Big Idea: God, who is perfectly good, gives His children the best gift of all — His very own Spirit — so that we might be empowered to overcome.

Primary Text: Luke 11:13

Introduction: The Instinct to Give Good Things

Every parent in this room knows the feeling. You see your child and something rises up inside you — a fierce, almost irrational desire to give them something good. You will sacrifice your time, your money, your comfort, your sleep. You will go without so they don’t have to. You will work a job you hate so they can have a life you dreamed about. There is no limit to what a good parent will give for the sake of their child.

Now, here is what makes that instinct so remarkable. The Bible tells us something about ourselves that we don’t always want to hear. It says:

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” — Romans 3:10

«Como está escrito: No hay justo, ni aun uno.» — Romanos 3:10

That means even the best parent in this room — even the most loving, most sacrificial, most devoted mother or father — is still flawed. Still broken in some way. Still limited. And yet, even in our brokenness, we still want to give good things to our children. We still have that instinct planted deep within us.

If that is true of us — imperfect, limited, fallen parents — then how much more is it true of God?

That is the question Jesus asks in Luke 11:13. And the answer He gives should change the way we pray, the way we live, and the way we approach every single day of our lives.

Movement 1: God Is Good — and He Gives Good Gifts

Before we can understand the gift, we have to understand the Giver.

The Psalmist invites us into something beautiful when he writes:

“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” — Psalm 34:8

«Gustad, y ved que es bueno Jehová; bienaventurado el hombre que confía en él.» — Salmo 34:8

Notice the language — taste and see. This is not a theological lecture. This is an invitation to experience. God is not asking you to memorize a doctrine about His goodness. He is asking you to come close enough to taste it. To put your trust in Him and discover for yourself that He is good.

The Prophet Nahum adds another layer. He says:

“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.” — Nahum 1:7

«Bueno es Jehová para con los que en él esperan, para el alma que le busca.» — Nahúm 1:7

God is not just good in a general, distant, abstract way. He is good in the day of trouble. He is good when the diagnosis comes back. He is good when the marriage is falling apart. He is good when the bills are piling up and you don’t see a way out. He is a stronghold — a fortress, a place of refuge — and He knows those who take shelter in Him. He does not just protect. He knows. He is acquainted with your pain. He is familiar with your struggle.

So when Jesus says in Luke 11:13 that the Father will give good gifts, He is not introducing a new idea. He is building on everything the Old Testament already revealed about the character of God. God is good. That is not just something He does — it is who He is.

Movement 2: The Best Gift Is the Holy Spirit

Now look at what Jesus actually says in Luke 11:13:

“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” — Luke 11:13

«Pues si vosotros, siendo malos, sabéis dar buenas dádivas a vuestros hijos, ¿cuánto más vuestro Padre celestial dará el Espíritu Santo a los que se lo pidan?» — Lucas 11:13

Jesus makes a comparison. He takes the best thing we know — the love of a parent for a child — and He says, “You think that’s good? Watch what your Father does.” He does not say the Father will give us good things in general. He is specific. The Father will give the Holy Spirit. The best gift God has to offer is not health, not wealth, not success, not a comfortable life. The best gift is Himself — His very presence, His Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, dwelling within us.

But here is the thing — to ask for the Holy Spirit, you have to know what you are asking for. You have to understand what the Spirit brings into your life. Let me give you the picture.

When the Holy Spirit comes, He does not come empty-handed. He comes with everything you need:

He guides you into all truth. In a world full of confusion, deception, and competing voices, the Spirit leads you to what is real and what is right.

He comforts you and assures you. When your heart is heavy and your mind is anxious, the Spirit whispers the truth of God’s love over you and settles your soul.

He convicts and transforms your life. The Spirit does not leave you where He found you. He gently but firmly shapes you into the image of Christ.

He teaches and reveals the Scriptures. The Bible is not just a book of ancient words. When the Spirit opens it, it becomes a living voice speaking directly to your situation.

He empowers and gives strength. You cannot live the Christian life in your own power. The Spirit supplies what you lack.

He equips you for service. Every believer has a calling, and the Spirit gives the gifts and the boldness to walk in it.

He provides unity among believers. Where the Spirit moves, division loses its grip.

He intercedes for us. When you don’t even have the words to pray, the Spirit is praying on your behalf with groanings too deep for expression.

He equips you with spiritual gifts. Not for your own glory, but for the building up of the body of Christ.

He helps you commune with God. The Spirit bridges the gap between a holy God and a broken people and makes fellowship possible.

