Everybody likes a good deal. But deal-making with God gets frowned upon. Yet Abraham does it, and Jesus has something to say, too. Might God have a better deal?
Yes, Abraham is clearly dickering with Yahweh - "the Lord" in translation - as he negotiates the fate of the righteous and unrighteous in Sodom and Gomorrah. It's like a reverse auction with the bid progressively declining. What's going on here?
In a section about prayer in Luke 11, Jesus shares a version of the Lord's Prayer, and tells about the householder awakened by a friend seeking food for a guest. The petitioner gets the brush off, at least initially. Jesus says that the householder will relent simply to save face.
Then Jesus tells his disciples to ask, seek, and knock. He closes with an illustration about a father fulfilling a son's request. The father is surely going to grant the son's petition if he's able, and not give him what would be undesirable.
What's all that about? Venture into the sermon video below and the downloads below the video panel to discover some answers.
Yes, Abraham is clearly dickering with Yahweh - "the Lord" in translation - as he negotiates the fate of the righteous and unrighteous in Sodom and Gomorrah. It's like a reverse auction with the bid progressively declining. What's going on here?
In a section about prayer in Luke 11, Jesus shares a version of the Lord's Prayer, and tells about the householder awakened by a friend seeking food for a guest. The petitioner gets the brush off, at least initially. Jesus says that the householder will relent simply to save face.
Then Jesus tells his disciples to ask, seek, and knock. He closes with an illustration about a father fulfilling a son's request. The father is surely going to grant the son's petition if he's able, and not give him what would be undesirable.
What's all that about? Venture into the sermon video below and the downloads below the video panel to discover some answers.
| 07-24-16-ff-answers.pdf |
| 07-24-16-better_bargain_blessing.pdf |