Ask Courageously!

Thank you passage of scripture that I'd like us to look at today together is found in The Sermon on the Mount. It's in Matthew chapter 7. I think it'll be on the screen or maybe you'd like to turn in your Bible and look more closely to it.

This is a great sermon where Jesus addresses his disciples with the principles of the kingdom of God. And we're going to pick it up in Matthew Chapter 7. Will begin reading in verse 7 through 11.

ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knox and it will be open to you. For everyone who asks receives and the one who seeks finds and to the one who knocks it will be opened. For which of you if his son asks him for bread will give him a stone. Griffey asking for a fish will give him a serpent. 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 gifts to those who ask him. Father we thank you. That is weave Sunday more this today you are you are good so good. Father thank you that there is no darkness in you. There's nothing that would cause us to fear you in an evil way that there's something twisted or wrong and you thank you and praise you that you are righteous that you were true that you are. Holy. The evil comes from the evil one on this planet in the evil on this planet comes from the human heart. That's falling. God we thank you that what you do is good. That you want to take us. We're born with a fallen. Old nature and you want to make us new through the work of your son the Lord Jesus Christ and you want to make us those who has the Great Commission says obey everything that he has taught us and we thank you for this that you've taught us Lord. Jesus be claimed the promise that you were with us always to the End of the Age. We claim the promise that the holy spirit will teach us and guide us in the truth. We Gather today the name of the father son and holy spirit amen

the disciples asked Jesus in the beginning of The Sermon on the Mount to teach them to pray and you remember that we have from that The Treasure of the Lord's Prayer.

And that's in Matthew chapter 6. Well here in Matthew chapter 7 Jesus returns to the subject of prayer and he gives us three promises so that we might have power in prayer.

Precious promises because he knows that. We need these to help overcome our old nature which is full of apathy and indifference Pride self-sufficiency.

Fears as it relates to God even fatalism in our attitude. He wants to empower us. Is the children of God to pray to our good father? And so he gives us three b's three promises and that's what we're going to look at today.

I think have a bullet lizard if you want to look along you'll be able to follow there and the first of these promises of course is verse 7 ask and it will be given to you.

Five times in these verses it's ask such a thing to think of ask seek knock. first letter spells a s okay. Ask seek knock five times were encouraged to ask. The Lord's Prayer taught us

the whatever our need is where to pray and where they ask God for where they asked him for our daily bread where they asked him for the power to forgive.

We asked him to lead us we ask him to Deliver Us from Temptation and from evil. we asked and we're invited to do that is a child of God with boldness and confidence faith.

I was thinking about how they illustrate this in a real way. I was thinking back to a trip we had with our family with David and bath and Savannah and Malachi where we were in the south. At a hotel and on the beach in May and it was hot and one night. We went out to play Miniature Golf and been a long day and we're out on the miniature golf course in Savannah. The three-year-old who is going on 13 in the way. She acts looked up at me. pops I'm thirsty. I need water. Round the middle of this miniature golf course. By a miracle of God's grace as I was going through the counter to pay. The woman said hey, if you'll give us a $5 contribution for this charity will give you a bottle of water. Okay, so I stuck that in my back pocket and It was so great.

I'm thirsty I need water. I pulled out that bottle of water and I gave it to Savannah. and she was so happy in those big brown eyes looked up to me with such gratitude and All through the rest of the time I'm hungry. I'm thirsty. I need more water and she finish off that bottle by the end of the time. And I just was a picture to me that you know by giving her water when she really needed it. There was something that brought us closer. I thought about this really what God wants with us. He wants us to come and tell him what we need because he wants us to come closer. He wants us to trust him, but he's good. Do you knows how to give good things to his children?

And ivory maturing child of God knows that there are times when we've asked God for things and in the end, we really didn't want them. I was thinking back to a few years ago when? I thought I really wanted this one job. And so I went through the process and I prayed and I asked God they might give this job to me.

And the answer was no.

A few months later. I asked our singer-songwriter are singer-songwriter daughter to write a Spong what she did and I asked her to call it a thousand. Thank you notes. Because I look back on that request and that thing I wanted. I saw that if God had given that to me it would have been the worst thing possible for me that I was exactly where I needed to be. And that would have not gone well.

