0:00:05.486,0:00:07.075 "What Father among you 0:00:07.075,0:00:09.406 if his son asks for a fish 0:00:09.406,0:00:12.180 will instead of a fish 0:00:12.180,0:00:13.838 give him a serpent? 0:00:13.838,0:00:15.188 Or if he asks for an egg 0:00:15.188,0:00:16.958 will give him a scorpion? 0:00:16.958,0:00:19.187 If you then who are evil 0:00:19.187,0:00:20.732 know how to give good gifts 0:00:20.732,0:00:21.649 to your children, 0:00:21.649,0:00:23.559 how much more will your heavenly Father 0:00:23.559,0:00:26.431 give the Holy Spirit to [br]those who ask Him?" 0:00:26.431,0:00:30.235 Now, brethren, I would [br]just challenge you here. 0:00:30.235,0:00:32.398 How much more will your heavenly Father 0:00:32.398,0:00:35.459 give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him? 0:00:35.459,0:00:37.405 One thing I want you to see right off 0:00:37.405,0:00:38.710 and absolutely clearly 0:00:38.710,0:00:41.055 and make no mistake about: 0:00:41.055,0:00:43.821 These are saved men 0:00:43.821,0:00:47.100 asking Jesus to teach them to pray. 0:00:47.100,0:00:49.857 These are not lost men asking Jesus 0:00:49.857,0:00:51.891 how to be saved. 0:00:51.891,0:00:53.213 Now that's important 0:00:53.213,0:00:56.033 because the way to be saved 0:00:56.033,0:01:01.564 is not to ask God for the Holy Spirit. 0:01:01.564,0:01:03.540 You understand that, right? 0:01:03.540,0:01:06.085 Because there can be [br]a misunderstanding here. 0:01:06.085,0:01:08.109 People can look at this and they can say, 0:01:08.109,0:01:11.226 well, if they're asking [br]for the Holy Spirit, 0:01:11.226,0:01:15.078 maybe that means that they [br]don't have the Holy Spirit 0:01:15.078,0:01:17.166 and people that don't have the Holy Spirit 0:01:17.166,0:01:18.357 are lost people, 0:01:18.357,0:01:21.041 and so you go the Father and [br]you ask Him for the Spirit, 0:01:21.041,0:01:24.592 and basically, if, you know, 0:01:24.592,0:01:26.369 Paul says this in Roman 8, 0:01:26.369,0:01:28.199 if you don't have the Spirit, 0:01:28.199,0:01:30.001 you don't belong to Jesus Christ. 0:01:30.001,0:01:31.382 Right? So maybe it's people 0:01:31.382,0:01:33.189 who don't have the Spirit, 0:01:33.189,0:01:34.796 who don't belong to Jesus Christ 0:01:34.796,0:01:36.689 coming to the Father to get the Spirit 0:01:36.689,0:01:39.610 so that they can get saved. 0:01:39.610,0:01:42.191 I don't know if any of you [br]have ever thought that, 0:01:42.191,0:01:44.617 but that is obviously not what that means. 0:01:44.617,0:01:47.520 What you have is you have the idea 0:01:47.520,0:01:52.921 of a child going to his father, 0:01:52.921,0:01:56.947 which is very consistent [br]with the disciples 0:01:56.947,0:02:02.585 asking Jesus to show them how to pray 0:02:02.585,0:02:03.633 to their Father. 0:02:03.633,0:02:05.365 And that's how Jesus started, right? 0:02:05.365,0:02:08.087 Pray this way: "Father..." 0:02:08.087,0:02:11.747 "Our Father..." 0:02:11.747,0:02:13.751 So, what does that mean? 0:02:13.751,0:02:15.935 Obviously every single Christian 0:02:15.935,0:02:18.420 has the Holy Spirit, 0:02:18.420,0:02:23.623 so if we already have the Spirit, 0:02:23.623,0:02:26.274 and if the Spirit once [br]takes up residency - 0:02:26.274,0:02:27.787 by the way, 0:02:27.787,0:02:29.209 one of the promises connected 0:02:29.209,0:02:30.640 with the New Covenant 0:02:30.640,0:02:33.950 is that God's going to [br]give His Spirit to us. 0:02:33.950,0:02:36.379 He's going to put His Spirit within us. 0:02:36.379,0:02:38.818 And if we don't have that Spirit, 0:02:38.818,0:02:43.128 what is it? About Romans 8:9 I think? 