Does God really want to give us the good life?

All right.

Well, would you pray with me as we look at God's word again?

Father, we thank you for this morning, just the beautiful day you've given us.

It's just glorious.

We thank you for the fresh air and just the ocean we can see and smell.

And we thank you for the time we can spend with each other and just the time to stop

and pause and realize that you're with us and you're for us and you're ready to provide

for us and just the time we can spend as brothers and the time we can spend listening to you.

God, you've given us so much.

And now we ask you to give us more.

We ask that you'd speak to us.

Lord, we all struggle to trust you to give us what we need.

Lord, we sometimes doubt that you actually want to give us good things.

So, God, we need you to speak to us.

We need you to show us that you are good because in our natural selves we will keep doubting you.

Please speak to us.

Please show us yourself.

And please teach us to pray.

And in Jesus' name we ask.

Amen.

Well, one minute you have a steady income.

Two weeks later you're facing unemployment.

Unemployment.

You pray to God to be delivered from sexual temptation.

The next morning you wake up plagued with guilt again.

You keep serving in that ministry at church and that initial high is all but gone

and it's just a burden now.

That relationship just keeps repeating that destructive pattern with no relief.

You don't know how to stop it.

You wake up not sure how you're going to get through breakfast, let alone the rest of the day.

You arrive at church, you stand up to sing, you sit down and listen.

You mingle, you chat and you leave feeling like nothing and no one actually touched you, really.

You want your character to be more like Christ.

But if you ask him, you're afraid what God will take away to make you more like Christ.

Does God really want to give us life?

Is God just not hearing the prayers of the farmers who are in drought?

Does he care?

Does he care?

That farmers are suicidal?

Does he care?

Your child is still struggling at school, in class, socially?

Why would God force Glenn and Beth to permanently live away from PNG?

Why would he do that?

Australia as a nation just keeps rushing to become more and more anti-God.

You just can't handle the pressure of aging parents as well as every other responsibility you've got.

We keep putting on evangelistic events as a church and only one or two unbelievers show up.

Your son, your sister, your dad, your grandma.

Why doesn't God help them to have faith in Christ and be saved?

Is he not hearing our many prayers?

We cry, we pray, and sometimes we get nothing.

We have no doubt that God has the power to fix it, do we?

We've got no doubt about his power.

But does God really want to give us life?

If God doesn't give us the good we want, we begin to wonder, is he actually good?

I think this is one of the fundamental barriers to our prayers, isn't it?

It's that niggling doubt.

Does God actually want to give us life?

This is a big topic.

So I'd like to pray again.

So would you pray with me again?

Father, we know that you're good.

When we look at your son on the cross, we know it.

We know that you've given us eternal life.

We know you're good, but we still struggle to see you as good.

We still doubt.

Our experiences are painful.

We just wonder why you don't give us the good we want.

Please speak to us.

We need your spirit to be our teacher today.

Please speak to us.

Please show us that you're good.

Renew our confidence in you again.

Help us to pray.

To you as our good father, please help us.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Amen.

Well, in our last session, we learned that a prayerful man needs to be aware of his need,

needs to be shameless and bold in coming to God,

and needs to be trusting in Jesus' promise to receive what we need.

We're going to pick up where we left off.

If the previous parable focused on the person asking,

this parable focuses on God, the character of the one giving.

So we're going to do three things.

First, we're going to try and feel this parable.

Second, we'll find out three reasons why Jesus says we should ask for the Holy Spirit in particular.

And then finally, we'll return to our question that we started with.

Does God actually want to give us life?

So let's get into the parable.

Come with me to verses 11 and 12.

Verse 11.

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish, give him a serpent?

Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?

The child is asking for basic food to live, a fish and an egg.

So we've got plenty of fathers in this room.

So I want to ask, when your child is asked for food to live,

have you ever given them something that could kill them?

Confession time.

McDonald's.

Maybe he's allergic to an egg.

Allergic to egg, yeah.

Have you intentionally given them something to kill them?