And so it is the God is faithful to us then in the asking. It's not just an unconditional whatever we ask for is Autumn a I know there are two conditions if you will that are really like a safety net in our bold asking. In the first of these safety nets if I call him and prayer is that we have to ask in faith. And so it is in James chapter 1 verses 5 and 6.

James writes if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault. It will be given to you. But when you ask you must believe and not doubt. Because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea blown and tossed by the wind.

So as we ask we have to ask and face. We have to ask believe in God.

And as we asked there's a second condition to asking. and that is what we need to ask a cording to the will of God and so 1st John 5 14 and 15 says this is the confidence we have that in prayer as we approach God if we ask

he hears us. And if we know that he hears us whatever we ask we know that we have what we have asked of him.

So it is a guide when we're asking and we're praying according to his will for things like wisdom and all the things in Scripture that are promised to us. We can have a sense that we're praying according to the will of God and we pray and Faith motivated by the promises of the word.

Is a very good book on prayer if you want to read one that takes awhile to read. But it has just some great stories in it great expectations as it relates to prayer. It's a book called but called prayer. Does it make any difference by Philip Yancey?

Probably my favorite story that he brings out in this book. Goes back to 1770s and the Constitutional Convention where our forefathers gathered in Philadelphia to write the Constitution that has lasted so long that reflects such wisdom.

Nancy brings out of jail time when for contentious weeks it failed to produce a single word in 4 weeks. Toward the writing of the Constitution of the United States. Benjamin Franklin a man very respected Rosanna address George, Washington

the longer I live Franklin said The more convincing proofs. I see of this truth that God governs in the Affairs of men.

He went on to State his fear that the various factions would argue their own interests. Inreach no agreement.

Franklin went on to say without God's Aid without his help. We shall succeed in this political building. No better than the Builders of Babel.

And Franklin made a motion that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of heaven and it's a blessing on our deliberations be held in the assembly every morning. And this practice continues in the United States Congress to this day?

Founding fathers reach that point where they cried out to God for wisdom. And they did it in face and they did it in submission to what God would reveal and bring to agreement among them and know that we might have leaders again that don't treat prayer is some kind of a formality.

But there is a Heart full of faith and there's a submission to what the will of God is.

And so the promises that will ask it will be given to us. was the second promise seek and you will find

did you know when we ask for something that somebody else is the only one who can give it to us for we ask James says ask for wisdom God's the only one who can give us this kind of wisdom from above is so we ask in faith for what only God can give us. And some prayers like this Prayer for Wisdom when we needed it and it's Bailey way are only an ask away.

But you know some answers.

linger there hidden They don't come. as we ask some answers take time. Some wisdom is just an ask away, but some wisdom is hidden than we must seek it. And this is described for us in. Proverbs Chapter 2 verses 1 to 7 the need to seek Solomon right Solomon rice my son. If you accept these my words and store up my commands within you. Turning your heart to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding indeed if you call out for inside and cry aloud for understanding if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure.

Then you will understand the fear of the Lord. Find the knowledge of God for the Lord gives wisdom. from his mouth comes knowledge and

so some prayer some answers to prayer just ask away, but others are hidden and hard to find and we have to seek them like silver.

I don't know much about speaking silver, but the little I read I mean that's usually hidden in the ground. sometimes it is silver mined in these days and you have to go in and you have to separate it from the rest of the dirt in the order that surrounded it and you have to smelt it and it takes a great deal of speaking to find silver and probably even more to find hidden treasure.

It's so this is a description of sometimes in prayer. This is what we need we have to seek. We have to be perseverant. We have to cry out we have to ask and continue to ask.

Because God seems hidden. and the answer doesn't just ,

so I ask myself.

Find the gods laugh and ask for water and it gives it immediately another times God seems to hide from us.

And there is no answer that comes immediately.

Some of the reasons I thought about is it sometimes we're fickle and we lose interest and we need to seek God In Prayer. The crews were really serious over a. Of time.

Dick, sometimes we have to speak because we're like that Kelly caterpillar that's trying to get out of the mess and fly and it's to persevering in prayer that God develops our character and brings us into full bloom.

Get some answers. We just have to and seeking and seeking because the answer comes over a lifetime like a solid marriage or a meaningful Ministry or fun family.

There's another reason In this passage as to why we have to seek but I think it's pretty important that we might overlook.

another reason that we need to seek God and from us Is the by Nature we are sinners and we're not by Nature those who seek God we're prone to wander.

