Luke 10:25-37

We all know the phrase that actions speak louder than words. The same is true for the Christ follower. Christianity is not a collection of sayings. What we believe will only become believable to others when they see what we do, and not just hear what we have to say.

Jesus is saying, when you go to pray, pray, craving, longing and stay at it.
Don’t give up. Why is God deaf? No. Do you really want what you’re asking for?
We can pray with hope. Not only that verse nine, we learn diligently. We can pray because it causes anticipation.
When we pray diligently to the Lord, we can pray and have anticipation about it.
He uses the word seek, seek and you will find.
You have an underlying will look at this seek and you might find no seek and you could find no seek.
And if you’re lucky, you’ll find oh no seek and you will find the word seek is escalating up from the word.
Ask the word seek. Is this again in the Greek present tense, keep seeking over and over again by how hunting, stalking and searching it out.
It’s a hunting term. You know that great scene, that brilliant manly scene of Elmer Fudd hunting the rabbit.
Sh He says, I’m hunting rabbit. He’s seeking hunting, he’s prowling for it. That’s the word seek.
You not only ask, keep on asking, asking, asking craving, you take the craving of what you’re seeking.
The Lord about this way by hunting after it. That is wild wording.
We are to passionately pursue the Lord. Sometimes we, I like what Warren Sby says.
He says, sometimes we pray a prayer. We’re not even paying attention to the prayer we’re praying.
So then how will we know in the day when God answers the prayer that we prayed for?
And if we weren’t paying attention, if the answer comes, how will we ever know?
Oh God, amen.
Go to get my coffee, go to work and then God answers the prayer that you’re blabbing.
You weren’t even aware of it. God answered.
How can you thank Him when you don’t even know what you prayed for?
Oh, you know, God give me to work on time.
You don’t even thinking because you’re thinking about the oven or you thinking about something else or the basketball game.
And then God answers your prayer. You don’t even know how to thank Him.
Intelligent prayer, diligent prayer, anticipating in prayer mark 11 24.
Therefore, I say to you whatever things you ask when you pray.
Jesus says, believe that you’ll receive them and you’ll have them.
Wow, that’s praying with anticipation, isn’t it? Don’t you want?
Look, if, if you’re sick, the last thing you wanna do is have somebody come out and pray for you.
Oh, I’m sick. Will you pray for me? Yeah. Sure. God, I, we know you heal.
I mean, we read about the Bible I, I’ve never seen it personally. A lot of people get sick.
It’s no big deal that my brother is sick here. So, I don’t know.
God, I guess, you know, do whatever you want to do and, uh, you know. Amen.
Oh boy. Look, if that’s how you pray, do not pray for me.
In fact, you want the best prayers ever. Like, like little Chloe.
You get the little ones like that to pray for you.
Listen, I, no matter what happens, I will succeed if the children’s ministry is praying for me.
You know why they’re so cool God. God, father, Lord. Huh?
Persistent and believe in bless pastor Jack.
You think God’s gonna say to those little ones? No, not today. You know what?
He may be upset with me. I think you’ll still bless me for them.
He’s so good anticipation. We can anticipate when we pray.
Now watch this, when we pray and you guys have done this.
When we pray, we’ll even check the time.
Father, we’re asking you now, remember we’ve prayed like this before Lord, we’re asking you right now at 10 30.
Why? Because we’re praying with anticipation and confidence when the Christian prays in a diligent way, diligence produces confidence.
When we pray. If we stay at prayer, God’s gonna answer, builds more confidence. Knock.
He uses a more intense word, even still knock and it will be open to you. What an amazing thing.
The word knock here means. And the best word is kind of a funny word for us in this, in this day and age.
But the word means to rap. The word knock is the word rap.
I’m not talking about singing a song.
I’m talking about when you, when you just knocking, knocking, knocking, you’re rapping on that door.
Somebody will say, will you quit? You’re rapping. What is that? That’s what Jesus is using.
The word knock, knock, knock, knock, not neighbor, open up, not, not.
I mean, this is driving you crazy. Jesus is not like that in your prayers.
I’m convicted. How often do I do this? How often do you do this? Now?
I know if we took time to go through everyone’s story, I can tell you maybe a couple of times in my life.
I know I prayed like that. Um I was really sick one time for a long time.
I remember praying like that. I was in a crisis. So I prayed like this.
I remember when Ashley was eight months old, she was at Saint Jude’s hospital.
They put her in quarantine and the pediatric hematologist came out to us and said there’s about a 50% chance that she’ll survive tonight.
What? Oh, you’ll pray like this.
You’ll knock the door of heaven down when you’re desperate of.
