Luke Lesson 15

Memory verses for this week: 1 John 4:6 We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Introduction: We continue our study of the book of Luke this week as we continue in chapter 11. Last week, we studied about the seventy being sent out on a mission by Christ. They were given specific instructions as to what they were to do and what they were to take with them. God provided from them using the people in which they were sent. Jesus pronounced judgment on several cities including Chorazin and Bethsaida. We closed with the story of Martha and Mary. Martha was the sister who was cumbered about with much serving where Mary chose the good part which was sitting at the feet of Jesus and learning about the upcoming kingdom.

Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Jesus was always praying, and He definitely did this to stay in touch with the Father and set an example for us. The disciples point out that John taught his disciples to pray and they want Jesus to teach them also. Just as the disciples needed to pray, you and I need to do this also. And not a quick 2 minute prayer before we go to bed at night, but be in prayer with the Lord on an ongoing basis each day. We should be willing to talk things out with our Heavenly Father like we do with our father here on earth.

1 Th 5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

1 Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

Many people call this the Lord’s prayer in verses 2-4. However, this is truly the model prayer where the Lord’s prayer is recorded over in John Chapter 17.

Luke 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Luke 11:4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

I know this shows my age, but one of the fond memories I have is reciting this prayer out loud each day before lunch when I was attending school my first three years. It wasn’t long before Satan worked his way into the public schools and now you can’t pray without causing a huge uproar. This is sad.

Jesus gives us the model prayer and teaches us that there are certain things we should remember to pray. One is for God’s kingdom to come here on earth. And we are to pray for God’s will to be done in earth as it is in heaven. We are to pray for daily provisions and for forgiveness of sins. And we are to pray that we be not led into temptations but rather delivered from evil.

In the KJV Study Bible, the author points out that these are not the only things we should pray, but our prayers should contain these basic points.

Mature prayer will not be limited to these initial requests, but should at least contain these basic points. An example of how Christ prayed is given in John 17, the second longest prayer in the Bible. The longest is found in I Kings 8 when Solomon dedicated the Temple. [i]

Luke 11:5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

Luke 11:6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

We sometimes come to Jesus with our prayers that have no true exercise of the soul. When we don’t mean business with God, He may wait and wait until we come with greater concern to answer our prayers. In verse 5, the friend here typifies God who is a Friend of all and wants us to come to him in every trying circumstance. In our hour of need, God is there for us and wants us to come to him. At midnight, the man comes at midnight and asks 3 loaves of bread to give to the visitor who has come on a long journey. This was very late, but he asked for a specific thing, 3 loaves of bread. There was a special need. His friend was coming in to visit and he had nothing to give this visitor.

Luke 11:7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

Luke 11:8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

The man in the parable is not like God. He does not want to rise up and be bothered. God is always there to hear our prayers and will be quick to answer those when we have great need. It says that the man finally arises and gives to help after he continues to ask. While God never tells us to not come to the throne of Grace, but encourages us to do so. No request of ours will ever be a ‘trouble’ to God. If God delays the answer to our requests, be sure that there is a reason. He may be testing our faith, or perhaps preparing us for a tougher situation coming down the road. Whatever the reason, God has reasons for a quick answer or a slow one. I’ve mentioned before that the singer Dallas Holm once said that we don’t have much trouble when God says “Yes” or if he says “No.” But when we don’t get an immediate answer, God may be saying “Wait a while.” If that is God’s Will, be sure it is the best for us.

Heb 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

Luke 11:10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

One thing about the man who was seeking the bread, he did not give up. He called again and again until the man finally brought him the bread. We need to be serious with God and be constant and continual in our requests. He says in verse 9 to “Ask, and it shall be given you.” We should never be discouraged when God does not answer immediately when we pray. We are taught to be instant in prayer until the answer comes.

Rom 12:12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

We are taught in the book of James that the reason we may not have is because we either don’t ask, or ask amiss.

James 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

When we pray, we should pray that whatever we desire bring glory to God. Jesus makes a point that we need to do 3 things to get answers to our prayers.

Luke 11:11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

Luke 11:13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Any of you who are a parent or a grandparent really do understand this teaching. I believe any true Christian wants the very best for their children. He asks if a son asks for bread, will the earthly father give him a stone, or a serpent if he asks for a fish. If we are able to take care of our own children, how much more does the heavenly Father love His children. He gives us all the good things of life.

1 Cor 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

1 Cor 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

When a person accepts Christ for salvation and is saved, the Holy Spirit comes inside of that person. When we are saved, it says we are bought with a price and no longer our own. God fills us with the Holy Spirit when we are saved, and we should constantly let the Holy Spirit guide us. If we do not let the Holy Spirit guide us, it grieves the Spirit.

Luke 11:14 And he was casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered.

Luke 11:15 But some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils.

