SPEAKER_00 0:31

Again, it's good to be with you this morning. And if you're visiting, please give us an opportunity to meet you when our services have concluded. There was an agnostic who was in the early 20th century on a on a ship that was crossing the Atlantic, and he had heard that uh the evangelist and theologian F. B. Meyer was on the on this uh cruise. And he heard that Dr. Meyer was going to be delivering the Sunday morning message uh in the first class dining room. And so, holding a first class ticket, he decided that he would go just to hear what he had to say. And a friend joined him and they listened to the sermon that Dr. Meyer delivered that morning. And when it was over, his friend asked him, Well, what do you think? What'd you think about Dr. Meyer's sermon? He said, That's just a bunch of rubbish. But I think I'll go and hear him again and see what more blabbering he will do when he delivers another message in the steerage dining room later in the day. And so as he and his friend walked out, this agnostic picked up a couple of oranges from the first class dining room. And you gotta understand, back during this time, around the turn of the 20th century, uh, fresh fruit was a luxury. Some of us can remember when we were kids waking up Christmas morning, and what'd you have in your stocking? You had oranges, you had citrus, you had fresh fruit. Now, kids today are like, what? Yes. It hadn't been that long ago. And so he picked up a couple of oranges and put them in his pocket, and then he he walked out. And then later in the day, he was going down to the steerage dining room where the third class uh passengers were, and as he was walking along the deck, he noticed that there was a woman that had fallen asleep in a deck chair, and she had her hands just out, and uh she was asleep. And so he very carefully placed both of the oranges in her open hands as kind of a joke. And then he went on and listened to what Meyer had to say, and Meyer did a message on prayer, asking God to answer your prayers. Kind of like probably used the scripture that Joey read just a moment ago. And so afterwards, his friend asked him again, well, what do you think about Dr. Meyer's messages? Uh, just more rubbish. And so as they're walking back, he notices this woman that he had placed the oranges in her hands, and she's she's eating one of those oranges and just enjoying it. And so he goes up to the woman and says, Wow, you're really enjoying that orange. And she said, Oh, it's absolutely wonderful. I asked God to give me an orange because I've been seasick, and I knew that if I could just get an orange, that it would make me feel better. And sure enough, it did. And not only did my father give me one orange, he gave me two. And this agnostic says, Well, surely your father has passed on by now. And she said, Oh, no, no, you don't understand. I'm talking about my heavenly father. He heard my prayer and he answered my prayer. Now, the story goes that that agnostic later converted to Christ. The passage that Joey read just a moment ago, ask, seek, knock. Think about where Jesus is at in Matthew chapter 7. He's still on the mountainside. And as he's sitting there and he is sharing this incredible sermon with all the people that are gathered around him, these are people that are asking. They're asking for answers to questions that they don't have the answers for. They're seeking God. They're seeking the Almighty. And they're knocking in the sense that there's things that doors that need to be opened to them that they can't open themselves. And I'll be honest with you, the same thing happens today. There are people today that are asking, seeking, and knocking and looking for things that they can't provide for themselves, and other people really can't provide for them either. Things that only God can deliver. And so as we continue in our series from the Sermon on the Mount, and we take a look at what Jesus says here, let's go to God in prayer together and ask the Spirit to bless our message this morning. Our Father, we thank you for the blessing of being able to be here together. We thank you for our visitors who have joined us this morning, and we pray that you will go with them, that you will bless them and their families, and that you will bring them back to us when they have an opportunity. Father, we thank you so much for this incredible message that Jesus delivered on the mountainside. We thank you for the answers that it gives to us to the deepest questions that we have. We thank you, Father, for the promise that Jesus makes on your behalf, that you spoke through him to deliver this message to those people and to us today, that we can ask you for anything according to your will, that we can seek you in our life, and if we seek, we shall find you. And that if we knock with your heart and pleasing you and your will in our mind, that you will open doors for us and to us. Spirit, I just ask that you would bless this message today, that you will help us to see and to understand what the real meaning of this message is. Lord, we love you so much. We thank you and we praise you for all that you've done. We give you glory and we give you praise. In the name of Jesus, we pray together. Amen. Church studies have shown that many Christians, many Christians, fail to ask God in prayer not because they're too busy, not because they find it too difficult, not even because they don't know what to say. The fact is that many Christians fail to pray because they don't think anything will happen if they do. Talk to any Christian about prayer, and most will tell you that they have a personal