Ask Your Father

Happy Sunday! I hope you had a great Easter. I made some new friends at our community sunrise service, and if you're watching today and you're new, welcome. If you'd like to get in touch with me, you can visit my website, David shiv. Lots of info there.

We've been studying The Sermon on the Mount for several months now. Today we've made it to verses 7 to 11 in Matthew chapter 7. You likely know these verses. Jesus said, "ask and it will be given you, search and you will find, knocking the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you, if your child asked for bread, would give a stone? Or if the child asked for a fish, would give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give good things to those who ask him."

Now, taken out of context, these words can be confusing. Unfortunately, these words are often taken out of context. I guess when I was 12 or so, and my favorite car was the Chevrolet Corvette, I prayed for one. Really, I did. I mean, I mean, I'd heard that the Bible said "ask and it'll be given you," so I ask. I never got the Corvette.

Is the Bible wrong? Of course not. I was wrong. And today let's look at these verses and what they really mean. The Sermon on the Mount begins in chapter five of Matthew, and since we started this study we've learned that Jesus said that we should be light to this dark world.

He said that we should not have hatred or call someone a fool, or we shouldn't lust, and we should not divorce, and we should always keep our word, and we should never retaliate, and we should not worry, and we should give free to all who ask, and we should not judge others. And all of what I just said is just a part of the expectations that Jesus spelled out that day long ago. Now, you could read Matthew Chapter 5, six and seven and throw your hands up and think, what chance do I have? I have fallen so short.

Knowing that, Jesus pauses amongst this teaching and lets us know that there is help. In context, Jesus wants us to know that there is help. He wants us to be part of his kingdom. He wants us to be righteous, so he tells us to ask: "ask and it will be given you, search and you will find, knock and the door will be open for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who not the door will be opened."

Now, if you pray for forgiveness, you will receive it. If you pray for salvation, you will receive it. If you pray for God's help, you will receive it. The purpose of these promises is to make us closer to God, but sadly, out of context, these words have made people doubt that God is real.

We must be do a better job teaching about prayer. The prosperity preachers, who were dead wrong, by the way, way, have done such harm. I read a quote recently that I loved. It said, God promises us our daily bread, not our daily caviar.

When you think about it, these words of Jesus are the best news we can have. We can be forgiven. We can be righteous. We can be peacemakers. We can overcome lust and hatred. We can be New Creations. We can get to heaven. That is so much better to me than a Corvette or anything thing that you can mention.

How's your prayer life? Have you given up because you didn't get the things you asked for? May I suggest you pray for Faith. May I suggest that you pray for understanding. Perhaps you need to pray that God gives you a mission and a purpose. All of us need to pray for Revival.

When Jesus was telling us to ask and to seek and to knock, the original language is in the imperative, and what that means is that we are told to be persistent: keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. And you may ask, why? Do we need to wear God down so that he finally relents to our request? No, that's not it at all. We need to keep on asking so that we realize that God is the one who has given us our blessings.

We're not to ask for guidance just once and go our merry way. We're to pray for God's Direction all the time, without ceasing. Now, Jesus uses some funny questions to prove a great point. He continues in his teaching: "is there anyone among you who, if your child asked for bread, would give him a stone? Or if the child asked for a fish, would give a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give good things to those who ask him."

What's the point? Good Fathers, good parents take care of their children. If we do that, how much more does God love and care for us? When we read The Sermon on the Mount, we can feel like we have no chance and that we'll never measure up, and Jesus tells us to stop and ask, and our loving father will give us all we need to live Kingdom lives.

Today, do you feel distant or disconnected or apprehensive or unworthy? Ask your father. He's crazy about you. Pray with me.

Father, thank you for giving us the things that we truly need. Eternal life is the greatest gift of all. Belonging to you is the greatest gift we can have. So, father, we ask that we would understand and ask accordingly to what you want us to do and how you want us to live. Thank you for this wonderful day. In Jesus name, amen.

God bless. Thanks for joining me today.