God's Generous Response to Boldness in Prayer B

God is so generous he gives us more than we could even imagine. Don't dishonor God by doubting his generosity go to him in the middle of your night. And no, you couldn't interrupt him. He delights that you're there holding to his promises.

Be persistent and commands, and when you have a need, you should ask God and expect him to give you what you need. If that surprises you a bit. If that sort of expectation seems presumptuous, I urge you to stay here today as John MacArthur shows you why you can and should pray boldly the title of John's current study here on grace to you. Don't be afraid to ask but John before you continue this series on prayer.

Maybe just take a few minutes and tell our listeners how they can be praying for the ministry of grace to you then again we said this yesterday. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous people of avails much. So we need your prayers. Prayer as is and is not just an empty exercise. Prayer is what moves God, your prayers are part of God's sovereign purpose. So we need you to pray pray for the daily radio program that you're listening to right now that it would reach listeners, particularly those who've never heard the gospel pray for our international outreach through what we call grace reaches out that program has translated hundreds of sermons into Arabic, Chinese, French and Portuguese and also Russian Farsi and Romanian are in the translation works as well so pray that more more of these resources will be available very soon so that millions who speak these languages can have access to verse by verse, Bible teaching pray for our staff and our volunteers who work faithfully to keep our Bible teaching on radio through the Internet on television than the free books and CDs we distribute by mail every month. Pray for the people at this radio station.

You're listening to, without whom you wouldn't be hearing us right now. Pray that God would continue to use our station partners to be a voice for grace to you and other faithful Christ honoring ministries and pray for our long-time ministry partners that ambassador advertising if you've appreciated hearing Gracie on radio over the last 30 or 40 years, you have our friends at ambassador starting with its founder Al Sanders to thank. Pray for the work that they do so ably, prayerfully consider as well. Supporting grace to you financially. To help us continue taking God's truth across this country and really around the world and will thank you. Yes, we are grateful for your prayers. They energize all that we do here and we thank God for the blessing of ministry partners like you. Thank you for bringing grace to use needs before the throne of grace and out, let's get to today's lesson here is John continuing his study. Don't be afraid to ask. We come now to our look at the word of God to listen to what God has said on the pages of holy Scripture Luke chapter 11 is our text and we are looking at verses five through 13. This is a very, very rich and encouraging portion of Scripture starts out with a very simple kind of earthy routine.

Look at a little village in an incident with a man who needed some bread to feed a friend came at midnight and it ends up with profound theology in the final verse we see the parable which illustrates that we are to come in anytime, no matter how simple the need and to be overly bold in our asking the promise that underlies our coming. Is that whatever it is that we seek. If it's within the framework of his will, will receive it. That is based upon the principle that God is the father. Now that takes us to the fourth and the most important point.

Let's call it the premise and by premise I mean, the bottom line the foundation on which this whole discussion is built in.

Here it is. Verse 13 if you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. Now we are launched into theology.

This verse is rich with gone through a parable and a promise and a principal an analogy and we now come to a define premise.

We now come to biblical doctrine. If you then, being evil, we could stop there and you teach on the depravity of man right your evil and is talking to his disciples, his followers, those who had embraced him. Those who were called "save those were those were his children, but they were still evil doesn't say those who do evil.

Those who are evil, being evil, it is not just what we do. It is what we are. That is evil. But if you then, being evil, and by the way, the word evil is Panet Ross.

Bad, wicked, worthless use in Matthew 537 and 613 and translated by many translations is a reference to Satan, the wicked one you share essential nature that the devil possesses you then, being evil, even those who follow Jesus Christ still have an evil sin principal operative in them you being evil, however, have the residual imaginal day you have left in you the residue of the image of God that was defiled in the fall but it's still there because even though you are at heart evil. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked Jeremiah 17 nine there is none good, no not one.

Romans chapter 3, we are evil. Yet know how to give good gifts to your children. That's the residual of the image of God.

Whenever you see what we call the milk of human kindness. Whenever you see people who don't know God parent well love their children show kindness give their children what they need to be philanthropic. You're seeing the residual of the image of God so warped and scarred in the fall but still there choices you being evil, know how to could give good gifts to your children, and here comes the key. How much more this is an old rabbinical way to argue an old Jewish way to argue the how much more argument, how much more approach, how much more then you who are evil, shall your heavenly father implied who is not evil, who is perfectly holy, give I mean if you who are at heart evil. Give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly father who was holy give to his children. If you who can only love imperfectly give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father who loves perfectly give to his children.