One thing is clear in the scriptures. Jesus was always busy and always doing good to the people. In chapter after chapter, Jesus is always ministering to those in need. Here it says he casts out a devil and a man dumb was now able to speak. When this happens, the people wondered as to how this happened. While they marvelled at the miracles, most never recognized Jesus as the true Messiah sent from God to man. In a way, that is what we find as we go out and visit today. Many don’t want to hear about God, or they find fault with the Bible, or find fault with the church or the people in the church. Whatever the excuse, they don’t want to hear the truth. God’s Word is truth, and it reveals the lost condition of man. Here some of the people claim that there is a leader of the demons and they are subject to His rule. The leader they call Beelzebub, which was another name for Satan. One of the Phoenician gods was Beelzebub, and it interpreted means “lord of the flies.” These people claim that Jesus is capable of casting out demons by making a league with the prices of the demons. No one questioned Jesus about this, but they claim this as true and they jumped to false conclusions.

J. Vernon McGee said the Pharisees had no good answer for the miracles Jesus performed, so they accused him of doing it by the power of the Devil.

The convincing nature of Jesus’ miracles forced the Pharisees to offer some explanation for them. They could not deny the existence of miracles when they were happening before their eyes. They resorted to the basest and most blasphemous explanation for the miracles of Jesus. They did not deny that they took place but claimed that they were done by the power of the Devil. [ii]

Luke 11:17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.

Some of the others sought a sign from heaven. Our Lord never once performed a miracle to gratify curiosity seekers. He did the miracles to met the needs of poor, suffering humanity.

Luke 11:18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.

Luke 11:19 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.

Luke 11:20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

Luke 11:21 When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:

Luke 11:22 But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

Luke 11:23 He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.

Jesus points out that if what they believed was true, Satan would be destroying his own kingdom. Be sure if we are divided against ourselves, we will fail. The only way a kingdom is destroyed is by a stronger one coming in and overthrowing the one in charge. You and I must decide whose side are we own. We can only be on one or the other. We are either for Christ, or we are for Satan.

The miserable condition of an unconverted sinner. In his heart, which was fitted to be a habitation of God, the devil has his palace; and all the powers and the faculties of the soul, being employed by him in the service of sin, are his goods. Note, [1.] The heart of every unconverted sinner is the devil’s palace, where he resides and where he rules; he works in the children of disobedience. The heart is a palace, a noble dwelling; but the unsanctified heart is the devil’s palace. His will is obeyed, his interests are served, and the militia is in his hands; he usurps the throne in the soul. [2.] The devil, as a strong man armed, keeps this palace, does all he can to secure it to himself, and to fortify it against Christ. All the prejudices with which he hardens men’s hearts gainst truth and holiness are the strong-holds which he erects for the keeping of his palace; this palace is his garrison. [3.] There is a kind of peace in the palace of an unconverted soul, while the devil, as a strong man armed, keeps it. The sinner has a good opinion of himself, is very secure and merry, has no doubt concerning the goodness of his state nor any dread of the judgment to come; he flatters himself in his own eyes, and cries peace to himself. Before Christ appeared, all was quiet, because all went one way; but the preaching of the gospel disturbed the peace of the devil’s palace.

(2.) The wonderful change that is made in conversion, which is Christ’s victory over this usurper. Satan is a strong man armed; but our Lord Jesus is stronger than he, as God, as Mediator. If we speak of strength, he is strong: more are with us than against us. Observe, [1.] The manner of this victory: He comes upon him by surprise, when his goods are in peace and the devil thinks it is all his own for ever, and overcomes him. Note, The conversion of a soul to God is Christ’s victory over the devil and his power in that soul, restoring the soul to its liberty, and recovering his own interest in it and dominion over it. [iii]

Luke 11:24 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out.

Luke 11:26 Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

Man wants to be able to do something for God. And when we try in our own power to ‘turn over a new leaf’, we may initially look pretty good. But it truly is foolish. What happens in the end? It says when the unclean spirit is gone out, and then returns, and finds the place swept and garnished (cleaned up pretty good), he then goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than he. It says the last state is worse than how he began. Reality is this… we can’t save ourselves. The first condition of true salvation is seeing oneself as helpless and without hope outside of Christ. When we see ourselves lost, hopeless, undone, and with no hope, then we can turn to Jesus and be saved. Salvation is WHOLLY of God. Man has nothing to do with it except to accept it.

Luke 11:27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

Luke 11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

Psa 119:106 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.

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Prov 4:18 But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.

Practice Random Acts of Kindness. Each act spreads, and many will be blessed.

[i]Jerry Falwell, executive editor; Edward E. Hinson and Michael Kroll Woodrow, general editors, KJV Bible commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1994.

[ii]J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1981 by J. Vernon McGee.

[iii]Henry, Matthew, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Bible, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.

Luke Chapter 11:1-28