Old Testament Lesson; Genesis 18:17-33
Epistle Lesson; James 5:16-18
Gospel Lesson; Luke 11:1-13
Sermon Text; Genesis 18:17-33

For the purpose of our sermon, I would like you to imagine that behind the door, up here, is God, Himself.

Jesus, in speaking about prayer, once said,

"Knock,

and the door will be opened to you."

And so, Jesus describes prayer as a knocking on the door, with God being the One who then opens the door and answers prayer.

I would like to talk a little bit in our sermon today about how it is that people have a tendency to approach this ‘door’, when they ‘knock on the door, before God’. Some people come up to this ‘door and they knock, and knock, and knock’, (they repeat the same prayer over, and over, and over, again). For example, when you pray at mealtime, maybe you have prayed that prayer so many times that you don't even think about what you are praying. It is what we call, 'vain repetition.' Jesus said we should not expect God to answer prayers that are like the prayers of the pagans, who expected God to answer their babbling, because of their vain repetition. God does not answer our prayers, just because we pray them a certain number of times.

On the other hand, there are people who come up to ‘the door’ another way. Not too long ago, I had somebody, who came off the street, stop by church, and asked if we sold rosaries. (A rosary is a prayer necklace with prayer beads.)

I said, "No, we don't sell rosaries here. Why would you like to buy a rosary?"

He said, "Well, I know I am not really worthy to pray to God, but I thought that if I used a rosary, God would hear and answer my prayers."

What did that man think? He thought, "I can do something. If I use that rosary, then maybe I would be at least worthy enough that God would hear my ‘knocking on the door’, and He would answer my prayers."

Some people are much more bold about their worthiness, before God in prayer. Some people go right up to that ‘door’ of prayer and they ‘knock on the door’, thinking, "I am a good person. Of course God is going to hear me. Of course God is going to answer me. I give to the poor. I go to church. I am kind to those around me."

They are much like the Pharisee (in the story that Jesus told), who stood before God in prayer, and said, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men, robbers, evil doers, adulterers, even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give a tenth of all I get."

He believed that he was worthy to have God ‘open the door’. But, Jesus told us that man's prayer was not answered. Worthiness before God is not what causes God to ‘open the door’ of prayer.

On the other hand, there are some people who go up to the ‘door’ in real timidity. They come before that ‘door’ in unworthiness. They stand before that ‘door’, lift up their hands, to ‘knock’ in prayer. But then, they think to themselves, "Oh, I don't deserve to have God answer my prayers. Maybe I'll have Pastor pray for me. Pastor is more worthy to have God hear my prayers, than I am."

And so, instead of ‘knocking on the door’ themselves, they look for someone else, who they think may be worthier.

Some people lift up their hands to pray, but then in timidity, they think, "Oh, why would God hear me? I have not been very good this week."

And so, they think to themselves, "If only I would try a little harder through the week, try to be a little better, then maybe later in the week I can come to God in prayer." And so, they put off prayer.

Some people come before the ‘door’, understanding, "Who am I to knock on the door?"

And so, they ‘knock’ timidly and quietly, wondering if God will open the ‘door’, because, "Certainly, I don't deserve to have that ‘door’ opened."

If we wait until we are worthy for God to hear and answer our prayers, before we pray and ‘knock on the door’, boldly, we will wait all of our life. You will wait all of your life.

If we look at Abraham, (who is a wonderful example of prayer), how did he come before God in prayer?

Number one, Abraham came before God in prayer, understanding his whole unworthiness before God. God was about to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham comes before God in prayer. Now, Abraham was chosen by God to be the father of many nations. He was chosen by God to be the ancestor of Jesus Christ, Himself. You would think, if anybody would have been worthy to say, "God, I am knocking on the door in prayer," and expect God to answer, you would think it would be Abraham. But, Abraham did not depend upon his own worthiness, at all. In fact, what does he say to God? As he prays to God he says,

"I am nothing but dust and ashes."

In other words, "The one standing at your door, God, is just a pile of dust and ashes."

If you opened your door, at home, and there was a pile of dust and ashes lying there, what would you do? Well, you would kick it away or sweep it away. And Abraham was saying, "I know, as I stand before your door, in prayer and ‘knock,’ I don’t' deserve to have you ‘open the door.’ And if you do open the door,’ I deserve to have you just sweep me away. I am nothing. I am worthless. I am a sinner in your eyes. Who am I to come before you in prayer?"

That should be our heart in prayer. As we stand before the throne of Almighty God, the perfect, holy, God, we should understand who we are. You and I are sinners.

We have sinned against God in our thoughts.

We have sinned against Him in our words.

We have sinned against Him in our deeds.

And, we have no worthiness on our own to even think that we should ‘knock on that door,’ let alone think that God will do something good for us. We deserve to have God send us away empty handed. That is who we are.

But, the startling thing about Abraham is this. Knowing that he is in that condition, "I am nothing but dust and ashes," how does he ‘knock on that door?’ He does not hesitate and wonder, "Should I knock?" He does not ‘knock’ timidly, wondering whether God will answer, but Abraham even tells God, "I am coming before you, boldly. Boldly! And even though I am dust and ashes, I expect you to answer my prayer. I know you will answer my prayer."

How can it be that somebody who recognizes, "I am unworthy? I am nothing but dust and ashes. I do not deserve God to ‘open the door,’ when I come to Him in prayer," boldly ‘knock?’

