Luke 11:5-13 "Parables on Prayer"

Let’s Pray!

Good Morning, Calvary Chapel Lake City!

Today after service… we have two leaders we will be anointing during the time of our fellowship lunch.

Long overdue… we will be anointing Linda Kitch who is a retired CPA and does a great job overseeing our finances.

And Meghan Sindelar who has stepped up to lead Children’s Ministry.

I hope you can join us as we pray for and anoint these ladies in their roles.

Well, let’s open our Bibles to Luke 11. Luke 11:5-13 today.

During Jesus’ third and final year of ministry, He ended His ministry in the Galilee region… travelled through Samaria…

… sent 70 disciple two-by-two on a short-term mission ahead of Him…

… as He made His way towards Jerusalem for the winter Feast of Dedication (or Hanukkah)… that only John records in John 10:22-39… which chronologically occurs after our passage today.

In the last several weeks… Luke recorded three accounts from Luke 10:25 TO 11:13… where Jesus teaches about the life of disciples.

“The Parable of the Good Samaritan”… a lesson on eternal life and disciple’s relations with neighbors.

“The Priorities of Mary and Martha”… a lesson on the one thing needed.

And, “The Model Prayer for the Disciples”… which is commonly called “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Last week we looked at the model… in vv1-4… where Jesus taught how to pray… how to set our minds above… as we posture our hearts and present our petitions.

Today we continue this lesson on prayer… looking at vv 5-13… where Jesus shares two “Parables on Prayer”… our message title where…

… Jesus teaches the importance of persistence in prayer… and the good and trustworthy character of God who answers prayer.

Let’s take a look… and in reverence for God’s word, if you’re able, please stand as I read our passage.

Luke 11:5–13 “And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? 8 I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!””

Praise God for His word. Please be seated.

Before we dive into these two parables, I’d like to take a moment to review the Model Prayer Jesus taught in vv 1-4 because these parables are birthed out of that model of prayer.

These two parables illustrate both God’s willingness to answer prayer (in vv 5-8)… a promise that God will answer prayer (in V9)… and assurance that God is ready to answer prayers (vv 10-13).

This whole scene and teaching unfolds because the disciples observe Jesus praying and one of them asks in V1… “Lord, teach us to pray”… which was to say, “Lord, teach us HOW to pray.”

Jesus responds NOT by giving them a script of a rote prayer to mindlessly regurgitate…

Jesus consistently taught the opposite… about the importance of heart posture in prayer and in other spiritual disciplines.…

So Jesus teaches a pattern for prayer… that should guide our hearts and minds as we approach Our Father in heaven.

The model begins with 3 petitions vertically focused (His name, His kingdom, His will)… showing adoration, submission and longing for God’s return.

Then shifts to 3 horizontal petitions (Our needs, our sins, our temptations)… showing petition, confession and a plea for deliverance.

The prayer begins with the words… “Our Father in heaven.”

God the Father is sovereign in heaven… He is over everything. He is all powerful.

Thus we should have confidence in prayer knowing this is who we pray to… especially when we pray according to His will.

“Hallowed be Your name.”

Which is not simply a declaration that “God’s name is holy”… but may His name be elevated in my prayer and in my life…

This is a desire for God to be glorified, honored, and revered… even in the hard circumstances of our lives.

Even if that means my deliverance being delayed… for His name to be lifted high.

It’s hard to pray… “God, whatever gives you the most glory… even if that means my suffering… let Your name be glorified.”

Your kingdom come.”

When this is fulfilled… all of our prayers will be answered… for when Jesus comes again and ushers in His kingdom…

Life on earth will return to an Eden-like state.

Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

This is proclamation of surrendering our will and lives to His greater will… and expresses our desire to see His will accomplished throughout the world… as it is in heaven.

Which… if we trust Him… we should be at peace praying this.

V3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

NOW… once God is reverenced… our personal petitions…

First.. asking God for daily provisions to be met.

And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

Asking for forgiveness of sins as a believer… maintains our fellowship with God… and keeps our prayers from being hindered.