This is like that awkward silence at weddings.

Like, anyone got any objections?

I'm not moving on.

No.

No?

No.

My father's just saying no.

I'm just trying to make it feel awkward.

That's my only goal.

Surprising.

It's unthinkable, isn't it?

Why the serpent and the scorpion here?

Is it just something harmful that Jesus is referring to?

Well, one person reckons it's because a fish looks like a snake

and a scorpion looks like an egg when it's curled up.

Yeah, anyway, that's ridiculous.

Have a look at chapter 10.

Chapter 10, verses 18 and 19.

So it's after the 72 disciples return from preaching the gospel.

Jesus declares,

They are images for the power and the instruments of Satan.

They represent anything that opposes God and all that God has made to be good.

Anything that opposes God's kingdom.

But even criminals in our society give their children good things,

like food and shelter,

even safety protection.

And if someone in our society does give what is evil,

even our unbelieving society decides that they are unworthy to continue being a father

and they remove the child.

No one doubts the desire of human fathers to give their child what is good.

We don't doubt it, do we?

Verse 13.

Have a look at verse 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?

In the previous parable,

we weren't to think of prayer as a mutual friend-to-friend relationship.

But here we are meant to adopt the father-son relationship as the basis for prayer

because God Himself is named Father.

There's nothing in the parable to suggest that this is a wrong way to pray.

We are meant to compare God to human fathers.

But Jesus calls the fathers evil.

In what way are human fathers evil?

Well, perhaps He's saying that all people oppose God and God's good ways.

But whatever the case is, Jesus doesn't explicitly say.

And so that should tell us it's not His main point.

He's making a bigger point than accusing fathers.

Because if all people are evil,

then it should surprise us that they give good gifts to their children.

It should surprise us.

But we don't doubt it.

None of us doubt it.

And Jesus Himself affirms that even evil fathers know how to give good gifts.

Isn't that a mercy from God?

None of us have had perfect fathers.

But what a mercy

that even evil fathers know how to give good gifts.

But do you feel the sting of what Jesus is saying?

We don't doubt evil fathers.

But we do doubt the only good father.

How much more will the heavenly father?

Has someone ever given you something or done something for you

that has just completely changed your attitude towards them?

So someone that comes to my mind was my best man at my wedding.

So some of you might have met him, Sam Dacey.

I actually went to school with him.

But we weren't friends at school.

Not for any particular reason.

I just, we just weren't friends.

What changed was on the post-HSC schoolies trip,

there was 10 of us 18-year-olds in one house after the HSC.

You could imagine the mess.

It was a bit chaotic.

There was only one person who helped me in the kitchen every day.

And it was Sam.

And it just convinced me.

He's actually a good guy.

He's worth getting to know.

I need to know this guy.

Now that's a very small example.

But in a much greater way,

God's goodness is shown by the supreme quality of the gift that he gives to us.

His Holy Spirit.

And we know the price of giving us this supreme gift.

We know the price was the death of the very one teaching us

how not to doubt in God's goodness.

God is heavenly.

He is not tempted by evil.

And he isn't the source of evil.

He is so good that he is willing to give all of himself.

Are you surprised by the mention of the Holy Spirit here?

You read the passage and you're just like, where'd that come from?

I think we expect to read what we find in the parallel account in Matthew 7.

So let me just read it to you.

7-11.

Now the Holy Spirit is no doubt a good thing.

So it's not like these accounts are contradicting each other.

But why has Luke emphasized the Holy Spirit at this point?

Well, I think part of the answer is that keeping with the parable of the Son asking for food,

the Holy Spirit is being portrayed as what we need to ask for in order to have life.

Why do we need the Holy Spirit to have life?

Well, it's not explicitly stated, is it?

But what I'm going to do, if we let the rest of Luke's Gospel

and the rest of the New Testament speak into this passage,

I think we can see in this passage three reasons that it implied

why we need the Holy Spirit to have life.

So we need the Holy Spirit.

One, so that we can relate to God as our Father.

We can know Him as Father.

