Chapter 11

And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; (Luke 11:5)

Have a friend
This speaks of an existing relationship

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15)

At Midnight
1. Midnight is a time of transition, from one day to another. God can bring a transition in your life as you pray at Midnight.
2. Midnight is a time of great spiritual activity, both good and evil. Destinies of men are shaped and interrupted at Midnight. If you are not shaping your destiny at Midnight, then somebody may interrupt your life at Midnight.

Three loaves
This speaks of making specific requests in prayer.

I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. (Luke 11:8)

In the parable of the Unjust Judge and the Persistent Widow found in Luke 18:1-8, the poor widow kept on begging the judge to grant her justice. She didn’t just ask once and say, “Let me know what you decide.” She kept asking with persistent petitions.

What is persistent prayer?
It is praying until you have the answer or request you seek from God.
It is continuing to pray until you feel a release in your spirit that He is intervening on your behalf.
It is coming back to Him day after day until your prayers are answered.

What are the Three Realms of Prayer?
"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (Luke 11:9-10)

The three realms of prayer
Ask
Seek
Knock

And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marvelled. (Luke 11:14)

Sickness and disease can be because of demonic powers.

And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, "Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!" But He said, "More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" (Luke 11:27-28)

Jesus did not question the truth of the woman’s statement but pointed her to an even greater truth. “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”  

In the Old Testament, we read Samuel telling his people: “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)

Jesus is focusing on the importance of obeying the word of God. On another occasion, Jesus made nearly the same point: “Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near Him because of the crowd. Someone told him, ‘Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.’ He replied, ‘My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.’” (Luke 8:19-21)

Hearing the Word and applying it in our lives brings us into a close relationship with Jesus.

What is the sign of Jonah?
And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. (Luke 11:29)

The phrase “sign of Jonah” was used by Jesus as a typological metaphor for His future crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Jesus answered with this expression when asked by the Pharisees for miraculous proof that He was indeed the Messiah.

What was the motivation for the queen of the South to come to meet Solomon?
The queen of the South will arise in the judgment with the people of this age and generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the [inhabited] earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and notice, here is more than Solomon. (Luke 11:31)

It was to listen to the wisdom of Solomon. In other words, to hear the word of God. Therefore, our motivation to come to the house of God must be to listen to the Rhema Word of God.

33 “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light. 34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. 35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.” (Luke 11:33-36)

Notice, Lord Jesus was talking about the eye. He spoke of the 'eye' which is in the singular. Lord Jesus referred to the eye in the singular because He was talking about the picture and the vision and the visualizing area. He was not talking about our physical eyes but the eyes of our imagination which are the eyes of the soul. Your soul has eyes.

Lord Jesus said, "If your eye is good, your whole being will be good". In other words, if your imagination is good, your whole life will be good and full of light. If your imagination is evil, your whole life will be full of evil.

If you want change in the physical world, you must deal with the visualizing area, the area of your imagination, the eyes of your heart.

There is a Greek word that talks about the imagination. It is the word dianoia, which is sometimes translated as mind.

In the physical world, some people are short-sighted while some are long-sighted. In the soul area, people also have problems in visualizing. And yet God says that you shall love Him with all your heart, soul and mind. So when you love God with your heart, it has to cover the imagination area.

The warfare is in the spirit realm. If you win the warfare in the spirit realm, you win the warfare in the physical realm. If you lose the warfare in the spirit realm, you lose in the physical realm.

But woe to you, Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and every [little] herb, but disregard and neglect justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone. (Luke 11:42)

Tithing was not put aside by the Lord.