How can we stand before God in prayer, and boldly ‘knock,’ expecting, expecting that God will answer our prayers, expecting that God will ‘open the door,’ confident that He will hear our prayers?

That gets us to the next thing that Abraham said in his prayer. Abraham stood before God and said,

"I am nothing but dust and ashes."

"I am unworthy. I don't deserve to have you answer my prayers. But, I ‘knock’ boldly."

Look at the little phrase that Abraham used. It is a very interesting, little phrase. As he spoke to God in prayer, about God destroying the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, he said, "Far be it from you to do such a thing – to kill the righteous with the wicked."

Far be it from you!

What was Abraham doing? Abraham was saying, "This is not about me. It is not about my reputation. It is not about my worthiness. But God, I come boldly, because I am depending upon your reputation. I am depending upon who you are to answer my prayers."

He knew God is a God who does what is right and does what is just. And so, he ‘knocked’ boldly, because of who he knew God is.

You and I need to consider this. We are sinners. We are nothing but dust and ashes. But, God, Himself, says to you and to me,

"Knock."

"Knock and the door will be opened

to you."

Ask

and it will be given to you;

Seek

and you will find."

"Call upon me

in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you."

God, Himself commands you to pray. And though we are but dust and ashes, we come before God and boldly ‘knock,’ saying, "It is not because of who I am, but you have commanded me to pray. I depend on your reputation. You commanded me to pray."

God says, "Knock and it will be opened to you. Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you."

God not only commands us to pray,

but He promises to answer our prayers.

And so, our boldness in prayers is "I am nothing but dust and ashes. I am not worthy to have God answer my prayers, but I ‘knock’ boldly, because He commands me to pray. And He promises to answer my prayers."

It is all about God, who He is, and His reputation. He will keep His reputation.

What enables us to have that kind of boldness? The awesome thing for you and me to remember is that when we pray in Jesus’ name, He promises God will hear us and answer us.

What does it mean to pray in Jesus' name? Does that mean if I close my prayers with a ‘magical, little, formula,’ where I say, "I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen," that God will automatically answer those prayers? No, that is not what it means. When the Bible talks about God's name, it is primarily about God's reputation. So, for example, "Jerry Treder has a good name at Holy Cross." I mean that Jerry Treder has a good reputation at Holy Cross. When we talk about Jesus' name, praying in Jesus' name, what does that mean? It means, I am not depending on my reputation, when I come before God in prayer. I am nothing but dust and ashes. But, I come before God on the basis of Christ’s reputation. His Name. And who is Christ? He is the One who has earned forgiveness for me! He is the One who has made me God's friend, because He has paid for all of my sin. God has declared me forgiven for Christ’s sake. And God has declared me His child, for the sake of Jesus, my Savior. When I knock on God's door in prayer, I pray in Jesus' name. I pray as a Christian. I pray, believing in Jesus and God hears our prayers, for Christ’s sake. Not because we are worthy, but because Christ is worthy. And so, Jesus teaches us to pray with boldness and with confidence. Thank God, that his answering my prayers does not depend upon whether I am worthy enough to have God hear and answer and open the door. It depends upon who God is. God has commanded me to pray. God has promised to hear my prayers. God sees me, for Christ's sake, as His dear child. Jesus even teaches us to pray, "Our Father." I love how Luther says, in the Catechism, "God would hereby tenderly invite us to believe that He is our true Father, and we are His true children, so that we may ask Him with all boldness and confidence, as children ask their dear father."

And so, it does not matter if you are St. Peter himself, or whether you are a brand new Christian, or a little 3-year-old child. We can all go with the same amount of boldness, and the same amount of confidence. It does not matter who we are.

It depends upon who God is.

As you go home today, I encourage you to look at your own prayer life. I recently heard an interview that was done, just on the street. They went out and found people who claimed to be Christian and asked them, "How often do you pray?"

There was young man who was very honest in his answers. The interviewer asked, "How often do you pray?"

He kind of got a sheepish look on his face and said, "Well, not very often."

The interviewer said, "How often do you think you do pray?"

He said, "Oh, well maybe once a month."

Once a month!

What an awesome gift our Savior has given us. (Not just the forgiveness of our sins, which takes us to Heaven. That is the most awesome of all.) But, He has given us the gift of being able to boldly and confidently go before our Father and ‘knock on that door’ in prayer, no matter our concern, no matter what may be going on in our life, and know and expect that God will answer our prayer. And, He will answer in the best way possible.

Jesus, in today's Gospel Lesson said, "Which of you fathers, if your child asks for a fish, will give him a snake, instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?"

Of course, we would not do that. Of course, we would not do that! We love our children and want what is best for them.

Then Jesus said, "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven."

When we ‘knock on that door’ in prayer, boldly and confidently, we also boldly and confidently believe that He will do what is absolutely best for us. He loves us in Christ Jesus. He paid for our sin. And He will uphold His reputation. He will do what is right. And, He will do what is best.

Let us be bold and confident prayers, for Christ’s sake.

Amen.

For your thought:

I am nothing but dust and ashes

What do being worthless and being undeserving have in common?

Do I put myself in this category when I pray?

Yet I am so bold

How can someone worthless and undeserving be so bold before God?

Am I bold and confident, when I pray?

Far be it from You, O Lord!

This little phrase explains why dust and ashes can be so bold.

What did Abraham mean by this phrase?

What does it mean when I pray, "in Jesus’ name"?