Luke 11:9-13 Keep Asking for the Holy Spirit

Luke 11:9-13 Keep Asking for the Holy Spirit Parkdale Grace Fellowship Sunday AM, November 15, 2015 Chapter eleven opens with Jesus praying and His disciples are witnessing His prayer. When He is done praying one of them asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Then in verses 2-4 Jesus gave them an outline, pattern or a template of how to pray; it gave them a basic framework that they could use and fill in the details to fit their personal need. Then in verses 5-10 He taught them the importance of being persistent in praying. We looked at these verses last week. And finally in verses 11-13 He gives them the assurance that God would not withhold any good thing from His children who pray as He has just taught according to God s will and with persistence. This whole section on Jesus teaching His disciples to pray concludes with this statement about the Holy Spirit in verse 13; Luke 11:13, "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! " That promise seems a little strange because there has been no talk or mention of the Holy Spirit for almost a whole chapter (since back in chapter 10:17-21 when Jesus gave them authority over all the power of the enemy.) Why, seemingly out of the blue, does Jesus suddenly assure them that the Father would give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? They hadn t been asking Him for the Holy Spirit they had been asking Him to teach them to pray. I believe that Jesus closing comment assuring them that the Father would give the Holy Spirit to those who ask was addressing their motive for asking Him to teach them to pray in the first place. Once again we are going to see today how much we can learn about a passage of scripture by studying it in its broader context. Look at their request in verse one. "Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. " As far as we know, the disciples had never asked, Lord, teach us to preach, or, Teach us to do miracles. But they asked Him to teach them to pray. I suspect this is because after all the time they had spent with the Lord, over two years now, they had come to realize that His authoritative teaching, His bold witnessing, His miraculous power indeed everything that He was, was linked to prayer, and all that He did was a result of His powerful prayer life. (Jon Courson, p. 356). There is a very clear connection between prayer in Jesus life and the powerful working of the Holy Spirit. We have already seen two very clear examples of this in Luke. Luke 3:21 22, "When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. 22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased. "

2 This was the event that kick started Jesus public ministry. The second example is found six chapters later: Luke 9:28 29, "Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening." Luke 9:35, "And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son. Hear Him! " And then when the next day the disciples were powerless to cast out the demon from a young boy Jesus told them, This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. (Matt. 17:21) In both of these instances, at Jesus baptism and when He was transfigured on the mountain, the Bible makes two things clear: Jesus had a supernatural encounter with the Father in which He received something of the Holy Spirit, and the encounter came as Jesus prayed. Do you realize that one of the greatest expressions of the humanity of Jesus is His prayer life? Prayer is an expression of faith and dependence upon God. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus is portrayed as the King of Israel. In the Gospel of Mark He is portrayed as the Suffering Servant. In the Gospel of John Jesus is portrayed as the Son of God. But in the Gospel of Luke He is portrayed as the Son of Man the emphasis in this Gospel is on the fact that He lived among us as a man. And it is significant to notice that only once in John do we have record of the Son of God praying. Only twice in Matthew do we have record of Jesus the King praying. Three times in Mark we see Jesus the Servant praying. But eight times in Luke we see the Man, Jesus, praying. Prayer is one of our greatest expressions of dependence upon God and of submission to His authority, and faith in His care for us. In Luke s Gospel, Jesus is our supreme example of how we as human beings are to live our lives, and eight times in this Gospel it is recorded for us that Jesus demonstrates His total dependence upon God through prayer. There is one other emphasis that the Gospel of Luke makes more than any other Gospel, and that is he emphasizes the ministry of the Holy Spirit at work through Jesus. This is part of the emphasis on Jesus humanity. If Jesus was a man then how did He do the miracles, and how did He speak with such authority? It was because He was a man filled with the Holy Spirit and dependent upon the Spirit of God for all that He did. Jesus demonstrates as an example and pattern for all of us, that through prayer He, living as a man, is empowered by the Holy Spirit to live victoriously and to exercise power over the spiritual forces of hell. So today s text ends with the promise that our heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. Verse 13, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! "

