We All have Need…So Ask
By Pastor Michael McPherson

Part 3 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.

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

3.      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 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?

d.      Who is ready to put the Word you hear today into practice?

                                                               i.      Hearing and comprehending alone 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 and according to the grace He gives, 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.      Let’s review what we have looked at in parts one and two of this series.

a.       Without Christ we can do nothing.

b.      In other words, in order to produce true fruit, we need to fellowship with God.

c.       One way to fellowship is by Asking, Seeking, Knocking (A.S.K.)

Matt 7:7-8
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.  AMP

                                                               i.      A.S.K. needs to be nurtured as a habit that we do all of the time.

                                                             ii.      The first step we need to do is to ask in prayer.

                                                            iii.      Asking God in prayer should be the foundation of all of our endeavors.

                                                           iv.      There are times when we are called to call out and if we do not ask we will not have.

                                                             v.      When we ask we must strive to ask according to God’s good will.

                                                           vi.      When we ask we must strive to ask as a in the boldness, humility and faith of a child.

         III.      It is important that we ask and that we keep on asking.

a.       But asking alone is not enough to help us abide in fellowship with God.

b.      It is equally important that we seek and keep on seeking.

        IV.      What are we created to seek and keep on seeking? 

a.       First, lets look at what we are not created to seek after.

b.      We are not to primarily keep seeking after things.

                                                               i.      We are not to seek and keep on seeking for thing we think will fill our wants.

                                                             ii.      We are not to seek and keep on seeking for thing we think will fill our fears.

                                                            iii.      We were not created to seek and keep seeking the things of this world.

Matt 6:24-25
24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).
25 Therefore I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink; or about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life greater [in quality] than food, and the body [far above and more excellent] than clothing?  AMP

[Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought ...] The general design of this paragraph, which closes the chapter, is to warn his disciples against avarice, and, at the same time, against anxiety about the supply of their needs.
(from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)

           V.      Often our seeking is driven by our desires.

a.       We can spend our lives looking for something to fulfill our want.

b.      We must be careful not to let these desires dominate our lives.

c.       Note we are told we cannot serve God and mammon.

                                                               i.      The Amplified Versions defines mammon as “deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in”.

                                                             ii.      You cannot serve God and at the same time serve money or possessions.

                                                            iii.      Your seeking cannot be dominated by looking for things and at the same time looking for God.

                                                           iv.      You are either devoted to God, or you are devoted to the things of this world.

d.      The Bible tells us that covetousness is idolatry. (Col 3:5)

e.       If in trying to fill our wants our focus is primarily on money, possession, power or other worldly materials; then we are in grave danger that these things have become our idols.

                                                               i.      It is even possible for Christians to seek and keep on seeking after money and power and possession so much that these become their idols.

                                                             ii.      You may look at your life and say I have no shrines.

1.      I don’t pray to money or worship my spouse.

2.      I do not bow to power or sing the praise of my home.

                                                            iii.      But idols are not found only in shrines, they are found on altars.

1.      Where you are sacrificing the majority of your time, energy and resources is a good determination of what you truly worship.

2.      Where you sacrifice of yourself can be a clear indicator of the god you truly seek after and worship.

                                                           iv.      On what altars are you sacrificing the majority of your time, energy and resources?

1.      Is your job your idol?  Is your child your idol?  Is your health your idol?  Is success you idol?  Is money your idol?

2.      To what are you devoted?  What do you regularly think about when you: first wake up, before you fall asleep, or while you are driving?

3.      Is your heart continually focused on seeking the things of this world to satisfy your desires?

                                                             v.      Do not keep seeking for things to fulfill your desires.

        VI.      Seeking after thing is not only driven by our wants, but it can also be driven by our fears.

a.       It is possible that we seek and keep on seeking not because we are trying to fulfill a carnal desire but because we are constantly afraid of having lack.

b.      Note that the Amplified Version tells us not to be “perpetually uneasy about your life”.

                                                               i.      God does not want you to be perpetually seeking because you are living in fear that He will not provide.

                                                             ii.      The things of this world cannot fill up your fear of not having enough.

1.      No matter what things you try to put in the “hole of fear” inside you, it will never be enough.

2.      You will never have enough money, medicine, companionship or whatever worldly thing your are seeking.

c.       Are you constantly seeking things, because you are afraid you will not have enough?

d.      Are you preoccupied with this worlds goods because you think you are being wise and are preparing for trouble?

                                                               i.      How can we tell if we are doing this?  One way is to look at your fear.

                                                             ii.      Does it really go away when you deal with it? 

                                                            iii.      Or are you merely covering with a false sense of security and it pops back up at the first time of trouble?

e.       Do not seek after things to fill your fear.

      VII.      Too many believers and non-believers alike spend much time and energy seeking for things to fill holes of desire or fear.

a.       You cannot fill a spiritual hole with a physical thing

b.      We try to fill the holes in our lives we can’t see with things that we can see.

c.       What things do we try to use to fill up our holes of desire and fear?

                                                               i.      Some examples include power, people, food, and jobs.

                                                             ii.      Other examples include things like drugs, sex, the admiration or fear of other people, and wealth.

d.      Too often we go to God seeking only these things.

