoption, but it ain't free. it's not you're like hey I'm rolling to adopt and we're like cool come back group on Tuesday just swing by and we'll throw in the car no that's not how it works there's an incredible process to go through it it calls buckets and buckets of money and adoptive parents say we choose you and we pay the full price and then what happens what happens is you take that kid who was an orphan and now becomes a part of a family

just like every single one of us were born spiritual orphans and when god chooses us pays the full price in Christ then we are adopted into his family and the name has changed the way you grow up is changed and your eternal trajectory is different because they picked you. And so, God says, for my children, I answer prayers this way, to which I think a bunch of people would hear this and go, okay, okay, well then how can I be one of those? How could I be one of your children? And this is why I think Jesus gives this final parable. He's giving the, how do I find myself in that elect category?

Listen, here's how you know if you're to look. You love Jesus? Congratulations, you're in. And here's how to do that. Here's what he says. He also told them this parable. To some who trusted themselves that they were righteous. That's called self-righteousness.

And treated others with contempt. Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other are a tax collector. Now, the Pharisee, he's like a professional religious person. If you saw them, you would think, that is a godly person. And the tax collector is its own category. of sinner in the Bible. When we think tax collector, we think, you know what, not that bad. I mean, nobody here, like, loves the tax collector. And if you work for the IRS, praise God. God loves you.

I wouldn't tell anybody. Okay. And so, but it's not like, the reason that the tax collectors in the first century were hated, it's not like the tax bill was 20 bucks, but Matthew collected 30 so he could take his girl out, you know, to make Jerusalem or whatever. That's not how it worked. They would really extort their own brothers and sisters, their own country. to fund a terrorist organization, Rome, that would murder their own brothers and sisters. So, I mean, it would be like in early 2000s if you were raising money for the terrorist organization that was attacking us. And you'd be like, what?

I had brothers and sisters that died in there. So this is a different category of sinner. And so these two people, this Pharisee and this tax collector, are in the temple and they're going to pray. and the Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus. I'm sure he did it loud. God, I thank you that I am not like other men. Extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week.

I give tithes of all that I get. You see, this is his, like, religious resume. And he is self-righteous. God, look at all that I have done. And see, we know that he's got no inner. peace because if you got an inner peace, you never have to prove yourself to anyone. And so that's this man's prayer. Sounds great on the outside. The problem is it's just trash on the inside. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven,

but he beat his breast saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. And then here's the result of that prayer. Now, it's not because of the words that he spoke, it was because of the posture of his heart. The result of that, Jesus says, I tell you, this man went down to his house, justified. That's a Bible word for save. Like, if it was in our services, he raised his hand. He surrendered his life to the Lordship of Jesus. Justified is, because of what Christ did on the cross, it's justified have never sin. That his righteousness gets counted to me and all of my sin get credited to him on the cross.

And what did this man do? In his prayer, you see kind of the three parts of his prayer. One, he starts with God. God, I need you to do something for me that I can't do for me. I cannot earn my way into your family. I can't be good enough or righteous enough. I need a righteousness apart from me or apart from the law. God, I need you to adopt me into your family, and there's no way I can earn my way into that. God, be merciful to me. In other words, please don't give me what I deserve. Give me what I don't deserve. And God's response to that is, I will. I will pay the full price for you. You deserve the cross. I'm going to give that to my son.

And because of his payment, you're going to be adopted into my family. And the guy recognizes because I'm a sinner. I need a savior. And then Jesus says, I tell you, this man went down to his house justified. Rather than the other, for everyone who exhaust himself will be humbled. But the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Again, adoption is the perfect picture of this. And so the point. of all of this prayer, when Jesus is asked, teacher, can you teach us how to pray? And Jesus answers, well, sort of you're not asking the right question. The right question is not how to pray, but who you are praying to. And if and when you know him as heavenly father, then the how just works itself out. So I wrote it this way in your notes. Prayer is about who you are praying to, not just what and how

you are praying. So when we rightly see God for who he is, a good, good faith. Father, then we rightly respond in desperate, persistent, and humble prayer. So the question is this. Have you been adopted into God's family? Do you know Him as Heavenly Father? And again, your answer may be, yeah, I've been in church for a long time. Well, there's some neighborhood kids at my house, you know, neighborhood kids that come up in my house and they won't leave. But guess what?

though they are in my house, and way too much in my opinion, but though they are in my house, and I love them and I get them food and, you know, we play and all that kind of stuff, guess what? They're not my kids. They don't get to roll up in my bedroom in the middle of the night and can I lay down with you, okay? We would call the police. And so it is not your attendance and it's not your behavior that puts you into the family of God.

It comes down to this singular moment like Jesus is talking about. Are you like the Pharisee, the religious kind of, to show off that says, here is my religious resume. Or are you like the humble tax collector? It says, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. It's as simple as this. It's as as ABC. To admit it. Admit it. I need help. I'm not a mistakeer in need of a life coach. I'm a sinner in need of a savior. To be, to believe, not believe that, but believe in. To somehow, but it's really by the power of what God is doing in you, that when Jesus died on the cross, somehow that counted for you. Even if you can't fully explain it, that when Jesus says,

it is finished, then the debt for you was fully covered. And then the sea is this, to confess, to say, God, save me. And in that moment, what happens is the full price for you has been paid by Jesus, that God Almighty reaches out and brings you into the family of God. That is the eternal gotcha day. And you're one of his kids. and it changes everything. Not only everything about your eternity and your future,

but eternal life starts now. So that no matter what you're going through, no matter who you're going through it with, no matter the pain, no matter the suffering, no matter the joys, no matter the heights, then in everything, whenever you pray, you can pray like this. Father, Father,

because now you've been adopted into his family. family. Father, hallow be your name. God, you know my needs and you know my wants. And can you, can you orient and organize my life that everything about my life hallows your name? My father, for your glory and for my joy. So the question is this, do you know him like that? Have you ever been adopted into his family? If not, you could do it right now. Today could be the day your gotcha day that you are adopted into his family. Would you please close your eyes and bow your head? And if you would say, you know what, that's me.

For the first time ever, this makes sense. Somehow the Lord has allowed me to understand this. And if today you were ready to admit it, admit that you need God's help to do for you what you can't do for you to wipe away your sins. And if you believe that when Jesus Christ died on the cross for you, and if today for the very first time in your life, you're ready to confess him as Lord.

Lord and say, Father, would you adopt me into your family? If that's you, would you just tell him? That would be your version of what this tax collector prayed. Would you just humble yourself? And whatever your version of God, be merciful to me, a sinner. You pray that to him. And if you've just prayed that at all of our campuses, if you have just prayed that for the very first time, would you raise your hand?

Would you say, Father, here I am. I am being adopted into your family. Hallowed be your not. name. Our good and gracious Heavenly Father, God, we love you and we praise you because you love us first and God, we thank you that you are a good, good father.

And God, we look to you and you alone and Lord, I know that there are all kind of different people and all kind of different circumstances and situations. And Lord, may we be desperate for you and may we run to you as our father

instead of thinking that we can handle this on our own. God, who are we that you would even be mindful of us? And yet, because of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, we are invited to boldly enter the throne room of the almighty king of the universe and also be invited to call you our Heavenly Father. God, we thank you, when we praise you that there is salvation in our church even this weekend. And we give you all the praise.

We prayed in Jesus' name. Amen.