We All have Need…So Ask
By Pastor Michael McPherson

Part 2 of an 8 Part Series

        I.      Introduction:  I like to begin each sermon with a reminder of the importance of getting ready to receive the Word of God.  As you read these questions, realize the conditions that are required for the Word of God to produce fruit in your life.

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 to you to the truth.

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

                                                         i.      This means you have come with a teachable heart.

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

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

1.       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 believe that He has a Word for you.

                                                     iii.      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 or 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 shows you and according to the grace He gives, walk in that Word.

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

   III.      Let’s take a look at what we learned in part one of this message.

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.

a.       Without abiding in Christ we maybe able to do something, but our something is really worth nothing.

b.       We cannot walk in the dunamis (dynamic/miraculous) power of God without fellowshipping with Jesus.

c.       Without the dunamis power of God, even Christians are trapped by the laws of the world system.

d.       Under the world system you have limited resources, you cannot stand against spiritual forces, you cannot properly relate to God, you cannot be a good person, and you will eventually be overcome by trouble.

e.       Without Christ, you can do nothing.

    IV.      Before we leave this Scripture, let’s take note of the phrase “without Me”

a.       The word “without” is choris.
choris (kho-rece'); adverb from NT:5561; at a space, i.e. separately or apart from (often as preposition):

 (Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

b.       In other words, Christ is saying if there is any space between you and I, you can accomplish nothing.

c.       Like a branch, there can be nothing between our source and us if we are to produce fruit.

                                                         i.      Often we think that sins are the only thing that can come between God and us.

                                                       ii.      So we examine our lives and look for spiritual walls and obstacles.

                                                     iii.      Usually after careful inspection, if we do not see any walls of sin or obstacles of iniquity, we deem ourselves to be on our way to fruitfulness.

1.       We must be careful not to fall in the same trap as the Pharisees.

2.       They too looked at their lives and deemed themselves “clean”.

                                                     iv.      Now it is good and necessary to deal with sin in our lives, but this Scripture sets the spiritual bar of fruitfulness higher.

d.       It is not sinlessness that causes us to be productive; it is having no space between you and God that causes you to bear fruit.

      V.      It is not sinless perfection that causes us to be profitable in God’s kingdom.

a.       All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.

b.       It is not sinlessness that makes us fruitful, but instead it is intimate fellowship with God that makes us fruitful.

    VI.      One way to maintain an intimate fellowship with God is to continually “Ask Seek Knock”

Matt 7:7-11
7 Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.  8 For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, [the door] will be opened.

9 Or what man is there of you, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will hand him a stone?10 Or if he asks for a fish, will hand him a serpent? 11 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give good and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him!  (AMP)

 VII.      Note the tense of A.S.K.

These words are present imperatives in the Greek which mean continuous action.^[1]

a.       We are commanded to Ask and keep on asking, Seek and keep on seeking, Knock and keep on knocking.

b.       You are not meant to go to God and A.S.K. only on special occasions.

                                                         i.      Instead, you were created to A.S.K. as a lifestyle.

c.       You are not meant to A.S.K. only when a problem is too big for you.

                                                         i.      I have run out of options so I turn to God.

                                                       ii.      I can’t solve the problems so I run back to my Father.

                                                     iii.      You were not created so that you are “Plan A” and God is “Plan B”.

d.       Instead you were created to A.S.K. when you run into any problem.

                                                         i.      Whether it is a problem you can handle on your own or one that only God could handle.

                                                       ii.      Whether it is a small obstacle or a big one.

                                                     iii.      Whether it is something you could do in your sleep or something you could not accomplish in a million years.

                                                     iv.      Whether it is something you have never done before or something you have done a hundred times.

e.       It is vital that you A.S.K. every time you encounter a problem.

                                                         i.      It is vital that you A.S.K. every time you even see a problem

                                                       ii.      It is vital that you A.S.K. no matter how insignificant the trial seems.

VIII.      It is not that you are a pathetic creature that needs to live in fear and grovel constantly to God in order to irk out a meager existence.

a.       Some Christians live in “spiritual poverty” because they believe this.

b.       Satan has them convinced that they are poor, helpless urchins that live by the whim of an unknowable God that “gives and takes away”.

                                                         i.      It is true that we are helpless on our own.

                                                       ii.      It is true that some of God’s ways are beyond our understanding.

c.       But you do not live at the whim of a fickle God that arbitrarily “gives and takes away”

d.       Instead you live under the care of a tender, loving Father who only wants what is best for you.

                                                         i.      You are not a helpless orphan, but a child created to co-labor with the Father.

                                                       ii.      You are not a slave that is supposed to serve a distant god; you are a beloved friend that was designed to have intimate fellowship with the Creator.

e.       You were created to A.S.K. to solve all of your problems with God’s loving help.

    IX.      However, encountering a problem is not the only time you should A.S.K.

a.       A.S.K. needs to be a continuous and regular part of your life.

b.       A.S.K. needs to be cultured as a habit in your life.

      X.      God has designed us to A.S.K. to help us to maintain constant intimate fellowship with Him.

a.       One reason why God desires you to keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking is because it moves us into continual fellowship with Him.

b.       This is why God desires that A.S.K. should be a natural reaction to any problem, decision, or opportunity that you encounter.

c.       It is not something that you do only when you are in trouble.