                                                               i.      We go to God and seek after this thing or seek after that thing.

                                                             ii.      We go to God and pray for Him to give us something that will fulfill our desire or calm our fear.

e.       The problem is, that you were not created to fill your wants and fears with physical things.

                                                               i.       We try to bring things into our lives that fill the holes in our hearts.

                                                             ii.      Sometimes we are satisfied for a while.

                                                            iii.      But eventually the “thing” will no longer satisfy us or still our fears.

f.        Eventually having the thing you sought after will be swallowed by the hole within you.

                                                               i.      So when it no longer satisfies the hole, you have to go back to God seeking after something new to satisfy the hole.

                                                             ii.      This process tends to repeat itself over and over.

                                                            iii.      Always seeking things, yet never truly satisfied.

g.       God does not want you to seek and keep on seeking after things.

   VIII.      So here is my point today, what does God want us to seek and keep on seeking?  His rule and direction for our lives.

Matt 6:33
33 But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides. AMP

a.       The word “kingdom” means rule or reign.

                                                               i.      God wants us to seek His Kingly rule in our lives

b.      God also wants us to seek His righteousness

                                                               i.      God’s wants us to seek His way of doing and being right.

        IX.      In other word’s, God want us to seek and keep on seeking Him to find His power and His direction.

a.       Now this verse is for Christians who have already found God and are “in the vine”.

b.      In a sense, Christians do not need to find God anymore.

                                                               i.      He is still in the same place we found Him the first time.

                                                             ii.      You know that place:  It’s right behind the cross; you get there through Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit.

                                                            iii.      Now He also has a second home, but we do not need to go seeking to find Him their either because His second home is in our hearts.

                                                           iv.      Typically, Christians do not seek God to find Him; we seek Him to fellowship with Him.

           X.      The purpose of a Christian SEEKING is to SEE the KING.

a.       There are times we must go to God not to see Him as Father or Friend, but to see Him as King.

                                                               i.      As God’s child, we are sometimes rebellious to our Father

                                                             ii.      As God’s friend we sometimes resist His will.

                                                            iii.      But as God’s servant, we must always submit to the will of our King.

b.      We go to SEE the KING to submit to His reign over our lives. 

c.       We go to SEE the KING to find His way of doing things.

                                                               i.      God is not the Burger King who wants you to have it your way.

1.      Quite frankly, your way stinks!

                                                             ii.      He is an all knowing, all loving king who wants you to have it His way.

d.      Abiding was never meant to be a one-way activity.

                                                               i.      Lord I want, Lord do this, Lord I need, etc.

                                                             ii.      As we studied last week, asking God is a good and necessary part of our lives.

e.       But we were not created just to ask, we were also created to seek His rule over our lives.

        XI.      Remember, in order to help us abide in Christ we need to A.S.K.

a.       Too many of us get stuck on the asking and never get to the seeking.

b.      We want to get something from God, but we are not looking to surrender our lives to God.

      XII.      It should be noted that asking and seeking are intimately intertwined.

a.       Those who would desire to have their prayers heard by God, must themselves hear God when He speaks.

b.      In other words, one of the keys to God hearing and answering your prayer is for you to hear God.

   XIII.      Note it says seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added.

a.       As we seek God’s will, our desires begin to fall into their proper place and God answers our prayer because we are asking according to His will. (1Jn 5:14)

b.      Remember Scripture tells us to delight ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our hearts. (Ps 37:4)

c.       Continually asking and continually seeking are supposed to be united to one another.

                                                               i.      We seek to hear God before we pray in order to find His will.

                                                             ii.      We seek to hear God after we ask to find His answer.

                                                            iii.      Let’s take a closer look at these two aspects of seeking.

   XIV.      We need to seek to hear God’s will before we pray.

1 John 5:14-15
14 And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us.
15 And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him.
AMP

     XV.      Note that we are told if we ask anything according to His will, we can absolutely know that we have the request as our present possession.

a.       How many here would like to have the kind of faith that allows you to have absolute knowledge that your request is now your present possession?

                                                               i.      We need this kind of faith that allows us to lay hold of anything God wants to give us.

                                                             ii.      We need the kind of faith that allows us to move mountains and makes it so that nothing is impossible for us.

b.      But note the key that allows us to have settled and absolute knowledge.

c.       They were asking according to His will.

   XVI.      Hearing God first is the key to having this dunamis (dynamic/miraculous power) releasing faith in our lives.

Gal 3:5

5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

a.       Note the miracles came from the hearing of faith.

b.      Too often we want the miracles to come from the speaking of faith.

                                                               i.      We decide what we want, we speak it, and try our hardest to put our carnal faith behind it.

1.      Yes there is a carnal faith:  look at the faith of other religions and the power it can accomplish.

2.      Yes Christians can move in carnal faith:  look at the differences in the doctrines practiced among believers.

c.       God wants our faith to be a spiritual faith that springs out of hearing His Word.

