You Have Not Because You Ask Not

4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Recap - This is a continuation of last week’s sermon on selfish ambition. All scripture is God-breathed, meaning that every word of this book has come from God, amen? But chapters and verses, while extremely helpful, thank God we have them, are not inspired. So this is a continually flowing letter, and just so we understand that, the beginning of chapter 4 connects with the end of chapter 3.

Exegete v.1-3.

Verse 1: James addresses the root of conflicts – our internal passions.

Verse 2: Unmet desires lead to destructive behavior because we do not ask God.

Verse 3: Even when we do ask, our motives can be selfish, leading to unanswered prayers.

This word on prayer relates directly to our own passions and desires, but James 4:2-3 offers us a Biblical theology on prayer that we can use in all circumstances.

Verse 3: You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Before we pursue anything, we need to check with God

When we desire something, it is in our best interest to make sure our authority approves of that thing. Example:Parents, when your kids ask you to go spend the night with someone, they have to check with you (their authority) first. If they ask to stay the night with some kids, your answer is sure. When they ask to spend the night with other kids, the answer should be absolutely not. Why? Because if that family’s values are not in alignment with what you believe, then you don’t want your child to be part of it. As the authority in your child’s life, you want to protect them from the potential consequences of what they may encounter there. The same is true of our authority. If Jesus Christ is truly our Lord, our God, our authority, then we ought to get His opinion before we pursue something. Getting God’s approval often protects us, and checking with God prevents us from what James calls “asking wrongly.” When James talks about “asking wrongly”, he’s obviously talking about how we should pray…

Specifically, the one way we ensure that we are not asking wrongly is by doing this: praying IN JESUS’ NAME.

John 14:13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

James says that we don’t receive because we don’t ask correctly. To ask correctly is to ask in Jesus’ name, in alignment with who Jesus is.

To pray in Jesus’ name means more than to ask for whatever we feel like and then end our prayer with “in Jesus name, amen.” In the time that Christ walked the earth, a man’s name was a representation of who he was - a man’s name was an indication of his character. So to pray in Jesus’ name means to pray in a way that is consistent with His character and His will. We should always pray in Jesus’ name when we pray. When I pray with the words, “in Jesus’ name”, I’m not just putting a tagline on my prayer; I am emphasizing that I want to make sure that my prayer aligns with the will and the character of Jesus, and that prayer is empowered by the name of Jesus.

Many of our requests are not granted because they don’t align with, they aren’t in agreement with, who Jesus is.

What’s our mission? To discover God’s will and walk in God’s will through an intimate relationship with Jesus. Okay, prayer builds that intimacy, and a foundational element in discovering God’s will and walking in God’s will is PRAYING GOD’S WILL. And praying God’s will is synonymous with praying in Jesus’ name.

So how do we make sure we do that? How do I know I’m praying in Jesus’ name? (in God’s will) Here are a few points you can check to make sure. And this isn’t an exhaustive list, but it’s a good place to start…

My prayer aligns with God’s Word. (2 Tim 3:16). Throughout scripture, God reveals His character, His preferences, His desires. Does what you’re asking for align with who He is? Search the scriptures to see..because the will of God will always align with the word of God.

God’s purpose is prioritized over my preference. (Matt 26:39) Not my will but yours be done.

When my prayer is answered, God will be glorified. (Jn 14:13) James says that we don’t receive because our requests are driven by our passions. A prayer in Jesus’ name will never focus on glorification of self; it’ll always focus on glorification of God.

In John 14, Jesus shows us the primary element of praying in Jesus’ name is glorifying the Father. John 14:13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Like we talked about last week, we have a natural inclination toward self-glorification, toward fulfilling our own desires that pull us away from the will of God..and that’s what James is addressing here..he says that when we ask wrongly, we are asking only to fulfill our own passions.

So, like James shows us in chapter 4, verse 3, Sometimes, the problem in our prayer life is that we are asking for the wrong things… BUT, based on what I know about our culture and our brand of Christianity within this culture, the biggest problem in our prayer life is not that we’re asking wrongly; it’s that we’re not asking at all!

In verse 2, James says You do not have, because you do not ask.

A few weeks ago we talked about the Biblical truth that if we possess a true saving faith, that we’ll be moved towards Godly works..we’ll be moved into action... Can I tell you that Prayer is action? And our prayer life is very reflective of the level of faith we possess. We have access to God through prayer, and as simple and true as that is, more often than not, we put that gift of prayer on a shelf. We become passive Christians, and as a result, we limit what God can do in our lives. A lack of prayer limits what God can do in our lives and in the lives of those around us. What we’ve learned throughout the book of James is that faith is anything but passive. Faith is active..and one way we can activate our faith daily is through the practice of prayer.

And the Bible teaches us that our actions can make God move..The action of prayer in our lives can make God move…

James 4:2-3 offers us a Biblical theology on prayer, and it shows us that we should ask God for what we need in prayer. Oftentimes in our lives, we have desires, Godly desires, in our hearts, but we don’t receive them simply because we don’t ask. I want to answer 3 questions that the Word of God addresses on prayer, and for a lot of this, this may be just a reminder of what you already know..for some of us, these may be new concepts that you haven’t heard before..regardless of whether this is new information or not, and regardless of how long you’ve been walking with the Lord, how we respond, in prayer, to each of these prompts, will affect how God moves in our lives…will have a direct correlation with the extent to which the will of God is fulfilled in our lives and the lives we touch, here on this earth.

