July 27 Sunday Sermon Manuscript

Luke 11:1–13

Prayer Is the Direction of Life

1.     While having a meal at a restaurant with my son, he said, “I have something unpleasant to say.” I was worried he might have done something wrong, but what he said was, “It seems like people don’t like church and don’t want to be Christians.”

2.     It seemed this thought came from conversations he had with his friends.

3.     He went on to explain that he feels the conservative Christian image that often appears alongside American political news is negatively affecting how people perceive the church.

4.     While they appear to be devout Christians, in reality, their lives don’t reflect people who attend church—

5.     People who cannot communicate well, who only talk about themselves, who are self-centered, and who show hatred or criticism toward those who are different. These behaviors make one wonder: are they really Christians? Because of how Christianity appears to the world now, people no longer see the church in a positive light.

6.     However, he said that despite this, he still intends to attend church faithfully. The reason is because the Christianity he has experienced and understood is good.

7.     It was a short conversation, but it deeply gripped my heart all week. My son’s simple words, which addressed issues I had always wrestled with, made me feel the need to share and better understand what a good church and good Christianity should be.

8.     Similar things are happening in Korea. These days, matchmaking companies reportedly eliminate people who go to church in the first round of selections. This shows how churches have failed to convey goodness and positive energy, leaving people disillusioned with the frustrating reality they see.

9.     Even though appearances aren’t everything, Korean Christianity seems to be deeply wounded by how poorly it presents itself externally.

10.  At the heart of this problem is the issue of churches that speak of Christian truth being politically exploited.

11.  One of the most confusing parts is seeing behaviors from Christian groups aligned with certain political agendas—like cults we usually avoid such as the Unification Church or Shincheonji—which make us doubt what we’re seeing.

12.  People who don’t know much about it lump all these groups together as the same Christianity. This situation ultimately stems from a lack of understanding of the essence of the church and the gospel, and additionally, from the disastrous leadership style of monarch-like pastors.

13.  Simply put, rather than focusing on the truth of Christianity and the gospel of Jesus Christ, the personal interests and desires of pastors for greater fame have brought about these problems.

14.  In this light, the prayer Jesus teaches His disciples today—which we call the Lord’s Prayer—can guide us to see where the church should focus and what kind of kingdom of God we should hope for through prayer, leading us to find the direction of a good church and good Christianity.

15.  Today’s passage begins with a disciple asking Jesus to teach them how to pray. Jesus teaches the practice of prayer—what we might call the original form of the Lord’s Prayer. After introducing the prayer, He follows with two parables to explain why prayer is effective.

16.  With this simple structure, we can easily learn how to pray and understand the effects of prayer. It seems simple enough to remember, but as always, the text conveys more than just simplicity.

17.  In verse 2, Jesus begins His instruction on prayer by guiding us to call God “Father.” Rather than emphasizing God’s masculinity, this name—just like we discussed last week—emphasizes that God is someone we can encounter at a level we can understand. It shows how close our relationship with God truly is.

18.  The next line says, “Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.” The first direction of prayer is for God’s glory. The Common Translation of the Bible puts it this way: “Let the whole world revere you as God.”

19.  We may have various prayer requests, but what we must first confess is that God is the Lord of all creation. And the plea for God’s kingdom to come is a request for us to live within God’s order.

20.  In short, this part of the prayer is a request for God’s presence. Asking for God’s presence means we want God’s order to be established in the life of the one who prays. That is the primary purpose of prayer.

21.  In verse 3, asking for our daily bread is a prayer for “our needs.” These are things we genuinely need. We pray for the things we need to live. But the phrase “daily needs” limits these needs with moderation.

22.  It means asking only for what is needed that day—like how manna and quail in the wilderness couldn’t be stored. We don’t pray for abundant material possessions, but for what is appropriate for the day—not excessive, just enough.

23.  In verse 4, we ask for forgiveness of sins. This forgiveness is not unconditional. The sentence includes, “for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” We earnestly ask God for forgiveness while also pledging to forgive others who are indebted to us.

24.  Forgiveness of sin is the confession that all our sins are forgiven through the cross. Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins, and this carries with it the commitment to follow His example in our lives. Forgiveness is completed through our decision and practical action.

25.  It’s true that believing in Jesus leads to forgiveness—but we must take a step further and live a life of forgiveness, just as Jesus did.

