Desperate

The parables are like mirrors you have to see yourself in them. Here's the question, how do you come to God how you have many of us are really honest, number one, we don't even got rare. We do things get done whatever you need to do so we we are practicing atheist maybe believing Christians, we are practicing in God for our needs, but if we do many of us are coming this shameless attitude saying something like God, I'm coming to you but I know I don't deserve the list of my life for everything and not uncommon. I'm not like Sean. I'm not really serve you and you don't deserve anything in this Goddess you it's a self God. God himself titled desperate asked Robert on job of Clearview church in Anderson, North Carolina I Clearview goal is simple.

Make Christ visible and everything is out 3485 Oxford Rd. in Anderson visitors online I Clearview B.org join us for the rest of this week's message will be looking at two parables of Jesus on prayer in their similarities between those parables in there also differences but the point is the same God eagerly hears the prayers of desperation by his children eagerly wants you to call and pray in desperation to him. And we, as believers, his children should eagerly expect the help from our heavenly father and so this morning because I learned what that means that we can trust him. We can trust him that his answer is always best and he does it in his way and in his timing as I mentioned to parables. The first one is from Luke chapter 11 to go ahead and turn their Luke chapter 11 of the second one is Luke chapter 18 to see the first and the second if you want to go ahead and turn there in the verses will be on the screen as well. In a saucepan for the reading of God's word.

The first one is Luke chapter 11 starting in verse five, and he meeting Jesus said to them, which of you shall have a friend and go to him at midnight and say to him, friend, lend me three loaves for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey and I have nothing to set before him and he will answer from within and say do not trouble me. The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot rise and give it to you. Verse eight I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence not want to do something. If you do take a pan and mark out that word persistence because that is a wrong translation.

The right translation is because of his shamelessness. I know that sounds weird. We get to see why that is important to understand why that is the true meaning of that word yet because of his shamelessness. He will rise and give him as many as he needs verse 13 if you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him now go to Luke chapter 18 for the second parable starting in verse one then Jesus spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying there was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city and she came to him, saying get justice for me from my adversary.

And he would not for a while, but afterward he said within himself, though I do not fear God nor regard man yet because this widow troubles me. I will avenge her list by her continual coming she weary me. Verse six the Lord said to hear what the unjust judge said, and shall God not avenge his own elect to cry out day and night to him, though he bears long with them this morning to see what the meaning of those two parables were here's the question to all of you. Do you have a desperate need in your life, something maybe physically something financially something it maybe even spiritually you're praying for someone to be saved. Are you praying to God for those in the are you truly coming to God in desperation.

If you really honest many of us. We believe in our mind what the gospel says but we are practicing atheists. We believe that God can do everything when it comes to practicing what we say things like, don't get your hopes up.

When I asked for that because I will be disappointed.

Better not ask and be disappointed then to ask you know let's leave that alone is that you are you praying to God for those needs and even more so are you expecting an answer from you heavenly father, usually expecting him to answer, and is he your heavenly father if he is not today.

You can have in the way to having Ms. receive Christ as your Savior wherever you are if you never prayed. If you've never sincerely prayed to ask God to save you through Jesus Christ do it right now. You never know. Just like arts life, you never know when you will be called whole.

So right now if you never give your heart to Christ. Would you pray the simple prayer the says Jesus. I believe that you got on the cross for my sins and I need you to come into my life.

I need you save me, forgive me of my sins. I repent. I turn and I need you to take over my life be my king keep be my master and thank him for saving youths tell them thank you Lord for saving both these parables that we just read from Luke chapter 11 and Luke chapter 18 there known as the how much more parables. They each tell a story and then they draw a contrast between the antihero in those two stories and how much more God will do for you know sometimes people have come to these parables and they walk away thinking that this parable of these stories are about persisting in prayer.

Don't give up and keep praying. Keep asking, keep knocking, keep seeking and there is a place for that. Yes, you need to pray without failing. You need to keep knocking and keep asking God as a place for persisting prayer, but these two parables are not about that point. What is the point of the parables. The point is that God will do so much more for you. Compared to these antiheroes in these two stories compared to the sleeping friend and compared to the unjust judge, God will do so much more than you asked for. That is the point. Instead of doubting God instead of wondering if you should come to him like a child. The Bible says, trusting that he will do the best you make more sense as you begin to walk through these two parables. Let's begin parable number one what is the setting of this parable. We talked about this is friendship we just read this passage, the parable is is about friendship, friendship, a friend goes to another friend at midnight to borrow three loaves of bread for another friend who has come over the setting is friendship. How about parable number two is the court system the court system, a widow is seeking justice and she is pestering this judge will who is the antihero of this first parable. It is the sleeping friend. How do we know that he is in antihero or you can say sort of filling in this story listen to his response when his friend comes and says hey I need some bread you please give me some bread because a buddy of mine has just showed up. His answer is, do not trouble me.