“And do not lead us into temptation”

For there is a tendency to be tempted into sin or complacency.

So this prayer asks for God to lead us in the way we should go to remain faithful to Him.

But deliver us from the evil one.”

Because there is an evil one who likes to oppress believers… throwing fiery darts at believers.

And the prayer ends here… with a humble and healthy distrust of our human nature to resist temptation.

God be our strength… and in our victory… may He be glorified!

And look… maybe you’re thinking, “My prayer sounds NOTHING like that. Not to the fullness.”

“I mean, I know how to say “Father”… and I know how to ask for “my daily bread”.… but I’m still trying to figure the rest out.”

That’s ok. … The disciples had been walking with Jesus for three years now… and they recognize a disparity in the way Jesus prayed versus HOW they pray… so they ask Him… “teach us to pray.”

And God is so kind to have recorded this scene for us… it’s like a little encouragement to remind us on our journey that we’re all in process… including how our prayers mature.

Even saying “Father” is a huge first step… because if He genuinely is your Father… ‘you’re in’… you’re saved… you’re going to heaven.

Saying Father in prayer indicates your have relationship… and that’s the most important element of prayer.

After that… prayers mature… like how the communication between a child and their parents matures.

They start out… saying their first words…

Which in the US… the most common first word in “Ma ma”… which I think is entirely appropriate… mom’s deserve to hear that first.

A close second is… not surprising… “Da da.”

Relationship. The baby is connecting… reaching out…

And then they say their third word… which most commonly is, “NO.”

Isn’t that something? No. Rebellion… right there at the top of the list. And you don’t even need to teach kids these things.

Ma ma… Da da… NO.

And then also high up on the list is “more”… and following… “Uh oh”…

Because even a child can recognize that after “No” and “more”… comes “uh oh.”

They have some sense of the error in their ways.

I was surprised “Mine” wasn’t in the top 10… because that comes pretty early.

We tell them “share”… and they say “No mine!”

And a child’s speech matures over time… like our prayers mature over time…

The child grows up… and once they’re around 17… the questions mature to, “Can I have the keys to the car?”

They ask this because they know there is a genuine relationship… they don’t ask other adults for the keys… but they have relationship with you…

And then we switch roles and we say, “NO MINE!… MY CAR!”

It’s all a cycle.

And our prayers should be growing and maturing… like how a child matures in their communication with their parent…

And our prayers should reflect the quality of child-like communication and faith… trusting like child… you’ve heard of “child-like faith”…

Dependent on Abba… meaning ‘Daddy’… growing and maturing over time… developing in it’s complexity… remaining honest.

The disciples knew they hadn’t arrived yet in prayer… wonderful humility for us to emulate.

And so Jesus taught them the model prayer…

Andrew Murray called it a “school of prayer”…

And then Jesus shifted to teach in parables.

Because parables are a very effective tool to seer a teaching into one’s brain… and to provide new brushstrokes of color… that touch the soul in a different way then classical teaching styles.

And what a Parable is… in Gk. the root word paraballō means “to throw alongside.”

A parable takes one truth and compares it to another truth…typically a natural truth to a heavenly truth.

Parables compare the visible (the things of this world) to the invisible (the heavenly realm).

Thus, parables have been titled both ‘mirrors’ and ‘windows.’

Mirrors because reflection deepens. Mirrors reveal our lives as they truly are.

And as a hearer contemplates a parable… they begin to recognize themselves in the parable.

Windows because of revealing. To look into in order to perceive what is on the other side.

The hearer of the parable looks into eternal matters… receiving revelation of God… His divine truths… and how they are to interact and respond in God’s kingdom.

In the Parabolic Discourse of Matt 13… which is Jesus’ most famous collections of parables in a single teaching… there… Jesus taught 7… some say 8 parables… about the “Kingdom of Heaven.”

Matthew 13:10 records, “And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?””