If you who are limited in your wisdom give to your children what you think is best. How much more will your father who's perfectly wise, give the best to his children. The whole thing. Such a huge golf in our understanding, you can go to God because he is a loving father but is a loving father, far beyond the most loving father in this world who is by nature evil, and who does his best to give good gifts out of a corrupt and fallen heart. How much more will your heavenly father love you with a perfect love. How much more with perfect wisdom and perfect compassion and perfect mercy and grace and perfect understanding of your situation and perfect goodness give to you so when you go to God and you go with boldness and you go with persistence in your Russian and you unload what's on your heart and first you ask and then you start pleading and then you start banging know this, the goddess delighted with that delighted with that because he with his perfect love and perfect wisdom and perfect power and perfect provision is able to give the best to his children. In fact, Psalm 8411 says he withholds no good thing from those who walk up rightly this children. He holds nothing back. So, how much more shall your heavenly father give than any earthly father you know John 13 one. Having loved his own which are in the world, he loved them. Ice tell us that says of Jesus, having loved his own in the world, he loved them. Ice tell us to the max to the end to the finish completely, totally limitless late, infinitely it's out of that love. It's out of that wisdom, it's out of those resources that God gives very different than concept of an earthly monarch or false God. But there's this interesting point. Here it says how much more shall your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. That is, he make sense when you first read it.

In fact, in the parallel passage Matthew 711, only paralleling teaching although on a different occasion.

Listen to Matthew 711, citizens make better sense. If you then, being evil here. Jesus taught the same thing in the sermon on the mount. If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask him. That's good parallel is not you. Being able now to give good gifts. How much more shall your heavenly father give what is good to those rest but doesn't say that here it says how much more shall your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit how the Holy Spirit can enter an arrest. Some commentators not to Longo who said there is a narrowing here. There is a narrowing here in Matthew, it's that which is good.

It's broad wide limitless curates the Holy Spirit so he narrows it down to the specific thing when I read things like that and they don't sorta sound right and sound right, that the Lord would narrow this promisee would make it as broad as possible in one place.

Anything that is good in the narrow it down to the Holy Spirit another place service it back in my chair and going to my meditation mode try to figure out what may really be being said here the whole point of this is not the God's going to narrowly give us some prescribed things if we happen to hit the target. The whole idea is common asked for whatever's on your heart and rush into God's presence whenever you want.

Of course, with a measure of humility and reverence, but still bear your heart speak boldly the persistent go over the top. If you will and you can expect the God who is generous give you whatever's good. But how does the Holy Spirit fitted me just make it real simple. Okay, it doesn't say you ask for the Holy Spirit necessarily.

It says give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him when you go to ask God for whatever you ask God for whatever it is, God gives you the Holy Spirit initially what I mean. You asked for comfort to give you the comforter right you asked for help he gave you helper you asked for truth.

He gave you the truth teacher. You asked for power, he gave you the spirit of power, you asked for wisdom he gave you the spirit of wisdom you asked for guidance he gave you the guy you asked for love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control, and gave you the spirit whose fruit, were released in your life. You see, this is the generosity of God. You asked for the gift he gives the giver you asked for the effect he gives the because you asked for the product gives the sources that generosity he gives you, according to his riches, not out of his riches US God is and were going to the bank. You asked for some money to gives you the bank that's the point I just give you the Holy Spirit, then you got all is out of the Holy Spirit comes power out of the Holy Spirit comes the anointing which teaches you all things out of the Holy Spirit comes the giftedness out of the Holy Spirit comes the fruit out of the Holy Spirit comes the direction of the guidance from the work of the Holy Spirit comes everything out of the Holy Spirit comes intercession on your behalf so that all things work together for good.

I just give you the spirit of a generosity. You might go to God and you might say Lord I need comfort.

Lord, I need the power to get through the circumstance of struggle here. I need to some wisdom, it would be pretty brash to assume safe. You are a disciple, or even for us if we can sort of put ourselves in a position to go to God and say God I just I don't want I don't want of grace.

