The Church: Being A City Set On A Hill - Week 4 (Luke 11:1-13)
Luke 11:1-13
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Aware of Our Dependence
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Luke 11:1-13 〰️ Aware of Our Dependence 〰️
Jesus's opening words in this week's passage are "Whenever you pray..." (v2). Jesus is operating under the assumption (and reminding us) that His followers regularly pray and commune with Him. So, Jesus says, "when you pray," do so like this:
"Father,
Your name be honored as holy.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves also forgive everyone
in debt to us.
And do not bring us into temptation."
What is interesting about this prayer is that, although it's short, it's the perfect model for praying and talking with God.
Your name be honored as holy
Jesus opens this prayer by acknowledging God's worthiness to be praised. When we come to our Lord in prayer, we recognize the gap between us as fallen and sinful people and the good and perfect Creator. This is why we approach Him in prayer: He is holy and good, and we are not.
Your kingdom come
In this three-word sentence, Jesus directs us to submission to God and His will. Above all, as followers of Jesus, we are to set our minds on "the things above" (Colossians 3:1–2), longing for His kingdom to come on earth.
Give us each our daily bread
Dependence. This is where we want to hang our hat for this week. While there are a multitude of things we could focus on (and likely will in the future), as we're going through this sermon series to distinguish who we are as a community, we always want to be aware of our dependence on God. And so here, Jesus instructs the hearers and readers to seek provision from God, even the daily provision of food. For many, ready access to a meal is not a concern or worry. While this isn't true for all, many people in our immediate communities and contexts do not feel the concern or fear that comes with food insecurity. Because of this, it can be hard for many of us to imagine missing a meal because of a lack of provision. But here, Jesus instructs us to seek God, asking Him to provide the simplest things for us. It's because of our Lord that we have breath in our lungs, food in our pantry, and every other good and perfect gift (James 1:16).
Forgive us our sins
In this portion, Jesus teaches that confession is an essential part of following Him. Christ died on the cross, once and for all of our sins, but we still must approach the throne of grace with humility. Jesus also reminds us that "God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance" (Romans 2:4), and out of this undeserved mercy from God, we are to extend the same to others, regardless of whether they deserve it or not.
Do not bring us into temptation
This final phrase in Jesus' prayer is yet another acknowledgment of God's goodness and power. This isn't to say that God could ever lead us into temptation, but rather, that He has the saving power to deliver us from temptation. Jesus instructs His followers to pray for deliverance from situations that would lead them to sin.
"[Jesus's] disciples, contrary to the Law experts (Luke 10:25–29), realized that they were easily drawn into sin. Therefore Jesus’ followers need to ask God for help to live righteous lives."¹
In following Jesus, we are simultaneously aware of our tendency to sin and God's power and merciful ability to lead us out of it and into righteous living. No man apart from Christ is sinless, as we are being sanctified daily by God, through His Spirit within us.
Luke then connects this model for prayer from Jesus to a parable teaching the importance of persistence in prayer. The bottom line of this parable is that God's goodness and kindness can't be measured. If good things occasionally come from the wicked, that is, all who have fallen short and sinned (spoiler: that's you and me), then how much more will our good and perfect Lord give His Spirit to those of us who earnestly seek Him? (v13)
Through this parable, Jesus gives us yet another glimpse of God's mercy. "For everyone who asks received, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened" (v10). So what does this mean for us? Well, we can take heart in knowing that God responds to those who seek Him. As we think of and pray for those around us ("Your kingdom come," v2b), we can rest in knowing that it's not us who saves. I thank God that it's not me who has to save my neighbor who does not yet know his Creator. Simultaneously, it's my responsibility as a follower of Jesus to poke and prod (not literally) him in the direction of Christ. It's not a promise that living with Gospel intentionality will lead to the salvation of others, but that is my part to play in living for Jesus in my cul-de-sac. If I want my neighbors to "seek" in the hope and prayer that they will "find," to "knock" so that the "door will be opened," I must first step out in obedience.
Discussion Questions
What stood out to you from the passage?
Does anything in this passage remind you of another part of Scripture?
Do you have any questions?
What are the hallmarks, according to Jesus, of how we should pray in v2-4? (Acknowledging God's worthiness, submission, dependence, confession, and recognizing God's power to save)
When praying, what of these areas do you tend to focus more on? What areas do you tend to neglect? Why?
How might it look if we were to pray in this way when we approach God?
What does it mean to "seek" and "find" or to "knock" and have the door be "opened"?
1. John A. Martin, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 235.