                                                         i.      That is how many Christian people use asking, seeking and knocking.

                                                       ii.      We live life our way until we encounter a problem.

                                                     iii.      Then we turn to God and start to A.S.K.

1.       How much fruit will a branch bear if it is only abiding in the vine when the storms of life pass through the vineyard?

2.       How much fruit will you bear if you only fellowship with God in crisis?

a.       Fellowshipping with God only during the storms of life may explain why you feel like you live in tornado alley.

b.       God will prune a vine through trouble if that is the only way He can get you to constantly abide in fellowship with Him.

d.       It is important that we A.S.K. at all times and about everything (1 Thess 5:17, Phil 4:6).

                                                         i.      As often as you use your hands to accomplish something, you are meant to A.S.K.

                                                       ii.      As often as you use your feet to take you somewhere, you are meant to A.S.K.

                                                     iii.      As often as you use your tongue to say something, you are meant to A.S.K.

                                                     iv.      As often as you use your mind to solve a problem, you are meant to A.S.K.

    XI.      A.S.K. is an important behavior that God seeks to nurture in your life.

a.       Let’s take a closer look at this important aspect of our lives.

 XII.      The first part of A.S.K. is to ask.

a.       In other words, the first thing we need to do is pray.

                                                         i.      We have already looked at the fact that without God we can do nothing worthwhile.

                                                       ii.      If we really understand this concept, our first reaction to any problem or opportunity should be to call out to God.

XIII.      Note that before seeking and before knocking we are told to pray.

a.       I believe the order here is significant.

b.       Prayer is an essential starting point for any endeavor.

c.       Before building the tall walls of a skyscraper, the engineers first build a firm foundation.

                                                         i.      A good, strong foundation is necessary to support any great building.

                                                       ii.      Without first building a strong foundation, the weight of the sturdy material used to build the skyscraper, will cause it to collapse.

XIV.      If we desire to be used by God to create any great thing, prayer should be its good, strong foundation.

a.       Unfortunately, we often begin to lay foundations without first going to God in prayer.

b.       We try building on our understanding of the Word, on our God given gifts and talents, on our energy and creativity.

c.       But unless we first asked God into the situation, the foundation upon which we build is likely to collapse under the pressures of the great thing God desires to create through us.

                                                         i.      No matter how hard you try, the Bible tells us if you are building something without God you are laboring in vain.

                                                       ii.      This especially important when you are laying the foundation of anything because the foundation must support the rest of the structure.

d.       On a television series called NUM3ERS a mathematician discovers that a multimillion-dollar building sways too much in the wind and could collapse under the right conditions.

                                                         i.      They examine the architectural plans and find no flaw in the design of the building.

                                                       ii.      They end up discovering that unskilled laborers welded the steel in the foundation using a weaker type of weld than what was called for in the plans.

                                                     iii.      These weak welds made the foundation weaker than what was necessary to support the building in certain wind conditions.

                                                     iv.      If we are not careful, we can similarly undermine the great things God wishes to do through us by not asking for His help in prayer.

e.       There have been times when I have gotten so excited about an idea for a lesson, that I forgot to first go to God in prayer.

1.       I have written a page or more of notes and then realized that I had misinterpreted something or had taken the idea in the wrong direction.

2.       It is then I would go to God in prayer.

a.       Sometimes He would show me how to salvage the lesson.

b.       Sometimes I would have to start from scratch.

f.        I have found this principal to be often true in many areas of my life.

                                                         i.      If the task was not started with prayer, God may have to salvage it or tear it down.

g.       Be a wise builder and start your efforts in prayer.

                                                         i.      Through prayer ask God for permission, for direction and for help.

                                                       ii.      Through prayer ask God to intervene in the task from its very beginning.

  XV.      Why is important to ask God?  Won’t He just automatically do what He wants?  Not always.

a.       God is sovereign and can do whatever He desires.

                                                         i.      There are times in our lives when His grace operates in our lives despite us.

b.       However, there are often times in our lives when God has called us to call upon Him.

Ezek 36:33-38
33'Thus says the Lord GOD: "On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will also enable you to dwell in the cities, and the ruins shall be rebuilt. 34 The desolate land shall be tilled instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass by. 35 So they will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.' 36 Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it."
37'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock."

c.       This Scripture is dealing with the restoration of Israel after captivity.

d.       Note there are certain things God said He was going to do:  cleanse them, enable them to dwell, rebuild the cities.

e.       But note vs. 37: God had ordained in this situations that Israel should call upon Him so that He would increase their number,

XVI.      There are times when God has ordained that we should work with Him to accomplish things.

a.       During these times, we must cry out to God to receive the fullness of the grace He wishes to pour out on us.

b.       If you are called to cry out and you do not, you will end up with nothing.

James 4:2b-3
…Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

c.       Note that Scripture says in the latter part of vs. 2 that they do not have because the do not ask.

                                                         i.      It does not say they do not have because God did not want to give it to them.