0:02:43.128,0:02:45.776 If we don't have the Spirit,[br]we don't belong to Christ. 0:02:45.776,0:02:48.816 And obviously, we don't go 0:02:48.816,0:02:55.902 having the Spirit, losing the Spirit,[br]having the Spirit, losing the Spirit. 0:02:55.902,0:02:59.293 Once that Spirit is given, 0:02:59.293,0:03:02.110 He is with us always. 0:03:02.110,0:03:04.491 Forever. 0:03:04.491,0:03:05.762 Jesus said that. 0:03:05.762,0:03:08.177 Jesus said that this Comforter was coming, 0:03:08.177,0:03:12.683 and He would be with them forever. 0:03:12.683,0:03:14.963 And so what do we make of that? 0:03:14.963,0:03:17.207 Why are we praying for the Holy Spirit 0:03:17.207,0:03:22.774 if we already have the Holy Spirit? 0:03:22.774,0:03:24.038 Well, it's interesting, 0:03:24.038,0:03:25.690 if we look at the parallel passage 0:03:25.690,0:03:27.942 over in Matthew 7, 0:03:27.942,0:03:29.791 it doesn't say "Holy Spirit" there, 0:03:29.791,0:03:32.686 it says "good things." 0:03:32.686,0:03:34.017 It almost seems to me like 0:03:34.017,0:03:35.534 what Luke does is He reaches 0:03:35.534,0:03:37.363 in the bag of good things 0:03:37.363,0:03:40.176 and He brings out the best thing. 0:03:40.176,0:03:42.199 And why would I say the best thing? 0:03:42.199,0:03:43.842 Because Jesus, back there 0:03:43.842,0:03:45.808 in that area where John started - 0:03:45.808,0:03:50.141 the John 14, 15, 16 realm 0:03:50.141,0:03:54.232 where Christ is leaving His disciples - 0:03:54.232,0:03:56.012 do you know why He was telling them 0:03:56.012,0:03:58.469 that He was leaving them peace 0:03:58.469,0:04:01.310 and that they ought not to be afraid? 0:04:01.310,0:04:03.713 Because He was telling [br]them at the same time 0:04:03.713,0:04:05.801 that He was going away. 0:04:05.801,0:04:07.401 He was going to be taken away, 0:04:07.401,0:04:09.258 but He said this to them: 0:04:09.258,0:04:12.338 Look, it is more profitable for you 0:04:12.338,0:04:17.036 that I go and the Holy Spirit come. 0:04:17.036,0:04:18.648 There is something 0:04:18.648,0:04:21.329 about having the Holy Spirit 0:04:21.329,0:04:23.282 that is more profitable for the church 0:04:23.282,0:04:26.638 than if Christ remained here bodily, 0:04:26.638,0:04:28.257 earthly Himself. 0:04:28.257,0:04:29.784 And Jesus realized it. 0:04:29.784,0:04:31.548 The Holy Spirit was going to unleash 0:04:31.548,0:04:33.035 such power into the church. 0:04:33.035,0:04:34.935 You think about just what happened 0:04:34.935,0:04:36.359 in the life of Peter. 0:04:36.359,0:04:38.859 Here's Peter walking with Christ 0:04:38.859,0:04:41.145 bodily on the earth, 0:04:41.145,0:04:43.065 and look what he was like, 0:04:43.065,0:04:45.889 versus when Christ leaves, [br]the Spirit comes, 0:04:45.889,0:04:47.795 now Peter's filled with the Spirit, 0:04:47.795,0:04:49.475 where before he was denying Christ 0:04:49.475,0:04:50.866 in front of little girls. 0:04:50.866,0:04:53.409 Now he's standing boldly [br]before the Sanhedrin 0:04:53.409,0:04:55.070 and he's proclaiming Christ. 0:04:55.070,0:04:57.531 And Christ Himself said 0:04:57.531,0:04:59.248 Peter was going to go all the way 0:04:59.248,0:05:02.966 to laying down his life for Christ. 