Ask Your Heavenly Father

Matthew chapter 7, verse 7, hear this promise by the Lord Jesus. Ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh, receiveth. And he that seeketh, findeth. And to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. And here's why.

Or what man is there of you whom if his son ask bread, will it give him a stone? I picture that in my mind, a little boy asking his father for a piece of bread. He's hungry, and he hands him a rock or a stone. Or if he asks a fish, will it give him a serpent? Can you imagine that, dropping a serpent down in his little boy's hand? If you then, being evil, this is what the Lord says, If you then, being evil, does anyone say, not me? None of His people.

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father, which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask Him." Your heavenly Father loves you. Now just think on that for a moment. This is a whole lot more than any other individual loving you. your Heavenly Father and that's what the Lord calls it. How much more so your Heavenly Father. Your Heavenly Father loves you and delights in you asking Him for good things. Don't miss that.

Good things. Seeking Him for good things, knocking on the door for good things. Now, if indeed we do ask, seek, and knock, it's because He caused us to by His grace, and He delights in us asking Him for good things, and He delights in giving us these good things because He is our Heavenly Father. He delights in you asking. He delights in me asking. He delights in you seeking. He delights in you knocking, asking for these good things.

Now I can't help but think of the words of James and James Chapter four, verse two, he says, you have not because you ask not. It's simple enough, isn't it? You ask and receive not because you ask amiss, that you may consume it upon your lusts. I'm not real sure that I have ever not asked that I might consume it on my lusts. Everything I've asked.

And so here's a place to start. Ask him to give us the grace to not ask amiss, that we might not consume it upon our lusts. Deliver me from asking amiss. Now I see four things on the surface of this gracious command. The first thing I see is a need. You ask for what you need and feel you do not have. What we don't know, teach us. What we do not have, give us. What we are not, make us. Seek and knock. You seek whatever you feel you've lost, whatever you feel you need and do not have.

You knock on a door that's closed. You don't knock on an open door. You knock on a door that's closed that you're wanting that good thing behind that door and you want him to give it to you. Ask him. Seeking, knocking, you go from asking to seeking, you go from seeking to knocking. It's kind of a crescendo. You begin asking, and then you seek, and then you knock. The knock being the loudest. Asking, seeking, knocking for what you need. This isn't some kind of Ask for a new car. If you need a new car, you'll have one. He's gonna give you what you need. But this is not asking about getting something.

When David, the man after God's own heart, described himself 11 times in the Psalms, he either refers to himself as poor and needy or those that God saves as poor and needy. Now, when I ask, I ask from this position, poor. And David was a wealthy man, yet he called himself poor and needy, bankrupt with great needs. I'm poor, no goodness, no righteousness, no merits, no ability whatsoever, and I have great needs.

I need Christ. I need His free favor. I need His grace. I need His mercy. I need Him to not give me what I richly deserve and I need for Him to give me what I do not deserve. I need righteousness. I don't have any. I need redemption because I can't make some kind of payment for my sins. I can't do anything about it. I need the forgiveness of sins. I need all my sins forgiven. I need a new heart. I need the new birth. I need the gifts of faith. I need the gift of repentance. I need love. I need these things. I do. And I can't produce them.

So where's the one thing, one place I go as a poor and needy sinner? To Him, asking. And what I love about this, this is a command of Christ to you. If you're a believer, this is not good advice. This is not optional. This is his command to me and you. Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you. That's why we ask, that's why we seek, that's why we knock. He commands us to. And we're encouraged to continue in this. Let me show you a couple of scriptures. First turn to Luke chapter 11.

This is after the Lord has taught his disciples with regard to prayer. This doesn't seem to be the same time as the Sermon on the Mount because the disciples were watching the Lord praying and they said at this time, teach us to pray. And I think this is so significant. Not one time do we ever read where they said, teach us to preach, but they did say, teach us to pray. And that's where he taught them to pray. And we considered that from Matthew chapter six, but let's look what he says in verse five after this teaching. And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend and shall go unto him at midnight and say unto him, friend, lend me three loaves.

Now, wait a minute. If I'm in bed and asleep and somebody knocks on the door and says, get me three loaves of bread. I would like to think that I'm be very gracious. I hope if y'all do that at my house midnight, I'm open at the door, I'm gonna be real nice. But I know the way I would think. Knocking at my door at midnight for three loaves of bread, get him yourself. Here's his statement for a friend of mine, and his journey's come to me, and I have nothing to say before him. And he from within shall answer and say, trouble me not. The door is now shut and my children are with me in bed. I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, though he will not rise and give him because he's a friend, yet because of his importunity, his shameless persistence, he'll rise and give you as many as you need.

