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 Amen. So if you were here over the last few weeks you'll know that we were going through John's Gospel but we came to a good place to break from John's Gospel just before chapter 13 last week.

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 It was a good place to stop or at least for John to have a break from us for a while.

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 So I wanted to go through a series of parables in Luke's Gospel before we get to Christmas.

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 There's a whole range of parables that Jesus teaches dealing with different issues in Luke.

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 But to start off with I wanted us to look at Jesus' parables on prayer in Luke's Gospel.

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 So that's going to be for the next couple of weeks or so.

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 The disciples ask the question, don't they, teach us to pray.

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 Because prayer is something that we need to learn.

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 It is the most difficult thing to do in the world actually, naturally for us.

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 Many of you will know that as soon as you come to pray, you're instantly distracted.

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 You're lacking in the words.

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 You can't concentrate.

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 At times when we come to pray there is nothing that we want to do less than praying, isn't it?

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 Suddenly cleaning the bathroom or paying the bills seems more interesting than prayer.

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 Do you know, it is much, much easier for me to speak to you about prayer for 20 minutes now, isn't it?

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 Than for us to go away and pray for 20 minutes.

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 And what Jesus shows us in these parables that we'll see is that our problem in prayer is not a practical problem.

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 It is a theological problem.

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 It's not that I'm too busy or I'm too tired to pray.

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 It's not that I've got more important things that I need to do so that I can't pray.

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 The problem is not a practical thing.

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 It is a spiritual and theological problem.

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 And we know that because what Jesus gives us is not practical advice, but theological teaching.

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 He gives us a parable, little earthly stories with a theological meaning attached.

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 Ed Clowney, a professor in seminary, he said,

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 The Bible does not present us with the art of prayer.

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 It presents us with the God of prayer.

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 The more clearly we grasp who God is, the more our prayer is shaped and determined accordingly.

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 Prayer is not about a technique or a script that we learn off by heart.

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 But it is about a heart that has learned about God.

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 And so Jesus gives us this parable so that we can understand what God is like.

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 And its theology will fuel our prayer and the words of our prayers.

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 So on to this parable in Luke 11.

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 There are certain questions that are asked that aren't really questions at all, aren't there?

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 Is the Pope Catholic?

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 Is water wet?

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 No one ever bothers to answer those questions, do they?

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 And you all know that the answer is totally obvious.

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 Is the sky blue?

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 It's obvious.

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 Well here's another question for you.

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 Does God really answer your prayers?

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 Does God really listen to the prayers of his people?

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 And the answer is?

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 It's obvious.

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 Because Jesus tells a story here in which he asks an obvious question, which has a really obvious answer.

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 And there's an obvious application.

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 Obvious question, obvious answer and an obvious response.

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 So first of all, an obvious question.

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 Look with me at the story, the parable he tells, from verse 5 in the passage.

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 And here is the shortened version.

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 He says,

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 Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight asking for three loaves and will hear the answer from the friend, don't bother me.

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 My kids are in bed, the door's shut.

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 I can't get up and give you anything.

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 The parable is in the form of a question, isn't it?

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 And notice where the question begins and where it ends.

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 It starts with the words in verse 5,

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 Which of you?

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 And then it ends with the words at the end of verse 7, give you anything.

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 And there's a question mark there.

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 So it's three verses, isn't it?

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 That have the contents of this question.

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 The whole parable and this story about a guy going to his friend at midnight asking for bread is the question.

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 Jesus pictures a scenario where a man goes to a friend in a culturally compromised position.

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 He's had an unexpected visitor, hasn't he?

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 And he needs some food to host this visitor.

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 So he goes round to another friend's house and he asks for some spare loaves.

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 But the man inside the house refuses to open up and he stays in bed.

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 And the whole scenario, the whole picture is a question as if to say,

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 Which of you has ever experienced anything like that?

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 Which of you has ever found themselves going and knocking on a friend's door

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 and being knocked back like this man does in this situation?

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 And it's important that we see that that is the whole question.

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 And how the question starts.

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 Because there are ways of reading this parable that I think misunderstand what Jesus is trying to teach us about prayer.