Two, so that we can live in and for His kingdom.

And three, so that we can participate in Jesus' mission to redeem the world.

So let's go through each of these one by one.

First, we need the Holy Spirit so that we can relate to God as our Father.

Now, Jesus could be referring to God as Father just as His Father like He often does.

But I think there's two reasons why He's inviting His disciples to have that same relationship.

Most obviously, in the Lord's Prayer or the Disciples' Prayer,

we're to call Him Father.

We're to address Him as Father.

And secondly, the parable itself encourages us to have that paradigm,

to have that way of relating to God, not as friends, but as a Father and Son.

We need the Spirit so that we can share in Jesus' relationship to God.

Romans 8 tells us,

You receive the Spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry,

Abba, Father.

But let's not take this for granted.

I know we're used to that as Christians, but let's not take this for granted.

An Iranian woman, in an article from the Gospel Coalition,

she tells her story of coming to Christ in this way.

This is the first line of her story.

In Islam, there are 99 names for Allah.

Not one of them is Father.

Like the rest of the unbelieving world, we were once an orphan in this world.

Absolutely lost and alone.

Unbelievers don't know they are loved.

They don't know God's love.

They don't know God's providing wherever you are in all situations.

They don't have that.

They don't know it.

They don't have His direction, His guidance.

They don't have His nurturing discipline.

They don't have His promises.

They don't have His family to belong to.

They don't have a home to look forward to after death.

They are orphans.

We were once orphans.

But now we are God's children.

How good is that?

That is what we are.

To know God as our Father is at the heart of what is so good

about our new life in Christ.

But like me, don't you find yourself just forgetting that

and just not acting like you are God's child?

Even though we have God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit, as Christians,

we have it, I think we still are being encouraged here to pray

in specific situations that God would help us to believe

and act as His children.

We need the Holy Spirit so that we can relate to God as our Father.

Secondly, we need the Holy Spirit so that we can live in and for His kingdom.

When Luke talks about the kingdom of God,

he's not talking about a place.

He's mainly talking about God ruling.

So when Jesus teaches about the conflict between the kingdom of Satan

and the kingdom of God, it's not about two places that are conflicting.

It's about who is ruling, who is in control,

and what does their control bring?

Does it bring death or does it bring life?

So what kingdom does the average unbelieving Australian live in?

They've got their beautiful house, very secure house, their lovely car.

They've got their pets, their little pool.

They go to the beach.

They go on their holidays.

They've got friends.

They go out for drinks.

They have careers.

They've got their retirement.

What kingdom are they living in?

Spiritually speaking, they are under the rule of Satan.

They are in opposition to God's rule.

They don't want God to rule.

Or to use Paul's language in Romans,

they are under the rule of sin.

That rule of sin and Satan is what we once belonged to.

By God's mercy, we have been transferred.

We are no longer under that rule.

We are now under a different rule.

God's kingdom, God's rule.

And that rule brings life.

The Spirit has brought us into the kingdom of God.

Jesus says in John 3,

Truly, truly, I say to you,

unless one is born of water and the Spirit,

he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

We've been transferred.

That's why we pray.

Your kingdom come.

We want God to rule more.

We love his rule because it brings life.

We want him to rule in our hearts.

We want him to rule over every single aspect of our lives.

We want him to rule over the whole world

because his rule brings life.

Your kingdom come.

During one of my classes on Thursday,

I noticed my lecturer,

every now and then when he was teaching,

he would just lose his breath

and just give a shallow cough.

And I knew why.

He's got lung cancer

and he's had to have two really painful surgeries

of removing parts of both of his lungs.

And it just struck me.

Why on earth?

With the time he's got left,

is he here with us?

What's he doing?

I was moved by what he asked for prayer for

in the weekly newsletter.

He asked,

pray that the cancer treatment would be effective.

Shameless in coming to God.

Please be effective.

And ask that God would grant me length of days

to serve him.

Do you think that lecturer has a good life?

True life is to live for God

under his rule.