This is what you are asking for when you ask for the Holy Spirit. You are asking for the fullness of God to take up residence in your life.

Movement 3: How the Spirit Comes

Now, I want you to see something beautiful from the Word of God. The Holy Spirit does not come in only one way. He comes in response to asking, in response to intercession, and in response to God’s sovereign outpouring.

First, you can ask for yourself. Jesus said it plainly — “how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” You can go to God today and say, “Father, fill me with Your Spirit. I need Your presence. I need Your power. I need You.” And He will answer that prayer because He is good.

Second, you can ask for someone else. Look at what happened in Acts chapter 8. Philip had preached the gospel in Samaria and many believed and were baptized in water. But something was missing. So the church in Jerusalem sent Peter and John to them. And when they arrived, the Scripture says:

“Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.” — Acts 8:15–17

«los cuales, cuando hubieron venido, oraron por ellos para que recibiesen el Espíritu Santo; porque aún no había descendido sobre ninguno de ellos, sino que solamente habían sido bautizados en el nombre del Señor Jesús. Entonces les imponían las manos, y recibían el Espíritu Santo.» — Hechos 8:15–17

Do you see that? The believers in Samaria did not have to figure this out on their own. Peter and John came and prayed for them. They laid hands on them. And the Spirit came. There is a place in the life of the church where we pray for one another, where we lay hands on each other, where we intercede for the filling of the Spirit in someone else’s life. You can pray for your spouse. You can pray for your children. You can pray for your friend who is struggling. You can ask the Father on their behalf.

Third, the Spirit comes in sovereign outpouring. After Jesus rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples. He showed them His hands and His side — the proof that it was really Him, that the cross was real, that the resurrection was real. And then He did something powerful. The Scripture says:

“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” — John 20:21–22

«Jesús otra vez les dijo: Paz a vosotros; como me envió el Padre, así también yo os envío. Y habiendo dicho esto, sopló, y les dijo: Recibid el Espíritu Santo.» — Juan 20:21–22

He breathed on them. The same God who breathed life into Adam in the garden now breathes His Spirit into His disciples. He was equipping them for the mission that was about to unfold.

And then came the day of Pentecost. The apostles were gathered together in one room, and the Bible tells us they were in one accord — unified, expectant, together. And suddenly:

“And there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” — Acts 2:2–4

«Y repentinamente vino del cielo un estruendo como de un viento recio que soplaba, el cual llenó toda la casa donde estaban sentados. Y se les aparecieron lenguas repartidas, como de fuego, asentó sobre cada uno de ellos. Y fueron todos llenos del Espíritu Santo, y comenzaron a hablar en otras lenguas, según el Espíritu les daba que hablasen.» — Hechos 2:2–4

This was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel, who declared:

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” — Joel 2:28–29

«Y después de esto derramaré mi Espíritu sobre toda carne, y profetizarán vuestros hijos y vuestras hijas; vuestros ancianos soñarán sueños, y vuestros jóvenes verán visiones. Y también sobre los siervos y sobre las siervas derramaré mi Espíritu en aquellos días.» — Joel 2:28–29

God poured out His Spirit — not on a select few, not on the elite, not on the religious professionals — on all flesh. Sons and daughters. Old and young. Servants and handmaids. The gift is for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord.

Conclusion: The Purpose Has Not Changed

Whether you ask for the Holy Spirit yourself, whether someone else prays for you, or whether God in His sovereignty pours out His Spirit on your life — the purpose is always the same. The Spirit comes to empower you to overcome.

He comes so that you can overcome temptation. He comes so that you can overcome fear. He comes so that you can overcome the lies of the enemy. He comes so that you can overcome discouragement, loneliness, addiction, and despair. He comes so that you can walk in the fullness of the life God has called you to.

God knows how to give good gifts to His children. And the best gift He has is not something He made — it is Himself. His presence. His power. His Spirit.

So I want to ask you today — have you asked? Have you come to your Father and said, “Give me Your Spirit”? Have you laid hands on someone and prayed for them to be filled? Have you made room in your life for the Holy Spirit to move?

The invitation is open. The Father is good. And He is ready to give the best gift to those who ask.

Let us pray.

Father, we come before You today knowing that You are good. We have tasted and seen that You are good. You are our stronghold in the day of trouble, and You know those who trust in You. We ask You now — pour out Your Spirit upon us. Fill us fresh. Fill us anew. Empower us to overcome every obstacle, every temptation, every fear. We receive Your Spirit today, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.