XVII.      He wants us to seek His rule, find His Word and pray in faith according to that Word.

a.       Many of us know the Scripture in Isa. 55:11 in which God says His Word “will not return to me void”.

b.      Did you ever notice the phrase “return to me”?

c.       From where do you suppose God’s Word is returning?

d.      Is it echoing off of the cosmos?

e.       Or do you suppose He is talking about it being echoed from the hearts of His children coming to Him in prayer?

f.        I suppose it could be both.

                                                               i.      God did not need anyone to pray at creation:  His Word accomplished everything without anyone.

                                                             ii.      However, I do believe there are times when God allows us to co labor with Him and participate in the exercise of His power through prayer.

                                                            iii.      I am convinced there are times when God sends forth His Word and waits for it to be echoed in the prayer of His children!

                                                           iv.      This is why before you pray, you need to seek God’s rule.

XVIII.      Not only do we need to seek God’s rule before we pray, we need to seek God’s rule after we pray.

a.       Remember we are to seek and keep on seeking.

b.      Do not stop seeking after you have asked in faith.

c.       Don’t just ask God something, and assume His answer.

                                                               i.      Find out His reply.

                                                             ii.      Find out how He is going to answer your request.

   XIX.      If we have asked according to His will, we can have faith that He has answered our prayer.

a.       However, we often need to seek when, where, how and what.

     XX.      We need to seek “When”.

a.       Scripture is filled with appointed times, where the Lord waited till a specific time to move.

b.      There are times when our prayers are answered now and there are times when we have to wait.

c.       Don’t assume the Lord is moving now unless He tells you.

d.      If you start spending on Tuesday when the appointed time of provisions is Saturday, you can end up in a pickle.

e.       We need to seek God’s rule as to when He has answered our prayers.

   XXI.      We need to seek “Where”.

1 Kings 17:2-4
2 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 3 "Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. 4 And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."

a.       Note God commanded the ravens to feed Elijah at the Brook of Cherith.

b.      Often where you are now is not where God has provided for you.

c.       Elijah had to follow after God to find where He had made Elijah’s provisions.

d.      We have to do the same.

                                                               i.      If God has made provisions for you in Tampa and you are still in Key West, don’t expect to receive the answer to your prayer.

                                                             ii.      We need to seek God’s rule as to where He has answered our prayers.

XXII.      We need to seek “How”.

a.       We need to find God’s rule for how He has answered our prayers.

b.      Several months ago when I got sick many people prayed for my healing.

c.       When I was spending time with the Lord about my sickness I felt like He told me He was going to completely restore me.

                                                               i.      However, I also felt like He told me I was going to have to endure and that I was to get surgery for the problem.

                                                             ii.      I wanted to be healed miraculously and quickly, but God had different plans.

1.      Surgery does not sound like a spiritual answer, so I was wrestling with it.

2.      In His love God sent two other members of the congregation to give me a word about getting surgery.

                                                            iii.      I was obedient to how God wanted to answer my prayer and I have been on the road to recovery every since.

                                                           iv.      Had I denied His method, I would still be suffering.

d.      I am still in the endure part, but I know God has given me full restoration and that it is going to happen how He wants it to happen.

e.       We need to seek God’s rule as to how He has answered our prayer.

XXIII.      We also need to seek “What”.

a.       We need to find God’s rule as to what we should do when He answers our prayers.

b.      To whom much is given, much is expected.

c.       When God answers our prayers we need to seek what He wants us to do.

                                                               i.      Sometimes He just wants us to give thanks and enjoy His bounty.

                                                             ii.      Sometimes He wishes us to use what He has given us to serve Him.

                                                            iii.      Sometimes He wants us to give to others as it has been given to us.

d.      Several years ago, the Lord opened the doors for me to rent a really nice house.

                                                               i.      I told the Lord I would use the house for His service.

                                                             ii.      We started a Friday night fellowship that ended up being one of the most precious ministries in which I have ever been involved.

e.       We need to seek God’s rule for what we should do with our answered prayer.

XXIV.      One last reason for seeking God’s rule after we pray is to make sure we heard Him correctly the first time.

a.       We all see in a mirror darkly and know in part. (1 Cor 13:12)

b.      Sometime we misinterpret the part we heard.

c.       Remember Paul prayed 3 times about the “thorn in His flesh” before He listened to God who said “no”.

d.      Sometimes it is important to seek God’s rule after we pray because we misunderstood the first time.

XXV.      In closing, prayer is not the only time we need to seek and keep on seeking to find God’s rule.

a.       We need to seek and keep on seeking God’s rule in every aspect of our lives.

b.      Finding God’s rule for every aspect of your life is what it means to be led by the Spirit.

c.       Seeking God’s will for every aspect of your life is what is required to mature into a child of God who can receive his inheritance. (Rom 8:14)

                                                               i.      But that is a Message for a different time.

Lesson Summary:

• As important as it is to ask and keep on asking we also need to seek and keep on seeking.
• We are not to be primarily seeking after things to fill our desires and fears.
• Instead we are to be SEEKING to SEE the KING (We are to seek God’s rule in our lives).
• It is important to be seeking God’s will before we pray so we can have the confidence we will receive what we ask.
• It is important to be seeking God’s rule after we have prayed so we can find out when God will provide, where God will provide, how God will provide and what He wants us to do with His provisions.