And the model prayer,

it tells us,

it teaches us

what we're to pray for

in order to live under God's rule.

As his people,

we relate to God as our father.

We want God's name to be made holy,

to be known for who he is

and worshipped

in our own hearts

and throughout the world.

We want God's kingdom to come

for God to bring his life-giving rule

over all things

and we want his rule to come in full

with Christ.

We want God's kingdom now

and we want it

in full.

As his people,

we look to our father

to provide in all situations.

We need our sins forgiven

in Christ

so that we can relate

to our father

without fear of punishment.

We need the grace

to forgive each other

because we are a kingdom of people,

not just individuals.

And we need to be kept

from every temptation

that would cause us

to seek anything

other than God's kingdom.

It helps us to know

what to pray for

to live in God's kingdom.

True life

is to live for God

under his rule.

We have been transferred

by the spirit

from the rule of sin and Satan

to the rule of God

and it brings life.

But lastly,

we need the spirit

so that we can participate

in Jesus' mission

to redeem the world.

In Luke's gospel,

the Holy Spirit

is the one empowering Jesus

on his mission.

At his birth,

at his baptism.

In Luke 4,

when Jesus begins his ministry,

how does he describe his ministry?

He reads from Isaiah,

the spirit of the Lord

is upon me

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news

to the poor.

And then Jesus concludes

his ministry on earth

by promising to send

the Holy Spirit.

Then in volume 2

of Luke's gospel in Acts,

there we see the disciples

getting the Holy Spirit

so that they can continue

Jesus' mission

to save people,

to redeem people.

This is the same spirit

that we have.

Individually and together

as the church,

God uses our witness,

our witness

to the life we have in Christ

to bring others

from death to life.

Isn't that how you got saved?

someone,

a church,

probably both,

you just saw

something different,

you heard something different,

you heard the gospel

and you were saved.

God is using us

as a church

and as individuals.

He empowers us.

We don't do it alone.

We have the spirit

to continue Jesus' mission.

What a life

of purpose we have.

We need the Holy Spirit

so that we can relate

to God as our Father,

so that we can live in

and fall God's kingdom

and so that we can continue

and participate

in Jesus' mission

to the world.

So let's return

to our question.

Does God really want

to give us life?

Well, that depends

on whether

what we think

will give us life

lines up with

what God thinks.

will give us life.

God is so good

that he offers us

his life

by the Spirit,

bringing us

into that eternal love

between Father,

Son and Spirit,

giving us eternal purpose

in everything we do

as we live

under his rule

and empowering us

to demonstrate

and declare together

as God's people

the wonderful gospel

that saved us

and he uses that

to save other orphans.

Does God really

want to give us life?

Yes, he does.

He's good.

He does.

Should this life

by the Spirit

overflow

to the point

of removing our desires

for other things,

other temporary things?

sometimes,

sometimes,

sometimes it will

or at least

it should

only let those things

have the intensity

of desire

that they actually deserve.

But God,

have you seen

the day outside?

He gives us so much.

He's the God

of creation

as well as redemption.

He's the God

of creation

as well as

the new creation.

He so often

gives us

other things

as well.

But let's trust him.

Let's trust him

to decide

whether we need

to go without

something

in order

to have something

better.

Let's trust our Father.

And if what you desire

is good,

then

we won't have time

to spend

looking at this today,

but you need to hear

another parable.

You need to remember

the parable in Luke 18

of the persistent widow.

Luke says,

Jesus told his disciples

this parable

to show them

that they should

always pray

and not give up.

Keep praying.

Keep asking.

So life

by the Spirit.

How should this

change the way

we pray?

Let me give

two

very

particular

examples

because

I'm really

hoping that

we will be

very particular

when we pray

for true life

by the Spirit.

If you don't know

what to pray for

in a situation,

ask God for the

Holy Spirit.

Just pray that.

That's fine.

That's good.

But

let me give you

an example

of how we can

pray like this.

A few of you

are playing soccer

after this.

So I know

this one

from experience.