What does that mean? I said no. I said no. His importunity, his persistence. Look at Luke chapter 18. Now, once again, If you come knocking on my door, I'm coming to the door. I don't want to make somebody, well, you can't come with him. I don't want to be that way, but the Lord's giving us this example. Look in Luke chapter 18, verse one, and he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint, not to give up, not to say, this is useless. I'm not getting anywhere. I'm not being answered. Say it.

There was in a city a judge which feared not God, neither regarded man. And there was a widow in that city, and she came unto him saying, avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while. But afterward he said within himself, though I fear not God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her lest by her continual coming she weary me.

Now these are examples the Lord gives as to why you and I should continue to ask. We should continue to seek. We should continue to pray. And the Lord's not like either one of these examples. He's not like that man who says, trouble me not. He's not like that unjust judge who says, well, she's driving me crazy, I'll give her what she wants. He's gracious and compassionate and merciful toward his children and delights in giving them when they ask for these good things.

How much more? Back to our text. In verse nine, or what man is there of you whom if his son asked bread will give him a stone or if he asked a fish will give him a serpent? If you then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more? How much more shall your heavenly father give good things to them that ask him? Don't miss good things.

Now, what I'd never really thought about before, before preparing this message, is this is actually the beginning of the conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount. And he's been giving us all these glorious things. in this sermon. We've been in this sermon over a year now, looking at this verse by verse, the good things that he speaks of in the, could be argued to be the greatest message ever preached. The Sermon on the Mount, the words of the Lord. Now let's look at the first of this sermon, chapter five. And we're gonna learn some things about good things. I repeat, this is not about asking for a new car or a new house or anything of that nature.

Verse three, blessed are the poor in spirit. Lord, make me poor in spirit. That's a good thing that you've given in your word. You're the one who gave this. Make me pour in Spirit. I'm asking for that. You know, when you read the Beatitudes, you think, I measure up pretty well. No. You see how utterly you feel like you like these things. You say, Lord, make me to mourn over my sin. Deliver me from being so hard-hearted. Make me to mourn over my sin. Verse 5, make me meek. Blessed are the meek. Make me meek.

Make me bow to, willingly bow to whatever you bring my way, knowing is best. Verse 6, blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness. Lord, give me this hunger and this thirst after righteousness. Blessed are the merciful. Lord, make me merciful. Make me to be a truly merciful person. I'm asking for this. Would you please do this for me? It's above anything I can come up with. Would you make me a truly merciful person? Blessed are the pure in heart. Lord, I'm asking for this pure heart. I'm seeking for this pure heart. I'm knocking for this pure heart. Give me this pure heart.

Blessed are the peacemakers. Lord, make me a peacemaker. not a conflict person. Make me a bringer of peace, the peace of the gospel, a preacher of peace. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness. Say, Lord, would you allow me the blessed privilege of preaching the righteousness of your son to the extent that people hate me and persecute me for it, because they hear exactly what's being said, and they don't like it, to hear that there's only one righteousness. Give me the honor, and I would count it a great honor to be persecuted for righteousness' sake.

Verse 13, you are the salt of the earth. Lord, make me the salt of the earth. That's what makes things taste good. That's a preservative, the salt of grace. Make me the salt of the earth. Lord, I'm asking you, you gave this in your, this is how he's concluding this sermon. He's brought all these things to us, and now he's saying, ask!

Seek! Knock! Verse 14, you're the light of the world. A city that's set on a hill cannot be hid. Lord, make me a light, make me a witness. Make me somebody who brings the light of the gospel to other sinners. Let me see, let me be, a witness of thy truth, a light of thy truth. Make me that. Deliver us. That's not in me. It's just not in me. But I'm asking you to cause this to be. Make me a light to this world, to preach the gospel, to herald the gospel. Make it to be where this is my great interest, to see other people brought to a saving knowledge of your son. Make me always aware of being your witness.

Verse 20, I say unto you that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter the kingdom of heaven. Lord, give me this righteousness. And he's talking about his own righteousness here. You go on looking at the following verses, well, maybe that's the righteous living we can live by grace. Well, I hope you can righteously live by it, but that's not what this is talking about. This is talking about His righteousness, because if you go on looking where He gives the meaning of the law, you'll know this is His righteousness. That's the righteousness that exceeds the scribes and Pharisees. And like Paul, we say, oh, that I'm in Christ and be found in him, not having my own righteousness. I don't want, Lord, give me your righteousness. Let me see that I have none and that the only righteousness I have is yours.

