We All have Need…So Ask
By Pastor Michael McPherson

Part 1 of an 8 Part Series

I. Introduction

a. Who believes they will hear the Word of God today?

i. If you don’t you will most likely miss it when it happens.

b. Who is ready to have the Holy Spirit teach them?

i. Only the Spirit can bring you to the truth.

ii. Do not try to comprehend God’s Word on your own.

c. Who is ready to humbly receive God’s Word today?

i. This means you have come with a teachable heart that does not think it knows all of the answers.

1. If you do not have a teachable heart, today’s Word will do you little good.

2. Even if it is topic the Lord has already revealed to you, the Lord can take you deeper.

3. It is important that you realize I’m not asking you to put your faith in the pastor (pray for him), I’m asking you to put your faith in God and the fact that He has a Word for you.

ii. Humbly receiving the Word also means that when you hear the Word, you are willing to submit to it.

1. Are you ready to submit to God’s Word regardless whether you have a complete understanding of it?

2. Are you ready to submit to God’s Word regardless whether you like it?

d. And finally, who is ready to put the Word you hear today into practice?

i. Alone hearing and comprehending the Word will do you no good.

ii. The Word must be believed and practiced in your life.

iii. Take notes if you must, use the summary points in the bulletin, ask God to bring things to your remembrance:

1. But make a point this week to try to put into practice whatever the Lord reveals to you.

2. Ask the Lord to empower you to do whatever He reveals and according to the grace He gives you, walk in that Word.

e. If you allow God to enable you and to help you to do these things, His Word will produce much fruit in your life.

II. Today God wants to show us that we all have need!

a. In all that you do, you need God to help you.

b. Why? Because without God you can do nothing good.

i. It does not matter if you are incredibly skilled at it, that you have done it a million times, or that it is an easy task.

ii. You always need God’s help to produce something good.

c. We have been divinely appointed to be helpless on our own.

John 15:5
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

d. Without Jesus, we can bare no fruit in God’s kingdom.

e. Without Christ we produce nothing worthwhile.

III. “Do nothing” does not mean that we cannot do “anything”.

a. We can do plenty of things without Christ

b. Look at the unsaved in the world around you and all that they accomplish.

i. They build kingdoms, accumulate riches, gain influence, change minds, impact lives and so many other things.

ii. Some are happy, some are famous, and some are powerful in worldly terms.

iii. Many unsaved people put food on the table, keep a roof over their heads and contribute to society.

c. With the irrevocable gifts that God has given mankind, they can accomplish many things.

IV. Unfortunately, this ability to accomplish “something” has been a trap for Christians.

a. Many Christians are deceived into thinking that because they can produce “something” they must be abiding in Christ.

i. They look at their lives and see jobs and houses, church services and giving.

ii. They see prayers at bedtime, Wednesday Night bible study, and a bunch of other Christians that “look” like them.

iii. They think that because they are producing “something”, that they must not be producing “nothing”.

b. There may be some here today who think they are producing something, when they really are producing nothing.

i. Because you pray everyday does not necessarily mean that you are producing fruit: some Muslims pray 3 times a day and they are not abiding in Christ.

ii. Because you attend 2 services a week does not necessarily mean you are producing fruit: there are Buddhist Monks who attend a religious services everyday and they are not abiding in Christ.

iii. Because you tithe does not necessarily mean that you are producing fruit: many who are into various cults give well over 10% of their salary and they are not abiding in Christ.

1. None of these activities are wrong for Christians to do, but doing these activities is not NECESSARILY proof that you are producing something of value for the Kingdom of God.

2. Praying, attending services and tithing can be very fruitful if and only if they are accomplished by abiding in Christ.

c. How much in your life has been produced by abiding in Christ and how much has been produced by your own efforts?

i. Remember Jesus said “without me you can do nothing”.

ii. If what you have produced in your life was produced through fellowship with Jesus, it is true fruit.

iii. If what you have produced in your life was not produced through fellowship with Jesus, it is not true fruit.

d. You see Christians and non-Christians alike can produce “something” without abiding in Christ.

V. One thing we cannot do without abiding, however, is operate in the miraculous power of God.

a. Note the word “can do” in John 15:5.

i. This word is the Greek word “dunamai”.
dunamai (doo'-nam-ahee); of uncertain affinity; to be able or possible:

ii. The root of “dunamai” is the word “dunamis”
dunamis (doo'-nam-is); from NT:1410; force (literally or figuratively); specially, miraculous power (usually by implication, a miracle itself):

b. Without Christ you can do nothing.

i. In other words, without Christ you cannot function in the dunamis power of God.

ii. Without an abiding relationship in the Son of God, you cannot function in the miraculous power of God.

iii. Without an abiding relationship with Christ you cannot even function on rare occasions in the power of God.

c. The word translated as “nothing” is the Greek word “oudeis”.
oudeis (oo-dice'); including feminine oudemia (oo-dem-ee'-ah); and neuter ouden (oo-den'); from NT:3761 and NT:1520; not even one (man, woman or thing), i.e. none, nobody, nothing:

i. Without abiding in Christ we cannot function even once in the miraculous power of God.

ii. Sometime we think that when we encounter a crisis we will get a boost of “spiritual adrenaline” that will enable us to move in power that is not normally in our lives.

iii. The truth is that if you are not abiding in Christ, you cannot even once operate in dunamis power.

