In Luke 11:1-13, Jesus is teaching us how to pray. One forthe first things we should learn about prayer is that it is based on ourrelationship with God. Creation and our conscience declare to us that there isa God in heaven. That there is a Designer behind the design. But we need morethan an intellectual knowledge of God, we need a relationship with Him. Becausesin has separated us from God, we are empty inside our souls without this relationship.
Religion of any kind cannot fill this void. Matter of fact,it is a false substitute that often keeps us from knowing God personally. Weare deceived into thinking that because we have a religion and go to church,preforming ceremonies and rituals, and doing good humanitarian deeds for othersthat this should satisfy God and give us entrance to heaven. But if we arehonest and admit it, we are still empty inside and know that something is missing.
Jesus makes it very clear in John 14:6, that He is “theWay, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one can come to the Father except throughHim.” Now my friend, either Jesus is Who He said He is, or as C.S. Lewissaid, "Christ either deceived mankind by conscious fraud, or He wasHimself deluded and self-deceived, or He was Divine.” In his book MereChristianity, C.S. Lewis famously said, “Jesus is either a lunatic, a liar, orLord.”
Lewis chose to believe that Jesus is Divine, and I do too.
Religion of any kind never saved anyone, only Jesus can.His very name means Savior (Matthew 1:21). He is the Perfect Lamb of God Whocame to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). In 1 Peter 1:18-19, Scripturemakes it very clear that traditional religion with its ceremonies and rituals cannotpay the price for our sin or remove it from us. “Knowing that you were notredeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimlessconduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood ofChrist, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”
In the above passage in Luke 11:5-10, right after Jesusspeaks of our relationship with “Our Father”, He tells the story of a friend,who had a hungry friend without “bread”, who on his journey has come to him at midnight.But he knew he also had a “Friend”, Who had plenty of bread. As we saidyesterday, for sure this story is teaching us the “persistence of prayer” thatis needed to receive God’s provisions. But I also believe it also teaches usanother great lesson on about “Praying for Bread for our friends”.
We have friends who are on their journey of life, and ithas become “midnight” for their soul. They are hungry, thirsty, tired, weary,empty, frustrated, unfulfilled, maybe confused, lost and looking for help. Theyhave come to us and are asking for help. We realize we don’t have anything togive them. Jesus said, “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Butwe know we have a Friend, Jesus, Who is the “Bread of Life” and we can ask Himto supply this “Bread” for our friend who is weary and hungry.
At least four times in John 6, Jesus proclaims that He isthe “Bread of Life”. “And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread oflife. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Meshall never thirst” (v. 35). “The Jews then complained about Him,because He said, "I am the bread which came down from heaven"(v. 41). “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the mannain the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down fromheaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread whichcame down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; andthe bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of theworld" (vv. 48-51).
Have you been praying for this “Bread” to give to yourfriends who are seeking for life? Maybe this is also why Jesus taught us topray, “Give us this day our daily bread”, not only for ourselves, but forour friends who desperately need Jesus, not a religion.
