MUB
8-29-04
MATT 7;7-12
7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
A S K
INTRO; 7 WEEKS UNTIL WE START 40 DOP. MAN, AM I EXCITED. SMALL GROUP
TRAINING CONTINUES TONIGHT. EVERY TIME I DRIVE BY A FIELD OF CORN, MY THOUGHTS TURN TO OUR THEME, SOUL HARVEST 2004. INSTEAD OF SEEING EARS OF CORN, I AM VISUALIZING FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS COMING TO JESUS.
IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY BEEN CONTACTED, ONE OF OUR SMALL GROUP LEADERS WILL BE CONTACTING YOU IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS TO INVITE YOU TO BE A PART OF A SMALL GROUP. WE WENT TO THE CAMDEN READING GAME ON FRIDAY, AND C-F SCORED A TOUCHDOWN ON A LONG PASS PLAY, OUR SIDE WENT CRAZY. THAT IS THE SAME KIND OF EXCITEMENT THAT WE SHOULD BE STARTING TO FEEL ABOUT OUR 40 DOP. ONLY FOR A GREATER REASON, NOT TD’S, BUT SOULS COMING TO JESUS, CHRISTIANS RENEWING THEIR WALK, OUR CHURCH COMING TO LIFE, ON PURPOSE.
AS WE CONTINUE IN THIS CAMPAIGN, LET ME SHARE WITH YOU THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT, ITS NOT GREAT PREACHING, ITS NOT THE SMALL GROUPS, ITS NOT THE WORSHIP, ALL THOSE THINGS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ASPECT IS PRAYER. WE ARE CONTINUALLY, COMING BEFORE GOD IN PRAYER, WE ARE IMMERSING THIS 40 DAYS IN PRAYER.
AS WE OPEN OUR TEXT TODAY, AGAIN IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, JESUS SPEAKS TO THIS VERY SUBJECT. HE HAS BEEN LAYING OUT CONCRETE EXAMPLES ON HOW TO LIVE THE GODLY LIFE.
THIS PASSAGE ONCE AGAIN SPELLS OUT FOR US, PRACTICAL REAL LIFE APPLICATIONS. WE WILL USE AN ACRONYM A S K, THIS IS WHAT JESUS TELLS US IN THIS PASSAGE. THERE ARE 3 THINGS THE GODLY MAN MUST DO, AND IF YOU DO THESE 3, CERTAIN THINGS HAPPEN AS A DIRECT RESULT. THEY ARE
A- ASK, S - SEEK, K- KNOCK.
A. ASK. THIS ASKING IS ALWAYS FROM SOMEONE LOWER IN POSITION TO SOMEONE HIGHER IN POSITION. I E, CHILD TO PARENT, EMPLOYEE TO EMPLOYER, PLAYER TO COACH, AND IN THIS INSTANCE; MAN ASKING GOD.
INHERENT IN THE ASKING IS THE REALIZATION THAT THE PERSON YOU ARE ASKING HAS THE ABILITY AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO ANSWER THE REQUEST. YOU CAN ASK ME FOR A RAISE IN PAY, AND AS MUCH AS I LIKE YOU, AND AS GOOD A JOB AS I THINK YOU DO, I CANNOT ANSWER YOUR REQUEST.
IT IS NOT MINE TO GIVE. YOU CAN COME TO ME AND ASK FOR AN A GRADE IN A CLASS, YOU CAN SAY, THIS IS REALLY GOOD WORK, I WORKED HARD, I DESERVE AN A, AND AGAIN, I MAY TOTALLY AGREE, AND I MAY DESIRE TO GIVE YOU THAT GRADE, BUT GUESS WHAT, I CANNOT GRANT IT. I DO NOT HAVE THAT POWER. SO, FIRST, YOU MUST ASK THE ONE WHO CAN AND DOES ANSWER. THE ONE WHO DOES HAVE THE POWER.
JESUS SAYS, IF YOU ASK, IT WILL BE GIVEN YOU. WE MUST UNDERSTAND THE LANGUAGE THAT HE USED. WHAT JESUS IS SAYING IS, CONTINUE ASKING.
ASK, ASK, ASK AGAIN. KEEP ON ASKING. IN THE GREEK, THE LANGUAGE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, THIS WORD IS A CONTINUOUS ACTION VERB.
WE WERE IN WAL-MART THE OTHER DAY, A FATHER AND HIS SON WERE IN THE TOY DEPT., AND THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN FATHER AND 8 YEAR OLD SON WENT LIKE THIS, "DAD, I WANT THAT LEGO" NO. "DAD, WHY CANT I HAVE IT?"
NO. "I REALLY NEED THAT LEGO." YOU HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH LEGOS. "DAD, I WANT THAT LEGO" NO. THAT IS MY FINAL ANSWER. STOP ASKING. A COUPLE MINUTES LATER, "DAD, THAT LEGO IS REALLY COOL, CAN I GET IT?"
I DIDN’T STICK AROUND TO HEAR HOW THIS FINALLY ENDED UP. BUT THIS KID WAS PRACTICING WHAT JESUS SAID. PERSISTENT, CONTINUOS ASKING.