VI. Now please be aware that God’s grace operates in our lives despite us.

a. There are times when supernatural power is released in our lives despite our relationship with God.

b. This power does not usually work through us; instead it works despite us.

c. This is the supernatural power that God exercised in each of our lives to save us.

i. We were not abiding in Christ and yet God exerted His power to save us.

ii. There are times when God in His grace releases His power in our lives despite our fellowship with Jesus.

d. However, this power tends to be a “saving power” not a power that tends to produce fruit for the Kingdom.

i. This fact is evident by those whom God has saved by His power, who do not abide in Christ and therefore bear no fruit.

ii. These Christians live their lives only experiencing saving power.

1. They never personally experience the supernatural power that enables them to overcome or to be fruitful.

2. They end up building their lives with “wood, hay and stubble” instead of the “gold, silver and precious stone” they have access to by abiding in Christ. (1 Cor 3:12)

3. They live lives that are mediocre at best and wretched at worst.

4. They become lukewarm Christians that are ineffective in the Kingdom.

5. They are those that hide their talents and never experience the increase of God.

6. They are children who miss the fullness of the blessing God desires to give them.

iii. Unfortunately some Christians are aware of God’s gracious movement in their lives and think this is proof of their abiding.

1. Just because God has been gracious to you, does not mean you are abiding.

2. The only true proof of abiding is the production of “fruit”.

a. We are called to bear fruit to God. (Rom 7:4)

b. Fruit represents what God is trying to produce in us and through us.

c. It is only as God produces something good through us and in us that there is proof of an abiding relationship with God.

3. Don’t let Satan trick you into thinking you are abiding because God exercised His power in your life.

4. God created us for more than just saving grace.

e. God did not design us to live our lives only experiencing His saving power.

i. God created us to be His body.

ii. God made us to be His fellow workers, His co-laborers.

iii. God designed us to exercise His miraculous power through us.

VII. If you do not abide in Christ, God cannot wield the fullness of His power through you.

a. Without abiding in Christ, you only have your own natural strength to rely upon.

b. Without abiding in Christ, you can only accomplish what you have the strength to accomplish.

c. Without abiding in Christ, as the law of gravity binds you, so you are bound by the laws of this world’s system.

i. If you have cancer, you better have a great doctor or find some other cure.

ii. If you have a financial problem, you better work more or get a raise.

iii. If you have a serious psychological trauma, you better get a good psychologist to help you learn to live with your problem.

iv. If you’re lonely you better hope you get lucky in an Internet chat room.

v. If you’re not strong enough to overcome a problem, you better learn to live with it.

VIII. Without Christ you may be able to produce something, but too often our something really turns out to be worth nothing.

a. Eventually we encounter an obstacle that is beyond our strength, a problem that is beyond our wisdom, a deficit that is beyond our resources, an enemy that is beyond our power.

b. It is then that the truth becomes evident: what we thought was “something” was really “nothing”.

c. It is during these times of trouble and crisis that we truly discover we are indigent and helpless without God.

IX. If you are not moving in the power of God, you are a helpless slave of the world system.

X. How well do we fare under a world system corrupted by sin and ruled by the Devil?

a. Christians fare under the world system, just like the unsaved fare under the world system.

b. If you are not abiding in the vine, you can do nothing.

c. Without God working in your life, you have the exact same power and the exact same opportunities as the world.

d. How well do we fare in the world system without God? Let’s look.

XI. How well do we fare under the world system at providing for our needs?

a. Providing for our needs is a basic human drive.

i. Ever had a bill due you couldn’t pay, and that was all you could think about all day?

ii. We have a basic need to provide for our families and ourselves.

b. Unfortunately, it is human nature to try to provide for ourselves.

i. We were never created to provide for ourselves without God’s help.

Phil 4:19
19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

ii. Let me ask you a question: how many needs does God supply? All!

iii. How many needs does that leave us to supply on our own? None!

c. We were never made to provide for ourselves.

d. We were made to receive our provisions from God.

i. Sometimes He calls us to work with Him for provisions.

1. God helps me and enables me to get a job to earn money.

ii. Sometimes God provides without our assistance.