To which Jesus answered and said… my paraphrase… for believers to reveal truth… for unbelievers to conceal truth (because they had ulterior motives)… and to fulfill prophecy since it was foretold Messiah would teach in parables in…

… Psalm 78:2 “I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,”

A verse like that just kind of gives you goose pimples.

So… in our context here in Luke 11… and with the same reasoning applied… Jesus share parables to His disciples (believers)… because He wants to reveal truth to them.

He wants them to understand deeper… because as He said in Matthew 13:11 “Because it has been given to you [believers] to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven...”

That’s what you call a privilege. If you’re a believer in Jesus Christ today… and you want more understanding that your seeking to grow in deeper relationship with God… ask and you will receive.

In fact… do you know what James promised God will say ‘yes’ to when you pray and ask Him for this in faith?

A boat… of course. Jesus had a boat, so we should too.

NOT Really…

“Do you know what the two happiest days of a boat owner’s life are?”

“The day he buys the boat and the day he sells it.”

Because as the other saying goes… “A boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money.”

I hope someone’s not sitting out there planning to buy a boat today.

Don’t read into all this. Just stick with “Jesus had a boat”… technically Peter’s.

What James ACTUALLY promises is that if you ask for WISDOM in faith… God will grant it.

James 1:5–8 “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

And why is he double-minded and unstable… because he forgot the first line of the prayer… “Our Father in heaven…”

If you are going to approach the creator of heaven and earth… who is sovereign over all… His hand is not short…

He can surely grant wisdom… to approach the Creator of the Universe with doubt… does not make sense… that’s instability and double mindedness…

… a divided allegiance where one part of you believes and another part doubts.

God generously wants to grant you wisdom… a boat… maybe not…

So… back to our disciples in Luke 11… they ask Jesus about prayer… and He gives the model prayer… and then to further reveal truth… He closes the lesson teaching our two Parables today.…

… on the importance of persistence in prayer… and the good and trustworthy character of God who answers prayer.

My Bible titles this first parable the “Parable of a Persistent Friend.”

Luke 11:5-6 “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’;...”

So Jesus begins this parable… painting the picture of one’s door being knocked on at midnight.

Which may not feel so jarring… because the U.S. average bedtime is 11-11:30pm according to sleep studies.

But 1st Century Israel… where they lacked electricity and artificial light… and based their day on the rising and setting sun… average bedtimes were closer to 8-9pm, so midnight was almost in the middle of the night.

So… this person goes to their friends house at midnight to ask for three loaves of bread… which were likely fist-sized loaves… so not a lavish amount of food.… much smaller than a a loaf of bread we buy today.

But in that culture… hospitality held much weight…

So this was bread of hospitality… which was customary to offer guests…

… and the persistent friend is experiencing a hospitality crisis in that they lacked bread for their incoming guest.

Thus… knock, knock, knock… mind you… AT MIDNIGHT… “Hey, friend! Can I borrow three loaves of bread?”

Now… MY response to a friend… knocking at midnight… simply to borrow bread…

Well… I’m not sure… that could go a number of ways.

But, my flesh would be thinking, “Friend… are you out of your mind?”

Friend here… Gk philos means “dear or beloved friend.”

So… maybe you might be tender to this midnight bread intrusion.

But it’s not an apples to apples comparison… our homes are larger with divided rooms… and the kids sleep in their rooms.

Unless you’re in that season with the little ones sleeping in your bed…

You might sympathize more with this parable… if the midnight knock… woke the kids that you worked so hard to get to sleep… not a good scene.

And that’s was a strong possibility for families in the first century… as THEY lived in tiny homes…

First Century Israelite Homes… yielded about 200-500 sq feet of living space.

They were about 1/2 the sized of a double-wide mobile home. About 24’ x 24’ x 15’ high.

Two-levels… where the family slept on the second level.… the animals on the first… I’m sure the home smelled lovely.

And so imagine your sleeping… your little ones are in bed… and a friend knocks on the door in the middle of the night… calling out like a doofus… “Hey can I borrow some bread?”…

… the kids are now stirring… and you don’t want to get out of bed and wake them fully… cause then they’ll never get back to bed… and even the chickens and goats are agitated.

