Exploring God’s Word with Brad Thurston

On Being Teachable Part 2

Episode Summary

In his teaching on Prayer, Jesus focuses on our desire to know the Father. When we earnestly desire, and persevere in that desire, He will give us the Holy Spirit.

Episode Notes

Review:  the main lesson for the disciples and key instructions:

• How to get to know the Father: in prayer is the answer from Chapter 10
• The model prayer of Jesus is phase 1
• The importance of persistence is phase 2
• The receiving of the Holy Spirit from the Father is phase 3

Read Text

How important is it to us to get to know the Father?

1. Jesus tells this parable which all who heard it would understand if you lived in a one room house.
2. How important is the need that you feel in your heart to get to know the Father?
3. Desperation aids us in the process of learning – our questions are answered!
4. What about our future?  How keen are we to know what God wants of us, or are we complacent with the way things are?
5. What is your prayer life like? What is our corporate prayer life like?
6. Do we take courage from the level of prayer we enter in to? Ask, seek, knock?
7. Do we have faith in God to answer? The positive answer that Jesus expects from his Father.  Always yes! 

The end of this teaching points to the most important aspect of prayer:

1. It is the focus of our greatest attention, if our prayer is to get to know the Father!
2. It is the focus on a gift the Father desires to give us.
3. The key to any growth in faith, any prayer prayed in the will of God comes from the presence, held, counsel and comfort the Holy Spirit gives us.
4. This has to do with the person of the Trinity coming upon us, as well as dwelling within us.  Both of those events were not part of the life experience of the disciples at the time Jesus taught this.  So there is a lot more to come regarding this teaching, but the key, the asking is crucial enough, that it is mentioned here in the teaching on prayer.

Do we pray with desperation?

Do we pray with keenness, to make sure that the Holy Spirit is leading and directing our lives?  This topic becomes more and more important to Jesus as he nears the cross. But he surely begins to whet their appetite!