CHRISTIANITY 106: LEARN TO PRAY

5/6/2012

1.     WHAT ABOUT THE KINGDOM? (LUKE 17:11 – 37)

·         VERSES 11 – 19 Jesus Heals Ten Lepers (One Samaritan Returns to Give Thanks).

Luke 17:13-14

13 and they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14 And when He saw them, He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And it came about that as they were going, they were cleansed.

NASB

o       Q: At what point in this process were the lepers healed?

o       A: At the very instance they began to obey the Lord's command to present themselves to the priests.

o       More remarkable was the faith of the Samaritan because he would most likely face animosity or ridicule for going to the priests since the Jews hated Samaritans.

·         VERSES 20 – 37 A Prophecy: The Coming of the Kingdom -The Spiritual Nature of God's Kingdom.

o       There will be people who, in their nervous excitement, will believe that the Son of man has already arrived but, for some reason, has chosen not yet to reveal Himself, will go running around seeking Him.

o       The first time He came, they failed to recognize Him because they were looking for a conquering Messiah to come and deliver them from Rome. Instead He came as a baby and lived as a peasant.

o       The next time he comes it will not be in an isolated place like Bethlehem, but He will come in glory. Therefore He warns them not to pay any attention to those who say He is here or there -- or who say he is coming at a certain time.

2.     WHAT ABOUT PRAYING? (LUKE 18:1 – 17)

2A. WE CAN PRAY WITH PERSISTENCE (LUKE 18:1 – 5)

1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, "There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God, and did not respect man. 3 "And there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' 4 "And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, lest by continually coming she wear me out.' “

NASB

·         Persevere in prayer

·         Pray until we get an answer by wrestling with God.

2B. WE CAN PRAY WITH FAITH (LUKE 18:6 – 8)

6 And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now shall not God bring about justice for His elect, who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? 8 "I tell you that He will bring about justice for them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" 

NASB

·         We will notice that the question is exceedingly instructive in connection with the parable of which it is part. It is the parable of the importunate widow pleading with the unjust judge.

·         Will the Son of man find faith which prays importunately as this widow did?

·         If the Son of man were to come NOW, how many would He find among us that pray with a distinct, vehement, irresistible, importunity of faith?

·         Or as B. H. Carroll says – “…this argument makes it certain that God will at last avenge the wrongs of his people, yet as faith in long deferred vengeance is difficult to impatient people, will the Lord at his coming find that faith on earth?”

·         Also B. H. Carroll – “…when the Son of man cometh to avenge them, so long has he delayed to come, and so impatient are they, and so sick from hope deferred, will he find that faith on the earth? Not, Will he find faith on earth, but that faith, faith in his speedy vengeance on their enemies, not saving faith in Christ. Indeed, not even faith that he will ultimately avenge them, but faith in his speedy vengeance, ten pistin, ‘that faith.’”

2C. WE CANNOT PRAY WITH ARROGANCE (LUKE 18:9 – 12)

9 And He also told this parable to certain ones who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. 11 "The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself, 'God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. 12'I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.'

NASB

·         He only mentions God once and himself five times.

2D. WE CAN PRAY WITH HUMILITY (LUKE 18:13 – 14)

13 "But the tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' 14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted." 

NASB

·         He is hungering and thirsting for the one great blessing, namely, that God's anger may be removed and His favor obtained.

·         B. H. Carroll –

o       “He comes for something that he can't secure by tithing or fasting. He stands there contrite, humble, helpless.”

o       This…“is a prayer of faith, evidenced by the word employed, hilastheti in the Greek. The hilasterion is the mercy seat where the atonement is made and hence asking God to be propitious is exactly the same as saying, ‘God be merciful to me through a sacrifice; be propitious to me through the atonement.’”

3.     WHAT ABOUT ETERNAL LIFE? (LUKE 18:18 – 19:10)

·         VERSES 18 – 30 The Peril of Riches and the Reward of Sacrifice.

·                     The rich young ruler gave indication of.....

§         1. His humility - by laying aside the prestige of being a rich young ruler.

§         2. His reverence for Christ as a teacher - for this signified the value that he placed on the        teachings of Christ.

§         3. His willingness to be submissive to Christ as a teacher - for it was a position that a subordinate would take to a superior.

·         And most amazing, the rich young ruler would ask this in front of an audience...in the presence of others!

·         In this he did not as Nicodemus did, by coming at night when no one could see him.

·         For here he is, a rich young ruler addressing what seemed to be to the world at large, a Galilean peasant....and addressing him with profound respect.

·         The sad part of this story is the blind confidence that the rich young ruler had in his works.

·         For this prevented him from profiting from what Christ instructed him to do.

·         VERSES 31 – 34 Another Prediction of the Passion and the Resurrection.

·         Jesus could not spell it out any plainer than this.

·         He is telling them -- in DETAIL at this juncture - exactly what is going to happen to Him.

·         Somehow or other the disciples didn't comprehend it -- it just didn't fit into their understanding of the program of the Messiah.

·         But by means of the Lord's predictions of His death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit would cause the disciples to remember them, which would be a means of strengthening their faith.

·         VERSES 35 – 43 The Healing of a Blind Beggar Near Jericho.

CHAPTER 19:

·         VERSES 1 – 10 Jesus and Zacchaeus.

·         Even though it was Zacchaeus who was eager to see Jesus, it was Jesus, not Zacchaeus who took the initiative in arranging a meeting between the two!

·         It was Jesus who was seeking and saving.

4.     WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE? (LUKE 19:11 – 27)

·         VERSES 11 – 27 The Parable of the Pounds.

·         Matthew Henry: "This represents the carelessness of those who have gifts, but never lay out themselves to do good with them. It is all one to them whether the interests of Christ's kingdom sink or swim, go backward or forward; for their parts, they will take no care about it; no pains, be at no expense, run no hazard. Those are the servants that lay up their pound in a napkin who think it enough to say that they have done no hurt in the world, but did no good...They care not whether religion gets ground or loses ground, so they can but live at ease."