Why not pray

that you have

the assurance

and just

you know

God is your

Father,

the assurance

of being

His child

rather than

having to

prove yourself

in the soccer

field.

You don't

have to be

the best

soccer player.

You're God's

child.

That opposition

are brothers.

Not enemies.

If you

see yourself

and know

God as your

Father,

it will just

completely change

the way you

look at it.

Pray for that.

Pray that you

would seek

God's rule

when you're

on that

soccer field.

It's not like

God's rule

stops before

you walk out

on the pitch

and then once

the whistle

blows,

then you've

got to be

a Christian

again.

Pray for

God's rule.

A few

examples that

we know

that God

tells us

to do

which will

bring life

is submitting

to authority,

to the

ref in that

case.

Pray that

God would

give you

submission

as you

submit to

God.

Pray that

you would

seek the

interests of

others even

to the point

of sitting

on the

bench.

Seek

God's

rule.

Seek

others to

come under

the life-giving

rule of

God if

there's

non-Christians

on the

team.

Who gives

a rat's

poo whether

you win

or not?

It doesn't

matter.

But imagine

if God

uses soccer

to build a

friendship

that leads

to conversations

about life

and Christ,

either with

you or

others on

the team

or as a

church.

Wouldn't

that be

wonderful?

Wouldn't

that be

wonderful?

pray for

God's

life-giving

spirit in

everything,

even in

the ordinary

things of

life.

What about

when someone

tells you

off for

something you

did?

Someone has

a go at

you?

Pray for

the assurance

of being

God's

child, of

knowing God

as your

father.

Your

identity

doesn't come

from what

they think

of you.

or what

you think

of you.

It comes

from who

you are

in Christ.

You are

a child

of God.

Seek

God's

rule.

Don't

just do

whatever

they tell

you off

for.

Ask

for God's

wisdom to

know whether

that's God's

will or not.

It will

help you to

know whether

you should

accept that

rebuke or

not to

accept it.

God's

rule in

that situation.

Maybe even

pray, God

help me to

want correction

and striving

for peace.

Pray that

this conflict

that's happening

will result in

peace.

Do you see

how assurance

as a child

of God?

God's

rule, what

he says, his

wisdom in

situations will

bring life.

And it may

even result in

unbelievers being

saved.

Jesus says that

the love we have

for one another

will be a witness

to the world

even when we

disagree with

one another.

And if it's

a non-believer

who's having

a go at

you, what

an opportunity

to apologise

and show

them the

goodness of

confessing

sin and

wrong.

Don't be

worried about

that.

What an

opportunity

God has

given you

to demonstrate

the gospel.

Or if

they've

wronged you

to forgive

them.

Now I

know they're

very simple

examples but

I'm just

trying to

show we

need to

pray for

the spirit

in everything

in life.

in the

nitty-gritty

details.

God is

ready to

give us

more of

his life.

So let's

ask and

it will be

given to

you.

Seek and

you will

find.

Knock and

it will

be open

to you.

Let me

pray.

Now

Father we

confess that

so much of

what we want

in life is

not what

you say

will give

us life.

Forgive us

for this

God.

Forgive us

most of

all for

when this

makes us

doubt your

goodness.

But God

there are

also things

that are

good and

are your

ways that

we don't

have at

the moment.

We know

that we

live in a

sinful and

broken world

world where

Satan is

still at

work.

God that

really hurts.

Help us to

trust you.

Help us to

persist in

prayer to you.

God please

help us to

trust you that

you're using

these painful

situations to

give us true

life.

To know you

as our

father.

To have you

rule over

every aspect

of our

life.

Lord even

use it to

bring others

to have

life.

God help us

to trust you.

You are

good.

You've given

us your son.

You've given

us your

spirit.

Please

train us

to pray for

what will

really give

us life.

Please keep

training us to

be bold in

coming to

you for all

that we

need.

And God

ultimately we

pray that your

kingdom will

come.

We want

Christ to

return.

Please come

back soon.

In Jesus

name we pray.

Amen.