Sermon - Luke 11:1-13 - Building a Foundation, Dependent Prayer - Rising Sun Baptist Church - April 19, 2026

 1.       We will spend most of our time working through a book of the Bible, what is called exegetical preaching.

a.       But I have felt led to start with a series that is more topical in nature.

2.       It is my hope that this morning we are starting a decade or more of being together.

a.       If we are going to spend that much time together.

b.       It makes sense for us to lay a foundation.

c.       A foundation to build upon as we go forward.

3.       I am not sure how many weeks we will spend in this series.

a.       At least 4, maybe more.  

b.       We will see how God guides. 

4.       At times this series will reassure us that we are on the right track.

a.       And I suspect there will be other times when we are challenged.

b.       As individual Christ Followers, as well as a church family.

5.       Luke 11:1-4

a.       Many of us are probably familiar with.

b.       I suspect some in here can recite this prayer.

c.       And some can do it in the KJV.

6.       The Lord’s Prayer has some core elements that we should include in our prayers, such as:

a.       Honoring God.

b.       Seeking His will.

c.       Asking for what is needed.

d.       Repenting.

e.       Reminding us that we are to trust God to forgive those who have hurt us.

f.         Protection from temptations.

7.       All important things we should include in our prayers.

8.       But I want our focus to be a little different this morning.

a.       I want us to look at the approach behind the prayer.

9.       In these verses, Jesus is telling His disciples to depend on God for these things.

a.       Honor God because He is Holy, Perfect, & Set Apart.

b.       Stating His kingdom come.

c.       Things should be done according to God’s will.

10.  For God’s will to be done we are completely dependent on our God.

a.       We cannot carry out His will without Him.

11.  In this prayer we ask God to give us each day our daily bread.

a.       We are declaring our dependence on God for the basic necessities.

b.       Everything we have on this earth is from God.

c.       We need to rely on Him.

d.       We might say we earned the money to buy it, but God gave us the skills, the job, the opportunity to work… everything comes from Him.

12.  Forgive us… We all need forgiveness.

13.  Romans 3:23

a.       We need His gift of grace.

b.       We cannot earn salvation.

c.       We need Jesus.

14.  What about forgiving others?

a.       Let’s be honest.

b.       It is easy to hold a grudge.

c.       We can bury the hatchet with the handle sticking out.

d.       It is much harder to truly forgive someone.

e.       We need to ask God to help us forgive others.

15.  In the prayer we ask for God to help us avoid temptation.

a.       Our flesh is weak.

b.       If left to our own, we would wallow in our sin without Jesus.

c.       We can only avoid temptation by depending on our God.

16.  The Lord’s prayer is a model prayer.

a.       In what we are to pray for.

b.       But also in showing us that we need to rely on our God.

c.       We need to depend on Him.

d.       We cannot accomplish anything in this prayer on our own.

17.  We need our God to work in our lives.

18.  We need Him to answer our prayers.

19.  We need to pray for things that we cannot accomplish on our own.

a.       A lot of the time, that is true.

b.       We pray for those who do not know Jesus, we cannot save them only God can.

c.       We pray for healings, only God can do that.

d.       Beyond those types of things, are we praying dependently on God?

e.       Are we praying for things that we need God to work for them to happen?

f.         Are we praying for miracles right here at RSBC?

20.  Proverbs 3:5-6

a.       Pray dependently to God.

b.       Asking Him to do things we cannot do on our own.

c.       Trusting Him to guide our path.

d.       Trusting Him to answer our prayers.

21.  Let’s keep reading Luke.

22.  Luke 11:5-8

a.       A key element of praying dependently to our God, is that we need to bring our prayers to Him.

b.       There will be times when it may seem like all we are doing is praying.

c.       Praying for that lost loved one over and over.

d.       Scripture tells us to not simply babble on in our prayers.

23.  But we are still to persistent in our prayers to God.

24.  1 Thessalonians 5:17

a.       Pray constantly.

b.       Or as I have recently heard it said, to percolate in prayer.

25.  Pray knowing that that we are dependent on God.

a.       Pray for things to happen that we cannot do on our own.

b.       To bring our needs, desires, and opportunities to our God.

c.       Pray without ceasing.

d.       Asking for God to work.

26.  James 5:16

a.       We need to be persistent in prayer.

b.       We need to cry out to our God.

c.       As a church we should be going to God for things that are truly beyond our abilities.

d.       We need to be regularly and repeatedly going to God in dependent prayer.

e.       We may wonder if He is going to answer.

f.         We may question if we should stop praying for something.

g.        But our God is faithful.

h.       He will answer prayers.  