story about how God has answered prayer in their life, that they've made a request to God and God has come through, and God has answered that prayer that they laid before the feet of the Father. However, family, the vast majority, and for the vast majority, that answer from God did not move them toward persistent, consistent, and faithful prayer. It didn't move the needle for them. Church, every believer wants to be closely connected to God in prayer. But at the end of the day, many wonder if he's listening. Have you ever wondered if God's listening to you? Now that may be hard to believe for some folks. Until you've had no other place to turn. And prayer, truly dependent, even desperate prayer, family, is all you got left. In our text, Jesus speaks to this dilemma. He speaks to this situation that most every believer has been in. Jesus speaks to this that at one time or another, to one degree or another, every single one of us as believers have had to face. Listen to what he says in chapter 7, verses 7 to 11. It says, Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. And because they misunderstand what Jesus is saying, they lose their faith. Church, too many believers have come to the conclusion that if we just, man, if we just keep on asking for something hard enough and long enough, then our Father will give us what we want. And he'll grant our request. Family, we need to understand something. Our father is not like other parents who can be worn down and coerced into giving us what we want. And as parents, we've all been there. Or like the judge who granted the woman's request. You remember the persistent woman who just wouldn't leave the judge alone? And finally, he just said, Look, I'm gonna give her what she wants, so she'll just leave me alone in Luke chapter 18. Family, that's not the promise of what Jesus is saying in our passage today. However, before we dig deeper, church, into what Jesus is saying regarding this promise, we have to make sure that we clearly understand something. Church, this promise is exclusive. The promise that Jesus makes here is exclusive and is only for believers. You see, a misconception that many fail to realize is that God the Father is not the father of everyone, but only of baptized committed believers. Family, God the Father is the creator of everyone, but not the father of everyone, which is a distinction that many people fail to realize. Listen to the words of Paul very carefully in Galatians chapter 4, verses 4 to 7. Look at what he says. He says, But when the fullness of time came, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under the law, so that he might redeem those who were under the law. Now notice what he says next, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters. Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, Abba Father, therefore you're no longer a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir through God. You see, there was a point in time when we were not children of God. We were created by God, but we were not children of God. And then there was a point in time when we entered into the blood of Christ through baptism, through our repentance and confession, that we were adopted by God the Father to be his children. That's what Paul is saying. Church, as we move into this promise that is made by the Father through Jesus, church, there's some things that we should note regarding prayer. First, as children of God, we can pray confidently. We can confidently approach the throne of God in prayer as believers and as his children. Church, regarding his confidence in the love of his Father and our Father, as believers, Jesus utilizes an illustration to make it easier for us to relate to. He says in verse 9 that when a child asks for a loaf of bread or something else that is necessary for his daily needs, a father will be as attentive and will be as responsive as they possibly can be. A good parent, if they can, will provide the bread and the basic necessities that their child needs. A parent does that because they love their child. Church, the obvious point that Jesus is making in our text today, and to that crowd gathered for the Sermon on the Mount then, and to you and I this morning as believers is that God is at the very least a loving and good parent. And because of that, because of that, family, we can approach our Father in prayer confidently. Confident in his ability and confident in his kindness. Confident in his ability, church, because we believe and we know that he can meet any need that we have. And because of that, you and I need not be timid. We don't have to be timid when we approach the throne of God about the needs that we have. Remember his words to Abraham. When he informed Abraham in Genesis chapter 18 that he and Sarah would have a son in their old age. And as Abraham is struggling to wrap his head around that, that which he believes is impossible for him. God says this in verse 14. He says, Is anything too hard for God? I don't know what you're struggling with this morning. I don't know what problems are staring you in the eye. I don't know what you're dealing with. I don't know what things you're having to deal with right now. But I'm going to ask you a question. In fact, let me just ask you the question that God asked Abraham. Is anything, is anything too hard for the Lord? Is your problem too hard for him? Is your situation just beyond him? Because as his children, you can ask for anything, and God will answer your prayer. It may not be the answer you're looking for. But as your loving father, God will give you an answer. Church the Father asks