3 Now let s look at the rest of our text to see what else Jesus had to say about prayer for the Holy Spirit. Luke 11:9 10, "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." As we saw already last week the three verbs in these verses in the original Greek are present imperatives which can literally be translated to read, ask, and keep on asking seek, and keep on seeking knock and keep on knocking. (Amplified Bible) The Lord wants us to be persistent in praying for those things we know to be the will of God (verse 2 instructs us that we are to pray for God s will to be done). Persistent prayer for that which we know to be God s will demonstrates our faith and is pleasing to God. So before we can dismiss these verses saying, I tried asking God in prayer but He didn t answer me therefore these verses are not true, we need to recognize that as verse 8 says, it is persistence in prayer that God is often looking for. And verse ten very literally means, For everyone who keeps on asking [persistently], receives; and he who keeps on seeking [persistently], finds; and to him who keeps on knocking [persistently], the door will be opened. (AMP) The promise is pretty clear that everyone who persistently prays in this way, with a heart that is yielded to God s kingdom authority and seeking God s desire (according to the context of verse 2) will find, will have the door opened and will receive what they are calling upon the Lord for. But the key of this section is on persistence. Luke 11:5 9, "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." Let us take a closer look at these three verbs, ask, seek and knock. They are all somewhat synonymous, but they are all significantly different too. To ask for something is to clearly identify and communicate exactly what it is that you would like. To seek for something is more active than merely asking for something. To seek is to search for something; to actively try to obtain something. To knock, implies that there is a closed door, an obstacle or a barrier that stands between you and what you need. But knocking also indicates that there is someone on the other side of the closed door who can open it and give you access to what you need. The order of these three verbs indicates an increasing intensity. (Kent Hughes, p. 421) If we are trying to find something we often will start by asking for it.

4 Then if that doesn t get results we will proceed to seek for whatever it is we are looking for, which may involve turning everything around you upside down to find it. All the while we may continue asking. When it comes to prayer, we often begin by asking God for what it is that we need. Perhaps healing, or a gift of the Spirit, or insight, understanding or wisdom. If there is a delay in His response we then will often search the scriptures seeking to learn all we can about what God says about healing, or Spiritual gifts to discover how my need is to be met and confirm that it is God s will for me. Seeking may include asking more experienced believers for Biblical counsel or advice or it may involve calling upon the elders or other Christians to join with you in prayer. Then when we are convinced by our seeking that it is God s will, but there seems to be an obstacle or barrier in the way preventing you from receiving, that is when you begin to knock and call upon the Lord to remove the barrier; to open the door and meet your need. This may involve times of fasting. Here are some examples of what it means to knock and to keep on knocking: Daniel 9:3, "Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes." Daniel 10:2 3, "In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. 3 I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled." In Genesis 32 Jacob wrestled all night in a dramatic encounter with the angel of God as he sought God s blessing and protection on his life. Genesis 32:24 26, "Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, Let Me go, for the day breaks. But he said, I will not let You go unless You bless me! " And in the end he received it. It is in this context of persistent, and increasingly determined prayer, that Jesus concluded with the statement, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! Do we ever have to ask and keep on asking to receive the Holy Spirit? Do we ever have to seek and keep on seeking, or knock and keep on knocking with persistence over time before we will receive the Holy Spirit? God has already answered that question for us through the prophet Jeremiah. As we read this passage keep in mind who the Holy Spirit is He is the Spirit of God the Holy Spirit is the God who gave these words to Jeremiah to pass on to the rest of the people. Jeremiah 29:12 13, "Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." How do you know when you have sought for God with all your heart. A man once made the mistake of asking Watchman Nee this question while they were wading out into the ocean taking a break from a series of meetings where Watchman Nee was preaching.

