"Prayer" (Luke 11:1-4)

 

January 27, 2019, Seek after the Right Gift and Get the Whole(Luke 11:5-15)

Seek after the Right Gift and Get the Whole 

Luke 11:5-15 

From Luke 11:5-15 Jesus teaches us to pray without unceasing. Jesus gives a strange scenario for this parable. when one friend does not show respect and shamelessly asks his friend for bread. Even though the man will not give bread to save friendship, he will give  the bread just to shut the man up.  Jesus later tells us that as parents we will give good gifts and we are evil. God will give better gifts because He is Good. 

Jesus teaches his disciples to pray in a way that will have our prayers answered. 

1. You need to be friendly with God. The man went to a friend. They were friends, and they knew who each other were. For your prayers to be answered, God needs to know you on friendly terms. How can God know us as friends. Look to Jesus.

  

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 

John 15:15 ESV 

2. The answered prayers call for persistence in prayer. In fact there is another parable in Luke which talks about persistence. 

And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.'  For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man,  yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'"  And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says.  And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?  I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" 

Luke 18:3‭-‬8 ESV 

Why does God not just give us what we need without asking? Many times we forget when people have helped us. Sometimes God makes us to suffer and seek for a long time to make it more meaningful, valuable and memorable.  Also,  it is worthy to go before the Lord as a child. Go before the Lord spiritual nakedness go boldly and go honestly. 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

James 1:2‭-‬4 ESV 

3. The answered prayer requires seeking for the right gift.  Jesus goes right to the Holy Spirit for a reason. The Holy Spirit is all that you need.  

Paul also mentions that what we need is the Holy Spirit to live and to pray. 

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 

Romans 8:6‭-‬10 ESV 

And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 

Romans 8:27‭-‬29 ESV 

February 3, 2019, Be Watchful Against the Spirit of Regression

Be Watchful Against the Spirit of Regression 

Pastor Donald preaches why we need to Be Watchful Against the Spirit of Regression from Luke 11. In Luke 11, after Jesus heals the boy of a mute spirit, Jesus states that any organization that is divided will collapse. Without solidarity and unity an organization will fall apart. 

Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 

Luke 11:23 ESV 

Also, Jesus warns us that when took over our lives were made clean. The enemy has never given up on destroying us. The enemy will come in if you give the enemy to come in. 

"When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.'  And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order.  Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first." 

Luke 11:24‭-‬26 ESV 

As we grow as Christians, we live our lives and sometimes start to grow backwards. We are falling back to our former life.  Regression comes in when we let go of the spirit that works in us. If we continuously walk with the Lord, we will live. Being saved is a continuous process. You must seek the guidance of the Lord.  God's mercies do not create obedience. We must respond in obedience to grow. The flesh is always warring with the spirit. This is a warning for everybody. The Devil wants to destroy you. 

As we read in 1 Peter and Romans

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 

1 Peter 5:6‭-‬9 ESV 

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 

Romans 8:9‭-‬14 ESV 

There are three main ways that Christians can fight regression back to their old lives.

1A. Read your Bible. We need to gather together in the Lord. Read His word so that we know His will and how to abide in His will. 

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 

Romans 12:2 ESV 

1B. Pray. Although devotion to prayer is difficult to maintain, those who seek the grace of God, need to pray so that they will get the grace to apply the word. 

2. Obedience to God's will. Power comes from obedience. When we do not obey, God cannot give us power.

But he said, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" 

Luke 11:28 ESV 

3. Resist the Devil. Satan wants us to ruin our relationship with God. He will keep at it until we fail, but with God's word, prayer and spirit we can stand against the Devil.