Abraham what should be a rhetorical question. But for Abraham, just like any one of us, Abraham struggles with it. And if you remember, he's got to be reminded later. Your descendants are going to be as numerous as the sand on the beach, and your children are going to be as numerous as the stars in the sky. Family, Abram had to learn over and over again to be confident in God's ability to answer prayer. Which leads you and me to pray confidently. Jesus' words in our text also helps us to understand that not only, family, can we pray confidently due to our confidence in our Father's abilities, but church, we can also pray confidently in our Father's kindness. God has been kind to you and to me. He has been kind to us. And in our text in verses 9 and 10, we see that our Father will not give us something. Look at what he says. He says, Which of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, we'll give him a serpent. Church, good parents set limits on what they'll give their children. Not because we're mean like they tell us that we are. You ever had that treatment before? No, son, you can't have that. No, sweetheart, you can't have that. Oh, well, you're just mean. It's not because we're mean as they might think we are, because they don't get what they want, but because we know that we have a responsibility to give them what's best for them. Somebody didn't get what they wanted. Family, our father sets the example for this. He's not going to give you something. He's not going to give us something that will be detrimental to us. That would be cruel. That's not our Father. But let me tell you something. Our Father will cause our plans to fall through. Because ultimately, family, they're not good for us. And they're in contradiction to his plan for us. Church, you need to understand that our Father will allow obstacles to interrupt our relationships. Because he knows that if we continue in those relationships, those relationships will hurt us. Church, have you ever wondered why you didn't get the job that you wanted so bad? Why that relationship or that friendship just didn't work out. You see, in that moment you're hurt. In that moment, you're angry. In that moment you're disappointed and you're confused. But after a little bit of time, enough time to reassess. Time to see that the job you thought that you wanted went away when the company closed six months later. Time to see that the person that you thought was good and honest and faithful was really self absorbed, hypocritical, and divisive. Then you realize something. You realize that all the turmoil you experienced because of these situations and because Of these people is something that you're far, far better off now that they're in the rearview mirror of your life. Family, our Father chose not to answer those prayers the way that we wanted him to. Because he did so out of his love and out of his kindness for us. That sees beyond what we want, that sees beyond what we can see, and this is also why we should pray confidently. And so, in light of this, the natural response is, or at least should be, is that we should pray continually. When you look at verses 7 to 11, the most familiar part of that passage is found in verses 7 and 8. These words are familiar to us because these are the words from Jesus and from the Father that give us hope. Look at what he says. He says, Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds. And to the one who knocks, it will be opened. You see, after being reminded that this promise is for believers, and as believers, family, we can ask, we can seek, and we will find when we knock on the door of God's heart confidently as his children. I hope that we have a deeper understanding of what Jesus means in these words. Church, not only can we approach the Father confidently, but we also can approach him continually. And continual prayer is exactly that. It's continual. It's continual prayer, not repetitious prayer. And there's a difference. Prayer isn't like Novicane. If you just give it a little bit of time, it'll work. That's not what continually praying is. And here's two reasons why. First, our Father in heaven isn't beholding to anyone, He doesn't owe me anything. He doesn't owe you anything. And he isn't obligated to anybody. Second, we really don't always want our Father to just give us what we ask for. Because what we're asking for isn't always in our best interests. You see, God knows that. And what God wants is for us to know that. That's where continual prayer comes into play versus repetitious prayer. Church, at the end of the day, the questions that we really need to be asking is what are we seeking? What should we be asking for? And why are we knocking? You see, ultimately, powerful prayer, effective prayer, and prayers that please our Father the most are those prayers that are offered when we ask, when we seek, and when we knock after his own heart. So when we conclude prayer by saying, if it's your will, do we really understand what we mean when we say that? Are we really wrapping our heart and our head around what that means? Lord, if it's your will, we need to understand that when we say that, church, we're not providing for ourselves an out in the event that our Father doesn't answer our prayer like we want him to. It's also not a way to protect God, if you will, from someone who claims that, well, he just wasn't able to handle your request. Church, praying for things to go according to his will is at the core of effective prayer. Because it communicates our desire to submit our life to the plan of our Father. Church, we should pray confidently. We should