5 As they walked out waist deep into the water the man asked, How do we know when we have searched for God with all our heart? Watchman Nee responded by suddenly grabbing the man and pushing him under the water. He then held his head under water as the man struggled to get loose, but he did not let him come up. And he held him there for quite a while until the man s struggle reached a new level of intensity as he fought to come up for air. Then he released his hold on the man and let him come up, gasping frantically for air. When the man had regained his breath Watchman Nee said, When you seek for God as desperately as you just sought for air you will know that you are seeking Him with all your heart. How desperate are you for God to fill you with His Spirit and express Himself through you in Christlikeness as He expressed Himself through Jesus? We sometimes sing that song, I m Desperate for You, but are we really? Have you ever asked and kept on asking for the Spirit of God in your life like you see Him in the lives of Jesus and the early believers in the book of Acts? Have you ever searched desperately to learn all you could about His working in the heart of a believer so that you could be confident that you were asking according to the Scriptures and then boldly asked for that? Have you ever been desperate enough to knock like Jacob knocked on heaven s door as he wrestled with God all night long for the blessing he sought. Remember that God delights in our persistence for His will to be done in our lives. Our persistence demonstrates our hunger and our faith that He alone can provide what we need. Let s connect the parable of the persistent neighbor in verses 5-8 with Jesus instruction to ask for the Holy Spirit. How many of us have hungry friends and neighbors who have come to us in the dark night of their souls in need of the bread of life? How persistently have we cried out to the Lord, interceded and knocked on His door asking that He would provide the bread of life that they so desperately need? And how many of us see hungry, needy friends all around us but have keenly sensed our own lack of spiritual boldness and power to witness to them? Have you asked and kept on asking God persistently for the power of the Holy Spirit that you might be a bold witness? Acts 1:8, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me " The book of Acts is a historical record of what this power at work in a church looks like. Does our church look and function like that? Why not? Jesus tells us what can be done about it. Have you sought the scriptures on this matter so that your faith and confidence is built up so that you know that what you are asking is of God? Seek and keep on seeking and you shall find. Have you like Daniel and Jacob wrestled with God in prayer and fasting till your desperation is like that of a drowning man desperate for air? We have not because we ask not.

6 Just a minute now, don t all Christians already have the Holy Spirit? How can we ask for something we already have? Yes, the moment a person yields their life to God and puts their faith in Jesus Christ to save them from their sin, the Holy Spirit enters into them and from that point on lives inside of them. This is the ultimate fulfillment of Jesus promise in verse 13. Romans 8:9 NIV, " And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ..." 1 Corinthians 6:19, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God?" Nevertheless, there is a lot more to what God is willing to give of His Spirit to those who are born again children of God. Ephesians 1:17 NIV, "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better." Even after the believers received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two, when they were facing persecution and needed renewed strength for witness in chapter four, they prayed to be strengthened by the Spirit and look what happened. Acts 4:29 31, "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness." 1 Corinthians 12:29 31, "Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the best gifts " 1 Corinthians 14:1, "Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy." There is a dying world all around us destroying themselves and going to hell because they lack what we have. And God has instructed us to pray in this way. But some of you are afraid to pray for anything of the Holy Spirit you ve heard too many stories of weird things that people do when they start asking for the Holy Spirit. Be careful not to blame God for the perverted things that are done by the devil. The devil always has his perverted counterfeit of God s good and genuine gifts. The genuine ministry of the Holy Spirit will look like the ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke 11:11 12, "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?" Human fathers do not play cruel or dangerous tricks on their hungry children. Only the most demented and wicked of earthly fathers would give their hungry child something as dangerous as a scorpion.

7 How much more is this true of our perfect and absolutely loving heavenly Father? God is very faithful to give us all that we need. His love for us is perfect and so is His knowledge of exactly what we need. And there is no limit to His ability to provide for us everything we need. The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want meaning I have everything I need. He has never done anything harmful or cruel to any of His children. Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Luke 11:13, "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! " How desperate are you for God to fill you with His Spirit and express Himself through you in Christlikeness as He expressed Himself through Jesus? Have you ever asked and kept on asking for the Spirit of God in your life like you see Him in the lives of Jesus and the early believers in the book of Acts? Have you ever been desperate enough to knock like Jacob knocked on heaven s door as he wrestled with God all night long for the blessing he sought. Luke 11:9 10, " 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." Copyright 2015 by Parkdale Grace Fellowship Permission: You are permitted to reproduce and distribute this material in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.