Ask, Seek, & Knock | Foundations | Melodie Leake

If I haven't met you yet, my name is Melody I'm one of the pastors on staff and I am so honored to bring the word to you today But before I do would you help me join the online? Viewers and our God behind bar as well. Welcome. Welcome So we're continuing this morning in the foundation series that we've been in for a while the Sermon on the Mount the teaching That Jesus gave that we find in Matthew chapters 5 through 7 Remember we've been saying that this teaching Jesus said that when we put it into action It's like building our house on a firm foundation that when the storms of life come we are solid We are good and it's not just about following rules. Jesus was after the issues of our heart So today we're gonna talk about prayer Jesus teaching on prayer we find it in Matthew 7 Verses 7 through 11, but before we do that, I want to read us a quote from Mark Batterson He is the author of circle maker an incredible book on prayer He sold over a million copies, but he he talks a little bit about some angst that he had with prayer So, let me let me read what he says whenever we hear a message on prayer I think the immediate response can be to feel like oh man I need to do a better job at this there can be some immediate shame or frustration I think even those who are Seasoned intercessors can have times when there's a sense that we aren't doing it Right that we should be praying more and so in this vein, I want us to open open up with prayer So would you just bow your heads with me this morning? God, I thank you that your word says that when it goes out when the Word of God goes forth it always Accomplishes its purpose. It never returns void And so as we interact with the Word of God today I pray Lord that you would illuminate our understanding that we would have greater revelation of what Jesus is trying to say to us and I just cut off all attempts of the enemy to bring shame or Condemnation that is never from you. Holy Spirit I pray God that you would open our mind open our ears open our hearts to what you want to say and we pray this In the name of Jesus Amen

Amen, so I'm gonna read Matthew 7 verses 7 through 11 from the Amplified It's gonna be the Amplified version is gonna be on the screen. You can follow along but you might have a different version So it says this ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you seek and keep on seeking and you will find knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you for everyone who keeps on asking receives and He who keeps on seeking finds and to him who keeps on knocking it will be opened or what man is there among you? Who if his son asked for bread will instead give him a stone or if he asked for fish? we'll give him instead a snake if you then evil sinful by nature 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 what is good and advantageous? To those who keep on asking him When I read these verses it kind of sounds like we just need to be persistent Doesn't it like you need to ask and keep on asking and if I ask enough times I'm gonna get what I'm asking for isn't isn't that what you read? And when I think of persistence when I was studying for this message and I was thinking about persistence You know, it came to my mind. I Was eight months pregnant with my fifth child and I had four of my four children eight Seven five and not yet two in the grocery store. This did not happen very often. I can assure you Two were in the cart and there was one on either side holding on to the cart So we were in the grocery store and we're making it around, you know, every all the aisles. It's going well It's going well and we get to the cereal aisle and it does not go well Someone begins to say I want Lucky Charms and then someone else you got to pick last time and then everyone is yelling Please please please please please and I gave in We bought Lucky Charms and I'm gonna tell you why I felt like all eyes in the store were on me and people were Questioning my parenting methods and I could I felt like I could read the thought bubble over their heads dear God Why is this woman bringing in another child into the world when she can't control the four she has? And I may have been thinking the same thing That's another message though Persistence persistence. Is this what the passage is saying that if I just ask and I keep on asking

It's just about how many times I ask is Matthew 7 like a formula a strategy for proven outcomes Does it all hinge on how? how many times I ask. If that's all Jesus is teaching, then it's really kind of a numbers game. Did I pray enough? Did I ask enough times? Was I persistent enough? And if I didn't get an answer, the conclusion is maybe I failed. But I don't think that's what Jesus is teaching in this passage. In fact, there's another way to understand prayer, not as a formula, listen, not as a formula, getting God to do what I want, but as an invitation to participate with what God is already doing. Eugene Peterson, you may know him as the one who wrote, who translated the Bible in the message of translation. He wrote a book called The Contemplative Pastor. And he introduces a concept from Greek grammar that helped me see prayer in a fresh way. Remember, the New Testament was written in Greek. So in the English language, we basically have two categories, active voice and passive voice. And active means that I make something happen. And the passive voice is something is happening to me. And neither of these are the right approach to prayer. But the Greek language has another category.