0:05:02.966,0:05:04.940 The Spirit of God 0:05:04.940,0:05:09.239 endued the church of God 0:05:09.239,0:05:11.724 with power from on high. 0:05:11.724,0:05:15.228 And basically, I think the way 0:05:15.228,0:05:18.001 we want to take Luke 11, 0:05:18.001,0:05:20.610 how much more will our Father 0:05:20.610,0:05:23.380 give the Holy Spirit to them that ask. 0:05:23.380,0:05:28.501 It's the idea of the [br]influences of the Spirit, 0:05:28.501,0:05:30.285 and we all have to admit 0:05:30.285,0:05:32.346 that even in that early church, 0:05:32.346,0:05:33.901 they had the Spirit there. 0:05:33.901,0:05:36.385 The Spirit came down on that church 0:05:36.385,0:05:38.224 on the day of Pentecost. 0:05:38.224,0:05:40.245 But some of those very same men 0:05:40.245,0:05:43.570 upon whom that Spirit fell in that day, 0:05:43.570,0:05:45.558 we find later accounts 0:05:45.558,0:05:47.438 where filled with the Holy Spirit 0:05:47.438,0:05:48.407 there was boldness, 0:05:48.407,0:05:51.135 there was all sorts of things[br]breaking out in the church. 0:05:51.135,0:05:55.355 The power of God is not [br]static in the church. 0:05:55.355,0:05:58.095 You can't come to that [br]conclusion by the book of Acts. 0:05:58.095,0:06:00.351 You can't come to that [br]conclusion historically. 0:06:00.351,0:06:02.370 You can't come to that conclusion probably 0:06:02.370,0:06:05.235 if you've been a Christian [br]any length of time, 0:06:05.235,0:06:07.772 you realize it in your own life. 0:06:07.772,0:06:09.230 In the life of the church, 0:06:09.230,0:06:12.403 we have ebbs and flows. 0:06:12.403,0:06:17.655 Brethren, a pastor friend has said, 0:06:17.655,0:06:20.571 brethren, if we have such [br]promise in the Scriptures, 0:06:20.571,0:06:22.289 every time we come to pray, 0:06:22.289,0:06:24.751 we ought to be asking for the Holy Spirit. 0:06:24.751,0:06:25.680 For what? 0:06:25.680,0:06:29.034 What does the Holy Spirit [br]bring to the church? 0:06:29.034,0:06:30.510 It brought to that early church 0:06:30.510,0:06:31.916 boldness and courage 0:06:31.916,0:06:34.602 to proclaim the Gospel. 0:06:34.602,0:06:39.586 The Holy Spirit brings the Word to mind. 0:06:39.586,0:06:41.762 Remember? He said if they get imprisoned 0:06:41.762,0:06:43.720 or they're brought before these leaders 0:06:43.720,0:06:45.819 that don't worry ahead of time 0:06:45.819,0:06:47.059 what you're going to say? 0:06:47.059,0:06:48.828 Have you guys ever experienced that? 0:06:48.828,0:06:50.257 You've been in a situation - 0:06:50.257,0:06:51.874 maybe you haven't been in prison, 0:06:51.874,0:06:53.348 but you've been in a situation 0:06:53.348,0:06:55.287 where immediately you needed something 0:06:55.287,0:06:56.977 and God gave it to you. 0:06:56.977,0:06:59.911 Brethren, He brings the [br]fruits of the Spirit. 0:06:59.911,0:07:01.212 The chief one is love. 0:07:01.212,0:07:02.801 You just can't get away from it. 0:07:02.801,0:07:05.064 The New Testament is basically this: 0:07:05.064,0:07:06.807 Christ gave a new commandment. 0:07:06.807,0:07:09.632 That commandment is a commandment of love. 0:07:09.632,0:07:11.837 That is the greatest test of Christianity. 0:07:11.837,0:07:12.603 Love. 0:07:12.603,0:07:14.771 And the Spirit is the one [br]Who gives it to us. 0:07:14.771,0:07:16.402 A love for Christ Himself. 0:07:16.402,0:07:21.728 A love on the horizontal [br]plane for one another. 