The Big Ask

INTRO

Have you ever asked someone for something? Yeah we all have at some point. Christmas is quickly approaching, and kids all over are making lists of the things they are asking for.

But have you ever had to make a Big Ask? I mean you had to ask someone for something, and you knew it was something big. It wasn’t just something little, you knew you were asking alot?

How did you feel in that moment, when you knew you were asking alot of someone?

You can be nervous, it can be stressful. For me one of those times was when I asked Autumn to marry me- right that’s a pretty big ask. You know, just hey will you spend the rest of your life with me. I was really nervous. Autumn didn’t help either, I took her to the place we first said “I love you”, got on one knee and made the ask.

You know what her response was? “Right now?” You’re asking me this right now? There I am on one knee already nervous like uh.....yeah. That was a big ask. Spoiler alert she eventually said yes.

But this is what we are talking about today- asking big questions. Its easy to ask small questions. Its easy to ask things that don’t really require anything of people. Like if I asked you to pass a pen, that's no sweat right? Anyone can do that- it really doesn't cost us anything.

But if I said hey, leave your family and come to third world country to share the gospel, that’s a bigger ask.

God wants me to ask Him Big Questions

Jesus asked 339 questions in the Gospel. Not only did He ask questions, He told His disciples to ask. In teaching about asking in prayer Jesus said this in:

Luke 11:5–13 (NLT)

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

I like the way the NLT says this verse: keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. That’s what the verb tense in the Greek implies, not just one time, but continually.

Elsewhere the Bible says to pray without ceasing. Because how many of you know when a kid really wants something- they keep asking. Notice also that both examples Jesus used about asking in prayer were about relationship. There is something about being in relationship with God, and making big asks. Jesus said God wants to give good gifts to His children.

That’s why the first point today is: God wants me to ask Him Big Questions

Let’s say that together: God wants me to ask Him Big Questions

James 4:2–3 (NLT)

Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

John 14:14 (NLT)

Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

1 John 5:14–15 (NLT)

And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.

Here is what we learn based on these verses:

God wants me to ask Him Big Questions

Asking is based on relationship

Ask in Jesus Name

Ask according to God’s Will

Jesus makes it clear that there are things God WANTS to do in our lives- good things. But He won’t unless we ask. We have free will, and He isn’t going to violate that.

The Bible also clarifies that if we ask, we need to be in relationship with Jesus. We believe in His life, death, and resurrection, are seeking to know Him more and spending time with Him.

How many of you know it is much harder to ask for something from someone you don’t know, or even worse, someone who is mad at you?

But thanks to Jesus and His work on the cross, we can not only know God, but also know He loves us and isn't mad at us. Our asking needs to come from that place.

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We are also told to ask according to God’s will in Jesus name. I like how the NLT said ask for things that please God. How will we know what things are according to God’s will and please Him? Well, by growing in our relationship.

We know from scripture things that please God:

People being saved

People being healed

Providing for people

Giving strength

Giving and making peace

Forgiveness

I love what Gotquestions.com had to say about praying according to the Will of God:

1) Pray for the things for which the Bible commands prayer. We are told to pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44); for God to send missionaries (Luke 10:2); that we do not enter temptation (Matthew 26:41); for ministers of the Word (Colossians 4:3; 2 Thessalonians 3:1); for government authorities (1 Timothy 2:1-3); for relief from affliction (James 5:13); and for the healing of fellow believers (James 5:16). Where God commands prayer, we can pray with confidence that we are praying according to His will.

2) Follow the example of godly characters in Scripture. Paul prayed for the salvation of Israel (Romans 10:1). David prayed for mercy and forgiveness when he sinned (Psalm 51:1-2). The early church prayed for boldness to witness (Acts 4:29). These prayers were according to the will of God, and similar prayers today can be as well. As with Paul and the early church, we should always be praying for the salvation of others. For ourselves, we should pray as David prayed, always aware of our sin and bringing it before God before it hinders our relationship with Him and thwarts our prayers.

3) Pray with the right motivation. Selfish motives will not be blessed by God. We should pray, not so our lofty words can be heard and we may be seen by others as “spiritual,” but mostly in private and in secret, so that our heavenly Father will hear in private and reward us openly (Matthew 6:5-6).

4) Pray with a spirit of forgiveness toward others (Mark 11:25). A spirit of bitterness, anger, revenge or hatred toward others will prevent our hearts from praying in total submission to God. Just as we are told not to give offerings to God while there is conflict between ourselves and another Christian (Matthew 5:23-24), in the same way God does not want the offering of our prayers until we have reconciled with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

5) Pray with thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2; Philippians 4:6-7). We can always find something to be thankful for, no matter how burdened we are by our wants or needs. The greatest sufferer that lives in this world of redeeming love, and who has the offer of heaven before him, has reason to be grateful to God.

6) Pray with persistence (Luke 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:17). We should persevere in prayer and not quit or be dejected because we have not received an immediate answer. Part of praying in God’s will is believing that, whether His answer is “yes,” “no,” or “wait,” we accept His judgment, submit to His will, and continue to pray.

7) Rely on the Spirit of God in prayer. This is a wonderful truth: “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will” (Romans 8:26-27). We have the Spirit’s help in praying. At the times of our deepest depression or sorrow, those times when we feel that we “just cannot pray,” we have the comfort of knowing that the Holy Spirit is actually praying for us! What an amazing God we have!

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It’s been said if your dreams don’t scare you, they are too small. Friends, God made us to do incredible things. God wants to do incredible things through you- in your friends, in your families, in your schools and neighborhoods.

We serve a big God. So lets start asking big questions and praying big prayers. Pray for your friends to get saved. Ask for your schools. Pray for God to restore families, to heal the sick, and bring peace and unity where there is none. Begin to pray bigger prayers. Begin to dream bigger dreams about what God can do in your life.

God asks Big Things of Me

Just like God wants me to ask Big things of Him, God asks big things of me.

Luke 12:48 (NLT)

When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.

Or as uncle Ben said to Peter Parker in Spider-man: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Did you know God thinks highly of you? Not only does God want us to know Him and ask things of Him, but He made you for a purpose, and with the Spirit’s help He believes you can accomplish great things.

God’s Big “Asks”

For us to believe in Him

Trust Him when we don’t understand

Grow closer to Him through the Bible

Use the talents He gave us for His glory

Be generous with our time and money

Care for others

Tell others about Jesus

Put God before everything else

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The Big Ask

God wants us to ask Him Big questions

God asks Big things of us

And tonight I wanted to close by making a few Big Asks of my own.

Because of God’s Spirit in us, there are some things I believe we all can do, and things I am praying I begin to see in our youth ministry.

The Big Ask:

Commit to a daily Bible plan

Commit to time in prayer

Commit to sharing your faith

Commit to owning Crossover

Commit to asking God for big things

As we begin this new year, I’m believing for God to do big things. Things in our youth group, things in your lives, and through you to to others. Would you commit to seeing that as well?

We are going to have closing song, and while we do I want each of us to just take a moment, reflect, and decide if we are going to rise to the occasion and commit to God like never before in 2023. Then we will go to small groups.