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E-pistle

                                                 Dr. Dan Hite, President            FreeWay Foundation                    April 16, 2010

Asking With Persistence

(Luke 11:5-13)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

I.  Concentration:  on the contents of this chapter

        1.   Jesus gave His disciples The Model of Prayer, vv. 1-4.

        2.   Jesus illustrated persistence in prayer with the parable about a

              man who came to his friend at midnight to borrow bread, vv. 5-8. 

3.      Jesus taught His disciples to keep on asking, seeking, and knocking

in prayer, vv. 9-13.

4.      Jesus taught about a house divided against itself, vv. 14-23.
5.      Jesus told of an unclean spirit returning to its former house, vv. 24-26.
6.      Jesus taught that those who hear God's word and keep it are the truly

blessed, vv. 27-28.

7.      Jesus referenced Jonah as a sign of His resurrection, vv. 29-36.
8.      Jesus pronounced woe upon the Pharisees and the lawyers, vv. 37-54.

II.  Meditation:  on the elements of prayer which Jesus listed in His model

(Luke 11:2-4; Matthew 6:9-13)

1.      Attitude of reverence toward the Father.
2.      Emphasis on personally desiring God's will to be done; submission . . .
3.      Request for necessities of life (daily bread).
4.      Asking for forgiveness from God and offering forgiveness to others.
5.      Guidance into paths of righteousness, not into "temptation."
6.      Deliverance from Satan's attacks.
7.      Worship and praise to God.

III.  Revelation:  on the persistent friend knocking at midnight (vv. 5-8)

1.      It illustrates our relationship with God; friend to friend.
2.      It models unselfish asking a blessing, to meet another person's need.
3.      It validates asking to meet an unexpected, emergency need (not a need

resulting from carelessness).

4.      It shows that such persistent, continuing prayers produce results.

IV.  Applications:  as a Christian, I need to . . .

1.      Ask with continuing persistence, and it will be given to me.
2.      Claim the promise that everyone who asks receives.
3.      Grasp the example of human parents who give their children what they ask

for . . . if it is good for them, or, at least, is not harmful to them.

4.      Realize that God wants to give good gifts (including the Holy Spirit) to His

children  . . . "to those who ask Him," v. 13.

How to Be a Friend Like Jesus

(Luke 12:1-59)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

I.  Concentration:  on the contents of this chapter

        1.   Jesus taught the disciples to beware of hypocrisy, vv. 1-3.

        2.   Jesus taught His disciples ("My friends") to trust in God, vv. 4-7.

        3.   Jesus emphasized the necessity of confessing Christ before men, vv. 8-12.

        4.   Jesus told the parable of the rich fool, vv. 13-21.

        5.   Jesus taught His disciples not to worry, vv. 22-34.

        6.   Jesus told the parable of the faithful and wicked servants, vv. 35-48.

        7.   Jesus taught that He would bring family division, vv. 49-53.

        8.   Jesus taught His disciples to discern the time, vv. 54-56.

        9.   Jesus taught His disciples to make peace with their adversaries, vv. 57-59.

II.  Observations:  on Old Testament "friends of God"

        1.   Moses was a friend of God, Exodus 33:11.

        2.   Abraham was a friend of God, James 2:23.

III.  Meditation:  on Jesus' modeling of true friendship (ref. John 15:13-15)

        1.   He gave sound spiritual advice, Luke 12:4-5.  ("Fear not man; fear God,"

              See Proverbs 27:9)

2.      He sacrificed His life for others, John 15:13.  ("Greater love . . . lay down

one's life" See Proverbs 17:17).

3.      He called His disciples to faithfully observe their commitments, John 15:14.

("Do whatever I command you," . . . obey" See I Kings 4:5).

4.      Shared intimate, "family secrets," John 15:15.  ("Things I heard from Father,

I make known to you" See Proverbs 18:24).

IV.  Revelation:  on the spiritual implications seen here

        1.   A true Christian friend gives good advice based upon revealed spiritual

              insights and biblical principles.

2.      A true Christian friend is willing to make small and large sacrifices to benefit

others.

3.      A true Christian friend is faithful to his commitments; is dependable,

honorable, and true to his word.

4.      A true Christian friend shares intimate spiritual experiences from his heart

. . . magnifying and glorifying the Father.

V.  Applications:  as a true Christian friend, I need to . . .

        1.   Cultivate my spiritual walk with the Lord so that I may guide my friend into

              a deeper understanding and relationship with God.

        2.   Be unselfish of my time and of myself . . . willing to sacrifice these for the

              well-being of my friend.

3.      Be a person of integrity . . . always faithful, honorable, dependable, and

true to my word.

4.      Be open-hearted and tender-hearted, freely sharing significant spiritual

experiences with my friend.

"Sometimes just a smile on our face,

Can help to make this world a better place.

Stand up for the things that are right.

Try to talk things out instead of fight.

Lend a hand when you can, get involved this is good.

You can help to make a difference in you neighborhood.

- Robert Alan

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