27.  Luke 11:9-10

a.       Ask God, depend on Him to be faithful.

b.       Seek His will for what is needed.

c.       Knock at His door expecting Him to answer.

d.       We need to Ask, Seek, and Knock.

e.       We need to be coming before our God in dependent prayer.

28.  Here is something to remember.

a.       God has called all of us to do His will.

b.       To be His servants.

c.       To witness to the lost.

d.       To carry His Word to the ends of the earth.

29.  God has called us to do things we cannot do on our own.

a.       We need the work of the Holy Spirit to guide Rising Sun Baptist Church.

b.       We need God to provide for His will to be done.

c.       We need the grace of Jesus to save people.

d.       As a church we need to Ask, Seek, and Knock.

e.       We need to come before our God.

f.         Laying it all before Him.

g.        Being dependent on our Savior and King.

30.  As we do, we will receive what God wants for this church.

a.       We will find the resources to carry forth.

b.       We will find doors opened for Rising Sun to have an impact on our community and the world.

31.  When we come to God knowing that we are dependent on Him.

a.       We will see God work.

b.       That does not mean He will answer our prayers according to our desires.

c.       But He will answer according to His will.

32.  Luke 11:11-13

a.       Fathers tend to want what’s best for their children.

b.       They try to ensure they have what they need.

c.       Many work and work and work to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.

d.       Their children can depend on their fathers to provide good things.

e.       If we dependently turn to God in prayer, we can trust that our Father will provide according to His will.

f.         After all, He is a faithful God.

g.        He is true to His Word.

h.       If we depend on Him and believe that He will carry out His will.

i.          He will provide what is needed to accomplish it.

33.  The last part of vs. 13, Jesus mentions that God will provide one of the best gifts of all, the Holy Spirit.

a.       Every follower of Christ needs the Holy Spirit as their guide.

b.       It is the Holy Spirit that helps us to understand the path before us.

c.       The Holy Spirit will help us see what we are meant to do.

d.       How are we to carry out God’s mission for us.

e.       To see the vision that He has for reaching the community around us.  

f.         Who we are to partner with.

g.        And so much more.

34.  These verses show us that God has committed to provide for those who Ask, Seek, and Knock.

a.       He is the best Father and knows how to provide for His children.

35.  Here is the challenging part.

a.       What are we praying for that requires us to be completely dependent on God?

b.       Are we praying God sized prayers or are we praying for things we can accomplish on our own?

c.       For most of us that answer is probably somewhere in between.

d.       We are praying for salvations and healings; those only God can do.

e.       But I suspect there are things we pray for that are humanly possible.

f.         There may be things we believe we have covered, and don’t even pray for them.

36.  If we want Rising Sun Baptist Church to be a sanctuary for those who are hurting.

a.       What do we need to be praying for?

37.  If we want to reach the broken and the lost?

a.       How should we be praying?

38.  So here is the challenge.

39.  What do we need to be praying for?

a.       For hearts to be opened?

b.       Eternal destinations to be changed?

c.       Our building to be full on Sunday morning?

d.       Sunday evening, and Wednesday night?

e.       For God to bring more people than we can imagine to our July 5^th outreach?

f.         For people to see the love for the community when we serve at the Hatton craft fair.

g.        For God to do something amazing right here at Rising Sun Baptist Church that makes it obvious that He is at work?

40.  On a more personal level.

a.       Ask God to show you if there is something preventing you from drawing closer to Him.

b.       Ask Him to help you take a step of faith.

c.       That God would bring revival, starting in our own hearts.

41.  These are some prayer ideas.

a.       But God may be speaking to you more specifically.

b.       Ask God to guide your prayers.

c.       Ask Him to show you what you are to do.

d.       Ask Him to show you how Rising Sun can carry out His will.

e.       Pray dependently on God.

f.         Trusting Him to work.

42.  Prayer is a fundamental part of our foundation.

43.  So much so, that prayer it is the first step of becoming a child of God.

44.  If you don’t know Jesus.

a.       Your first prayer is to recognize that Jesus is God.

b.       Asking Him to forgive you of your sins.

c.       And believing that He is the only one who can do that.

d.       If you would like to trust in Jesus for the rest of eternity.

e.       I would love to pray with you.

f.         The altar is open.