Not the restful night of sleep you hoped for.

So that’s the scene here… but the thing about the parable is… read V1 again… who’s knocking on the door?

NLT reads, “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight...”

Jesus presents this scene as though His listeners were the one’s knocking… making his listeners… including us… the rude friend.

Now… I want to warn you… there is a temptation to then put God in the place of the friend being disturbed.

Don’t do that. The friend is just an earthly friend.

Again a parable places a natural truth alongside a spiritual truth.

And all Jesus is doing right now is laying out the natural truth.

Resist drawing conclusions about God… yet.

So… you knock on your friend’s door in the middle of the night for bread… you’ve disturbed your friend… you probably woke his kids… and he’s annoyed with you…

V7 “… and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?”

He calls out from his bedroom saying, “Go away! I can’t help you.”

The friend doesn’t want him or his household to be disturbed…

He probably does one of those whisper shouts… “I’m not getting up right now… just come back in the morning.”

And again.… this is a scene in the earthly realm.

This is not portraying God. God doesn’t get sleepy…

In fact, Psalm 121:4 reads, “Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.”

He’s not disturbed if you call out to Him in the middle of the night.

It’s not like God’s thinking… “Would you give a God a break? I’m only running the universe here!”

That’s not God. That’s not the point here.

And to further the scene… Jesus pictures the friend giving in…

Prayer is not to twist God’s arm or coerce Him.

But the friend… he bends in this scene…

NOT because he’s your friend… but because he’s annoyed by you.

Look at V8, “I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.”

It’s not friendship that motives the response… it’s persistence.

The Greek word for persistence means “shamelessness”… “without regard to time, place, or person”… or “lack of proper consideration.”

SO… the friend get’s out of bed… stomps through his room… climbs down his ladder…

Not because he loves you… not because you’re friends, but because he wants you to go away… but you keep persistently knocking… and he JUST wants to go back to sleep.

And all of this is unfolding because of friendship… cultural norms are pushed aside…

Both in knocking on the door at odd hours… and saying ‘no’ which was not so hospitable in a culture that prized hospitality.

But in close friendship… communication and boundaries are pushed aside in this parable.

Which is not SO unusual… think of things we may not ask a stranger, but we may ask our friends…

“Can I borrow your truck? I need to pick up a couch.”

“Can I use your lawnmower? Mine’s broken.”

“Or your chainsaw…”

Sorry ladies… I could only think of stereotypical guy examples… I’m not really sure what ladies borrow.

A cup of sugar… or knitting needles. I don’t know.

But friendship removes barriers… and permits asking tough questions… even daringly at odd hours… because of friendship.… relationship.

And the point Jesus is leading up to is a contrast… making an argument from the lesser (friendships on earth)… to the greater (heavenly Sonship ).

Because of faith in Jesus Christ, believers are adopted into the family of God.

And if we can ask a friend for a simple thing at an inappropriate time… how much more can we ask God in heaven… for anything… and anytime?

If we can respond favorably in situation that frustrates our flesh the most… how much can God… who is not fleshly… who is not sinful… who is love and doesn’t sleep…

How much more will God receive our asks… our petitions… our prayers favorably?

So… the encouragement is to not hesitate praying to God… and to do so persistently… and we see this in vv 9-10.

V9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Jesus says… “So I say to you...” Maybe underline that… because that’s all authority in heaven telling you to pray…

Not suggesting pray… but commanding prayer. “Ask, Seek, and Knock”… which are all imperatives or commands.

And they make a pretty good acronym for prayer… A… S…K. “Ask, Seek, Knock”… easy way to remember.

And Ask, Seek, and Knock are not just commands but are “present, active, imperatives”…

… which in Greek carry the idea of ongoing, habitual, or continual action…

Essentially be consistent and persistent in prayer.

The grammar suggests… "Keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking."

Make it a habit to ask or request.

To seek… or pursue.

