Asking Seeking Knocking

Introduction

The Secret. This book came out in November 2006, and it was very quickly a best-seller I remember it because back then “the Chaser” had a show called the ‘war on everything’ and they did a review of sorts on this book and how Orpah was massively in love with book. The premise of the book is using the power of attraction positive thoughts and desires can change the world around you. So, if you want something enough and you pour enough thought into it the universe will align, and you will get it. Sounds awesome right? The Chaser did an experiment with a car a full parking and the desire to find a park. It didn’t end well.

Our passage today is about asking God for things in prayer. For many God can easily become like “the Secret” if we desire it enough and want it enough then we will get it. God becomes like a vending machine, if we put the right stuff in then we will get out what we want from him. If we read this passage from our western sinful mindset of desiring material possessions, then we forgot to remember the passage that come before this in Jesus sermon on the mount.

So today we are going to consider how we ask, seek and knock on Gods door in a way that honours him and doesn’t use him as a vending machine. We are going to look through three things this morning.

1. Our Motivation

2. Our Action

3. His Answer

Our Motivation

I’ve already alluded that coming to God as the eternal vending machine is not only dishonour but also is sinful, if that’s the case then what is our hearts motivation to come to God in prayer for the things we need.

To answer that we need to back track in the sermon on the mount. As we read these three chapters it can be really easy to forget that they are all part of the same block of teaching given at the same time. So taking each section as we are is beneficial but needs to be done in the context of the whole.

The sermon on the mount starts with Jesus gathering his disciples and the crowds and teaching them the characteristics of those who are apart of the kingdom of heaven. The very first one of which says “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” it’s from here we find the context of our prayer. The person who uses positive thinking and desire to gain the things they want do so on their own effort. Those who seek God as the eternal vending machine do so from a position of self-motivation and sometimes noble thought and are like a flash in the pan they disappear quickly or move on to the next desire quickly. Those who come to God who are poor in spirit are aware of their own moral and spiritual bankruptcy before God as Jesus has taught throughout the sermon on the mount. They come knowing that they have been angry with their neighbours that they have lusted after those they shouldn’t have. That they have broken oaths taken before the Lord. That they have sort to retaliate against those who have wrong them, they know that they have given falsely, prayed insincerely and fasted for the glory of self not God.

When we come to God in prayer knowing that this is what we are like, a shameful and broken person unfit to be in his presence. Then the motivation of our approach surely changes. When we grasp our position before God our motivation to pray no longer becomes about material possession and treasures of this world, they come primarily about Grace, mercy, forgiveness, and the help from the spirit that our bankrupt state requires.

So, then what do we do.

Our Action

The passage tells us we should ask, seek and knock.

With our motivation in the right place, we should bring things before God. Our translations only have “ask” as a singular action here though. The Greek and some other English translation have keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking the verb is continuous. Don’t just ask once but ask continuously bring the prayer before God.

Can you see why this would be problematic if our motivation was in the wrong place? Or if the things we desire were not aligned to that of God’s? I have already mentioned the secret If this is the way we see the universe then we must constantly asked for the things that we want rather than the things that we actually need. Only desiring a parking spot is not what Jesus means when he refers to asking consistently to God. It's been a few funny incidents where people have mentioned being thankful for unanswered prayer. It seems I would bite when we think about it it makes sense because we don't always pray in line with what God is saying here. Some people pray for new cars not just the car but they need in but like a Lamborghini I prayed for a Lamborghini when I was a kid because I really wanted one and I prayed unceasingly for it but I didn't get it it's a now I am thankful for unanswered prayer because I really didn't need a Lamborghini what I needed was god's love and protection his guidance and is forgiveness. What about the Single man that people pray will find a wife, but he is totally content in his singleness.

If we are consistently bringing these kinds of prayer towards God asking for them to occur, then the context of the passage didn’t settle in.

Our motivation comes from our spiritual bankrupt state not our desires for new things. Our action towards God must come from that place. And when it does we will consistently pray not for Lamborghini’s or wives/husbands or whatever your flavour of desire is in this season, but for forgiveness, grace, and for growth in spiritual matters. If you want to know what to pray about pray about growth in Christ for yourself and for others.

Do a spiritual inventory check. Where are you lacking when it comes to living for Jesus. When it comes to key markers laid out for us in the bible like the fruits of the spirit which ones are you not doing too well at. Maybe you are struggling to trust God at the moment with particular parts of your life.

Write them down pick a few and then prayer unceasingly that God will give you that particular part Grace in your life. To go a step further share that with someone else and pray for each other about that particular thing in your life.

How amazing would the Christian Family be if we were unceasingly praying that both ourselves and each other were growing in spiritual matters and aligning ourselves to Christ as it says here constantly.