The door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot rise and give to you know this is understandable. Back in those days it was pretty much a one room affair. So there you have dad that you have the children.

The mom the grandparents do to get up and give this guy some bread he has to climb over the kids so we all have little babies in your house. You know how it is there woken up. You pretty much are spending the whole night taking care of those babies so you can imagine and then going to the area where the kitchen was supposed to be and try to get some dole out and it's a mess so sore. Understandable that he does not want to get up and help his friend who comes looking for bread, he is the antihero. In this parable about on the other side who is the antihero. The judge, the unjust judge what is his deal. Listen again to that story. It says he did not fear God, nor did he regard man. Now he's a judge, so I understand why he does not fear man. I mean he cannot have any person coming in intimidating him, even this widow pestering him. I mean if it's not her property.

He cannot say well you know I'm just gonna give it over to you know he it's right in some ways that he does not regard man, but the first part is that he did not even fear God, which means what he was totally heartless. He only did what made him happy. He did not fear God, nor did he regard man, what is the offense in the first parable, the offense is in hospitality now I want you to misunderstand in hospitality was not on the part of the sleeping friend in hospitality is against the guy who showed up looking for bread is how do we know that the clue hinges on the meaning of that one word that I pointed out to you in the beginning. Remember what I said take a pan and mark out the word persistence and put in shamelessness.

In other words there in the Greek is the word on nadir on nadir. Typically, translators have translated it as persistence or importunity persistence. You know what that means of staying at it.

Importunity is unknowing persistence staying added to the point that the person is annoyed and said please leave me alone.

It almost makes seems like the friend who is asking is cut unknowable. He's just persisting because he has a need and he is knocking on the door, persisting. But that's not the meaning of the word is shamelessness and is not a positive shamelessness like I have a buddy come over and I don't have any food so man I don't care him at all on the door. I hear the dogs barking.

I hear the baby's crying.

I see neighbors open the windows and saying please keep it down or try to sleep on will be shameless, but I need some bread. That's not the point. That's that's really not the meaning of that word is always negative. The sleeping friend gave the bread because of the shamelessness of his friend, because see what that truly means. In just a few moments but how about on the other side. What is the offense. It is delayed justice is not that the judge did not want to give justice listen to what he says again in verse three she came to him saying get justice for me from my adversary.

And he would not for a while he does wonder what why when they do it if you were to go back into the city of New York back in the early part of the 1900s.

Most of the judges were on a take. They were taking bribe the police were on the take.

The judges were on the take. The attorneys were on the take and so somebody commits a crime with the Mafia. What happens though they can call the police.

All they want to police maven come and arrest them and they will take them to the court what happens.

The judge will still do things in the favor of the Mafia.

Everybody was corrupt. Most more than likely this judge was corrupt. He was expecting a bribe. Maybe he was in cahoots with the with the other side.

We don't know maybe was getting baseball tickets or something like that. If they had baseball back then but you get the point. The setting is friendship. The setting is the court system, the antihero, the person who says please don't bother me is the sleeping friend, the antihero, of course, is the unjust judge the offense here is in hospitality, but we will see how that is the case, but on the other side is obvious he is delaying justice because he wants some money somehow. He's connected with the wrong people. What is the response. The response is that the sleeping friend ends up giving bread to the guy who woke him up but he did it out of contempt. He did it out of contempt is a how do we know that. Listen to verse eight. Again I say to you, it says I say to you that he will though he will not rise and if we can keep finding those verses, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his not persistence. Shamelessness.

This guy ends up giving the bread to the God who woke him up, but not because of friendship but because of this guys shamelessness. In other words, he gave it out of contempt out of disgust almost out of school or, again, I explained to you.

This shamelessness is not a positive word is not because the guy was shamelessly knocking as a logo.

I know you can look down on me but I need right know he was. It was the other way around. Shamelessness was negative. So what exactly do you mean the reason the freight friend gave the bread out of contempt is over his lack of in hospitality lack of hospitality lack of common courtesy what he was really saying is fine.

I'll give it to you. What an awful person you are. You have a friend come in, but you did not plan ahead.

You did not plan to have enough bread for your friend and now you coming knocking on my door you don't deserve this, but here you go.

When the sleeping friend gave that bread to his body. He did it out of his shame fullness.

It was not because he felt sorry for him. It was almost you don't deserve anything get away. How about on the other side. What he did. It out of annoyance.

Why did he finally answer the widow's request. Listen to verse five because this widow troubles me.

I will avenge her by, lest by her continual coming she weary me. The judge ends up giving justice but not because of justice. He is sick of her. She's pestering him she is bothering him. Please go away. A please and miss the point of these parables was look at him again. The antihero is a sleeping friend. The antihero is the unjust judge the offenses in hospitality but not on his part on the part of the one who came knocking on the door.

The antihero here is the unjust judge in the offense is that he is not giving justice.

Why, because he wants money.

This guy ends up giving bread, but he does it because of his disgust over his friend coming over asking for bread, he does it because he is sick and tired of being bothered.

