"Is There any Bread in your Oven?"
Text: Luke 11: 5-10
Intro: We have a situation in this passage that is a crisis. It was customary in
those days for there to be bread in the house, in case a traveler knocked
at the door humgry. In our passage, the traveler knocked, but the host
had no bread. Therefore, he had to run out in the middle of the night to
borrow some bread from a neighbor. If we apply this to the church today,
we are in a real mess. We better have some fresh bread in the church,
in case a weary hell bound sinner knocks on the door. So there is:

1) A Precious moment (the knock on the door)
2) A Precious meal (some bread)
3) A Precious Memory (traveler got some bread)

Our problem today is that a lot of preachers and churches are not even
making any bread in their ovens. We can't make people eat, but we can
keep on making bread. Today, there are three kinds of bread:

1) False Bread (akin to canned biscuits. You might like them, but I want
my bread fresh from the oven. Preachers need the annointing of God
on their preaching, which is the power source. Too many are enjoying
the ease of canned sermons. ("Study to show thyself approved").

2) Father's Bread (Jn 6:30 "my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven".

3) Fresh Bread (Lk 11:3 "Give us day by day our daily bread") I am proud
to belong to the "Breadmaker's Association". We are in the business
of making bread so that a hungry and dying world can find food for
their souls.

I. THERE IS A PICTURE OF A DESTITUTE CONDITION (VS 5)

A) Destitute because there was no preparation
It was "the midnight hour". This is a portrayal of the hour we live in. It is
the "midnight hour of the age of grace". We are not told why the oven was
cold, but the results are the same. It spells a time of trouble. We can only
ponder why this host could not supply the bread for this weary traveller:

1) lack of time
2) lack of ingredients
3) lack of tools

B) Destitute because there was no possession ("I have nothing")
The bottom line was: "No bread". The only difference I see in this man
and the situation today is that he made no excuses. He had nothing, but
at least he tried to find something. Pulpits of today sometimes are filled
with men of self esteem, pride and arrogance. Under God, why can't we
just admit, "I have nothing".

C) Destitute because there was no power ("lend me three loaves")

This reminds of the the 10 virgins in Matthew 24. Five were wise, five were
foolish. But at the midnight hour, the foolish tried to borrow some oil
from the wise. We will never feed the lost of this world with borrowed
bread!

II. THERE IS A PICTURE OF DESPERATE CONCERN (VS 6-7)

A) There was a concern for the need ("I have nothing")
We live in the days of "microwave preachers". Just throw them into
the microwave and in 3 minutes they are done. It cannot be done with
canned biscuits and it cannot be done with bought bread. We have
become a church that is impregnated with the Word of God, but we
aren't having any labor pains. Old time preaching has been replaced
with 7-11 praise songs. You know, repeat the same seven words eleven
times. We are like Naomi in the Book of Ruth, "I went out full, but the
Lord hath brought me back again empty".

B) There was a conviction about the need ("a friend is come to me")
We seemed to have reached the point in our churches, where we send
record amounts of money to foreign lands, but we are moving our
churches out of the local neighborhoods and ignoring the lost man
just across the street. We have a need across the street and across
the seas.

C) There was a confession about the need ("nothing to set before him")
Jesus said, "Without me, ye can do nothing". If you take God our of
the word "Good", then you will wind up with a "O". Perhaps, some
churches would be more in line with what they are, if they renamed
their church, "Mount Nothing Baptisit Church".

III. THERE IS A PORTRAYAL OF DIVINE CONTROL (vs 8-11)

A) A Divine Issue
God does not always answer on the first knock. But he does always
supply the need. Notice vs 5, the man asked for 3 loaves. Then
n otice vs 8 "as many as He needeth". Asking is our job - the amount
is God's job.

B) A Divine Intervention
Somebody had to intervene in this situation. Could it possibly be
that this man smelled fresh bread coming from another house?
We need fresh bread from the oven, not rituals or rigomortis

C) A Divine Instruction
There are three divine principles given here,. They are:
ASK - SEEK - KNOCK

D) A Divine Inspiration
There are also three divine promises given here. They are:
1. Ask - God will not fail you - He has stood with you
2. Seek - God will not fool you - He has been straight with you
3. Knock - God will not forsake you - He will shield you