I'm asking, I'm seeking, I'm knocking. And he begins in the rest of this fifth chapter to give an exposition of the law. I love God's law. I love the way he said, you've heard it said by them of old and they'll quote scripture from the law and they'll say, but I say it to you. Lord, give me the true understanding of your law, a love for your law and an understanding of your law that drives me to thy son and makes me cleave and hold on to him because I know he's the only righteousness before that law I possess.

He says in verse 25, agree with thine adversary quickly. While thou art in the way with him, lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and to the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out till thou hast paid the last farthing.

Let me agree quickly with whatever you say. Whatever you say, I'm asking for this. I'm seeking this. I'm knocking for this. Let me agree quickly with all you say. Verse 33, again, you've heard that it's been said by them of old time, thou shalt not forswear thyself, you shall make a promise. I promise I'll do this. I promise I'll do that. If you do this, I'll do that. Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but thou shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths. But I say unto you, swear not at all. This is about a religion of personal resolve. I resolve to do this. Don't do it. Ask. Seek. Knock. Don't make some kind of religion of I'm going to do this. I'm going to pull myself up by the bootstraps. I'm going to give all my efforts. Ask. Seek. And knock. Verse 38, you've heard that it's been said an eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth.

But I say unto you that you resist not evil. But whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will take thee at the law, and take away thy coat, give him thy cloak also. Whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him too. Give to him that ask to thee, and from him that would borrow thee, turn thou not away.

You've heard that it's been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, love your enemies. Bless them that curse you and do good to them that hate you and pray for them, which despitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be the children of your father, which is in heaven. For he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and the good and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust. For if you love them which love you, what reward have you? Do not even the publicans the same? If you salute your brethren only, what do you more than others? Do not even the publicans so?

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Lord, give me the grace to do all this. It's not in me. It's not in me. I'm asking. I'm seeking. I'm knocking because this is not in me. Give me this good thing. And this is a good thing, isn't it? You admire this.

In Matthew chapter six, in these first 18 verses, he talks about our attitude toward men, giving alms, helping people. He talks about our attitude toward prayer. He talks about our attitude toward fasting, which represents self-denial, works toward men, good works, works of devotion, prayer to the Lord, works of self-denial. And what does he say with regard to each of these?

He says in verse three, when you do your alms, Or verse two, therefore, when you do your alms, don't sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward, but when you do your alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, that thine alms may be in secret, and thy father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

Lord, let me not do what I do to be seen of men. When I pray, I don't want to be like the hypocrites are, Praying in the standing so everybody can see me. When I fast, I don't wanna disfigure my face like the hypocrites do, is what the Lord says. That they may be seen of men. Lord, will you, everything I do, I do to be seen of men. I see that in myself, I hate it. Lord, would you, I'm asking for this good thing. Enable me to not do what I do to be seen of men, but only to be seen of you. Verse 19.

Lay not up to yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal, but lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Lord, make it to where you're my only treasure. Make it to where you're my treasure. And I, you are my treasure. And that's where my heart will be. He says in verse 22, the light of the body is the eye. If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of the light. But if thine eye be evil, mixed, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that's in thee be darkness, how great is thy darkness.

Lord, give me a single eye. And that's talking about simple faith in Christ. Let me look nowhere else but Him. Put that in me. If you don't do it, He won't be there. I'm asking for this. Remember, we're asking for good things. Now there's all kinds of things we ask for about trials in our life and burdens and so on, but I'm always aware when I'm talking about that, I'm asking him this. I wish I would be delivered from that, I realize that, but I can ask with some confidence that I'm not asking him this when I'm asking for what he says he'll give us in the Sermon on the Mount.

I'm asking for this simple faith. Give me an eye, a simple eye to look to Christ only and nowhere else. Verse 24, no man can serve two masters, for either will hate the one and love the other, or else he'll hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon. Lord, Mammon, let me remind you what Mammon means, that which is trusted. You either trust the Lord or you trust Mammon. make it to where you are my only trust. I'm asking you for this. It's not in me. I need this. I'm asking, I'm seeking, I'm knocking. Make me to trust only you and nothing else.