And Knock… to press for entrance or access.

And Jesus promises if you do… “You will receive. You will find. The door will be opened to you.”

This is NOT to say that prayer must be an uninterrupted action every second… which is impossible.

But prayer should be a persistent… show progress… and be and ongoing pattern.

Prayer, as taught here by Jesus… is NOT simply asking once and then giving up…

Prayer is intended to be persistent dependence on God.

Not a “one and done” formula. Not a single transaction, but a continual relationship with God.

“Well, I don’t like that program. I like the one and done program.”

Well friend… that is a recipe for a fruitless life outside of God’s will.… a spiritually dry desert wandering kind of life.

Jesus says… go to the Father… and ask again… and again.

Make the effort DUE to healthy relationships.

Take the time… commit to communication.

Sounds like marital advice… and it probably is being we are the bride of Christ.

One and done… THAT doesn’t work for God… and it doesn’t work with marriage…

Your wife doesn't want to hear, 'I told you I loved you at the altar. Why do I have to repeat myself?'

That’s poor relationship management. Healthy relationships thrive with ongoing communication…

… repeated expressions of love… continual fellowship.

God doesn’t want to hear… “Well I prayed… once… back in 1980.” “I read the Bible once… why do I need to read it again?”

Because.… relationships take continual work.

We need to be washing ourselves continually with the water of the word… to be sanctified by it’s truth.

You need to wash your soul and your spirit… just like you wash your body.

You don’t just wash your body once… do you?

I hope not.

“I took a shower back when I was a kid… haven’t seen the need to do it since?”

That’s… gross. No one says that… at least no one with friends.

I remember when I was an insurance manager… occasionally we would have an insurance agent who didn’t have the best hygiene.

And so we would encourage them… and just approach them randomly and say… “I really want you to succeed in this business, so we always want to bring our A-game. Wear a suit, wear a tie, take a shower, look professional. You’re going to do great.”

We would just slip the take a shower suggestion in there almost subliminally… and it worked like a charm.

No one got embarrassed… no one was offended… and we avoided the awkward confrontation.

I’m not sure how well that relates to our account here…

Maybe just to say that… it’s not so subtle when someone has body odor… and I would say the same about soul and spirit odor…

And at some point those near that person have a duty to confront the stink.

When a person drifts from abiding… and praying… and morning devotions…

There’s a stench in the way they carry themselves… the fruit of their life begins to rot… their relationships first vertically then horizontally grow cold… it stinks.

It smells to the believer like death. Jesus said… if you’re a believer… to another believer… you should smell like life.

To unbelievers you will smell like death, but to believers you will smell like life… for you have the fragrance of Christ.

2 Corinthians 2:15–16 reads, “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one [unbelievers] we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other [believers] the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?”

Make sure your bathing in the word… husbands wash your wives and families with the water of the word… lead spiritually.

Jesus said, “Abide in Me.” Stay… remain in Me. “Abide in My love.”

Don’t drift away.

God wants you to continually come to Him in prayer… to talk to him… to fellowship with Him…

That’s good relationship management.

As we abide in Him… we will bear much fruit… fruits of the Spirit… namely love… joy… keeping His commandments…

And praying in alignment with His will.

In John 15:7 Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

Because in abiding… your prayer will be aligned with God’s will.

As you Ask, Seek, and Knock persistently in prayer… it will be effective prayer… Not because we wear God down… like the friend knocking on the door.

Not because we persuade God to bend to our will… but because abiding prayer brings our will into conformity with His.

God is not our genie in a bottle… He’s not an open ticket to get whatever you want.

God will not give you everything you pray for… because there are times that our prayers

He does say, “No” when our prayers are not aligned with His will.

It’s not that God is being controlling… or being mean… it’s just the opposite. It’s for your own good.

When He says “No” or “wait” … and He says both…

The decline or the delay if for your benefit…

And Paul… he explained that sometime God says not when our ask is misaligned with His perfect will.

James 4:3 states “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”

Does our prayer request sound like what we learned in the Model Prayer?