                                                       ii.      It does not say they do not have because they lacked faith.

                                                     iii.      Instead it says they do not have because they did not ask.

d.       If God has ordained that He would accomplish something through fellowshipping with you and you do not ask, then you will not have.

e.       We can hinder much grace from being released into our lives by simply not asking for it.

XVII.      Note James 4 also reveals another important key to asking.

a.       “You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss”

b.       The attitude in which we ask is as important as the fact that we ask.

                                                         i.      Here Scripture deals with asking to satisfy our carnal pleasures.

                                                       ii.      God does not want you to ask Him for things that are only going to feed your sinful nature.

c.       Asking is not about getting our will done, it is about working with God to get His good will done.

                                                         i.      This is a great thing because God is loving and wants what is best for us.

1.       God is all knowing and knows absolutely what is best for us.

2.       God only desires to give us good things.

Matt 7:9-11
9 Or what man is there of you, if his son asks him for a loaf of bread, will hand him a stone?10 Or if he asks for a fish, will hand him a serpent? 11 If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father Who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give good and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him! (AMP)

d.       Note God desires to give good and advantageous gifts to those who ask.

                                                         i.      Here Jesus contrasts God with man.

                                                       ii.      His point is that if man (who is selfish and corrupted by sin) desires to give good gifts to his children, how much more will a perfect, loving Father desire to give beneficial things to His children.

                                                     iii.      God deeply and passionately wants to bless His children with good and advantageous gifts.

XVIII.      However, God does not want to give us whatever we ask for.

a.       Instead, God wants to give us what is best for us.

b.       Because He wants what is best for us, God calls us to ask according to His will. (1Jn 5:14-15)

c.       God calls us to ask according to His good will because often what we want is not good or advantageous.

                                                         i.      More money, a quick healing, a specific mate, or a promotion at work may not always be what is best for us.

                                                       ii.      Often we are praying for what we think is a fish, when really what we are asking for will end up being a serpent.

1.       We think it is going to satisfy our hunger, when all it will really do is poison our soul.

2.       It is like praying to marry someone that God knows is really the wrong person for you.

a.       You think it will be an answer to all you desires.

b.       God knows it will be a lifetime of pain.

                                                     iii.      Sometimes we will see a stone and think it is our daily bread, so we ask God for it.

1.       We think it will provide for our daily needs, when really all it will turn out to be is something that weighs us down.

2.       It is like praying for riches that you were not anointed to handle.

a.       We think that money will meet all of our needs and make life easier.

b.       God knows it will be a stumbling block that will trip you up, draw you away from Him, and ultimately make your life harder.

d.       When we ask we should strive to ask according to God’s good will.

e.       God’s good will is what is best for us and the best is what our Father wants to give us.

XIX.      This Scripture also reveals another attitude of asking.

a.       Note Jesus refers to God as “your Father”.

b.       When we ask according to God’s good will, we need to ask like a little child would ask a father.

  XX.      This means asking with boldness.

a.       A little child would not hesitate to ask something of a loving father.

b.       We are told we can boldly go before the throne grace and ask for help. (Heb 4:16)

                                                         i.      We do not ask as a beggar who is looking for pity.

                                                       ii.      We do not ask as a vagabond who is afraid that if he asks incorrectly the cops will be called to punish him.

                                                     iii.      We do not ask as a stranger who has to worry about being ignored or rejected.

c.       We can come before God boldly as a child that knows we are accepted in the beloved and loved with an everlasting love.

XXI.      However, coming to God as a child not only means we come boldly, but also that we come humbly.

a.       A child is subservient to the father.

b.       The word translated “ask” is a Greek word that implies one in a lesser position asking something of someone in a greater position.

c.       We need to realize that God is greater:  He has all authority, all wisdom, and all power.

d.       We can come boldly before Him as our Father, but we need to have a heart that is ready to submit to the awesome God that created the universe.

XXII.      Finally, we need to come and ask with an attitude of faith.

a.       A little child has faith in their father.

                                                         i.      I have seen a child who believed their dad could do anything.

                                                       ii.      I have seen a child who believed their father would do absolutely everything he promised.

b.       We need to approach God with the same child like faith.

                                                         i.      When we ask according to His will we need to believe God can accomplish anything.

It has been said that it is better to have a small faith in a great God than a great faith in a small God.^[2]

1.       When you ask God something you need to believe that there is nothing beyond His power.

                                                       ii.      When we ask according to His will we also need to have absolute faith that God is going to accomplish what we have asked.

1.       Scripture warns us in James that if we ask with doubt we should not expect to receive anything. (James 1:6-7)   

XXIII.      It is important that when we ask God anything we ask with the boldness, the humility and the faith of a child.

Lesson Summary:

• To produce fruit, we need to fellowship with God.
• One way to fellowship is by Asking, Seeking,Knocking (A.S.K.)
• A.S.K. needs to be nurtured as a habit that we do all of the time.
• The first step we need to do is to ask in prayer.
• Asking God in prayer should be the foundation of all of our endeavors.
• There are times when we are called to call out and if we do not ask we will not have.
• However, when we ask we must strive to ask according to God’s good will in the boldness, humility and faith of a child.