Luke 11:5-13
Price of Praying
This parable was given at least in part because of the disciple’s
request in verse 1.
Luke 11:1 …Lord, teach us to pray…."
As a result of that request, Jesus gave them a prayer example in
\\#2-4\\ and a prayer parable \\#5-13\\. A parable is an earthly
story with a heavenly meaning so Jesus was using this parable to
communicate divine truths about prayer. If the Lord allows, I would
like to see something from this parable before I finish tonight.
It makes sense that God would tell us how to pray if God wanted us to
pray and to pray successfully. Some may actually question if God
wants us to pray successfully. They do so because they have prayed
and did not receive the answer to their prayers they wanted. I
believe God does want us to pray and to get our prayers answered, but
I also believe there is a price to pay to get your prayers answered.
Tonight, let look at the Price of Praying.
I. The Payment Concept
A. If there is anything a Christian should know, it is that we do
not pay for our salvation.
1. A statement we use to describe our salvation quite often
is that salvation is free.
2. While I understand the sentiment behind that statement,
it is an incorrect statement.
3. What we actually mean to say is that "salvation is a free
TO US."
4. Someone had to pay for our salvation and that Someone is
Jesus.
B. Answered prayer costs US something.
1. That may shock some, but it is true.
2. I will add to your confusion:
a. There is a price to be paid for Christian living.
b. And again, there is a price to be paid for
discipleship.
3. The price for these things is not unreasonable; but it
exists, and the price is required by the Christian.
4. Jesus often spoke of this price:
Luke 9:23 …If any man will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross daily,
and follow me.
Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not
his father, and mother, and wife, and children,
and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life
also, he cannot be my disciple.
John 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose
it; and he that hateth his life in this world
shall keep it unto life eternal.
C. So what is the price of successful praying?
II. The price of praying is a life lived righteously.
A. James spoke about prayer in his small epistle.
James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another,
and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man
availeth much.
1. To get our prayers answers we must be a righteous person.
2. God looks for a righteous vessel with which to work.
3. This is not the only Bible verse that places a premium on
the quality of the person who is offering the prayer.
2Chronicles 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to
and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew
himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart
is perfect toward him.
1John 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of
him, because we keep his commandments, and do
those things that are pleasing in his sight.
Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find
me, when ye shall search for me with all your
heart.
Psalms 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the
righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
Psalms 10:17 LORD, thou hast heard the desire of
the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou
wilt cause thine ear to hear:
4. The Bible not only says this truth in the positive. It
also says it in the negative.
Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked:
but he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart,
the Lord will not hear me:
Proverbs 28:9 He that turneth away his ear from
hearing the law, even his prayer shall be
abomination.
B. What does it all mean?
1. It means if we want to get our prayers answered we must
live a life of obedience to God.
a. God does not expect perfection.
b. However obvious that God is at least looking for
people who are giving an earnest, sincere effort to
living an obedient life.
2. Someone says, "That’s work!"
a. That’s right. Getting answers to prayer is going to
cost us something.
b. While we will never forget that salvation is work free
to the believer, we must understand that our
religion—the life we live for God after our
salvation—is a works-oriented lifestyle.
c. What about living by faith? We are saved by faith,
pray by faith, walk by faith, and live by faith, but
there is enough room for believing by faith and doing
right.
C. If we want to get our prayers answered, the price of praying
is a righteous life.
III. The price of praying is a selfless desire.
A. Many have addressed this particular payment in the Bible:
1. Jesus’ teaching:
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.
a. Whose will are we seeking? "Thy will…"
b. Whose kingdom are we surrendering to? "Thy kingdom…"
c. Whose name are we hallowing? "Thy name…"
2. James was not nearly so poetic in his teaching.
James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye
ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your
lusts.
3. John also addressed it.
1John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we
have in him, that, if we ask any thing according
to his will, he heareth us:
B. Prayer is a perplexing puzzle that most Christians will not
solve.
1. The reason they will not is because that which motivated
them to pray will keep them from being successful in
praying.