THE BOOK OF JAMES, WRITTEN BY THE BROTHER OF JESUS, HAS SOME INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON THIS MATTER. JAMES 4;3 SAYS, WHEN YOU ASK, YOU DO NOT RECEIVE, BECAUSE YOU ASK WITH WRONG MOTIVES, THAT YOU MAY SPEND WHAT YOU GET ON YOUR PLEASURES. JAMES 4;2 SAYS, YOU DO NOT HAVE BECAUSE YOU DO NOT ASK GOD. WHEN YOU ASK, YOU ASK FOR THE WRONG THINGS FOR THE WRONG REASONS."
HOW DOES GOD ANSWER OUR PRAYERS? YES. NO. WAIT.
HAVE YOU EVER HEARD SOMEONE SAY, GOD HELPS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES. THAT IS NOT IN THE BIBLE. HOWEVER, DON’T EXPECT GOD TO DO FOR YOU, WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOURSELF. (ILLUS. MAN FALLS IN WATER, GOD WILL SAVE ME. LIFE JACKET- DOESN’T GRAB IT, BOAT COMES BY, DOESN’T GET IN, HELICOPTER FLIES DOWN, DOESN’T TAKE THE ROPE. HE DROWNS. "GOD, YOU PROMISED TO SAVE ME, WHY DIDN’T YOU?" I TRIED 3 TIMES.
ASK, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN. BUT, TAKE IT WHEN ITS OFFERED.
S- SEEK SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND AGAIN, THIS IS A CONTINUOUS ACTION- SEEK AND KEEP ON SEEKING. WHEN WE WERE KIDS WE PLAYED, HIDE AND SEEK, IF YOU WERE IT, YOU HAD TO SEEK OUT THE HIDERS AND THE WAY WE PLAYED BEAT THEM TO HOME. YOU LOOKED EVERYWHERE TO FIND THEM. FINALLY, IF YOU COULDN’T FIND THEM, YOU CALLED "ALLY ALLY IN FREE". JESUS IS SAYING, KEEP SEEKING. KEEP SEARCHING. KEEP LOOKING.
HEB 11;6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly SEEK him.
"The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who SEEK the LORD lack no good thing."
PS 34;10.
TO SEEK GOD, IS MORE THAN INTELLECTUAL PURSUIT, IT IS TO SEEK TO
KNOW MORE AND MORE, TO GROW IN HIM. THIS SEEKING AFTER GOD IS
MOST RELATED TO GROWTH.
K- KNOCK- KNOCK AND THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED. AGAIN THIS IS CONTINUOUS ACTION. KEEP ON KNOCKING. KEEP ON BANGING ON THE DOOR UNTIL IT IS ANSWERED. JESUS SAYS, IN REV. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. THIS DOOR DOES NOT HAVE A HANDLE ON THE OUTSIDE, IT CAN ONLY BE OPENED FROM WITHIN.
EACH OF THESE, ASKING, SEEKING, KNOCKING, ARE ASPECTS OF PRAYER. THEY MUST BE DONE WITH PERSISTENCE, AND DILIGENCE. DON’T STOP. DON’T QUIT.
JESUS FOLLOWS THIS UP WITH AN ILLUSTRATION. AS A PARENT WE GIVE GOOD GIFTS TO OUR CHILDREN. IF HE ASKS FOR BREAD WE DON’T GIVE A STONE. OR A SNAKE WHEN THEY ASK FOR A FISH. IF WE, WHO ARE EVIL, KNOW HOW TO GIVE GOOD GIFTS, HOW MUCH MORE WILL GOD GIVE GOOD GIFTS TO THOSE WHO ASK. AS PARENTS, WE GIVE TO OUR CHILDREN, OFTEN MORE THAN THEY NEED. OUR CHILDREN DON’T WANT FOR MUCH.
WE USE COMMON SENSE IN OUR GIVING. WE GIVE THE RIGHT KIND OF THINGS AT THE RIGHT TIMES. WE GIVE THEM CANDY, BUT WE DON’T GIVE THEM A DIET OF JUNK FOOD. IF THE CHILD COULD CHOOSE, IT WOULD BE ALL CANDY AND JUNK FOOD, AS THE PARENT, WE MAKE WISE CHOICES FOR THEM.
THIS IS A PICTURE OF GOD AND US. WE ARE HIS CHILDREN. WHEN WE ASK FOR THE RIGHT THINGS, GOD PROVIDES. BUT DON’T EXPECT TO GET ANYTHING IF YOU ASK FOR THE WRONG THINGS WITH THE WRONG REASONS.
GOD GIVES GOOD GIFTS. GOD HAS PROVIDED ABUNDANTLY FOR US. HIS GOOD GIFTS ARE ALL AROUND US.
Vs12- 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
JESUS CONCLUDES THIS WHOLE THOUGHT WITH WHAT WE REFER TO AS THE GOLDEN RULE. SOMEONE ONCE SAID, I KNOW THE GOLDEN RULE, ITS;
SHE WHO HAS THE GOLD RULES. HOW DO YOU LIKE TO BE TREATED? FAIRLY, HONESTLY. JESUS IS SAYING, JUST AS YOU DESIRE TO BE TREATED, YOU MUST FIRST TREAT OTHERS IN THE SAME WAY. DON’T THINK THAT YOU CAN TREAT PEOPLE WRONG, AND EXPECT THAT THEY WILL TREAT YOU RIGHT.