What is the point. The point of the first parable is this unlike the sleeping friend who came out of contempt. God is our loving father who gives us so much more. You don't get what I'm saying here is this worthless guy who is talking down to somebody.

God is so much kinder and gentler to us. He is, it's the contrast how far how wide is the divide out on the other side. Unlike the unjust judge who gave verdict out of annoyance. God is a loving father who seeks out to help us this in Luke chapter 11 verse 13 is powerful.

Jesus says if you then, being evil, he was evil. It would be one thing for him to say hello. God them does not give you anything is quite different to give. But look down on the person as he is giving. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him having Holy Spirit can get any bigger than that. God says I want to give myself to you ominous and the second person of the Godhead to you. This guy out of contempt but God out of his goodness and his grace gives us the very best this guy out of annoyance, but God because he's our heavenly father. He he will avenge us when we call upon him is a man that's a lot of work. What is the point of the parables are like mirrors you have to see yourself in them. Here's the question, how do you come to God in prayer.

How do you come to God. You have many of us are really honest, number one, we don't even come to God in prayer we do things and get them done. Do whatever we need to do so we we are practicing atheists maybe believing Christians. But we are practicing atheists. We don't come to God for our needs, but if we do many of us are coming with a shameless attitude become saying something like God, I'm coming to you but I know I don't deserve anything got so messed of my life. I've destroyed everything in God, I'm coming, I'm not like Pastor Sean on the likes of these people who really serve you and do for you so I don't deserve anything in fact not forget I even mention forget I even asked as I don't deserve you know I got blessed Barrios you know a goddess that Jesus was saying to this parable is this guy came in the other. God treated him a shameless God the father doesn't do that to you when you come to him. He loves you. He wants to give you the very best.

It's our own self reflection that keeps us from coming to God but God himself. He is our heavenly father who is willing to give us the best and then it says in verse nine. So I say to you, ask in the be given to you seek and you will find knock and will be open to you. For everyone who asks, receive, and he was seeks fine, fines, and to him who knocks it will be open if his son asks for bread from any father among you, are y'all still with me if his son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone will God the father say all you want bread you shameless worthless thing.

Get outta here because you follow me, you don't love me you don't share the gospel go away.

I'm not an answer your prayer or no folks, that's how we can be sometimes idolize it as a father, I do the best I can always be gracious. There times any fathers here. Our love becomes conditional doesn't really love but okay I would do this for you, but I want you know you did not do your part. This is where God the father's hardware friend that us how much more even when we mess up alive even when we are the source of all our problems. God doesn't say fine I give it to you but get on my face because he is God is loving. He is gracious. He says no keep coming this under this he says if it son asks for bread made from any father money he will he give muscle if he asked for a fish, will he give him a serpent or if he ask for an and will he offer him a scorpion. If you then, being evil, know how to good give good gifts to your children, how much more how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him how do you see yourself, you see yourself as a shameless friend or do you see yourself as the pestering widow. That's another problem. Many of us when we come to God.

We think God is this unjust judge who desires nothing but misery for us, his job is to make as miserable have given her certain prayers like that.I know you want to break me and I know you trying to break me guys are breaking off course you will, but is that how you begin your prayer. God knows is a breaking process I'm going through an and I know your God.

I know that that right now you want to know that's not your job.

You come as a child is a God.

This is my need because God is not the unjust judge of sits back and says I will make you squirm for a while because I want something from you.

Give me that something and then I will answer your needs, how you feel, believe that that's what how God answers prayers. It would answer your you know first let me have that we have some money we have your time let me have your gifts and talents and then I am going to answer you need. What you need now you really think that's how God operates in prayer because what you have done is you have created God in your image. Just what we do right and as a pastor I do to you on my time will start serving in church. I do that to you want you want me to give you this ministry will start showing up for the ministry. I don't know how God works what he is like no hostile answer there needs and theirs and theirs and theirs.

I wish I could talk got out of it.

I wish I could tell them stop answering their needs, but he's got. He does not answer because because the way we think, because he is God he is gracious. My challenge to you this morning is how do you spray how do you see your heavenly father do you doubt is love and his mercy.

You think he looks down on you when you ask in desperation. Does he give you so you would stop pestering him. He is a loving father. He wants you to come and ask what's on your heart he wants you to believe that he will answer. He will not call you shameless he will not call you up as he wants you to see and eagerly expect the God is gracious.

He is merciful. He is loving he is kind, even when we are not and he always gives us far more than we ask that you have just about in trust, seeing no ask, don't just sit on the shore. Thank you so much for joining us for this message. Many times when we pray to give got a back door to get out answering our prayers just in case he doesn't give us what we want God as our loving father and like a father he wants us to ask him earnestly for the desires of our heart. Spend some time growing your prayer life today for more information visit us online@clearviewb.org and for the sermons, notes, check out Pastor Shah's blog but on shot.com