2. It is sad but true.
a. For most, practicing prayer requires a great personal
need.
b. Very few Christians read the Bible or hear a sermon
about prayer and say, "I am going to figure out how
to get answers to prayer;" and then go at it.
c. No, most will wait until they have some great need
then we decide, "It’s time to pray."
d. But now they are praying for the very thing that God
told us prayer is not for, i.e. our own selfish
desire.
3. Does that mean that I can never pray for the things I
want?
a. No. It means that in order for God to answer the
prayer we want, it must also be something He wants.
b. If what I want is what He wants, my success in prayer
will increase greatly.
c. However, even when we are praying for something we
both want, we should be praying harder for it because
it is what He wants than we do because it is what
we want.
4. Somehow, Christians have the concept that prayer is us
attempting to convince God to do what we want.
a. No. It is not!
b. Prayer is us finding out what God wants then asking
Him for that.
c. Here is a truth: Finding out what God wants is very
difficult once we have gotten emotionally involved.
IV. The price of praying is faith in God.
A. The emphasis in that statement should be on the IN GOD.
B. There is a definite relationship between answered prayer and
faith.
1. God is a good and merciful God "who daily loadth us with
benefits." \\#Ps 68:19\\
2. But when it comes to getting specific gifts, we must pray
and have faith.
3. You might say:
a. Prayer is us sending God our request and working out
all of the details, including delivery.
b. Faith is the shipping line by which we receive the
for them.
c. Both are essential to get our prayers answered.
Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye
shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things
soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye
receive them, and ye shall have them.
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of
the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall
receive any thing of the Lord.
C. But even after we pray and pray correctly and have faith, we
may find yourself standing at the wrong dock when our package
should arrive.
D. Let me explain. Like prayer, faith is a puzzle that many
Christians will not understand.
1. Perhaps it is because we have been encouraged to be very
specific when we pray, but it seems many have faith in
what they are praying for more than faith in God.
2. A crisis comes along and they see a way for that crisis to
be solved, so they pray for it.
a. They have faith in it, what it is they are praying
for.
b. They may even have faith in the fact that they have
prayed.
c. They may even have faith in the fact that they have
faith.
d. But I found out, on many occasions, that I did not
have faith in God.
3. Christians don’t build their faith by believing in things.
4. Christians build their faith by believing in God.
a. Faith in His goodness.
b. Faith that God has a plan.
c. Faith that God is going to show up.
5. Our faith must be in God, not in prayer, in faith, or in
the thing for which we are praying.
a. Do you think Paul and Silas knew God was going to send
an earthquake to open the doors of the prison in
Philippi?
b. Do you think Peter knew God was going to send an angel
to free him from the prison in Jerusalem?
c. Do you think Moses lead the Israelites beside the Red
Sea knowing God was going to separate it and let them
walk through?
d. Well, friend, I don’t. I think they knew God was a
good God with a plan that would bring honor and glory
to Himself and they went forward to see what God was
going to do.
V. The price of praying is a fervent prayer life.
A. Again, many Bible passages teach this truth.
1. \\#James 5:16\\
James 5:16 …The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much.
a. Fervent praying is required.
b. Even Jesus praying the garden prayed fervently as He
sweat drops of blood.
2. The parable we read at the beginning \\#Luke 11:5-13\\.
a. The point of the parable is we must ask and keep on
asking.
b. This kind of praying it is not easy.
(1) It takes time.
(2) It takes concentration.
(3) It takes repetition—not just repeating the same
words over and over again, but repeatedly
coming and pleading with new words and fresh
desire over and over again.
(4) It takes dedication and determination.
3. In short, this kind of praying is hard work!
B. All prayer does not have to be fervent prayer just like all
conversation does not have to be fervent conversation; but if
we want something specific from God, we must be prepared to
make our petitions over and over again.
I am certain more needs to be said, but prayer is a puzzle that you
must spend the time cracking if you want to get answers. It will
cost you something but it will also take you some place. It will
take you into the throne room of God. You will see God in ways few
ever have and few ever will. It is a price well worth paying.
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