Did you notice in the comment of Jesus that if you being evil? Know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your heavenly father give give give good gets to you if you being evil.

When I was a young Pastor, I served 13 years in Dubuque, Iowa is a pastor of a local church like this.

one day I was studying for a month or two the end of the image of God in man and I just made a little aside.

we're good and God wants to do good things in our lives and

Say came up to me afterwards and Cedric. You said we're good you forgot that by Nature were not good.

I went back to scripture and I came across this passage if you being evil.

I thought about the fact yes, we're made in the image of God, and there's goodness there. We're falling and we have an old nature and it's by Nature evil. It's in rebellions against God. It's going the other way.

When were born again God gives us a new nature that hungers after God that speaks God that wants God, but that's our new nature and not the old nature that we were originally with the people have until they're born again. It said that next Sunday had to go before the church and I ask for forgiveness and I said, you know, I really misled you last week because I made that little crack that little side, and it was wrong and I brought them this scripture if you being evil.

We always need to remember that by Nature. We have an old nature. That's not seeking God and that God is the speaker in that Christ came to seek Us in to save us in The Seekers after God because by Nature we are like wild horses. We are Unbroken. We run from God we roam the range doing what we want thinking we can meet all of our needs. So how does God turn us into Seekers after him.

Maybe some of you have read this book or seen this movie is pretty cool. It's called The Man Who listens to horses?

Basis for a movie called The Horse Whisperer. It's a story of a Man Who Loved Mustangs out on the Range in Montana and his family were ranchers and they were horse Traders. He came from that kind of family is family and young man to break their spirit. They were hard on them. They would put ropes around them and jerk those horses to break their Spirit. They would throw them to the ground. They tie a rope around the neck of a whoreson been around the hood. To disable it to Humble it. Bring it into submission. It took weeks and weeks of this breaking of the horse.

o'mighty noticed some

The Mustangs on the Open Range hated to be alone.

If they were separated from the herd, they could become sick. and even die

and so mighty thought of a new approach to taming Mustang. He would get them one by one in a chorale. With him, just the two. And then he would stay as far away as possible from that Mustang. Is it grants to round one end of the Chorale? He'd be at the office again?

Has the Mustang would come a little closer and get up on its hind legs. He would just ignore the the horse.

When the Mustang would pound the ground trying to get the attention of Monty he would divert his eyes. He's never look into the eyes of the horse.

Sometimes after just an hour or two. That Mustang we come over near him. and be willing to do what he want.

Imani said these animals need contact with others so much. They'd rather be friend their enemy than to be left alone.

They would rather be friends and enemies into be left alone. And isn't it great that God does not force himself upon us. He does not try to break our spirit. He doesn't throw us to the ground.

No, God broke his own son or allowed him to be broken on the cross as the sacrifice for our sin to show us how much he loves us. So that we could see that we could trust him this kind of love is kind of sacrifice for us. And we might then be drawn to him.

Define life in Christ. So what is the god hides himself from us?

What is purpose is good? Because he wants us to seek him. the promises that if we seek we will find

because it's the crucified Christ to turn speakers into or Sinners into speakers who seek after God.

Who is the third promise here that we can meditate on this week? I hope and that is that first we need to think about asking and it will be given to us like a child. asking for a bottle of water need some water over here this morning.

And so we ask and it will be given to us and we seek. And we will find what a great promise. The third promises that we can knock and the door will be open.

If they had opened we probably would have been damaged. Glad they didn't open.

And so what can happen is we can kind of stop knocking.

Assurance here is is that if we keep knocking? God will open his door.

This is a promise to keep us knocking. The move us away from our and our indifference and our pride and our self sufficiency to keep knocking.

God's door will open

For me Revelation 3 7 and 8 has been a powerful promise that I've relied upon.

The superintendent I work with pastors all the time. We're looking to serve in a church and At the end of my time of talking with them. I often quote in prayer.

Is native there seeking their knocking there looking for the opportunity that God has for them. They're looking for that open door.

Go to them. These are great verses to the Church of Philadelphia in Revelation chapter 3 verses 7 & 8 Where the scripture says to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write these are the words of him who is Holy and true.

Who holds the key of David?

What he opens no one can shut and what he shuts no one can open.

I know your Deeds. See I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. For I know that you have little strength that you have kept my word. You have not denied my name.

