Gift of the Spirit
Gift of the Spirit
Luke 11:5-13KJV
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 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? 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 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 lot of times people believe that God is slow giving them the desires of their heart. This scripture shows that God is not only willing but eager to give the gift of the Holy Spirit. Out of all the other reasons there are three that show we should come to God with confidence.
1 The willingness of God
a. The friend who was approached answered don’t bother me verse 7
b. This attitude of reluctance is the opposite of the way God is willing to give is his Holy Spirit.
(1.) Jesus said everyone who asks would receive verse 9,10
(2,) God was eager to give the house of Cornelius the gift of the Holy Spirit, He sent and angel with instructions for Cornelius and directed Peter through a vision to respond to the invitation. Acts 10
2. The Kindness of God.
a. Jesus spoke of earthly fathers lovingly give good gifts to their children. Luke 11:13
b. Jesus then said our Heavenly Father will lovingly give the Holy Spirit to those who ask
1. There is a difference between gifts and rewards a reward is given in payment of some service a gift is given not on the basis of merit, but out of love and the kindness of the owner. The Holy Spirit is given to those who accept Christ not because they are holy but to help them be holy.
2. Peter made this clear when he said “You will receive the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 2:38KJV
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
3. Acts 9:17 the 3,000 on the day of Pentecost didn’t have time to do something great nor any work of merit to earn the Holy Spirit they simply asked and received. The same can be said of Saul of Tarsus.
3.The generosity of God.
a. human fathers have limitations as to what they can do for their children.
b. when Jesus said “how much more” He spoke of the generosity of the Father, for He can give so much more.
1. Peter spoke of Joel’s prophecy in
Acts 2:17KJV
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Pour out shows just how much God has to give!
2. On the last and greatest day of the feast of tabernacles Jesus spoke of the Spirit as streams of Living Water like an artesian well!
ar•te•sian well \är-ˈtē-zhən-\ noun
1 : a well in which water is under pressure; especially : one in which the water flows to the surface naturally
2 : a deep well
John 7:38-39KJV
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (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.)
God wants to give all of us the Holy Spirit.
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