Life in the Kingdom of God means that God’s fatherly care of us gives us every reason we need to pray confidently & expectantly. This message was given on January 25, 2015 at New City Church in Calgary by Pastor John Ferguson. For more info visit: www.newcitychurch.ca

1. Knocking on
Heaven’s Door
~ Luke 11:9-13 ~

2. God Gives Us His Words of Eternal Life
Luke 11:1-13
Found on page 869 in our guest Bibles.
Today’s Scripture:

3. DO YOU
PRAY ?

4. “SOMETIMES
I WISH UPWARDS”

5. Knocking on
Heaven’s Door
~ Luke 11:9-13 ~

6. Luke 11:1-13
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and
when he finished, one of his disciples said to
him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his
disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray,
say: ‘Father, hallowed by your name. Your
kingdom come. Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive
everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not
into temptation.’”

7. Luke 11:1-13
And he said to them, “Which of you who has a
friend will go to him at midnight and say to him,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of
mine has arrived on a journey, and I have
nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer
from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now
shut, and my children are with me in bed. I
cannot get up and give you anything’?

8. Luke 11:1-13
I tell you, though he will not get up and give him
anything because he is his friend, yet because
of his impudence he will rise and give him
whatever he needs. 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. For
everyone who asks receives, and the one who
seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be
opened. What father among you, if his son asks

9. Luke 11:1-13
“…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!”
Leader: This is the Word of the Lord.
Unison: Thanks be to God!

10. When you pray, say: “Father….”
Luke 11:2

11. Jesus teaches us to pray
with shameless boldness
as if our heavenly Father
could not refuse.
Last Week’s Summary of Luke 11:1-8

12. And I tell you, ask, and it will be given
Luke 11:9-10
to you; seek, and you will find; knock
and it will be opened to you. For every-
one who asks receives, and the one
who seeks finds, and to the one who
knocks it will be opened.

13. Do we
really want
what we
ask for
?

14. “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.

15. “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.”

17. Oh, if only I could pray the way this dog watches the
meat! All his thoughts are concentrated on the piece
of meat. He has no other thought or wish or hope.
~ Martin Luther

18. Ask Keep on asking
Seek Keep on seeking
Knock Keep on knocking

19. Ask Keep on asking
Seek Keep on seeking
Knock Keep on knocking
Our part: ask, seek, knock
God’s part: answer according to
His Fatherly wisdom & love

20. What father among you, if his son asks
Luke 11:11-12
for a fish, will instead of a fish give him
a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will
give him a scorpion?

21. If you then, who are evil, know how
Luke 11:13
to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask him!

22. “Every good gift and
every perfect gift
is from above,
coming down from
the Father….”
~ James, the brother of Jesus
in James 1:17

23. If you then, who are evil, know how
Luke 11:13
to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to those
who ask him!

24. He came to his own, but
his own did not receive
him. But to all who did
receive him, who
believed in his name, he
gives the right to become
children of God. ~ The Gospel of John, 1:12

25. Because you are
sons, God has sent
the Spirit of his Son
into our hearts, crying,
“Abba! Father!”~ The Apostle Paul
in Galatians 4:6

26. 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.
~ The Apostle Paul in
Ephesians 1:17 (NIV)

27. Why does Luke record this
account in his historical
biography of Jesus?
Important Question

28. …the promise of answered prayer…is 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.
“
”~ David Wenham, The Parables of Jesus

29. God’s fatherly care of us
gives us every reason
we need to pray
confidently & expectantly.
Main Idea

30. Pray
Confidently Expectantly

31. Pray confidently
to your heavenly
Father

32. “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.”
~ Hebrews 4:16

33. “The Father will no
more reject our
prayers than he will
reject the prayers of
his own Son, Jesus.”

34. “If you want to judge how
well a person understands
Christianity, find out how
much he makes of the
thought of being God’s
child, and having God as
his Father….

35. “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.”

36. Pray expectantly to
your heavenly Father

37. You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger
Your name is great and Your heart is kind
For all your goodness I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.
“Ten Thousand Reasons”

38. James Clear: http://www.flickr.com/photos/james_clear/5149343919
philippe leroyer: http://www.flickr.com/photos/philippeleroyer/2521541923/
flickr images courtesy of:
other images:
thinkstock: item number: 78320887
Vincent_AF: http://www.flickr.com/photos/archetypefotografie/5167830942