Verse 25, therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, what you shall drink, Or yet for your body what you shall put on is not the life more than meat, the body more than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air, they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not much better than they? Which of you, by taking thought, by worrying, by being anxious, can add one minute to your life, one cubit to your stature?

Lord, cause me to quit worrying. Just stop it. Give me the grace. I'm asking you for this. It's not in me, I will worry. Give me the grace to be anxious for nothing. Verse 28, why take ye thought for rain? But consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil not, neither do they spin. Yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is in the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, take no thought. Don't worry, don't be anxious. What shall we eat or what shall we drink? Or whither withal shall we be clothed?

For after all these things do the Gentiles seek." That's what they're concerned about. We have this assurance, your Heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. He knows what you need before you even ask. You don't know what you need, but He does. You can rest in that.

Seek ye first. the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Now let me tell you when somebody sings the kingdom of God, when they're seeking his righteousness, that's your primary focus. Give me your righteousness. You do that, you're seeking first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you. Chapter seven, judge not that you be not judged. Lord, I'm so hypocritically judgmental. I judge everybody. Deliver me from that. Deliver me from a judgmental, critical spirit. And he says, for what judgment you judge, you shall be judged. And what measure you meet, it shall be measured to you again.

Why beholdest thou the moat? I think this is so, he paints a caricature here that you can't miss. Why, behold, is thou the mote that's in thy brother's eye, but considers not the beam, the two by four that's in your own eye, the plank? Why? Well, that's a poignant way of putting it, isn't it? Well, how wilt thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the mote out of thine eye, and behold, the beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, And then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

I hope by the grace of God, and only by his grace it'll be this way, and I'm asking for this, give me the grace to spend the rest of my life casting the beams, and there's plenty of them, casting the beams out of my own eye so I won't look so critically at my brother. I'm asking for this. Lord, would you give this to me? I'm asking. Now, these are the good things. Remember he said, how much more shall your heavenly Father give? Good things to them that ask him. Isn't this a good thing? To not have this judgmental, critical spirit.

Verse six, give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn again and wring you. I need some wisdom here. to understand what is meant by pearls and swine. And I have no doubt it's what 2 Peter 2 speaks of when he says the dog has returned to his vomit and the pig that was washed to a wallowing in the mire.

It's that person who claims to believe grace and leaves it and goes back to works. That's what he's referring to specifically. But I need the wisdom of God to be able to do this. I mean, this sounds almost harsh, doesn't it? Give not that which is holy to the dogs, and cast not your pearls before swine. Now, here's the conclusion to all this, and this is when the conclusion to the Sermon on the Mount begins. Ask for all these things that have been said. These are the good things, aren't they?

Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek. And you shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you for everyone that asketh receiveth. He that seeketh findeth to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you whom if his son asked bread will he give him a stone? Or if he asked a fish will he give him a serpent? If you then being evil. Know how to give good gifts unto your children. How much more? Show your Father which is in heaven, your Father which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask Him." And the rest of the chapter we're going to have four or five messages out of that or his continuing concluding remarks.

As a matter of fact, verse 12, everything I've said up to this point could be summarized by this. Therefore, all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. This is the law and the prophets. This is a representative of everything I've said up to this point.

Ask, you shall receive. Seek, you shall find. Knock, it shall be opened. And he goes from the less to the greater. If you all know how to give good gifts to your children, and you do, you do, you delight in it. You love to give good gifts to your children. And you're evil. How much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask Him. Let's pray.

Lord, how thankful we are for Your Word. And Lord, we ask that we might seek these good things And these good things are the one thing, the one thing needful. Lord put it in our heart to ask, to seek and to knock with the blessed assurance of knowing that everyone that asks receives. And he that seeks finds, and to him that knocks it shall be opened to him. Lord, this is your promise. Put us to asking, seeking, and knocking for the good things of the gospel. Bless this message, cause it to bear fruit according to your will. In Christ's name we pray, amen.

Ask Your Heavenly Father

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

Comments

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Music

Recent Comments

About

Legal

Subscribe

Account

Articles

Featured Authors

Podcast

Recent Comments

Sermons

Featured Preachers

Books

Browse by Format

Collections

Music

About

Legal

Subscribe

Ask Your Heavenly Father

Sermon Transcript

About Todd Nibert

Comments

More from Todd Nibert

Related Sermons

Same Scripture

Articles by Todd Nibert

Where this book stands in the tradition

Plato

Augustine

The Western Christian Tradition

This Book