Teach Me to Pray (W. 3) - Luke 11:11-13

We Have a Good Father

Welcome back to the Well, and thank you for spending time with us here tonight.

We have been in a sermon series we’ve called: “Teach Me To Pray” from Luke 11.

The Pattern for Prayer

The Lord Jesus set a consistent and different example from what they had seen in the religious leaders.

So they asked Jesus, “Teach us to pray...”

Jesus taught them an approach of:

Approaching God in Praise

Accepting His Plan

Asking for His Provision

Abolishing my Pride

That’s how we pray! That’s the pattern the Lord set up, and then the next week we looked at how:

God Answers Prayers

Jesus tells us a parable that teaches us that we should pray: Endlessly & Expectantly

The Model Prayer

Then last week, Pastor Chad took us back to Matthew 6 with an incredible message on

Sincere

Secluded Prayer

Simple

Specific prayer

So tonight, we are going to finish this series with a challenge.

A presupposition is: to suppose or assume beforehand; take for granted in advance.

It’s essentially going into an interaction or conversation - PRE - SUPPOSING - that it is going to go a certain way.

It’s like if you have to have a tough conversation, and you are already supposing it’s going to go a certain way.

Another example is

THROW AWAY YOUR FALSE PRESUPPOSITIONS.

Main Idea: Your Prayer Life can be hindered by false presuppositions.

Outline:

1. Access to the Father

Again Jesus is arguing from the lesser to the greater, and gives an example of earthly fathers with their children.

He says, “What earthly father would ever give their son a rock when he asks for bread?”

False Presupposition: We are all God’s children.

I was born into the Crompton family. no matter what happens I was born into the Crompton family.

I can’t be born into the Smith family, not now. Not physically.

I hear people say, “all people are God’s children.”

Ephesians 2:2 — Ephesians 5:6 — Colossians 3:6 — Luke 10:6

Ephesians 2:1–3 KJV 1900And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Ephesians 5:6 KJV 1900Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Colossians 3:6 KJV 1900For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:

So if I am born a sinner, and I am a child of disobedience, and God isn’t my Father… how in the world can I become a child of God?

How can The Creator of the Universe become my Father?

You have to be born into His family.

John 1:9–13 KJV 1900That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Titus 3:5 KJV 1900

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

John 3:18 KJV 1900He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:36 KJV 1900He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

If you believe in Jesus Christ and repent of your sins, you will be born again! You will become a child of God.

We have access to pray to our father!!

2. Gifts from the Father

Luke 11:11–13 KJV 1900

If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

A) Trust that His Gifts are Healthy

False Presupposition: God will give me whatever I ask for. God won’t answer my prayer.

Let’s bring it back to this passage. If a friend is willing to do that for another friend in the middle of the night, how much more is God willing to do that for His children?

If an earthly father is willing to meet the needs of his child, how much more will God meet His children’s?

“And ye… who are sinners...”

So how does God answer prayers?

1 John 5:14–18 KJV 1900

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him. If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

One pastor said that “his will” refers to 2 things through Scripture:

God’s will of command

God’s will of decree

God answers prayer according to His will.

Psalm 115:3 KJV 1900

But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.

b) Trust that His Gifts aren’t Hurtful

False Presupposition: The answer God gives will hurt me.

Luke 11:11–12 KJV 1900

If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

Did you know that there are some people that have this idea that God is a trickster with a messed up sense of humor? And that He will answer prayers in a way that harms us?

Alladin - Jafar gets his hands on the lamp and has 3 wishes. The last wish was that he would become the most powerful being in the universe.

Will Smith, the genie, makes it happen… causing Jafar to get pulled back into the lamp. Only to be able to come out to display that power when someone rubbed the lamp.

That was not exactly what he was asking for.

Did you know that there are some people that have this idea that God is a trickster with a messed up sense of humor? And that He will answer prayers in a way that harms us?

Holman New Testament Commentary: Matthew B. The Kingdom Servant Sees the Father as His Provider (7:7–11)

These individuals often come from an abusive background, so their ability to trust a father figure has been severely damaged. To them, God lives only to bring them some kind of grief, usually after stringing them along and lulling them into a sense of security. As a result, they withhold intimate trust from him. Ironically, these people also tend to have a firm conviction about the moral superiority of God, so they do not see his trickery as evil on his part, but as something they have come to deserve.

Listen, He is a good Father.

He is a loving Father.

He is a present Father, he will never leave you or forsake you.

He is a generous Father.

He is a compassionate Father.

He is a Holy Father.

He is perfect.

He is wise.

He is pure.

c) Trust His Gift of the Holy Spirit

False Presupposition: As a Christian, I have to ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament Chapter 11

Believers today need not pray for the gift of the Spirit, since the Spirit lives in each of God’s children, but we should pray for the “good things” of the Spirit (Matt. 7:11) that we need for building character, guiding conduct, and empowering for service (Eph. 1:15–23 and 3:14–21).

This is an awesome statement… Pray for the Holy Spirit.

Joel 2:28–29 KJV 1900

And it shall come to pass afterward, That I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids In those days will I pour out my spirit.

God made a promise that one day He would pour out His Holy Spirit.

Jesus said to pray for that!

Jesus also promised that the Holy Spirit would come:

Luke 24:49 KJV 1900

And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

John 7:38–39 KJV 1900

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

John 14:16–17 KJV 1900

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Well that day came!

Romans 8:9 KJV 1900

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

The Holy Spirit is:

Involved in our salvation - Spirit of Life

Involved in our adoption into the Family - Spirit of Adoption

Involved in our prayer - Spirit of Intercessor

When we pray… we pray the “good things” (Matthew 7:11) of the Spirit:

Make me Godly

Guide my conduct

Empower me for Your Service

I know we have talked a lot about presuppositions tonight.

I remember once I had the chance to preach at a camp. I got to preach 3 times in a couple of days, and had the messages prepared.

I preached on “the Power of God.”

I can honestly tell you

Closing:

What presupposition do you need to throw away?

Do you need to be saved?

Will you join me in the altar to pray tonight?