Knocking on Heavens Door ~ Luke 11:9-13!

January 25, 2014 ~ New City Church of Calgary ~ Pastor John Ferguson!

Intro: Eugene Peterson, Prof Emeritus at Regent College in Vancouver, BC, asked a young lady (whose 6
month old marriage was already on the rocks), this question: Do you pray? She shook her head, No. Never.
Peterson noticed a shy, self-deprecating smile emerge faintly at the edge of her mouth. Sometimes I wish
upwards. Can you identify with her?!

There seems almost universal impulse to pray, even if is is only a wish upwards. In many of the religions of
the world, prayer plays an important role. Even self-identified, non-religious people pray at times. A 2004
study found that nearly 30% of atheists admitted they prayed sometimes.1!

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In the Christian view of things, everyone at some level believes in the Creator (Rom. 1:18ff). And prayer is a
kind of response to that knowledge, however elusive & muddied it may seem to be. Thats why prayer is
profoundly altered by the amount and accuracy of that knowledge. Often, it is nothing more than a wish
upwards. It cannot be a real conversation because the knowledge of God is too vague (Keller, 45). !

Part of the mission of Jesus was to tell us, This is what God is like. When you read the Gospels, you learn
that closeness to Godespecially in prayeris something that Jesus says is supposed to be a lived reality for
the followers of Jesus.!

Whether you consider yourself religious nor not, whether you identify as spiritual or secular, Jesus wants to
connect you to God in a way that can only be described with words such as personal, intimate. Indeed,
Jesus invites us to approach God as a loving, caring, deeply involved, generous Father.!

But in order to do so, he must not only bring us into a renewed relationship with his Father, but he must also
correct a defect in peoples thinking about how they view God. We know that because it was a defect in his
original disciples that he sought to address. !

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Knocking on Heavens Door Luke 11:9-13 / Context 11:1-13!
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2 When you pray, say: Father. / Our Father in heaven (Mt. 6). !
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1. The context for Jesus words was the disciples request, Lord teach us to pray.!
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2. Jesus gives them a form of prayer to base their prayers upon, and he gives them the manner in which
they are to pray. !
Last weeks study: Jesus teaches us to pray with shameless boldness as if our heavenly Father
could not refuse.!
The point of Jesus story is more about how we should pray than about how God answers. As if to
drive home the point, Jesus continues with these surprising words!

9! And I tell 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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it
will be opened. !

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1. Building on his story, Jesus tells us that we should ask, seek, & knock. Shameless boldness in prayer. !
2. Key Question: Do we really want what we ask for in prayer? !

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Leon Morris, We must not play at prayer, but must show persistence if we do not receive the answer
immediately. It is not that God is unwilling and must be pressed into answering. The whole context
makes it clear that He is eager to give. But if we do not want what we are asking for enough to be
persistent, we do not want it very much. !
Illus: When Luther's puppy happened to be at the table, he looked for a morsel from his master, and
watched with open mouth and motionless eyes; he (Martin Luther) said, 'Oh, if I could only pray the
way this dog watches the meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece of meat. Otherwise he
has no thought, wish or hope."!
3. Important: the form of these words describes continuous action: keep on askingkeep on seeking
keep on knocking. And dont be afraid to. Shameless boldness in prayer. !
Our part: ask, seek, knock. Gods part: to answer according to his Fatherly heart and wisdom. !

11 What father among you, if his sons asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if
he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts
to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!!

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1. The example Jesus gives of a prankster father is meant to sound absurd. But we can imagine twisted
fathers who might delight in messing with the minds of their kids and giving their kids dangerous
things. Even if the twisted prankster fathers do this, they are nothing like your heavenly Father. !
2. Jesus point is that even bad fathers know how to give good gifts to their children. How much more so
does your heavenly Father who is full of goodness, kindness, generosity, and wisdom?!
James 1:17, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father!
3. The Fathers Greatest Gift: The Gift of the Holy Spirit. Why? B/c the Holy Spirit enables you to know
your heavenly Father. !
John 1:11-12, He came to his own, but his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive
him, who believed in his name, he gives us the right to become children of God.!
Gal. 4:6, Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba!
Father!!
Abba is a term of respect & endearment = Dearest Father. !
Same word Jesus used shortly before His death when he cried out, Abba! Father! (Mk. 14:36).!
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.!

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So why did Luke record this episode in his historical biography of Jesus? !
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Jesus is calling people to join him in the revolution he proclaimed. He came announcing the Gospel of the
Kingdom of Godthe kind reign of God in the hearts and lives of people created in his image. And one of the
ways that God wins our hearts is showing us what he is like as the perfect heavenly Father. !

D. Wenham, 184 the promise of answered prayeris a promise that in calling people to join the revolution
of God, with all its sacrifices and demands, Jesus is not calling people to a lonely and impossible struggle,
but into a relationship with a Father who listens to his children, cares about their needs and loves to give
them good things.!
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Main Idea: Life in the Kingdom of God means that !
Gods fatherly care of us gives us every reason we need to pray confidently & expectantly. !

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Application:!
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1. Pray. Pray confidently to your heavenly Father. !
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(1) Jesus has done everything needed for you to have access to the Father. !
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Hebrews 4:16, Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in time of need.!

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Tim Chester, You Can Pray, The Father will no more reject our prayers than he will reject the prayers
of his own Son, Jesus.!
God may sometimes say No as he did to Jesus, but if we are a follow of Christ its NOT because
we are unworthy or dont use the right words or even because we dont have enough faith. !
True faith in our good and loving Father trusts that He knows best, so even when he does say no,
we know that he still loves us and accepts us. So we say with Jesus, Nevertheless, not my will
but Yours be done.!
(2) So to pray confidently to your heavenly Father is to believe what Jesus taught us, that we
should should ask, seek, & knock. !
JI Packer, Knowing God, If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out
how much he makes of the thought of being Gods child, and having God as his Father. If this is not
the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means
that he does not understand Christianity very well at all!

Pray. Pray expectantly to your heavenly Father. !

(1) There is a temptation for us to qualify Jesus words. Does this lead to some kind of Name it & Claim it
theology? Unfortunately, some people will take these words out of context and out of the context of
Jesus calling people into the Kingdom of God. Some will take this and turn God into some kind of
impersonal cosmic vending machinelike a magic genie who is here to grant our three wishes. !
(2) But what we dont want to do is to have Jesus words die a thousand deaths at the hands of a thousand
qualifications. Jesus is saying to you and me as we join him in life and mission, My Father has a great
big heart, and as you follow me on this life of discipleship, tell him whats on your heart. Dont be afraid
to ask. He wants you to. Go ahead. Pray with shameless boldness as if he could not refuse! !
Jesus is using over the top languagehyperboleto get our attention. Will you ask for the wrong !
things sometimes? Of course you will. But dont let that stop you from asking. Trust your heavenly !
Father. You were designed for so much more than simply wishing upwards. You were designed to know
God as a heavenly Father. Thats why he gave you the gift of the Spirit, so that you can call out Abba! !
Father! and let your requests be made known to God. !
(3) Ten Thousand Reasons: Youre rich in love and Youre slow to anger / Your name is great and Your
heart is kind / For all Your goodness I will keep on singing (praying) / ten thousand reasons for my heart
to find.!
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