Have you been desperate like that before a brother in our church?
A wonderful usher in our church just lost his son killed in an accident, family distraught. You pray like that.
I’m just so glad that our God is big in the difficulties.
You see, Jack, I’ve never prayed like that before. Sit, listen to him.
When he gives you something, you’ll start praying like this so that when the crisis comes, you’ll know how to pray church.
I gotta tell you something and I, I’m, I am, I am praying in confidence for this.
I believe this is gonna happen. It’s not because I, I drummed it up.
In fact, the whole thought came at a very depressing time for me.
But I highly encourage you to pray. Ask, keep on asking, seek, keep on seeking, not keep on knocking.
Why? Because you guys know that when I prepared for that seven week long study on exposing Islam in America, I got so depressed.
You wanna get depressed, read the Koran. I mean to tell you you’ll get depressed.
I was so depressed and gave those studies and I was so down and the Lord began to strengthen my heart in the word the Bible.
All right. All right. OK. Great. And I gotta tell you something.
I went and bought recently a little journal. I encourage you to do that guys.
We’re not prone to journaling and I don’t even think I’m actually journaling.
But you know what God, I’m asking you to revive America, revive the church, send revival and then you date it July 22nd 2007.
And then I’m waiting for the answer. Number one, I believe I’m praying in accordance with God’s will.
He wants to do it. Number two, we need it. We need it badly, right?
When you start praying like that, oh God send revival, please. We need it.
When you, and then you start listening to the news and you start seeing what’s going on in the community.
You start seeing what’s happening in the world and it feeds one another instead of getting depressed.
God, we qualify for revival. We’re messed up. We need help.
The government can’t save us, nothing can save us God. You can do it. God, please.
And then you, you start asking, you start seeking and you start knocking and you’re gonna know when we start knocking because I’m not gonna knock by myself as a church.
We’re going to get together in the next few months and we’re gonna start knocking on the door of heaven.
God, hear our cry, hear our prayer and we’re gonna seek him and I believe he’s gonna answer.
We can pray like that with confidence.
You’re listening to real life with Pastor Jack Hibbs.
You know, to hear more episodes and maybe catch up in the series. Just go to Jack Hibbs dot com.
That’s Jack Hibbs dot com. And for now, let’s get back to our teaching. Once again, here’s Pastor Jack.
And finally, on this point, the Christian prays with diligence verse 10 because diligence creates assurance for everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it will be open.
What an awesome thing Jesus is saying, you ask, cry out seeking knocking, the answer is gonna come.
Comfort is going to come. Relief will come.
You see that in your life. Look, you guys, the letters are written and read.
How do you get away from that? It’s there.
I mean, you, you gotta look at that for everyone who ask.
And so it’s incumbent upon you and I, we’re the ones that have to ask.
So he asked, but again, how desperate we are and how hungry are we?
And, and how sure are we?
You might say to me, Jack are, are you asking us to bug God?
No, God cannot be bugged. I’ll give you two pictures. One, I’ll give you right now.
And the second one, I hope I remember when Lisa, my wife Lisa used to work for Pastor Chuck Smith at Costa Mesa and she’d see the people coming into his office.
There are appointments, you know, I mean, there’s stuff that came in.
Pastor Chuck Billy Graham is on the phone.
Can you imagine people coming in from all over the world appointments?
You know, who didn’t have an appointment? They didn’t need one.
The cars would pull up or, or the van would pull up and kids would climb out little ones, you know who they were his grandkids and it didn’t matter if the Pope was, was in his office.
The kids, the little ones blow right past the counter, right past the pastors, right past the front office.
Secretaries. The door flies open and I saw this once in my life sit in his office, the door flies open.
If the kids come in, it looks like ants.
They come in on the desk sitting on his lap putting M and MS on the top of his head.
Skittles all over the oh oh, he’s loving it. The kids are completely just out of control.
Having a ball. It didn’t matter if you’re in the office or not. You were not his grandkid.
The grandkids arrived and it’s the office. This very holy sullen place, the door flies open.
All this mayhem goes on where the kids came in. When we pray.
That’s how it’s supposed to be like that.
When we pray the door flies wide open, we come right up into the father’s lap.
Didn’t you get that last week?
When Jesus said when you come say papa father run there with this audacity, you run in.
It’s amazing. Secondly, in my mind to ask to seek and to knock like this, to stay at it.
This story is not so lofty, but it’s practical. I remember you guys.
Um I don’t know if your Children are afraid of the dark, if they’re afraid of the wind.
I used to be really scared of the wind.