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 Some translations of the original Greek that Luke wrote it in

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 Put the words at the start of the question.

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 Suppose.

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 Suppose one of you has a friend and you go to him at midnight and you're refused your request.

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 But that word is an accurate translation.

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 The words at the beginning of the question is a question word.

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 And to say suppose has a kind of domino effect on the whole passage.

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 I don't want to kind of bog you down with the technicalities.

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 But it changes the feel of what Jesus is asking.

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 Because the question isn't, suppose you are refused a request,

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 what should you do to make that person change their mind?

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 What can you do to make God change his mind?

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 That's not the question.

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 The question is more like, have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous as such a request being refused?

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 Which of you has ever experienced anything like this?

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 And it's an obvious question because it secondly has an obvious answer.

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 It has an obvious answer.

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 We've got some folk in our church who've spent quite a bit of time in countries where the culture

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 is a lot more like the culture of ancient Israel than it is in modern day Britain.

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 They were telling the story of how an Iranian friend they hadn't seen for a long, long time,

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 they thought they'd actually lost touch with this guy,

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 but one day, out of the blue, he phones them on their mobile phone

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 and he says, I've just arrived in Heathrow Airport.

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 I'm going to be in London for two weeks.

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 I need a place to stay.

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 How do I get to your place?

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 Now for the reserve British, that would be incredibly rude, wouldn't it?

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 But culturally, for them, they were explaining that that was just normal for an Iranian to do.

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 It's perfectly normal to put upon somebody like that.

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 To expect hospitality even from complete strangers if you're visiting different towns on a journey.

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 And the same would have been given to our American friends if they'd gone to Iran and visited their town unannounced.

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 And so we've got to understand the culture a little bit to see how obvious this question is that Jesus asks.

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 It is a question with a blindingly obvious answer.

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 He pictures a scene where a request for bread is a request that no one in their right mind would refuse in that culture.

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 Which of you, he asks, would ever have experienced anything like this?

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 And it's obvious, as if we need to answer that, Jesus, the disciples might say.

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 The answer is, no one would have such a refusal.

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 It is unthinkable.

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 It's the same obvious question, kind of answer, move that Jesus uses in a lot of other places in the Gospels.

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 This kind of which of you question where the answer is really obvious.

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 Which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his life?

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 Which of you, who's got a son who falls into a well, wouldn't pull him out on the Sabbath?

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 The answer is always obvious, isn't it?

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 No one.

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 No one, Jesus.

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 So who would go to his friend and receive a knockback like this?

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 I'm in bed, go away.

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 No one.

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 And so what Jesus is doing here is genius, isn't it?

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 He wants us to answer the really obvious question with the obvious answer, so that we can answer a more profound question with instinct.

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 Does God answer prayer?

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 It's as if Jesus is saying, do you know how ridiculous that question is?

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 Is the sky blue?

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 Is water wet?

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 Does anyone ask for bread in the middle of the night and get refused?

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 The point of the parable is, is to show us that our prayer and our requests to God are answered.

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 And it would be unthinkable to think otherwise.

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 See what Jesus does, it is an argument from the lesser example to the greater example, isn't it?

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 If a human friend, if you go round to your neighbours, or you stick your head over the fence of your back garden and ask your neighbour for some help,

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 you expect him to help you, don't you, your neighbour?

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 And if your friend, if your neighbour is bound to help you, how much more is God bound to help you?

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 When you ask him.

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 If you would ask for help from a neighbour and expect that help, how much more?

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 With God.

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 And actually, Jesus ramps up the comparison.

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 It is a lesser example to the greater example, but it's sort of beefed up.

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 Because not only is it unthinkable that a friend would refuse a request, but it's unthinkable that a friend would refuse a request, even when it's rudely asked.

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 Look at verse 8.

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 I tell you, though he'll not get up and give him anything because he's his friend, yet because of his impotence he'll rise and give him whatever he needs.

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 Now again, there are a few issues in the original text.

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 It's one of the extremely rare cases where the English is quite hard to translate it.