1. One time God took care of over $50,000 in debt despite anything I had done.

e. How well do we provide for ourselves under the world system?

i. How well did the prodigal son fare at providing for his needs?

ii. He prospered for a while until he expended his resources.

iii. Then he ended up eating pig slop.

f. If we are not abiding in Christ and allowing His dunamis power to work in our lives, we only have what we can provide.

i. And like the prodigal son, eventually what we have will run out and we will be left as Christians wallowing with pigs.

XII. How well do we fare under the world system standing against spiritual forces?

a. The Bible tells us that Satan is like a lion hunting down someone to devour.

i. Satan and demons are real and they do attack our lives.

ii. How well can we fight spiritual forces without the dunamis power of God?

iii. How well did the seven sons of Sceva fare against spiritual forces?

Acts 19:13-16
13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches."
14 Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so.
15 And the evil spirit answered and said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?"
16 Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

b. Note they tried to confront spiritual forces using spiritual means.

c. They tried to cast out demons by the wonderful and powerful name of Jesus.

i. But they were not abiding in Christ and operating in His dunamis power.

d. They ended up naked and wounded.

e. All who confront spiritual forces without abiding will end up the same way.

i. Even Christians who are not abiding in Christ will be defeated because they lack dunamis.

Eph 6:10-11
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

ii. This verse is the beginning of a portion of Scripture that deals with putting on the Armor of God and standing against the wiles of the devil.

iii. Note that before Paul tells the Ephesians to put on the Armor of God and stand against the enemy, he first tells them to be strong.

iv. Remember from our previous studies that “strong” is Greek word that means to “have dunamis in you”.

v. Do not initiate an attack against the enemy without being sure you are abiding.

vi. Otherwise you are liable to end up spiritually naked and wounded.

XIII. How well do we fare under the world system at being “good” people?

a. The conscience of most people moves them to want to be “good”.

b. On our own can we make ourselves good people?

c. How well did the Pharisees fare at being “good” people?

i. They were blind guides who succeeded at the minor things, but failed on the major things.

ii. They tithed off of their herbs but they rejected the Messiah and persecuted the Church.

d. Without abiding in Jesus, our attempts to be good people will succeed no better than the Pharisees.

e. I have seen many Christians who tried so hard to be good, and ended up doing many evil things.

f. Being a “good” person is only accomplished by God changing you.

Gal 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

g. Christians are only as good as the Spirit produces goodness in them.

XIV. How well do we fare under the world system at relating to God?

a. How well did mankind fare in relating to God?

i. Some thought they were okay with God, but the Bible declares they were His enemies and were children of wrath.

ii. Others knew they were not okay with God so they suppressed the truth and God gave them over to a futile mind.

b. How well do Christians fare without abiding in Christ?

c. How well did the Churches God corrected in Revelations fare?

i. The Church of Ephesus had become loveless.

ii. The Church of Pergamos began to compromise doctrine and accept sin.

iii. The Church of Thyatira accepted the spirit of Jezebel and became corrupt.

iv. The Church of Sardis lacked any works and God called them dead.

v. The Church of the Laodiceans became lukewarm and God said He would spew them out of His mouth.

d. Without the dunamis power of God working in our lives, we could easily attend these churches and fit in!

XV. How well do we fare under the world system at dealing with trouble?

a. If you are human you are going to encounter trouble.

Job 5:6-7
6 For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble spring from the ground;
7 Yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

b. Because of sin, we have been born into a world full of trouble.

i. Sickness, disasters, accidents, enemies, deaths, weaknesses, and a multitude of evil abide in this world.

c. How do those under the world system fare against trouble?

i. How does your body handle sickness?

ii. If it is something within your strength you may be able to handle it.

1. Most people can handle the common cold, the flu, and stained muscles.

iii. If it is something greater than your strength, you are lost to it.

1. We cannot naturally handle AIDS, cancer, or a severe stroke.

iv. On your own, eventually you are going to encounter a sickness or other trouble that you cannot overcome.

d. However, if you are abiding in Christ, you are never helpless and will never be overcome by trouble.

Ps 50:15

15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."

e. Note we are told to call upon God in trouble.

i. We were never meant to be able to deliver ourselves from trouble on our own.

ii. Even when it is trouble you could naturally handle, you are meant to work with God to over it.

iii. We were meant to be helplessly dependent on God.

iv. We were designed to work with God and allow Him to deliver us from trouble.

f. Without abiding in Christ we can do nothing.

XVI. Do not let your understanding of your indigence be abused

a. It should not put you in fear: God has not given you a spirit of fear.

b. It should not be an excuse for laziness or complacency.

c. Instead, knowing that you are helpless without God should help move you to A.S.K

i. Ask-Seek-Knock

ii. We are going to be studying A.S.K over the next few weeks.
1.

John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Eph 6:10-11 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ps 50:15

15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."

John 15:5
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Eph 6:10-11
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.