“The Friend at Midnight!”

VIDEO LINK

​First Presbyterian Church of Blackwood
21 E. Church Street
Blackwood, NJ 08012
Sermon Notes (Sunday June 04, 2023)
Rev. Dr. Mouris A. Yousef, Pastor
 
“The Friend at Midnight!”
Psalm 78:1-8; Luke 11:1-13
 
Compared to the other three gospels, the gospel of Luke has, by far, the most emphasis on prayer.  Luke has more references to the prayer life of Jesus than any other gospel.  There are at least 13 times in Luke where we encounter Jesus praying or encouraging others to pray.  No wonder that one Bible scholar calls Luke, “The gospel of prayer.”  Luke tells us that prayer was so central to the life and ministry of Jesus, therefore, it should be important to those who follow in the way of Christ.  
 
Having seen the power of prayer in Christ’s life, one of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray.  This is what Luke says in chapter 11:1, “He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”  The prayer life of our Lord prompted that disciple to press Him to teach them to do likewise.  In other words, seeing Christ’s intimacy with His Father in Heaven, seeing His focus on His Father’s mission, and seeing Christ’s spiritual strength, that disciple approached Jesus and said, “Give us the formula of your strength.  Give us the secret of staying focused and firm despite opposition and rejection.”  
 
Jesus’ response was short and direct.  Prayer!  Prayer was the need of Christ’s disciples back then as it’s one of our greatest needs today.  “Teach us to pray!”  The disciples not only needed instruction; they also needed motivation to spend more time in prayer.  I believe we do need the same.  This morning I would like to spend a few minutes with a story that Jesus told his disciples to motivate them to pray and from that story we will draw a single application.
 
First: The Story ~ Luke 11:5-8
In response to the disciple’s request, “Lord, teach us to pray”, Jesus tells a story.  A friend arrives at your door unexpectedly late in the evening.  He is hungry and tired from the long journey.  Your friend expects lodging and food, which was commonly given.  Back then, you could not run to a store, or to a late-night drive through at the local MacDonald’s!  They didn’t have freezers or refrigerators full of food.  Where do you go?  You go to a friend’s or a neighbor’s house.  
 
At any rate, even though it was late, this man knocked at his friend’s door, woke him up, and asked for food for his guest.  Luke says in chapter 11:5-6, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.”  It’s dark inside and the door is bolted shut.  The family would all be sleeping together in one place.  The guy inside says, “Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.”  But the “friend” keeps on knocking and asking!  Finally, the guy in bed realizes that the quickest route to getting back to sleep is to get up and give him what he is after.
 
Second: The Application
Then Jesus gives an initial application in Luke 11:8 before expanding on it in verses 9-10. In Luke 11:8 Jesus says, “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.”  We are to approach God with bold persistence, knowing that as a loving and gracious Father, He will always provide for our needs.
 
Jesus continues to say in Luke 11:9-10, “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”  We are to approach God with boldness, persistence, and assurance.
 
As we reflect on this story, however, we should recognize the stark contrast between the friend in bed and our God.  The man in bed was asleep, whereas God never sleeps.  The friend in bed did not want to be disturbed, whereas our requests do not disturb God.  The midnight request probably put a strain on the relationship between these two friends, whereas our midnight requests do not strain our relationship with God.  Jesus’ main point here is that we should be boldly persistent in bringing our requests to God at any hour and in any situation.  What Jesus was saying if a cranky friend responds to this kind of bold persistence, how much more will your true friend and Father in heaven respond!
 
Church, be encouraged to pray in the days to come.  Pray for this congregation.  Pray for me and pray for God’s Kingdom.  A few months ago, I came across this poem that sums it all up. The poem entitled: “Go On!”  It goes like this: One step won’t take you very far; You’ve got to keep on walking; One word won’t tell folks who you are; You’ve got to keep on talking; One inch won’t make you very tall; You’ve got to keep on growing; One deed won’t do it all; You’ve got to keep on going.  And I might add – One prayer won’t keep you close; You’ve got to keep on praying.  The great British Preacher Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) once wrote: “By perseverance the snail reached the Ark.”  By prayers, the impossible will happen.  Our greatest motivation to keep going today is that we have a loving heavenly Father who is present and attentive to our prayers.  In the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!