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 So let me just cut to the chase, and I'll guess you'll just have to take my word for it, won't you?

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 But the word impotence there refers, I think, to the rudeness of the requester, of the man outside the house at midnight.

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 Because even though this kind of thing was normal, this is still pretty annoying behaviour, isn't it?

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 He grants the request even when, and especially because it's been rudely asked.

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 Even in this culture, the man inside the house still thinks to himself, this is a real pain.

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 It would be unthinkable to refuse a request from a friend, but he's thinking, this is a bit inconsiderate.

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 You know, it is midnight.

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 Yet, even then, it would be ridiculous to think that anyone could refuse the requester, even if the requester has been a bit rude about it.

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 It's an obvious question with an obvious answer.

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 And so, thirdly, Jesus calls for an obvious response from us.

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 I want to say, this parable is not about persistence in prayer.

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 Many people read it like that, but I don't think that that is the point of the parable.

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 There are other parables about persistence in prayer.

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 But this is not so much about persistence, but about certainty in prayer.

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 Martin Luther said, prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance, but laying hold of his willingness.

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 It is not about trying to change God's mind the longer we pray, or being heard for our many words.

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 You know, these kind of 24-hour prayer vigils.

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 I slightly worry about that, as if God is going to listen to us more the longer we pray for.

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 The point of the parable is the very opposite of the feeling of uncertainty.

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 Once we get the obviousness of the story, we're meant to draw the lines, aren't we, with prayer.

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 Which of you has had this experience?

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 No one.

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 And so, which person has sought and asked and knocked and been refused by God?

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 And the answer is, no one.

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 And if this sleeper, if this human example, can't refuse, then how could God refuse?

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 It is precisely because God is not like the sleeping man inside this house.

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 He is not reluctant.

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 Somebody has said that God is biased in our favour when we come to him.

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 In the favour of his people.

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 Now, of course, this doesn't apply, does it, to my request for a Porsche?

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 Or perfect health, or whatever it is I think I need.

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 But as we pray according to his purposes and his will.

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 And this is the theological picture we are to have of God.

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 He is the enthusiastic listener.

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 He is the willing answerer.

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 He is the one who listens and acts.

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 The one who meets requests and needs of his people.

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 So as we think about this, I wonder how you pray.

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 The reformer, Calvin, he pictures someone who needs to hear this parable.

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 And he pictures someone who is doubtful of being heard and answered.

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 And he imagines them sitting in their room and praying a prayer like this.

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 Oh Lord, I am in doubt whether you will hear me.

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 But because I am pressed by worry, I run to you.

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 That if I am worthy, you may help me.

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 But he says this is not the way that saints pray in the Bible.

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 There is a humility, isn't there, of course.

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 But he says the Holy Spirit instructs us to draw near to the heavenly throne with confidence that we might receive grace.

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 And he says this is the only way that prayer is acceptable to God, which is born out of presumption of faith.

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 And is grounded in unshaken assurance of hope.

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 Sounds a bit arrogant, doesn't it?

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 Presumption of faith.

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 But I think he understands Luke 11.

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 When we come to God in prayer, through the Lord Jesus, we come in confidence and assurance of being heard.

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 If we know that confidence when we knock on our neighbour's door and ask for help,

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 how much more we should know that confidence when we seek God's help.

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 You know, it might be for the first time that today you might actually do this.

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 That you might actually pray.

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 And you should do that.

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 If it's your first time or your thousandth time to pray.

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 So when you go back home today, when you go back to work,

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 remember in prayer you have to begin with God, don't you?

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 And what he is like.

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 Rather than beginning with yourself.

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 We're not trying to learn the art or the technique of prayer first.

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 But we are trying to learn about and to know the God of prayer.

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 And Jesus is telling us here, he is not the God who is reluctant.

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 And that his reluctance is something that we must overcome in prayer.

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 But there is a willingness in God that we are to grab hold of.

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 And that is what you are doing when you pray to him.

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 And who has ever come to God and prayed and sought grace from him and been refused?

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 Well, isn't that obvious?

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 Jesus says, no one.

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 Let's pray.

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