When I was a little kid used to freak me out and when the Santa Ana winds used to blow, we didn’t get them so bad in Orange County, but they would blow enough.
I would think that tree is talking that tree out there and the something.
Look, listen, what’s coming from that and you can’t get out of bed because you’re, you can’t, that’s like the international rule.
You can’t get out of bed in the night because you’re scared. Everybody’s sleeping. Now, the wind’s blowing.
Ok. So it’s like this there down the hallway.
Dad, dad, what is the house locked up? It’s locked, go to sleep. It’s midnight.
Dad. Dad, what is the dog in? Yes.
The dogs in the house, right?
Well, you’re scared.
You want assurance from down the hallway. Dad, what is it? No, nothing.
Why do you pursue? Because you want assurance. You want comfort.
You want to hear the voice.
We do that in life as long as we do that for assurance, going to the Lord comforting, wonderful third and final point this morning verses 11 to 13, how a Christian prayer should be with expectation.
We are to be praying with expectation and that is by trusting the father verses 11 and 12.
Jesus said, if a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?
Well, no, if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
Can you imagine kind of a kind of a fish sandwich. Yeah, here’s a snake.
Suck on this for a while. The guys are laughing. They’re going Peter. Funny.
Nobody gives a kid a snake. What’s he talking about? This is funny. The kid goes for, you know, something.
You get a snake. This is ridiculous. Jesus. What, what are you doing this for? He’s getting their attention.
You can ask for an ape. You gonna give him a scorpion? Hey, watch this. No.
What a ridiculous thought. Jesus is exploding the scene in their minds to get it across to them.
Why do we tip toe and so cowardly with unbelief, pray, Jesus is saying, go for it.
It’s a very sad day when people, Christians maybe even say, well, you know what uh we began to pray, we began to pray for Uncle Bob.
People start thinking when you begin to pray, it’s that bad like you mean, it’s reached such cataclysmic proportions that you have now begun to pray.
Oh my goodness. And people get on the phone, you know what? It must be bad. They’re praying.
It should never be like that. It should never be like that. It should be natural.
Oh, they’re praying. Let’s pray. Can I pray? It encourages people. Why we can trust our father?
He’s not gonna give us something weird. Hey, Jack, pray. Watch Gabriel. I’m gonna send a lightning bolt.
We can trust him.
And then finally this receiving the Spirit church, all of a sudden this is in fact what verse 13 circle in your Bible you can write on the margins.
This has driven theologians nuts for 2000 years. Verse 13, it just really amazing up until now.
What do you think this message is about? What do you think Jesus is talking about praying?
Well, you can certainly argue that. Yeah, I guess it’s about praying. How about being persistent?
Maybe it’s about teaching us to be persistent. Yes, you could argue that too.
In fact, if you argued that in your class and seminary, you’d probably get an a but there’s a troubling verse at the end that throws a curve to everybody who’s studying and everyone who’s listening.
Jesus sums up the whole thing. If you then being evil, he’s not insulting them.
He’s saying if you guys are just mere humans and know what to do, that’s good to give good gifts to your kids.
How much more will your Heavenly Father give you bread? Give you uh eggs, uh give you what?
Give you the Holy Spirit to those who ask? Well, can I wait, what, where did that come from?
Right out of nowhere. Jesus sums up the whole pursuit of watch asking.
Keep on asking, seeking, keep on seeking knocking, keep on knocking for an answer and we can fill in the blank and say whatever answer you need.
In this case, Jesus gives the illustration, the man needs bread.
Ah, but Jesus ties it in beautifully and very romantically by saying, I’ll tell you what you pursue God like this.
When you ask him for the Holy Spirit and you’re gonna get him now right now.
This is gonna cause your denominational persuasion to go crazy in your head.
You just need to sit still or we’re just about done. But don’t miss this moment.
If you walk out now, you’re just going to be done the rest of your life because this is very well.
This is very important. I’m not even gonna tell you what I’m gonna give you what he’s saying.
And then you can make up your own answer if you want to. It’s your business. But here it is.
He inserts the Holy Spirit. He’s talking to those who already believe in him.
We’re reading the words right now. Number one, what do we know? First?
Corinthians chapter 12 teaches us that the moment you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit moves inside you and baptizes you not in water, baptize the spirit of God, baptizes you into the body of Christ and you’re in the family of God.
By the way, the word in the Greek is once and for all one time, he does it, he only has to do it once.
OK? You got that. Everybody got that. These guys got it. Do you have it over here? OK.
These guys have it. Do you have it over here? I’m joking. I’m just kidding.
You guys feel I accepted Christ. The Holy Spirit moved inside of me. Great.
