August 2, 2001
If You Only Knew the Father – Part 3
INTRODUCTION
God is Spirit so we can’t see literally Him with our physical eyes.
But God is also a Person so we know He has personality.
When you ask God for something, how do you think He responds?
Does he roll his eyes, and say, “Oh, not you again!”
Does He seem disinterested like it’s difficult to keep his attention?
Does He listen, and say, “I’ll take this into consideration,” then walk away like He’s late for some appointment, making you wonder if He’s already forgotten what you asked.
Or, is He waiting like a genie, saying, “Your wish is my command.”
Our picture of God will affect how we pray. Jesus wants us to know the Father. And to be able so say…
Big Idea: Because God only gives good gifts, I will pray with persistence.
Listen to Matthew 7:7-11
***READ TEXT***
TRANSITION: So that we will develop greater persistence in prayer, there are two vital truths that we learn from these verses. Truth #1 is this…
I. I HAVE A PROMISE FROM JESUS
Jesus gives me His word on this matter of prayer and being heard by God. But for this promise to become reality there is…
First a command…something we need to obey… v. 7 ask, seek and knock
All three of these are present tense imperative verbs. Another way of saying it would be…
Keep on asking
Keep on seeking
Keep on knocking
Whatever you do, Jesus says, don’t give up. Be persistent. You have something you need, something you desire – take it to God again and again. In Matthew 6:7, he told us not to babble a bunch of meaningless words when we pray. But to make it clear, here he says, keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. If you earnestly need God’s help – don’t be shy about it.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says Pray continually, or some translations say, Pray without ceasing.
Whatever you do, don’t give up. Remember this is a command Jesus is giving. And as our Lord, he deserves the right to be heard. As followers of His and members of the Kingdom, we have to be people who are persistent in prayer.
Jim Cymbala, the Pastor of Brooklyn Tabernacle, says in his book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire…
“Pastors and churches have to get uncomfortable enough to say, ‘We are not New Testament Christians if we don’t have a prayer life.’ This conviction makes us squirm a little, but how else will there be breakthrough with God.” (p. 50)
I’ll answer his question. There won’t be breakthrough with God unless we persistently ask, seek and knock.
Think about what little children do when they need something from their parents. I like to watch children and parents interact. Even here at church I see children tapping their Mom’s leg and say, “Mommy, I’m thristy, can I have a drink?” That’s asking. And they’ll keep on asking until they get a drink.
At church I’m frequently approached by children, thinking they want to shoot the breeze, or discuss the latest thing they learned in Sunday School, only to hear this question, “Have you seen my Mom or my Dad?” That’s seeking. When they ask where their parents are, it’s because they typically need something. And they’ll keep on seeking until they find them.
Not too long ago I was meeting with a couple in my office, and their children were playing in another room in the building. Awhile into our meeting we heard some taps at the door. Opening the door, there were this couple’s children. They said, “We’re hungry.” That’s knocking. They knew Mom and Dad were in my office, so they knocked. Had we not answered the door, they would have kept on knocking. And even though Mom and Dad were just about ready to go, I could tell they weren’t upset by the interruption once they saw those cute faces and those adorable eyes blinking at them. Their hearts probably just melted.
The Bible says that God calls us His children. His heart melts when we ask Him for things, when we seek Him out ahead of other options, when we knock at his door.
Then the promise…
Don’t miss what Jesus says in verse 8…
For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened.
Jesus says this applies to everyone
So let’s personalize this. Insert your own name in that verse. For when Tom asks, he will receive. When Jane seeks, she will find. When John knocks the door will be opened.
You know what this means?
I will receive
I will find
Jeremiah 29:13 – You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
The door will be opened to me
I have a promise from Jesus. Persistent prayer does not go unheard.
James 4:2 makes it plain…
You do not have because you do not ask God.
Jesus says this in John 15:7…
If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
With all these reminders, why are we so shy? Why are we even hesitant? Why would we ever think that prayer isn’t a good use of time? Jesus says, “Ask, seek and knock!” You will receive, you will find and the door will be opened!
Have you ever been surprised by an answer to prayer? Maybe you asked God for something, then right before your eyes it happens. And you think, “Whoa! This is almost spooky. That’s exactly what I prayed for!” God gets pretty real in those moments doesn’t He?
When I was 19 years old I was a weekend youth minister in the tiny town of Kenney, IL. We had a small youth group, and on top of that attendance was very inconsistent. I knew there were about 15 teenagers in the town, so on one of my first Sunday nights before the youth meeting I asked God that 15 kids would show up. It was a rather ambitious prayer. When we started, guess how many were there. Thirteen! Not bad. About 20 minutes into the meeting, two more kids walked through the doors. My first thought was, “Wow, God! That’s amazingly precise! Next week I’m praying for 20!”
I walked around Bloom Trail High School one night with Steve Tiller. Bloom Trail since having a riot on its opening day in the 70’s has maintained the reputation of being a rather rough school. Steve was going to be a senior, and wanted to start an on campus Bible study. We walked around the building late one night and prayed. A few days later, the principal let him start a Bible Study.
A couple of years ago, during our missions weekend, Kim stayed home because she wasn’t feeling well. I got a call from Kim here at the church a few minutes into the service, and she said, “I just took my temperature, and it’s 106, what should I do?” Well, needless to say, I took her to the emergency room. People here at church prayed, and by the time we got to the hospital her fever had already dropped to 103.