pray continually. But why is it that so many of our prayers go without clear and definitive answers? The reason why is because we don't pray for clear and definitive results. If we're not specific, church, in our prayers and in the requests that we make of God with regard to our prayers, then we should, then should we really be surprised that our father doesn't answer them the way that we want him to? For example, if I ask my father, my heavenly father, for a convertible, if he decides to answer that request with a matchbox or a Hot Wheels, I can't gripe about it. But if I ask my heavenly father for 1967, Pontiac GTO, black on black with a red pinstripe, 400 V8 with a Hearst four-speed manual, with rally with Rally 2 rims and red lines. Those of you who know, you know. That is one of the coolest cars ever built. Young people, Google that one. And no, this is not part of that 6-7 thing. But that's my car. Ask any guy what his car is, that's my car. Being specific matters. But even if we are that specific in our prayer request, it doesn't mean that our Father's always going to give us what we want. You can go out in the parking lot right now. There is not a 1967 GTO out there that belongs to me. It ain't there. I can tell you why it ain't there. And the odds are that it never will be there. It's because it's not in my best interests. But if you prayed for your father to bless your marriage, that leaves the door wide open for him to answer that question in a number of different ways. That request, Father, please bless my marriage. You've just opened the door for God to answer it, however, God chooses to answer it. He could bless your marriage with more time, which is great if your marriage is going great. But may not be so great if your marriage isn't going great. You could say, Father, please bless my marriage with more time to work things out. Which is more specific. But instead of providing more time to work things out regarding whose responsibility is it to take out the trash on what days of the week, or more time for better communication, we really can't gripe when the answer to that prayer is, yeah, your day is Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. But you're still sleeping in separate rooms in between fights over finances and disciplining the children because you still can't effectively communicate. You weren't specific enough. Family specificity and total submission to the will of our Father are keys to a powerful and successful prayer life. So, what do you need to pray for this morning specifically for yourself? What do you need to pray for this morning specifically for your spouse? Specifically for your children. What do you need to pray for specifically for central? Church, sometimes we're so overwhelmed that we really don't know specifically what to pray for. You ever been there before? It's frustrating. Because everything's lined up to take a number, to be number one as the biggest problem in your life. You've ever been there before. Some of you may be there right now. Paul addresses that. Romans chapter 8, verse 26. He says, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. Family, in our text from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us that our Father wants us to ask for the things that we believe we need. He encourages you and he encourages me to seek the answers that we're looking for according to his will. And he urges us to knock on the door of his heart regarding the things that trouble us the most. Jesus sums up our text in verse 11 when he says this. So if you 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? Look at what Jesus says. He's not just talking to the wind, folks. He's talking to you. Those words are for you. They're for me. They're for every person that God has ever created. Those words on the screen is God's promise and God's word to you this morning. And when you look at that, it's hard not to come away with the truth that God loves us so much. And He wants the absolute best for us, even when we don't know what's best for us. So, what specifically do you need to ask your Father for today? This is the time and this is the place. And this is your family. And whatever you're struggling with, whatever you're suffering with, have you asked God about it? Or have you just been real non-specific? Father, please help me. No, Father, please help me get my life right by doing this, this, this, and this. Lord, please help my marriage to improve by answering this prayer. We need to do this. We need to do that. Are you being specific? Or are you just being general and allowing God to generally answer your prayers? There's a difference. Maybe the most important thing you need to do this morning, in fact, it is the most important thing you can do this morning, is to begin by getting right with God yourself. Confessing Him as the Lord of your life, acknowledging what Jesus did at the cross for you, repenting of the sins that you've committed, accepting Jesus as the King of your life by submitting to him and submitting to death in baptism so that you can be raised sinless in the sight of God through the waters of baptism. Is that what you need to do? Maybe you've been bouncing around looking for a church home and you just hadn't found the right place yet and you're visiting with us this morning. We want you here. We really do. But we'll put you to work. So get ready. Whatever your need is this morning, please don't leave here today without addressing it. Give God an opportunity to address the specific need that you have this morning. Let us pray with you. Let us pray for you while we stand and sing.