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

It’s important for our prayers to be in harmony with God’s will, not selfishly for our own desires.

If your prayer is based on your will… don’t be surprised if God says, “No”… or is silent…

And when He’s silent… I’ve learned that most likely means, “No.”

So… be wise to wait on the Lord… avoid yourself the trouble of moving forward in impatience.

Avoid the temptation to “make things happen.”

And come to a place of taking pleasure of being in His will… and elevating His glory and His name… even over the hard things in life.

One of the things I love about Paul the Apostle… is he came to this place…

Paul was no stranger to miracles… He had a miraculous conversion… being stoned near death, but rising up he went back into the city… being bitten by a poisonous snake, but never showed symptoms.

All were miracles with God’s purpose and His greater glory in mind… and according to His will.

And yet… after Paul had a vision of heaven in 2 Cor 12… to keep Paul humble… for there was a temptation for him to boast over the vision…

Paul said he was giving “a thorn in the flesh”… some think a physical ailment… some think spiritual oppression…

And Paul prayed three times that it might depart… and God responded in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

Paul learned to boast… to glory in… not himself… but in the power of Christ that rested (or abided) upon him.

If infirmity (physical weakness)… leads you away from self-sufficiency to dependence on God… praise God.

If in weakness, God’s name is glorified… because you shouldn’t be able to succeed… and yet in His strength you do… and people glorify His name… praise God.

Paul grew in this and was able to write, 2 Corinthians 12:10 “Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Paul came to the place of taking pleasure in weakness “for Christ’s sake”… for God’s glory.

So just know… when you pray and God says “no”… that doesn’t mean He doesn’t love us… or He doesn’t hear us… or He doesn’t care about us…

What it does mean is that He has a different purpose for us.

Can He deliver you from the trial? Yes He can.

I’ve been delivered from alcoholism. My wife was healed from a 2.5’ long blood clot.

And yet… other times… we walked through suffering… and learned to still show up… and not let it get the best of us.

And in our weakness, God’s strength was made perfect.

Sometimes the answer isn’t being delivered from the trial…

Sometimes God’s answer is that He will give you the strength to walk through the trial.

It’s as if God would say, “You can bear this one. I’m going to give you the strength to walk through it… because when you’re weak, that’s when I’m strong… that’s when I’m best glorified.

When people see you in weakness, bearing it and walking strong… they don’t see you… they see Me.

And your testimony points to strength that rises above the trials of life. Strength founded in faith in Christ Jesus.”

And after Jesus finished with this first parable… about persistent prayer… he then shifts to make another argument from lesser to greater… comparing an imperfect earthly father… to our perfect heavenly Father.

And how our heavenly Father’s gifts… His answered prayers far exceed any good gift an earthly father can give.

vv 11-13 “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Most earthly fathers are loving and will meet the needs of their children.

If you had an abusive earthly father… this may be difficult to relate to.

Abuse is not ok. And I would encourage you to not allow the sin of your earthly parents to influence your perception of God.

God loves you. He died for you. He wants to be in relationship with you… and He has abundant good promises for you… and eternity in heaven with you where no sins of this lifetime may enter.

And that relationship begins by accepting His free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

So in this parable… a child comes asking for “bread, fish, or an egg”…

Which were just normal staple foods in that day.

Today… we would translate this to, “Toast, Fish Sticks, and Scrambled Eggs.”

And the child is making a simple and normal request… “Dad, I’m hungry. Can you give me something to eat?”

And a loving natural father is not going to respond by saying…

“Here… chew on this rock instead.” That would break their teeth.

Or give them a serpent… a snake… which would cause harm.

He wouldn’t say, “How about a scorpion.” A poisonous arachnid.

This would be cruel.

So… Jesus’ point is that normal earthly fathers wouldn’t commit these crimes of cruelty.

And then Jesus says in V13 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children…”

Pause right there… why would Jesus say we’re evil?

Because we are.

Not like sinister… satanic… evil.