It's called the middle voice. The middle voice describes a situation where someone else has initiated the action, but I actively join in and participate. In other words, I'm not making it happen, but I'm not sitting on the sidelines either. I'm involved with what someone else has started. This is how the middle voice concept applies to prayer. When I pray in the active voice, I'm treating it like a transaction, where I demand, I bargain, I try to recruit God to fulfill my agenda. It's like a cause, I'm treating God like a cosmic vending machine. It's not a good way to pray. The passive voice is this, cold resignation. God is sovereign. He's gonna do what he's gonna do anyway. Why even bother to pray? Here's the middle voice. The middle voice reframes prayer as active cooperation. I'm joining in where God is already at work. God has initiated things and I am actively participating with what he's doing. Okay, does this grammar right now, does it kind of feel like, you know, high school grammar class or English class? Turn to your neighbor and say, it's gonna get better. Help me out here. It's gonna get better.

It's gonna get better. Let me apply this. Let's apply the filter of the middle voice concept to ask and seek and knock. When we ask through the middle voice, we're actually choosing to relinquish control. I have on the screen, the illusion of control. Do you know why? Because I can barely control myself and I can't control anybody else and I certainly can't control the circumstances around me. So it's an illusion and control, but I relinquish control. I relinquish the active voice. I'm not trying to control things. I'm not demanding my way. I acknowledge I am not in control. I am not making things happen, but I ask. I present my needs and my desires honestly and boldly before God and I yield the outcome. What about seeking? When we're seeking and we're presenting this in the middle voice, we are rejecting passivity. We are rejecting that passive voice. We position ourselves to see where is God already at work in my life and I join him there. I reject the idea that God is gonna do what he's gonna do no matter what I do. I refuse to sit back in spiritual apathy.

I am seeking and searching for God and for the answers that I need. I study scripture. I worship. I pray. I'm all in. By the way, this ask, seek, and knock, some scholars believe that it's actually increasing levels of participation because you could ask and kind of be far away from God. You can seek and when you're seeking, it's like you're on the journey toward God and toward your answer and then knocking. You are right there at the door. You're standing directly at the threshold between your need and God's answer. So how do we knock? How do we knock in this middle voice? How do we remain engaged by relentless realignment? Knocking on the door implies that the door is closed. You don't knock on an open door, right? So we're knocking, the door is closed, but knock and keep on knocking is a refusal to disengage when the door is still closed. Knock and keep on knocking requires relentless realignment of my heart, why? Because when I knock and I keep on knocking, I'm tempted to be afraid. Why isn't the door opening? When I'm knocking and I'm keeping on knocking

and the door hasn't opened, I'm. I'm tempted to be discouraged like God what is going on or I'm angry and I'm tempted to stop knocking and start kicking at the door. Anybody else know what I'm talking about? I'm confused. So realigning my heart, a relentless realigning of my heart means I am realigning to God's purposes. I keep on knocking. I surrender my will, my time, my way and I make the conscious decisions to align with his will and his way and his timing. I keep my heart open even when I don't understand. I keep my heart open even when it doesn't make sense to me. Prayer is meant to be a partnership with God that we're in the middle of this. We are learning his heart. We are learning how he thinks. The Lord's Prayer or some of you may know it as the Our Father. This is the prayer that Jesus prayed, right? When we pray this, we're not just praying, we're actually making declaration. Kingdom of God come. Will of God be done on earth as it already is in heaven. I love how Jen Johnson describes it as pulling heaven down to earth. When we are praying, we are aligning with what God already is doing and bringing it down to earth. It's meant to be relational, not just transactional. We get to know God as we interact with him in prayer. We pour out our requests. We bring our wants and our needs before him. Ask, seek, knock are not just increasing levels of participation though or it is not. Ask, seek, knock are increasing levels of participation with our Father, not just increasing levels of effort. Prayer is not just about following this pattern he's established or just about getting to know him better or just about surrendering my will. Jesus is teaching us that God answers our prayers. Prayer is powerful. Prayer changes things. When we pray, he said we will receive. Listen, for everyone who keeps on asking receives and he who keeps on seeking finds and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be open. He's not just teaching a philosophy of prayer. These are promises from Jesus. God answers our prayers. Can I tell you, can I testify this morning about some answers to prayer for me and my family? Okay, so my great-great-grandma, her name was Tinnie Mae. Yes, I do have some redneck roots. Tinnie Mae and her husband lived on a farm. They had gone into town for whatever-whatever and they're coming back in the truck and as they open the gate the cattle guard is down and the they don't realize that the truck hits the ditch and all of the heavy crates that are in the back of the truck slam forward and break my great-grandma's back. The doctors tried everything. They put her in a brace. They tried everything they knew back in that day, but for two years