On our 1999 Dominican Republic missions trip, while removing the roof of a house, a piece of sheet metal came down and landed like a giant razor blade on my head. Brook Brotzman, who was onsite organizer of our trip, pressed a T-shirt on my head to slow the bleeding. Taking a look at the cut, he said, this doesn’t look good. Then he prayed – specifically he prayed that I wouldn’t have to have stitches. After the prayer, he lifted the T-shirt and took a look at the cut. “I’ll be. Your cut is almost closed.” And you know what – I didn’t have to have stitches.
Many of you have even better stories than these. Stories of healing, stories of help to quit smoking, stories of restored relationships.
So…You wish to receive something you need?
ASK!
You desire to find something important?
SEEK!
You long for a tightly sealed door to open?
KNOCK!
I don’t know whether you realize this or not, but if you take this seriously….
Doors will be opened to you in the next few months that have been closed for years!
So Ask – Seek – Knock!
Persistence must characterize our prayers
And the promise from Jesus is that these prayers will not go unheard.
TRANSITION: Truth #2 that will help us develop a persistent prayer life…
II. I HAVE A FATHER WHO LOVES ME
I love this little storyline Jesus uses in verses 9-10.
READ THIS
Imagine this. A child is hungry and says, “Mommy, Daddy, can I have a piece of bread? Actually, could I have a grilled cheese sandwich?” So the parent says, “Sure! Then goes outside to the flower bed, grabs a rock and says, “Here, kid, munch on this! This ought to satisfy you!”
That’s ludicrous. Most parents tend to give MORE than what their kids ask for. A piece of bread? Let’s go out for a burger!
What if your children love to fish? Would you take them to an aligator infested swamp? Have fun kids! No! You’d want to provide a trip they’d never forget.
Parents love their children and they love to give good things to their children. And yet, God out-gives all parents on earth.
Jesus uses the same line of reasoning that he used I chapter 6 when he talked about wild birds and wildflowers. If God does this – feeds birds and clothes the grass with wildflowers – won’t he feed and clothe you?
Now listen to this. If parents are evil – strong way of saying imperfect…
If they are imperfect – yet they give good gifts…
…what about God’s giving?
How much more will He give good gifts!
We expect parents to love their children and give good things to them. We’re shocked when we hear of parents who neglect or abuse their children.
ILLUS – We’re all probably familiar with the story of Andrea Yates. – Texas woman who is accused of killing her 5 young children earlier this summer by drowning them one at a time in the bathtub. She claims she was suffering from post-partem depression.
It’s hard for us to imagine how someone could do anything other than give good gifts to their children.
God says in Isaiah 49:15 – Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? (It’s tough to imagine isn’t it?) Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
If it’s hard to fathom how a parent could do anything other than give good gifts to their children, then how much more will a perfect Heavenly Father give good gifts?
His gifts are always perfect
Sometimes parents give gifts that may eventually be our downfall – they don’t have the ability to see into the future and know how their gifts will affect our lives. But they do the best they can with what knowledge they have. I.e. a motorcycle with too much power.
God knows whether the things we ask for are good or not. If a gift we desire is not a good gift, we won’t get it. If what we ask for will harm us or someone else – he’ll say no.
Our job then is to continue to realize He’s a loving Father. And, for some reason, we may not understand, the gift wouldn’t have been best.
The book of Habbakuk has some great stuff in it about prayer
ILLUS – For a number of years after I was out of college I remember praying for a relationship. I’d date a girl for awhile, things wouldn’t work out. Another relationship lasted awhile, but didn’t seem like the kind I had asked for. I asked for bread, was he giving me a stone? What was going on? So then I just prayed, God don’t let me be in a relationship again until I’m completely secure in my relationship with you. A couple of years later I met Kim. Because God is a loving Father, He only gives perfect gifts. Gifts that are perfect for us – for me to receive the gift of Kim in my life, he had me wait.
Abraham had to wait 25 years for a son.
Some parents have prayed for longer than that. Kim and I know a couple that’s been married over 20 years that just had their first child. They were persistent in their prayers.
Luke 18 – Widow and the judge parable – The Widow keeps coming to the judge asking for justice against her adversary. Eventually the judge gets worn out and gives in. Jesus tells us that story to show us, God isn’t like that. If even an unjust judge who doesn’t care about people will answer persistent requests, then why do you worry about not being heard by a loving Father?
Of course he wants to give you good gifts. And he knows what you need (Matthew 6:8). So ask, seek him out, knock. Because when you do, he’ll give you gifts that perfectly meet your needs.
TRANSITION: Sometimes we hear this and we think it doesn’t work. Let me tell you one last story.
WRAP-UP
Months before our trip to the D.R. when I hurt my head, someone brought over 100 Beanie Babies to my office. They were evaluating their treasure chest. Do you think the church could use these? I didn’t know what to do with them, so I held onto them for awhile, then when the trip came up, someone going on the trip suggested we take these along.
We were visiting our newest missionary – William Decena in Botey Nueve. CCCH was supporting his ministry, allowing him to feed many of the malnourished children in his village. For months we gathered up clothing to take along. In the village, we saw the children being fed, we saw the naked clothed and we gave every child a Beanie Baby.
On the last night of the trip, William told us how he had prayed for 7 years that someone would help him in his ministry. God sent us as the answer to his prayer. Then we heard a story from William’s wife Alexandra. She said that about a year before they knew we were coming, the children in the church had prayed for someone to bring them food and clothing. Then they asked if they could pray that those people might bring them a present too.
All the while, God was answering their prayer. Through food, through clothing and through someone for some reason feeling like they needed to give away their Beanie Babies.
A group prays here at the church on Tuesday nights.
Ask, seek, knock! Your Father loves you!
