Proper 12
July 24, 2016
Luke 11:11-13
A God who loves to Give
Jesus has given us the Lord’s Prayer. He
teaches persistence in prayer. It is common practice for many to ask once and
soon forget. How long should we pray for something? How do you respond to unanswered
prayer? Can you take “no” as an answer?
Jesus teaches there is no limit
to the number of times we should pray. A neighbor wanting bread comes at
midnight. When his friend is in bed. He keeps pestering and pounding. Until in
desperation for needed sleep, he gets out of bed and gave the food. It wasn’t
because of friendship. But because his friend would not quit bothering him. He
would not take “No” for an answer. Jesus teaches that we should ask, seek, and
finally, knock. Never quit. Never, ever give up! Persistence in prayer is
necessary.
Grant us
Lord, the Spirit to think and do always such things as are pleasing in Your
sight that we, who without You cannot do anything that is good, may by You be
enabled to live according to Your will; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our
Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and
forever.
We may be tempted. To think of Christ’s
unwillingness to hear us. So, we use prayer. Especially persistent prayer. To
eke out of Him some favor. Or, to find an answer to our needs. To receive an
answer to prayer. We might become concerned about the quality of our prayer. Or,
the moral standing of the one who prays. This is unnecessary according to
Jesus. The Father is more willing to give than we are to ask. Your heavenly
Father lives to give. He exists to hear. He dwells to answer. Ask. Seek. Knock.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek,
and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” –Luke 11:9
What has your heavenly Father promised to give?
1. He promises to give good gifts. "Which
of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake
instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?” Vv. 11, 12
A. God your
heavenly Father, like any good earthly father, gives only good gifts. The point
is, ‘you just can’t imagine a father who would do this!’ “I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to Me,
says the Lord Almighty.” – 2 Corinthians 6:18 He is not
reluctant to give gifts. He does not have to be persuaded to help. As a father
gives only good gifts. God, your heavenly Father gives even more to His
children. “With these words God tenderly
invites us to believe that He is our true Father and that we are His true
children, so that with all boldness and confidence we may ask Him as dear
children ask their dear father.”[1]
B. If one asks
for a fish. He does not give a serpent. Here the Savior teaches us how to pray
the right way. We pray as a child to a magnificent Father. We pray confidently
as Abraham prayed. We pray as the persistent and unrelenting friend kept
knocking. The writer to the Hebrews encourages us with these words, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the
throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of
need.” –Hebrews 4:16
C. The Father’s
gifts are only and always good. They are forever helpful for us. Even when the
Father is silent.
The Father’s
timing is always perfect. When the Father is silent it may be that it is not
the right time for Him to answer. At the time we ask, we may not be ready for
the gift. If we do not keep asking, when the time is right, we may not be
receptive. “As a father shows compassion
to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.” –
Psalm 103:13
2. He
promises the best gift. “If you then, though you are evil, know how to
give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give
the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" V. 13
A. The best gift is the Holy Spirit. Of all the
gifts, the Holy Spirit is the best. The Father’s kingdom comes to us, “…when our heavenly Father give us His Holy
Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here
in time and there in eternity.” [2]
B. How many pray for the Spirit? How many realize
the Spirit is the best gift God could ever give us? We do
not pray that God’s kingdom of power would come. Because that is already
present everywhere. Instead, we ask God to give us His Holy Spirit so that we
believe His Word and lead godly lives as members of His kingdom of grace.[3]
Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and
believe the gospel.” –Mark 1:15
It is easy to become distracted
during these difficult days. We need to have a single solitary focus – bringing
many others into the Father’s kingdom. Being used of Him to extend His kingdom
of grace. Our petitions must include that our Lord would hasten the coming of
His kingdom of glory. “He who testifies
to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! –
Revelation 22:20
C. Why is the Spirit the best gift? The Spirit is
God. To Have the Holy Spirit is to have God in you, with you, for you. The Lord
assures us. He promises. He guarantees that His means of grace will establish
and sustain His kingdom. “My word…shall
accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the things for which I
sent it.” – Isaiah 55:11
Can there ever be anything better than God your
heavenly Father and His gracious will for you?
We know that the will of God will always be done in our lives. The
psalmist reminds us, “Our God is in the
heavens; He does all that He pleases.” – Psalm 115:3 “…for it is God who works in you, both to
will and to work for his good pleasure. – Philippians 2:13
As His name must be hallowed and His kingdom come
whether we pray or not, so also His will must be done and succeed. This is true
even though the devil with all his followers raise a great riot, are angry and
rage against it, and tries to exterminate the Gospel completely. But for our
own sakes, we must pray that, even against their fury. His will be done without
hindrance among us also. We pray so that they may not be able to accomplish
anything and that we may remain firm against all violence and persecution and
submit to God’s will.”[4]
Words – 1,215
Passive Sentences –3%
Readability –83.6%
Reading Level –4.3
No comments:
Post a Comment