For the moment. I don't want comfort for the moment. I don't want guidance for the moment, would you just would you just come down and live in me would you do that that would be pretty bold when it that's asking a lot for holy God to take up residence in this clay vessel for holy God, to live in a fouled human that is that's pushing the envelope when you said okay here I am God. I want three flat loaves of bread I want three crackers here for my friend, I'm telling you, would you please come down and live in me permanently for this presumption beyond description. That's exactly what happens, that is exactly what happens. How generous is God. What else can you do this is a narrowing. This is the definition he not only gives you good guess what he plans and you permanently. The source of every one of them you are first within six 1920 says the temple of the holy spirit. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. So it's only a matter of being strengthened by his spirit in the inner man right and then in Ephesians 320. It says now and to him.

It is able to do exceeding abundantly above all he can ask or think, according to the power that works were in us.sis and in effect they have so many needs they need so much power. So much wisdom so much guidance so much help I just put my spirit in and then they have the giver and the source and the cause me that the generosity of this is absolutely staggering, giving us the Holy Spirit specifically is not something less than good gifts is something more than good gifts. The Lord is taking a step further.

He said I'll give you that which is good and nice is all just give you the good one. The third member of the Trinity, God of very God's God the spirit to come and live in your life now those disciples knew about the Holy Spirit. The Jews knew about the Holy Spirit, they could actually say that phrase in the apostles Creed I believe in the Holy Ghost. They read Genesis and it was the spirit of God moved on the waters right and recreation in the form that Isaiah chapter 40 describes creation to the Holy Spirit. Job 33 for Elihu gives testimony, the spirit of God is made me spirit of God is the creator so they knew the spirit of God's work in creation. They also knew the spirit of God came upon the judges in the Old Testament and aided them in their leadership in Israel. They knew that the spirit of God came upon craftsmen who built the tabernacle and built the temple that the spirit of God came upon leaders like King David, and upon the prophets like Ezekiel and Micah Zachariah. They knew the spirit of God came for power and for prophecy and for certain works, but they also knew this is really important. They also knew that when the Messiah came, there would be a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 61 introduces the Messiah by saying the spirit of the Lord is upon me for his anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. Remember Luke four Jesus came and said I have fulfilled that so they knew that when the Messiah came, he would be empowered by the spirit and the Messiah was. He was born of a virgin who was impregnated by the spirit.

He was anointed by the Spirit at his baptism, he was filled by the Holy Spirit and led by the Holy Spirit in his temptation and his ministry. The spirit of God energize me see it right through the gospel of Luke as you move through all those elements of the life of Jesus. So they knew that that was the way it should be. That's what the Old Testament said the Messiah would be anointed by the Holy Spirit. But they also knew that when the Messiah came, he would bring a kingdom which would be dominated by the Holy Spirit. How did they know that because in Joel chapter 2 verses 28, 29, it says the spirit of God would come on all mankind, there would be a release of the Holy Spirit likes of which had never been before and remember the day of Pentecost, Peter says what you see in the day of Pentecost is a preview of what Joel said. The Holy Spirit is going, on all mankind, and there will be prophecies and visions and dreams. That's going to happen in the future kingdom, and there was a preview of it on the day of Pentecost so they associated the Holy Spirit with the coming of Messiah size personal life and ministry with the Messiah's kingdom as well. But there's 1/3 element they knew that the Holy Spirit was going to come in fullness to believers who were a part of that kingdom.

How did they know that because of that key passage that all knowledgeable Jews were aware of Ezekiel chapter 36 that wonderful new covenant passage which Nicodemus so knew so well as a teacher in Israel. This is what the new covenant promises, I will sprinkle clean water on you, you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness all your idols.

I will give you a new heart put a new spirit within you, I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh give you a heart of flesh. In other words him in a totally regenerate your soul, your inside then this and I will put my spirit with in you and he will cause you to walk in my statutes, and be careful to observe my ordinances so they knew that the Holy Spirit was going to come and come in them and enable them to walk obediently to the word of God, they they knew this was in the promise of the new covenant. They knew what Paul said in second Corinthians 3 that the letter kills, in the spirit gives what gives life. So Jesus understands that there waiting for the Holy Spirit there waiting for the Holy Spirit and they know that all fullness is going to come in the spirit that when the spirit comes and takes up residence in them.

They're going to obey the law of God are going to walk in his commandment. So Jesus knows this is in their heart and so he says to them. If you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more is your heavenly father who is perfect and perfectly good. Going to give you what you want most in what you want most is the Holy Spirit because in having him you have not just the supply but you have the source right and you never Jesus said in John 14 to the disciples, he has been with you speaking of the spirit, but he shall be in you a new fullness.

And Jesus said in John seven that when the spirit of God comes in you out of your soul will flow rivers of living water, you will become a gushing fountain of divine blessing spirit will lead you into all truth.