0:07:21.728,0:07:24.005 A love in the church. 0:07:24.005,0:07:25.466 We heard about peace. 0:07:25.466,0:07:27.331 He gives that peace. 0:07:27.331,0:07:29.405 My peace I leave with you. 0:07:29.405,0:07:31.386 Where does that peace come from? 0:07:31.386,0:07:33.970 We find in Galatians 5 distinctly 0:07:33.970,0:07:36.237 that peace comes from the Spirit of God. 0:07:36.237,0:07:38.509 This Spirit is the one Who gives gifts 0:07:38.509,0:07:39.573 to the church. 0:07:39.573,0:07:40.776 Do we want gifts? 0:07:40.776,0:07:42.148 Do we want laborers? 0:07:42.148,0:07:43.608 Do we want men and women 0:07:43.608,0:07:46.435 who have abilities to minister, 0:07:46.435,0:07:47.720 to show mercy, 0:07:47.720,0:07:51.395 to give, to teach, to serve? 0:07:51.395,0:07:52.588 Absolutely! 0:07:52.588,0:07:54.575 All that gamut of gifts. 0:07:54.575,0:07:56.779 Even the supernatural element. 0:07:56.779,0:07:59.306 Brethren, it's the Spirit of God 0:07:59.306,0:08:00.858 that gives those things. 0:08:00.858,0:08:03.526 The Spirit of God is that Spirit 0:08:03.526,0:08:06.316 which we are warned against quenching. 0:08:06.316,0:08:08.305 Quenching has the idea 0:08:08.305,0:08:10.176 of throwing water on a fire. 0:08:10.176,0:08:11.602 You throw water on a fire, 0:08:11.602,0:08:12.945 it diminishes its heat. 0:08:12.945,0:08:14.352 It diminishes its light. 0:08:14.352,0:08:17.321 The Spirit is what infuses the church 0:08:17.321,0:08:21.183 with light and heat. 0:08:21.183,0:08:23.173 We need to pray for the Spirit. 0:08:23.173,0:08:24.863 When the Spirit helps us, 0:08:24.863,0:08:27.042 when the Spirit empowers us, 0:08:27.042,0:08:28.812 it's only then, brethren, 0:08:28.812,0:08:30.807 that we can advance 0:08:30.807,0:08:32.653 and we can take ground. 0:08:32.653,0:08:34.002 It's the Spirit of God 0:08:34.002,0:08:36.906 that puts that fire in the [br]hearts of men and women 0:08:36.906,0:08:39.707 to go forth, to lay down their lives 0:08:39.707,0:08:41.475 for the Gospel's sake, 0:08:41.475,0:08:43.319 to sacrifice. 0:08:43.319,0:08:45.111 It's the Holy Spirit that we need 0:08:45.111,0:08:48.145 in order to have a powerful Gospel. 0:08:48.145,0:08:49.587 It's the Holy Spirit 0:08:49.587,0:08:52.573 that causes men to be born again. 0:08:52.573,0:08:54.413 We want to see life in this church. 0:08:54.413,0:08:55.803 We want to see growth. 0:08:55.803,0:08:57.261 Don't we find also, 0:08:57.261,0:09:02.345 what is it about 2 Thessalonians 2:13? 0:09:02.345,0:09:03.979 1 Thessalonians 2:13 0:09:03.979,0:09:05.426 We find there, brethren, 0:09:05.426,0:09:08.061 we are sanctified by the Holy Spirit. 0:09:08.061,0:09:10.470 Sanctification. Any kind of growth. 0:09:10.470,0:09:13.340 Don't we also find in 2 Corinthians 3:18, 0:09:13.340,0:09:16.342 that by the Lord Who is the Spirit, 0:09:16.342,0:09:19.193 that's how we behold the glory of Christ? 0:09:19.193,0:09:21.751 And are transformed into His image 0:09:21.751,0:09:24.309 from one degree of glory to another? 0:09:24.309,0:09:26.077 Brethren, the Spirit of God 0:09:26.077,0:09:28.532 is also an intercessor in our prayers. 0:09:28.532,0:09:30.295 We find that in Romans 8. 0:09:30.295,0:09:33.254 The Spirit is a Spirit of adoption. 0:09:33.254,0:09:36.703 And He bears witness with our spirits 0:09:36.703,0:09:38.013 that we're children of God. 0:09:38.013,0:09:40.904 Beloved, do we want [br]assurance in this church? 