What if prayer isn’t about convincing God to listen?

In Luke 11, Jesus tells a strange story about a neighbour who refuses to help in the middle of the night. At first glance, it sounds like a lesson about persistence—keep knocking until God finally answers. But a closer look reveals something deeper.

In this message from our Parables of Grace series, we explore the story often called The Unhelpful Friend and discover that Jesus isn’t teaching us to badger God into responding. Instead, he invites us into a posture of shameless audacity—standing before God without fear, calculation, or shame.

Prayer isn’t a transaction.
It’s an act of trust.

Join us as we explore:
• Why Jesus answers questions with stories
• Our human desire for predictable formulas in faith
• The difference between persistence and audacity in prayer
• What it means to approach God without shame

Scripture: Luke 11:1–8

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Unpack the profound challenge of limitless forgiveness in Jesus's Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35).

When Peter asks how many times he must forgive his brother, Jesus sets the bar: not seven times, but seventy-seven times—a hyperbolic instruction for no cap on forgiveness. This parable, the capstone of a teaching series on community dynamics, focuses on the vast contrast between the king’s audacious cancellation of an unpayable debt (a "gajillion dollars") and the first servant's brutal insistence on collecting a small one (two to three months wages).

This teaching exposes how difficult it is to resist exacting every claim we are owed. While the parable’s severe ending can be jarring, we look at the limits of the metaphor: Jesus is not formulating a theology of eternal retribution, but painting a picture of the self-chosen prison of unforgiveness. Unforgiveness can become the "debt that keeps us locked up".

Ultimately, the story reveals a king moved by splagxnizomai—a deep, guttural, overwhelming compassion. It reminds us that God, who acts an awful lot like Jesus, uses grace instead of punishment to change our hearts.

This is the third message in our "Parables of Grace" series. Catch up on the previous messages on the Good Samaritan and the Lost Sheep!

What did Jesus really mean when He said the shepherd leaves the 99 to find the one?

In this message from Luke 15:1–7, we explore the Parable of the Lost Sheep — one of the most well-known teachings of Jesus — and uncover the scandal, absurdity, and beauty of grace.

This isn’t just a comforting story about being rescued. It’s a disruptive story about a God whose love defies social norms, economic logic, and religious expectations.

In this sermon, we explore:

• Why the religious leaders were uncomfortable with Jesus
• The social pressure of belonging and “normal” faith
• The economics of grace (why leaving the 99 makes no sense)
• Whether we are the lost sheep… the 99… or invited to become like the shepherd
• What radical grace means in a polarized world

Jesus doesn’t offer a technical theological argument here.
He offers a story that forces us to ask:

👉 What is God actually like?
👉 Who gets left outside?
👉 And what if grace is far more unreasonable than we’re comfortable with?

Whether you’ve felt lost, left out, written off — or whether you’ve struggled with who belongs — this parable speaks directly to us.

Scripture: Luke 15:1–7
Series: Parables of Grace

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