great-grandma Tinnie was in bed until two ladies from a neighboring town made an appointment. They came in and they prayed with my great-grandmother and she describes it. It's been passed down through the generations. She described that when they began to pray it was like she felt a warmth from the top of her head to the tip of her toes and she had faith and she stood up and she ripped off the the brace that was on her back and she began to run around her house completely healed. Yes, she met my great-grandfather at the door when he came in from the farm that night. God hears and he answers our prayer. What about this? I prayed for my children from the time they were in my womb. I prayed for God's protection. I prayed for who they would marry. I prayed for favor on their hands that they would not serve in obscurity but before kings. That's one of the one of the scriptures in the in the Bible and I remember one night I felt like the Holy Spirit woke me up. I was already in bed and I felt like the Holy Spirit woke me up and warned me that one of my children was in danger and I called that child and I went to where that person was and they were actually they really were in a very dangerous situation. God hears and answers our prayers. What about this? Even small things. When Jeff and I were in Bible college we were poor Bible college students. We were learning the power of prayer. We had been reading Psalm 103 about how God satisfies even our desires with good things and so he said let's test God. What do you desire? I was like well I'd like a new Easter dress and he said I want red high top canvas converse tennis shoes. All right that is specific. Maybe I should have been more specific and within two weeks a guy on the hall in his dorm came and he said hey I bought these converse tennis shoes but they're not the right size. He popped open the lid, red, high top canvas, Converse, tennis shoes, exactly Jeff's size. And I got a check in the mail from his grandma. Hey, buy whatever you need. So I bought myself an Easter dress. God hears and answers our prayer. Listen, when I was pregnant with Caleb, my fourth, the doctor had said to me, hey, six hours, four hours, two hours of labor, we better schedule this one.

And I was like, great, because my family were missionaries and they were coming in for Thanksgiving. He was, Caleb was due like December 1st. They were coming in for Thanksgiving. We were gonna celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday and Christmas on Friday, and they were leaving. And my time with them was so limited and so precious. And I was afraid I was gonna be in the hospital. So when I went to my next appointment, I said to the doctor, I know what day I'm gonna choose. And she laughed at me. And she said, you don't get to choose any old day. And so I left crying, crying. And I said to God, I really wanna be home when my family is home. And so I'm gonna choose. And I wanted something that was easy to remember because I have a lot of children's birthdays to remember. So I said, 11-11-97, it rhymes. And someone said, why did you choose Veterans Day? I had no idea it was Veterans Day. It just rhymed, okay? Work with me here. The morning of 11-11, my water broke. And it wasn't six or four hours, 14 hours later, Caleb showed up into the world, but he made it on 11-11-97. God hears and answers the cries of our heart. I have so many stories.

I'm gonna share one more with you. My dad, I told you, he was a missionary. And we were living in Panama, but he was sneaking over the border into Nicaragua during the Sandinista era. They're communists. They don't appreciate preaching of the gospel and having people saved. And so my dad was imprisoned for preaching the gospel over and over and over again, until one day, the last time they imprisoned him, they said to him, tomorrow, we're gonna put you before a firing squad. So we began to pray desperate prayers. And the next morning, a high-level official came in and my dad's life was spared. God hears and answers prayer. But here's where the tension comes in. What about the times when we've been praying and we haven't gotten the answer yet? What if I have been praying persistently with God on things I know are his will? I have extended family members who don't know Jesus yet, and I have been praying, and I know this is according to God's will. He doesn't want anyone to perish. But I haven't seen results yet. I have asked, but not yet received. I've been seeking and I have not yet found. I've been knocking on this door, but it is still closed.