0:09:40.904,0:09:42.019 I'll tell you what, 0:09:42.019,0:09:43.844 it's when we have a hope of salvation, 0:09:43.844,0:09:45.377 and a deep-founded assurance 0:09:45.377,0:09:47.463 that you can lay your [br]life down for Christ. 0:09:47.463,0:09:48.512 People would go around 0:09:48.512,0:09:49.796 doubting, wondering, 0:09:49.796,0:09:51.955 not sure if they're in, [br]sure if they're out, 0:09:51.955,0:09:53.709 very difficult for people like that 0:09:53.709,0:09:57.489 to really launch out and [br]do anything for Christ. 0:09:57.489,0:10:01.179 Brethren, we need the Spirit's power 0:10:01.179,0:10:03.473 and His working in our midst. 0:10:03.473,0:10:06.128 And what we have here is a promise. 0:10:06.128,0:10:08.093 What we have here is disciples 0:10:08.093,0:10:10.954 coming to Christ and saying, 0:10:10.954,0:10:12.740 "Teach us to pray." 0:10:12.740,0:10:15.941 And He wraps up this whole [br]instruction on prayer 0:10:15.941,0:10:19.771 with this: be persistent. 0:10:19.771,0:10:22.432 Ask and seek and knock. 0:10:22.432,0:10:24.062 And above every other thing 0:10:24.062,0:10:28.333 that He talks to us about asking for, 0:10:28.333,0:10:34.925 He says seek from your [br]Father the Holy Spirit. 0:10:34.925,0:10:37.491 I believe that when it says [br]ask for the Holy Spirit, 0:10:37.491,0:10:41.055 the idea is that we are to ask 0:10:41.055,0:10:44.267 for His influences, 0:10:44.267,0:10:48.784 for His fiery influences. 0:10:48.784,0:10:51.132 Brethren, we don't want [br]to quench that Spirit. 0:10:51.132,0:10:55.804 We want to ask for it. 0:10:58.296,0:11:02.260 Did that about use up that 20 minutes? 0:11:02.260,0:11:05.272 Pretty close. 0:11:09.139,0:11:14.692 I just leave you with this thought. 0:11:14.692,0:11:16.597 "How much more will the heavenly Father 0:11:16.597,0:11:21.561 give the Holy Spirit to [br]those who ask Him?" 0:11:21.561,0:11:24.472 Did you catch those last words? 0:11:24.472,0:11:33.289 To those who ask Him. 0:11:33.289,0:11:36.222 Brethren, you let your Calvinism 0:11:36.222,0:11:39.644 take you in a direction 0:11:39.644,0:11:45.240 where you logically start to conclude 0:11:45.240,0:11:48.485 that your prayers don't matter - 0:11:48.485,0:11:51.357 James says you have not [br]because you do not ask. 0:11:51.357,0:11:53.982 Brethren, if you've got [br]a sort of Calvinism 0:11:53.982,0:11:56.485 that doesn't believe that statement, 0:11:56.485,0:11:59.662 then dump it. 0:11:59.662,0:12:00.918 Prayer matters. 0:12:00.918,0:12:02.368 God hears prayer. 0:12:02.368,0:12:05.250 God gives the Holy Spirit [br]to those who ask. 0:12:05.250,0:12:08.952 Jesus does not say 0:12:08.952,0:12:11.202 that if you don't ask, don't seek, 0:12:11.202,0:12:12.859 don't knock, God is sovereign, 0:12:12.859,0:12:14.204 God has His decrees, 0:12:14.204,0:12:15.782 and He's going to do it anyways. 0:12:15.782,0:12:18.224 He doesn't say that. 0:12:18.224,0:12:19.798 He says He gives the Holy Spirit 0:12:19.798,0:12:21.283 to them that ask. 0:12:21.283,0:12:23.814 Brethren, God forbid we get to the end 0:12:23.814,0:12:25.578 and we find we could have had more 0:12:25.578,0:12:27.158 if we would have asked for it, 0:12:27.158,0:12:30.029 but we just didn't ask. 0:12:30.029,0:12:34.819 God help us to not get to that place. 0:12:34.819,0:12:37.214 Amen. 0:12:37.214,0:12:41.147 You're dismissed for the moment.