He'll bring you in remembrance of things I've said he'll guide you held direct to help convict you. Do you understand everything that is happened to you as a believer is a product of the work of the Holy Spirit at this point we going to what's called new mythology to study the spirit as a sinner you are convicted by the Holy Spirit. John 16. That's how you came to understand your sin when you confess Jesus is Lord, you did it because of the Holy Spirit. No man confess Jesus as Lord but by the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 12 three you received the knowledge of God's truth from the Holy Spirit because it's only the spirit who knows the things of God first Corinthians chapter 2, the natural man doesn't understand him.

You were given the liberty from the law of sin.

The law of death by the Holy Spirit where the spirit of the Lord is second with you.

317 says there's liberty, you were sealed to eternal life by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1 you walk in righteousness by the spirit.

Romans eight you are baptized into the spirit. First Corinthians 12 literally immersed into his life and power you are indwelt by the spirit. First Corinthians 619, 20, you are filled with the spirit.

Ephesians 518.

Your gifted by the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 12, your given godly virtues by the spirit.

The fruit of the spirit Galatians 5 your empowered by the Spirit for evangelism. Acts 18.

You are constantly prayed for by the spirit. Romans eight who makes groanings which cannot be uttered interceding for you.

You are sanctified by the spirit. Second Thessalonians to your made like Christ by the spirit from one level of glory to the next. More more like Christ. Second Corinthians 318 you have hope in the spirit Romans 823.

The spirit is the Arab on the guarantee. The down payment engagement ring of your future eternal glory. In summary, when the Lord gave you the Holy Spirit gave you everything, absolutely everything by his presence by his power by his grace we are permanently the possessors of everything we need and so much more that he he is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can.

What ask for think you have more resource in the Holy Spirit than you can even imagine it's all over the top. The whole passage God gives you more and giving of the Holy Spirit than you could ever possibly understand. That's why the prayer also. Paul was God would give us the spirit of wisdom and knowledge. We would understand what we have and it's to those who ask.

You ask me doesn't give you what is the spirits gives you the spirit. God is not like that neighbor is who was bothered and said go away but finally relented. God is so generous he gives us more than we could even imagine because since we can't comprehend God or his power or his wisdom or his resources. We can't comprehend the spirit even though he lives in us. That's why he's able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think. Don't dishonor God by doubting his generosity go to him in the middle of your night. And no, you couldn't interrupt him.

He delights that you're there and hold them to his promises and be persistent and demand that he listen and give you what is best. Does this help you to see prayer in a different way. This is also overwhelming to us.

Father, we are so undeserving and so utterly unworthy and yet you have just given us way beyond we could ever comprehend.

We asked for a gift and you gave us the giver. We can only say thank you and we will come and we will plead and we will pray, we will ask.

We will seek we will knock because you've told us that that's how we will receive and find and the floodgates will be open to us. We love you and we thank you for being the generous one that you are so magnanimous we could never be so bold as to ask you to live in us and yet that's what you've done. We thank you for that we thank you that the spirit is there to strengthen us to teach us to guide us to comfort us to help us to intercede for us to keep us seal us until eternal glory. For this we thank you Christ. This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us.

John's current study is a practical guide on how to pray boldly and why you should pray boldly.

It's titled don't be afraid to ask and friend.

If you're feeling distant from God. Are you not getting the joy out of prayer that you once had. I would encourage you to get this series. It not only spells out practical reasons you should pray it will also help you cultivate a deeper biblical understanding of the God you're praying to to order don't be afraid to ask. Contact us today.

Don't be afraid to ask comes in a two CD album is affordably priced. Just call us at 855 grace or you can place your order online@tty.org.

You can also download the MP3 recordings free of charge@tty.org and in fact all of John's sermons 3500 of them are available free at our website so log on today start downloading. And thanks for letting us know when our broadcast the mark to help you understand God's word and apply it to your day-to-day life. Thank you also for remembering the grace to you is a listener supported ministry if you've benefited from John's verse by verse teaching. Consider making a donation so that spiritually hungry listeners in your community and beyond can have access to the same teaching to express your support right to box 4000 panorama city, CA 91412 or you can call our toll-free number 855 grace go to our website TTY.org now for John MacArthur in the entire grace to you. Staff I'm Phil Johnson encouraging you to be here tomorrow when John looks at the life of Daniel and shows you how to pray more fervently and effectively.

Don't miss another half hour of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on wasting