The Bible says in Ephesians chapter one by that, I’m sealed under the day of redemption by the Holy Spirit.
Great. What’s Jesus talking about? Something completely different?
He assumes already the spirit of God is going to be dwelling within those who are reading, hearing that are believers.
He’s talking about the Holy Spirit coming upon you to dwell in the Greek is the word E N.
It’s to be I N E N means to be a, it means to be in dwelling internal inside the word that Jesus is speaking about the Holy Spirit.
Paul talked about in Ephesians chapter five and this book of Acts and other places, the Holy Spirit to come E P I in Greek upon you.
Remember when the disciples were together praying on the day of Pentecost from John chapter 20 onward, they had the Holy Spirit in them.
But in the day of Pentecost, they were praying and the Holy Spirit came what in them or exactly came upon them.
And the scripture says that whenever for example, the apostles prayed or the disciples prayed to receive or have upon them, the Holy Spirit, they spoke the word of God with boldness or they went out and they witnessed and they sent the missionaries out to Asia Turkey or whatever it might be.
Are you with me? Do you understand that this is what Jesus is talking about.
You pursue God, asking him, listen every day for power, victory over temptation, ability to witness opportunities to share God to love on people.
You don’t like that’s a miracle.
God does that to make your life count to get above it all in Christ and to not be troubled by the menial things of this world.
Jesus said, you pray like that, always asking, asking, asking, asking, asking, always seeking, seeking, seeking, seeking, always what?
Knocking, knocking, knocking for? If you do this, your father who loves you so much and listened all the time and is very attuned to what you need.
And he’s wanting to give you the power of the spirit all the time.
Any moment, he’s not like men of earth who take constant, you have to pull on them and say mommy, mommy, mommy, no, no, no, no.
As stay at it until you get the answer.
And when you pray today, oh God fill me like this with the spirit of God for victory.
As a Christian God heard you, you thank Him and you get up and you live your life and you watch what happens to your life.
Christian. I’m just talking to the Christian. You pray that today and we’re gonna pray it in a second.
And you expect God to answer Jesus said, when you pray, pray, believing that you’re receiving you right?
You don’t have to knock the door down, ask him are you ready?
Hang on, put your seat belt on. We’re gonna ask him right now.
Father, we come before you and Lord, we ask father, we ask in the name of Jesus Christ that we all as believers as we seek you.
Now, lord, we are knocking together and we’re asking you father to fill us af fresh with the power of your Holy Spirit.
Lord, that temptation would be conquered in our lives and, and lord, that those things that have been dogging us because Lord, we look to the powering and the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
We’re praying for victory. Now, lord, we pray that by the power of your spirit, you take away the fear that’s in our lives.
Maybe the insecurities, maybe the decision making.
Give me clarity, give us clarity, give us wisdom.
Heavenly Father, we pray in Jesus name that we who are believers this morning would experience from this moment onward.
And as we ask daily for the renewing power of your Holy Spirit that you would Lord do things through us that could not be done any other way.
And then father, right now, I pray for those who may not know you at all that you would not let them sleep tonight.
Keep them awake as the Holy Spirit would hound you to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to have your sins forgiven your sins blotted out of the book, your name written down in the lamb’s book of Life and to be on your way to heaven, you have to accept Christ.
And may you hear the spirit calling you today, believer, receive the power of the Holy Spirit.
And may we go in the strength of our great God and Savior and all God’s people said, amen, pastor and bible teacher, Jack Hibbs here on real life radio with his message called, how are Christian Praise?
You know, this message is part of our series called The Gospel of Luke.
It’s a series on the book of Luke and the unveiling of Jesus Christ to this world.
And we’ll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.
You know, when you think about it, God didn’t really have to make anything, but when he spoke and everything was created, there was no magic or illusion and we being made in his image as the Bible says, it’s safe to say that he really loves us and he wants us to have a personal relationship with him.
So if you want to get to know the God who created you, why don’t you let us help?
Simply go to our website that’s Jack Hibbs dot com and click on that, that’s labeled no God K N O W God.
And once you’re there, you’re gonna find out how a truly personal and remarkable relationship with God is actually possible.
Remember you are not here by accident and God really does love you and care about you get that again.
Our resource is called No God spelled out K N O W G O D and you’ll find that at Jack Hibbs dot com.
Jack Hibbs dot com. This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you.
Our listeners. Visit us at Jack Hibbs dot com. That’s Jack Hibbs dot com.
Until next time, Pastor Jack Hibbs and all of us here at Real Life Radio.
Wish for you Solid and steady growth in Christ and in his word, we’ll see you next time here on Real Life Radio.