So what then? If prayer is a partnership and I'm joining God and seeing things happen on earth, what does it mean when the door remains closed? Because in dark nights of the soul, in the waiting, in the mystery, it can feel really confusing and frustrating, don't you think? When you're in physical pain, when your finances are a mess, you're in relational crisis, when life doesn't look like what you expect it. Can I be vulnerable for a moment? My youngest son is 27, almost 27. And when he was 10, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. If you don't know, it is a terrible, terrible disease. And so I have been praying for Jonathan for 17 years. I have been asking, I have been seeking, I've been declaring, I've been knocking on that door, and he's not yet received his healing. So how do we keep our hearts open to God when we're doing everything we know? How do we keep trusting him when that door isn't opened? I wanna take us back to Matthew 7, because Jesus actually addresses this. Matthew 7, 9 through 11. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will instead give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will instead give him a snake? If you then, evil, because we're sinful by nature, as you are, you know how to give good

and advantageous gifts to your children. How much more, how much more will your Father who is in heaven, perfect as he is, give what is good and advantageous to those who keep on asking him? Jesus points our attention to the goodness of our Father. Why can I continue to ask and seek and to knock? Because I serve a God who hears my cries. Yes, he is a good Father, and he gives us good gifts. I can trust his nature because he is a good God. I want to take us all the way back if you have your Bible you can flip to the very beginning the first chapter of Genesis where it says in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth he created everything in it he separated the day and night the heavens and the waters below he created the land he created the Garden of Eden and then he created man and woman Adam and Eve in his own image he placed them in the garden this is what Genesis 131 says God looked over everything he had made it was so good it was so very good so let's talk about Adam and Eve and they're good they're so very good when he created the world and he brought Adam and Eve in to join him in his work they didn't have to create it was already created they were joining in something he had already done he gave them authority and dominion over everything he gave them purpose hey name all the animals be fruitful and multiply and listen they had perfect relationship Adam and Eve no fighting no distance they were in perfect sync in their marriage they had friendship with God they would walk with God in that cool of the evening there was no distance there was no fear no lack no stress no competition no anger no doubt no loss no rejection there was no pain because there was no sin it was perfection and then the Bible says they were naked with no shame and I think of course they were there was no one to compare with it's more than that though you know we use the phrase hey I'm comfortable in my own skin I think really Adam and Eve were the only true

humans who were completely trunk duck comfortable in their own skin but they were naked with no shame because there was perfect trust trust in each other and trust in God and God had one condition for them one prohibition this is what he says Genesis 2 15 you may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil if you eat its fruit you are sure to die got it God we're good and then a couple chapters later a serpent who is really the enemy the devil slithers up to even he says hey the serpent was as true just of all wild animals the Lord God had made and one day he said did God really say you must not eat the fruit of any tree in the gardens he's always a liar that isn't what God said of course we may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden the woman replied it's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat God said you must not eat it or even touch it or you will die and then she begins to have a whole conversation with the enemy never a good idea he says you won't die God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it and you will be like God knowing both good and evil the message version reads like this that as soon as she'd eat she'd know everything the implication here is that she's missing out on something she was the first human to ever experience FOMO fear of missing out verse 6 says the woman was convinced she saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious and she wanted the wisdom it would give to her so I imagine her walking over to the tree and she's looking at this tree we always depict it as an apple the Bible doesn't say that but let's just go with that so she's looking at this apple tree and the apple looks amazing and it it looks so tasty and why wouldn't God want her to have wisdom that doesn't make sense before Eve ever took a bite of the fruit she came into agreement with a lie a lie about God she began to doubt his goodness Eve had everything but she made a decision to disobey God's command because she thought she knew better so she took some of the fruit and she ate it and then she gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it too at that moment their eyes were open and suddenly they felt shame at their