26.  Finally, asking not to be led into temptation refers to “the fulfillment of salvation.” It means we want to live in the place of salvation prepared by God, no longer struggling with temptation. Hidden in this prayer is the plea to no longer be bound by evil.

27.  Salvation means to live a life no longer ensnared by evil, but rather a life of forgiveness prepared by God.

28.  Summarizing the prayer Jesus taught: Prayer first asks for God’s presence; it allows us to pray for our needs—but not in excess—and it includes a mature plea for the strength to forgive others. The request not to be led into temptation is a prayer to live a life anchored in God’s presence, free from evil and unshaken by temptation.

29.  In other words, our prayers should follow this structure: God’s presence, provision, forgiveness of sins, and salvation.

30.  This applies equally to Christians and the church today. When we worship, the first thing we earnestly pray for is God’s presence here among us. Second, we can ask for what we need—without excess. We must also pray for the heart to forgive others, so that our own sins may be forgiven. Finally, we must always pray not to fall into temptation or be held captive by evil.

31.  When we are confident about the direction of prayer, the church and Christianity can remain unshaken by political temptations and be free from such trials. The greatest purpose of our gathering to pray and worship is to fill this place with God’s presence—with God’s order. That is the purpose of Christianity and the church.

32.  Jesus then goes further and talks about the actual effectiveness of prayer.

33.  The first parable is about someone who visits a friend’s house late at night to borrow bread. A guest has come from afar, and he has no food to offer, so he goes to another friend asking for three loaves.

34.  Who would say, “It’s too late, the kids are sleeping, and the door is locked—I can’t help you”? The point is, the friend gives him what he needs not because of friendship, but because of his persistence.

35.  The second parable is about a father. Who among you, if your son asks for a fish, would give him a snake? Or if he asks for an egg, would give him a scorpion?

36.  These two parables lead into verses 9 and 10:“9 I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, it will be opened.”

37.  These verses may be misunderstood as saying prayer is like a magic spell—just ask earnestly and you’ll get what you want.

38.  In fact, many preachers have used these verses to emphasize the importance of prayer and pressure people to pray fervently. But we must remember that what we ask for earnestly isn’t just our needs.

39.  Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer and followed it with these parables and verses 9–10 to highlight the comprehensive nature of prayer as communication with God.

40.  While this passage teaches us how to pray, more importantly, it teaches us “a way of life before God.”

41.  Again, we pray for God’s presence, live as Christians, and gather here for worship.

42.  God’s presence means living according to God’s order. In life, we know many types of wisdom, duties, and ways of living. But before all that, we are people who seek to live according to God’s order.

43.  We pray earnestly—not expecting things to turn out our way, but desiring that God’s will be done. We believe the answer to our prayers will be completed in God’s order.

44.  Prayer assures us that when we forgive others, our sins are forgiven. It gives us strength to escape evil and avoid temptation.

45.  Then we can determine the direction of our lives. Striving for God’s presence is our life’s calling. God’s order must be revealed through our lives on this earth.

46.  Earnest asking is not about greed for more, but about the moderation that seeks just enough. To be forgiven, we must have hearts willing to forgive. To escape evil and avoid temptation, we must set a clear direction for our lives.

47.  I pray that we will remember this, and through our lives reveal the true image of Christians, Christianity, and the church.

48.  Finally, I’d like to close with the version of the Lord’s Prayer that hangs on a church wall in Uruguay, which I often share when preaching this passage:

Don’t say “Our Father in heaven”If you’re always immersed in worldly matters...

Don’t say “Our”If you live thinking only of yourself...

Don’t say “Father”If you’ve never lived as a child of God...

Don’t say “Hallowed be your name”If all you do is try to make your own name great...

Don’t say “Your kingdom come”If all you want is a kingdom of materialism...

Don’t say “Your will be done”If you only ever want your own will done...

Don’t say “Give us today our daily bread”If you’re storing up enough to eat until the day you die...

Don’t say “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”If you’re still plotting revenge...

Don’t say “Lead us not into temptation”If you’re always looking for opportunities to sin...

Don’t say “Deliver us from evil”If you can’t even hear your conscience in the face of evil...

Don’t say “Amen”If you’ve never truly made this prayer your own...