Keep on Asking

Introduction

We are better together—together with God and together with fellow believers in Christ.

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) addresses the ethical practices of life in God’s Kingdom.

It answers the question: What is ethical in our relationship with others and our relationship with God?

When we examine these ethical requirements that Jesus gives, what is our reaction?

An honest assessment of living holy.

Impossible?

We ignore holiness.

We minimize holiness.

We reinterpret holiness.

We reject holiness.

OR, we accept it as an offering unto God.

Jesus tells us how we ought to live as true believers:

Lust

Marriage

Promises/oaths

Retaliation

Loving enemies

Giving to the needy

Prayer/Forgiveness

Fasting

Materialism

Fear

Judging others (Last week’s message

Let’s be honest: how can we really do this?

Much of what Jesus calls us, as believers, to do relates to others. And, almost all the problems we have encountered in life deal with others. Is it possible to follow this kind of living?

Truthfully, we can’t — not all the time.

Jesus tells us how we can live the impossible:

Matthew 7:7–8 ESV

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.

To access the power of this kind of praying, we need to understand a few things.

First: this kind of praying requires faith.

To trust God, we need to know God.

Matthew 7:9–11 ESV

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!

He is Heavenly Father who loves His children.

He wants what is best for His children.

He gives good gifts to His children

REQUIREMENT: We need to trust in God.

God is faithful.

God is powerful.

God is generous.

Second, this kind of prayer requires praying.

Ask, seek, and knock are three words talking about the same thing: prayer.

When Jesus repeats something—like what He does here—he is emphasizing something we need to do (or not to do, if it was in the negative).

Jesus is instructing His followers to pray regularly. It is a spiritual discipline that is essential for living in the Kingdom of God (Kingdom living).

Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives instructions on how we can approach this spiritual discipline.

Matthew 6:5–8 ESV

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Prayer is humble.

Prayer is intimacy with God.

Prayer is simple.

Prayer is a demonstration of faith (we KNOW God hears and answers).

Third, this kind of prayer requires persistence.

These three words in verse 7, ask, seek, knock, are all in the present imperative. What does that mean?

This is a habitual, lifestyle command from Jesus—to be persistent.

Jesus prayed the same prayer three times in Gethsemane; Paul also prayed three times about his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:8).

We quit all too easy and all too soon. Until we receive an answer from God (Yes, No, not now), we should pray persistently.

However, this persistence in prayer needs to reflect the final principle harvested from this passage:

Fourth, this kind of prayer requires alignment.

God does not give us a blank check.

Some believe this passage suggests just that: we can have anything we want!

However, the Sermon on the Mount suggest something different.

Matthew 6:9–10 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Your will be done!

This is prayer in the Kingdom. Not that we seek what we want, but that we seek what the Heavenly Father wants!

Matthew 6:33 ESV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

The prayer we need to pray is a prayer that seeks the Father’s glory and will.

The great thing about prayer is not that you receive a specific answer to your request, but that you have spent time with the Father.

The best thing believers get in prayer is a growing relationship and dependence on God.

Conclusion

Kingdom living incorporates kingdom praying.

We learn to pray:

With faith.

By praying.

With persistence.

By aligning ourselves to the will of God.

Next Sunday

The Golden Rule.