Sermon Tone Analysis

Matthew 7:7-11

4537 Fanny Crosby’s Prayer Life

Fanny Crosby, though blinded in infancy, greeted friends and strangers alike with a cheerful “God bless your dear soul.”

And, according to her own statement, she never attempted to write a hymn without first kneeling in prayer.

If this be true, Fanny Crosby spent considerable time on her knees.

She wrote no less than 8,000 songs.

Miss Crosby was often under pressure to meet deadlines.

It was under such circumstances in 1869 that she tried to write words for a tune Composer W. H. Doane had sent her.

But she couldn’t write.

Then she remembered she had forgotten her prayer.

Rising from her knees, she dictated—as fast as her assistant could write—words for the famous hymn, “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross.”

But one day in 1874, Fanny Crosby prayed for more material things.

She had run short of money and needed five dollars—even change.

There was no time to draw on her publishers, so she simply prayed for the money.

Her prayer ended, she was walking to and fro in her room trying to “get into the mood” for another hymn when an admirer called.

Greeting the stranger with “God bless your dear soul,” the two chatted briefly.

In the parting handshake the admirer left something in the hymn-writer’s hand.

It was five dollars.

Rising from a prayer of thanks the blind poetess wrote: “All the way my Saviour leads me.”

How does this section fit in with what Jesus was just teaching (or does it?)

What does it mean to live the “Xn life?”

God did not give us specific details to address any given situation we would find ourselves in but a very broad, basic, simple yet truly profound principle that governs every moment of Xn living.

It was said that when Abram left his country he didn’t know where he was going but he did know with whom he went.

The promise in our vv is grounded in the very character of our Father and our application of this promise to our lives indicates what we truly believe about Him.

Simple 3 part outline—3 pieces of this pie (we’ll get the whole pie tonight).

1.

The Instruction

Jesus is teaching why we should pray (we’re invited, commanded, makes promises to us, we come to our Father, our heavenly Father is better than earthly father, we can trust the goodness of God).

The Commands (PAImp)

What observations do you have about vs 7? some suggest increasing intensity.

The Character of Prayer

Humbly (recognize your need and superiority of the One you’re coming to)

Earnestly (all are action verbs indicating effort required)

Jas 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.

The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

With faith—believing that prayer “works” (Pink “It is as though the earnest asker and diligent seeker is now confronted by a closed door.

Even so, says Christ, be not discouraged and dismayed, [but] continue your quest, ‘knock.’”)

With reverence

“There are two words for ‘knock’ in [the] Greek, one which refers to an unceremonious pounding, the other to a polite knock.

The latter is used here” (Wuest)

Luke 11:5-13;

With persistence

Luke 18:1-7;

2. The Explanation

“For” introduces an explanation of what has just been said

Notice the repetition of promises:

To whom is this directed?

(Everyone)?

Luke 13:24-30;

Notice the results (consequences) of proper prayer

What God gives is:

Gracious—everyone who asks receives.

(Hebrews 4:16)

Great—receives, finds, opened— (Butler: God is not cheap and stingy when speaking of promises for prayer.

God’s promises are liberal indeed.

God has done and will continue to do marvelous things as answers to our prayers.

Scripture testifies again and again of the greatness of the consequences of prayer.)

Acts 4:31; Eph 3:20;

Gratifying—answered prayer causes more joy, satisfaction, calming assurance, boldness, than ever pursuing the things of this world.

Why?

3. The Illustration

Something that will be readily understood by everyone...a child coming to his father with a request.

If he asks for bread, will he be given something which looks a bit like it but is in fact disastrously different, e.g. a stone instead of a loaf, or a snake instead of a fish?

That is, if the child asks for something wholesome to eat (bread or fish), will he receive instead something unwholesome, either inedible (a stone) or positively harmful (a poisonous snake)?

Of course not!

Parents, even though they are evil, i.e. selfish by nature, still love their children and give them only good gifts

A Fortiori (from the stronger)—argument lesser to the greater.

If the 1st is true how much more will the 2nd be?

Why?

The givers—evil/heavenly Father

The gifts—good gifts/what is good (HS)

How much more…Generosity of God

Objections to Prayer:

How would you respond?

Prayer is unseemly (not appropriate)

‘This encouragement to pray presents a false picture of God.

It implies that he needs either to be told what we lack or to be bullied into giving it, whereas Jesus himself said earlier that our heavenly Father knows it and cares for us anyway.

Besides, he surely cannot be bothered with our petty affairs.

Why should we suppose that his gifts are dependent on our asking?

Do human parents wait before supplying their children’s needs until they ask for them?’

Prayer is unnecessary

Thoughtful Christians look round them and see lots of people getting on fine without prayer.

Indeed they seem to receive without prayer the very same things that we receive with it.

They get what they need by working for it, not by praying for it.

The farmer gets a good crop by labour, not prayer.

The mother gets her baby by medical skill, not prayer.

The family balances its budget by the wage-earning of dad and perhaps others, not by prayer.

‘Surely,’ we may be tempted to say, ‘this proves that prayer doesn’t make an ounce of difference; it’s so much wasted breath.’

Prayer is unproductive

People argue that prayer is unnecessary because God gives to many who do not ask, and that it is unproductive because he fails to give to many who do.

‘I prayed to pass an exam, but failed it.

I prayed to be healed of an illness, and it got worse.

I prayed for peace, but the world is filled with the noise of war.

Prayer doesn’t work!’—This is the familiar problem of unanswered prayer.

being good, our heavenly Father gives only good gifts to his children; being wise as well, he knows which gifts are good and which are not.

We have already heard Jesus say that human parents would never give a stone or snake to their children who ask for bread or fish.

But what if the children (through ignorance or folly) were actually to ask for a stone or a snake?

What then?

Doubtless an extremely irresponsible parent might grant the child’s request, but the great majority of parents would be too wise and loving.

Certainly our heavenly Father would never give us something harmful, even if we asked for it urgently and repeatedly, for the simple reason that he gives his children only ‘good gifts’.

‘I thank God’, writes Dr Lloyd-Jones ‘that He is not prepared to do anything that I may chance to ask Him … I am profoundly grateful to God that He did not grant me certain things for which I asked, and that He shut certain doors in my face.’1