Coming out of Seminary Jan and I had no idea where we would end up in 1979 and we prayed. We asked we thought we knocked. Send out resumes we made inquiries. You know what it's like to try to find. position when were knocking on doors

Do we learn through that at that time in our lives and also another times? We're like when we had to come back from Russia because of a Family Health crisis, and I had to take another role somewhere. We didn't know any we didn't.

Is two truths about God opening doors that we've learned Through The Years first that God opens his door.

When we are ready.

When we're ready God opens the door.

What I really wanted was God going to Seminary in Deerfield, Illinois, and I really wanted to stay in Chicago for my Ministry to coming out of Seminary and every door we knocked on wood.

Then one day I went in to talk to the placement directed our seminarian. He said hey, they need Pulpit Supply out in Dubuque, Iowa. Are you ready to go? and we went and God use that first Pulpit experience to lead to 13 years of serving that church.

So grateful looking back that God didn't send us somewhere in to Chicago because it was in Dubuque that I learned how to be a father and I learned how to be a husband and I learned how to be a pastor if I been in a big city somewhere. I don't know that would have

So it is that God opens the door when we're ready for it. Isn't that a great Assurance? The God is not going to give us something that will take us down. He's going to say no to that. Whatever the reason. No.

The God will open the door that we're ready for and secondly, God will open the door that when others are ready.

after many years in Dubuque winter in 1979 after many years of serving their we just really I had a restlessness Indian. The early 90s. I was invited to go on a missions trip to Hong Kong and Guangzhou China to see where the work of the oven jellicle Free Church started and in missions in 1887 with Hans Von qualen. And so 12 pastors went on this trip to Hong Kong and there are 40 or 50 Evangelical Free churches in Hong Kong and we went each Sunday morning to preach in one of those churches.

There's a great experience in on that trip in 1991 the mission's director of our mission invited our family to move to Moscow Russia because the wall had fallen in 1989. He asked us to move and become the first missionaries of the oven. Jellicle Free Church in in Moscow, Russia.

I waited sent my resume endless place is all through the end of the 80s and now all of a sudden. the invitation Russia wasn't ready. But at just the right time when others were ready God opened the door for us. So that we can make a contribution based on who we were and we continue to be involved in the church that we were passed during there. We were there in February for three weeks were planning on going back or try to go back every two or three years. Because God. Now knows that we're ready and because God. Knows if they're ready. So he says I'll open the door for you at just the right time.

Because you have a little strength and you kept my word and not denied my name.

So here's three final questions to ask as you apply this passage. What are you asking God for today?

play just take second seer get a chance to ask that question in debt. think of one thing honestly, what's one thing honestly that the knead you have your asking God for

One thing you really need it if you can't think of anything you need. Wow.

I'd be wisdom. I'd be forgiveness.

Might be true patience and you the Fruit of the Spirit. Relationship you're in.

Really need God's wisdom. Think about what it is that you need to ask God for.

And then think about something that you're seeking that God seems to be hidden. That seems to be saying no God seems to be unresponsive.

What is it that you need to speak? It keeps shaking in prayer. Trusting dead as it's according to the will of God and you ask in faith.

You will find.

Then finally, is there a door you're knocking on today. Is there a door? To a reconciled relationship. Is there a door to a new ministry? Is there a door to change? Is there a door to enter into a new adventure?

knock

disintegrate to know that God is just not going to open the door if it's not right for you if you're not ready and they're not ready.

When you are and when that situation is just right God is the one who has promised knock and it will be his door will be open. father we thank you for our

thank you for him returning to prayer in The Sermon on the Mount from The Lord's Prayer and giving us these precious promises. God we thank you that you were the one who seeks us. And father maybe someone's here today and they know there they've just been a wild horse. I've been running the other way. I've been in Rebellion. They've broken through every since they can find.

God thank you that you're the secret that even when we have not sought you you seek us.

You do it through your kindness in your goodness that we see in the face of Christ. Whose name we pray? Amen?

Amman

Was it closed this morning?

Babies are considering what it is that you're asking for or seeking God for the door. You're knocking on.

Cuz we close this morning. Let's sing together of Jesus great power and ability and even his desire to answer those prayers, MN. So would you stand with me? And I will sing with this confidence that the Jesus can do it. In fact is we we heard already from 1st John 5. This is the confidence we have toward him that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us?