But… in comparison to a holy and perfect God… fallen mankind is evil… the Gk word for evil means “bad or unsound”… which feels a little better.

We are fallen… sin is part of our lives… we are imperfect… and need a Savior.

But… even being evil… we’re not so twisted that we would hide rocks in our kid’s PB&J and laugh when they break their teeth.

Jesus acknowledges that even in our sinful state… we “know how to give good gifts to [our] children...”

And then He continues… with the comparison of us and the good gifts we give… to God… and how much greater His gifts are…

Again… from lesser to greater.

The second half of V13 “… how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

Very interesting… the good gift supplied from God in Heaven is the Holy Spirit.

Interesting how Jesus words this as well. He speaks to His disciples… He speaks about “your heavenly Father” implying a relationship as a believer is already formed.

Which when we first believe in Jesus Christ we are in-dwelt with the Holy Spirit… we are sealed with the Holy Spirit as God’s promise our guarantee of fulfilling all future eternal promises.

And those come automatically. You don’t need to ask to become the temple of the living God.

That’s automatic.

So, why would we need to ask the Father to give us the Holy Spirit?

Well… because there is a subsequent experience with the Holy Spirit called the Baptism with the Holy Spirit… which Jesus named in Acts 1:5.

Jesus said in Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me…”

In Acts 19… Paul met 12 men of Ephesus who were saved believers… disciples of Christ.

Paul asked them in Acts 19:2 “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.””

Notice that: “when you believed?”

They had already believed in Jesus previously, so they were in-dwelt by the Holy Spirit.

But now… they are faced with the reality of a subsequent experience with the Holy Spirit.

And they said, “Bring it”… and when Paul laid hands on them… “the Holy Spirit came upon them...”

“Upon” is key language for the Baptism with the Holy Spirit.

With, In, and Upon… the three experiences with the Holy Spirit… which I don’t have time to teach today.

But this is an experience that Jesus promises you will give you miraculous power to be a witness for Him.

And if you think your earthly father has given you good gifts…

In our parable today… Jesus says that our Heavenly Father has this gift for you that is far superior.

“… how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!””

(worship team please come)

If there was a singular moment in my life (after Justification)… that I had to credit as the most life changing experience that I’ve had spiritually… maritally… socially… that removed the spiritual scales from my eyes… and so forth…

It was receiving the Baptism with the Holy Spirit on August 5th, 2012.

I’m going to give you the same opportunity to pray to receive the Spirit’s Baptism today… to pray and ask.

And just like in the Book of Acts… even after the Baptism with the Holy Spirit… the Apostles continued to be filled with the Holy Spirit…

Because we need fresh fillings… there is a war in our flesh and Spirit.

Moody said He prayed for fresh fillings because He leaked.

So if you want to pray and ask… for the Baptism or a fresh filling… after you take communion… come pray in the back as we close in song.

Let’s Pray!

Let’s now take communion… remembering all the Lord did and is doing in our lives. Our communion passage is…

1 Cor 11:23-31 “...the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. 31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.”

Please distribute the elements...

Communion is a time for us to look three directions…

We look back remembering Jesus’ sacrifice… His broken body and shed blood for the remission of our sins.

His new covenant. Salvation by faith through grace.

Look forward in hope of His imminent return… we proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. He is coming.

This is also a time to look inward for a moment of self-examination…

To reflect on our treatment of other Christians… have we been loving… and unselfish… (per the context of Paul’s passage)?

Reflect and also confess to God any unconfessed sin.

Examine yourself… in order to partake in a worthy manner.

But, the reality is… none of us are worthy… so Praise Jesus… because only in Him have we been made worthy.

Once you have prayed… take the communion elements individually.

Our worship team will play one worship song, and then close us in prayer.

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If you have never accepted Jesus as Lord...

...either let the cup pass and do not partake in communion -or- the better option...

Pray and trust Jesus as your Savior today.

Believe that His death was the sufficient sacrifice for your sins.

… and then take communion.

Our prayer team will be available to pray with anyone who needs prayer as we close.

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