Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Ask, and It Will Be Given

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?

11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

The Golden Rule

12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Last week we looked at the often quoted scripture, “Judge not, that you be not judged.”

And today we’re moving on to yet another often quoted portion of Scripture, this time, usually within the walls of the church, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you,” or sometimes abbreviated simply as “Ask, seek and knock.”

Easily distorted scripture

The implication here in this portion of text is prayer

And like our text last week this particular scripture can be very dangerous when divorced from its context.

If we read verses 7 and 8 apart from their immediate context, and the entirety of Scripture, we can easily come away with a very pliable theology on prayer.

Or in other words an understanding of prayer that can be easily maligned or distorted if we’re not careful.

Answering important questions about prayer

What I mean is that if all of what I know about prayer is what's said in these two verses then I really don't have much to go on, other than ask and God will give it to you, or seek and you will find what you're looking for, or knock and God will open the door.

It says nothing about what you should ask for or how you should ask for it.

What I mean, is that if all of what I know concerning the subject of prayer is what I’ve read here in these two verses then I don't have much to go on, other than ask, and God will give it to me, or seek, and I will find, or knock and God will open the door.

It says nothing about what we should ask for or how we should ask for it.

This text assumes we’ve already answered those questions.

So it’s important for us to understand that this particular text requires an understanding of everything else Scripture teaches on prayer for us to rightly understand what Jesus means to say here.

And if we don't have answers to some very basic questions concerning prayer, it's likely we'll run with these verses in the wrong direction.

We’ll misunderstand them, and we might erroneously conclude that it really doesn't matter what we ask for, but only that we ask for it, thereby treating God as a sort of a genie in a bottle.

We might also think that it doesn't matter how we ask, or how we seek after these things, but only that we do.

This particular text requires an understanding of everything else Scripture teaches on prayer to answer those questions.

And if we don't have answers to those question it's likely we'll run with these verses in the wrong direction.

We might conclude that it really doesn't matter what we ask for, but only that we ask for it, thereby treating God as a sort of a genie in a bottle.

We might also think that it doesn't matter how we ask, or how we seek after these things, but only that we do.

This particular text requires an understanding of everything else Scripture teaches on prayer to answer those questions.

And if we don't have answers to those question it's likely we'll run with these verses in the wrong direction.

We might conclude that it really doesn't matter what we ask for, but only that we ask for it, thereby treating God as a sort of a genie in a bottle.

We might also think that it doesn't matter how we ask, or how we seek after these things, but only that we do.

The emphasis to ask, seek and knock

And of course the emphasis here in verses 8 and 9 is precisely that we should ask, and that we should seek, and that we should knock, but it's absolutely critical that we couch this emphasis to ask, seek and knock in Scripture's broader teaching on prayer.

And of course the emphasis here in verses 8 and 9 is precisely that we should ask, and that we should seek, and that we should knock, but it's absolutely critical that we couch this emphasis to ask, seek and knock in Scripture's broader teaching on prayer.

And of course the emphasis here in verses 8 and 9 is precisely that we should ask, and that we should seek, and that we should knock, but it's absolutely critical that we couch this emphasis to ask, seek and knock in Scripture's broader teaching on prayer.

Praying with reverence

For example, Hebrews chapter 5 says this about Jesus,

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

For example, Hebrews says this about Jesus in chapter 5,

For example, Hebrews says this about Jesus in chapter 5,

We're told that because of his reverence he was heard by God.

The obvious implication here is that we are to approach God with reverence if we intend to be heard by him.

And if you'll recall back in Mathew 6 during Jesus' instruction to his disciples on how we ought to pray, he says, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

(Hebrews 5:7)

7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.

()

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version.

(2016).

(Heb 5:7).

Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

And it's texts like these that answer the question, 'How should we pray?' We are to pray with a posture of submission and reverence - seeking to honor God as holy.

And that answer informs our understanding of how we're to rightly understand and apply Jesus' teaching to ask, seek and knock here in .

So it's texts like these that answer the question, 'How should we pray?' We are to pray with a posture of submission and reverence - seeking to honor God as holy.

And that answer informs our understanding of how we're to understand and apply Jesus' teaching to ask, seek and knock here in .

We're told that because of his reverence he was heard by God.

The obvious implication here is that we are to approach God with reverence.

And if you'll recall back in Mathew 6 during Jesus' instructions to his disciples on how to pray he says, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."

So it's texts like these that answer the question, 'How should we pray?'

And that answer informs our understanding of how we're to understand and apply Jesus' teaching to ask, seek and knock here in .

We're told that because of his reverence he was heard by God.

The obvious implication here is that we are to approach God with reverence.

And if you'll recall back in Mathew 6 during Jesus' instructions to his disciples on how to pray he says, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."

So it's texts like these that answer the question, 'How should we pray?'

And that answer informs our understanding of how we're to understand and apply Jesus' teaching to ask, seek and knock here in Matthew 7.

We're told that because of his reverence he was heard by God.

The obvious implication here is that we are to approach God with reverence.

And if you'll recall back in Mathew 6 during Jesus' instructions to his disciples on how to pray he says, "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name."

So it's texts like these that answer the question, 'How should we pray?'

And that answer informs our understanding of how we're to understand and apply Jesus' teaching to ask, seek and knock here in .

Understanding who we are, and who God is

We need to understand both who we are and who God is, and most importantly understand our relationship to God.

That we are the creature and that he is our Creator.

We should never approach God in a haughty manner or with a sense of entitlement.

God is not a genie in a bottle.

It is a most wonderful and surprising privilege that we as Christians can approach God in prayer, moreover, Jesus tell us that we are encouraged to ask, seek and knock.

That God loves to give good gifts to his children.

This should blow us away.

We need to understand both who we are and who God is, and most importantly understand our relationship to God.

That we are the creature and that he is our Creator.

We should never approach God in a haughty manner or with a sense of entitlement.

God is not a genie in a bottle.

It is a most wonderful and surprising privilege that we as Christians can approach God in prayer, moreover, Jesus tell us that we are encouraged to ask, seek and knock.

That God loves to give good gifts to his children.

This should blow us away.

We need to understand both who we are and who God is, and most importantly understand our relationship to God.

That we are the creature and that he is the creator.

We should never approach God in a flippant manner or with a sense of entitlement.

Yes, we are encouraged to approach his throne of grace with boldness (without shame), but not in a disrespectful fashion.

God is not a genie in a bottle who’s obligated to grant us our three wishes.

He is both our Lord and our heavenly Father who loves his children.

So it’s a most wonderful and surprising privilege that we as Christians can approach God in prayer.

In fact, Jesus tell us that we are encouraged to ask, seek and knock.

That God loves to give good gifts to his children.

This is what Jesus intends to communicate to his disciples here in .

Ask according to God’s will

The second question we have to answer in order to rightly understand these verses is 'What should we ask for?', or 'What should we seek after?’

Are we permitted to ask for whatever we want without restraint?

Are verses 7 and 8 a blank check for us to fill in?