Add quotes from Wesley, Luther, etc

1. When should we pray? Always

Ephesians 6:18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

At all times means in every situation, in every season, in any circumstance you face, being led by the Spirit of God that dwells within you, we are to lift up every request to Him.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

An equal translation to this verse would say “pray without intermission”, meaning that we don’t take breaks throughout our day, throughout our week, where we’re just done praying. We don’t wake up and spend our quiet time with God and then ignore Him throughout the day. Instead, we seek God in every situation we encounter throughout the day, big or small.

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Meaning that the proper response to the struggles we face in life, no matter how big or small, is a constant seeking of the Lord in prayer, which strengthens our faith and gives us hope for the future.

The answer to the question of “When should we pray?” is ALWAYS

2. What should we pray about? Everything

Philippians 4:6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

That means that whatever concern you have, no matter how big or how small, God wants you to take it to Him in prayer. We don’t experience the peace of God without taking our concerns to God.

3. How should we pray? Boldly, with Impudence

Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Whatever we ask for in prayer, God wants us to come to Him with a boldness and a great confidence that He will give us what we’re asking for.

God wants us to pray bold prayers, and in that boldness, He invites us toPray With Impudence

In the context that the Bible uses, impudence is best defined as the unreasonable unwillingness to give up. It’s a unique word that’s best defined as an unreasonable unwillingness to give up.

Now, Jesus shares two parables on this subject, both in the book of Luke..and if Jesus has given us two different parables on precisely the same concept, then I think we probably ought to pay attention and take note, amen?

First, in Luke 18, verse 1 says “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” And He goes on to tell this story of a persistent widow who was seeking justice and she asked and asked and asked, without giving up, until she received what she was asking for. That’s Luke 18 if you want to go study that at home.

The parable that I want to focus on tonight comes out of Luke 11. Luke chapter 11 starts with the disciples approaching Jesus. And they ask him to teach them. The disciples learned a lot from following Jesus, observing Jesus, obeying His teaching..But this is the only time that the gospels record that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them something, specifically. And in Luke 11, verse 1, they said “Lord, teach us to…what?” Teach us to pray. The disciples understood the importance and the power of prayer. They were walking with God in the flesh, and they could have asked Him to teach them anything at all, and they said “Lord, teach us to pray.” And Jesus gives them the Lord’s Prayer. And we talk about the importance of the Lord’s prayer, (and we should pray the Lord’s prayer daily - slow down and make that prayer personal and powerful..)but when the disciples said, “teach us to pray,” Jesus not only gives the model that we know as the Lord’s prayer, He follows it with this model of praying with impudence. He gives us a parable that gives them and gives us insight into how God works through prayer…starting in verse 5.

Luke 11:5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Here is the message that Jesus is sharing: Sometimes, our prayers are only answered by our refusal to stop asking.

The word impudence here in the ESV is also translated as a shameless persistence, boldness, or audacity, meaning that if anyone but God heard the prayer that you’re praying, they would think you’re absolutely out of your mind. But that’s okay, because you’re not praying to them. You’re praying to the only one who can answer your ridiculous request. It’s the unreasonable unwillingness to give up, in prayer, that has moved God to do incredible things.

Hannah prayed, the Bible says, year after year for a child, when she could not have a baby. The Bible says that she prayed so hard that the priest thought she was drunk. You’d have to be crazy to pray like she was praying…But because she didn’t give up, her impudent prayer was finally answered. And Samuel was born, who became a great prophet and did incredible things for God.

The Prophet Elijah prayed fervently, the Bible says, that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t rain for 3 ½ years. Then he prayed that it would, and it did! Elijah’s fervent prayer moved God.

In Acts 12, The apostle James has just been killed and Peter was put in prison with no logical way out. So what did the church do? The Bible says that they made earnest prayer to God. They prayed and prayed and prayed. And God sent an angel to rescue Peter.

And, guys, the same God that Hannah prayed to, that Elijah prayed to, that The Way prayed to in Acts, is the same God that we pray to. The God of miracles in the Bible is still the God of miracles today.

And we limit what He can do in our lives because we do not pray enough. We do not pray frequently enough..we do not pray BIG enough. James says that we do not have because we do not ask.

We pray to the same God that the heroes of our faith prayed to…and He is unchanged. His character is the same for eternity. And He desires for us to seek Him in prayer. He desires for us to ASK.

So what do you need, that you’re not seeking God for? What could you ask God for that maybe you aren’t asking enough?

Maybe you’re in a place in life where you need direction. You’re lost and you don’t know where to go or what to do next. Ask God. He’ll give you direction. If you haven’t gotten an answer yet, keep asking until you do.

Maybe you’re single and you desire a good, Godly spouse. Ask, and keep on asking.

Maybe you desire a child that the Lord hasn’t given you yet. Ask like Hannah, and keep on asking.

Maybe you have health struggles…maybe they’re physical, maybe they’re mental. As long as there are health problems, there will be a God who has the power to heal. Ask him, and keep on asking him, in faith.

Maybe you’re having financial struggles and you don’t know how you’ll make it through the next month or even the next week. Start asking God right now for provision for you and your family…and keep on asking.

Maybe there’s a relationship in your life that needs reconciliation. Pray for God to heal it. Ask him now and keep on asking Him.

Any request that you have that you can ask in Jesus name, God wants you to ask, and He wants you to keep asking until either He answers you or He changes your mind about what you’re asking.

God wants us to pray more. If we’re going to be people who walk in what God has called us to, then we have to have a strong prayer life. If we are going to be the church that God has called us to be, then we have to be a praying church.

Action step right now: Get out your phone. Go to notes. Start a new note. Title it “Prayer List.” And start a list of things to pray for. At the top of that list, put the one thing in life that you desire to see changed.”

Whatever you put on that list, pray about it over, and over, and over, until God answers or He changes your mind by taking that desire away.

Next week, we will start having a consistent, weekly prayer meeting.