nakedness suddenly something died just like God promised them it wasn't physical death it was spiritual death they were separated from God and their guilt created a distance and they wanted to hide because whenever we sin we always feel guilt and shame and the first thing we do is hide notice the devil's first attack was not against God's authority but it was against God's character, his nature, his goodness, and I want to tell us this morning this is the same tactic that the enemy of our souls is using today. When the door remains closed, when we have not yet received an answer, the enemy whispers, he may be God, but is he good? Can you trust him? Is he just trying to keep the good things from you? Does he even care about you? Is he a distant God and we're just knocking on the door begging for his attention? No. Here's the main point this morning. Ask, seek, and knock are not increasing levels of effort designed to overcome God's reluctance. No, no. They are increasing levels of participation rooted in confidence that the Father is good and that he is truly working all things together for our good. Can I say that again? The Father is good and he is truly working all things together for our good. The goodness of God is not just what he does, it is who he is. God doesn't have good days and bad days. He's not generous one day and stingy the next. Goodness is his very nature and the psalmist says this, taste and see that the Lord is good. Everything that flows from him is good and so when we ask and we receive, God is good. And when we seek and we find, God is good. And when we knock and the door opens, God is good. But when the answer is delayed and the path is unclear or the door remains closed, even then our God is good. His goodness is not determined by our current circumstances. His goodness is revealed by his character. So how do we know that the Father that Jesus described to us this morning in Matthew chapter 7 is truly good? Because God gave the ultimate gift, his one and only Son Jesus. This is what Roman 8 32 says, he who did not spare his own son but gave him up for us, gave him up for us all, how will he not also along with him graciously give us all things? We had sinned and we had disobeyed God. It wasn't just Adam and Eve who made that decision. We thought we knew better and

when we made the choice to rebel against God, we created distance between us and God and we felt guilt and we felt the shame. Sin created a debt that we had no to pay and so God in his love and mercy sent Jesus to pay that price and when he hung on the cross, he said it is finished and now we have a way for relationship with a good God. I just want to declare today, he is not against you. He's not indifferent to you. He's not just tolerating you. He is a loving Father who's welcomed you as a child and this is what gives us confidence to ask and keep on asking, to seek and to keep on seeking. This is why we keep knocking. We root ourself in confidence that our Father is good and he is working all things together for our good. I'm gonna ask you to bow your heads right now. I'm gonna make two calls, two alter responses but the first one you can stay in your seat, well the second one too but I just want to give you opportunity. If you have never made a decision to make Jesus your Lord and Savior, inviting him in, asking him to forgive you, I want to give you that opportunity this morning. It's not about Allison Park Church or any other church. This is about a relationship with Jesus and so if you've never made that decision or you find yourself far from God, you want to come back to that relationship, I'm just gonna count to three, have you raise your hand and then pray with you, okay? So as I count to three, I want you to get your hand ready and I want you to raise it. This is an act of your will. This is a reaching to heaven, an acknowledgement that you need Jesus. One, two, three, raise your hand. Yes, yes, yeah, yeah. Okay, I want to lead us in prayer this morning. Can we all say this? Can we say it with some umph behind it, okay? Let's say it like we really mean it. So dear Jesus, I ask you to forgive me. I ask you to cleanse me from my sin. I believe you are Lord. I believe you are God. I believe you are good. I repent of my sin. I turn away from that. I ask you to be Lord of my life. And so now Lord, I pray for everyone who made that decision

and I ask Lord that you would seal that on their heart, that even now they would recognize on the inside they have gone from spiritual death to spiritual life. I just pray you would confirm that to them and we declare this in the name of Jesus, amen. Can we give a hand clap to those who made that decision? Pastor Sean is in the back over here and he has a Bible and other resources. We wanna help you. If you made this decision today, we have resources to help you in your journey and so make sure that you stop by what we call Salvation Station and see Pastor Sean. But now the second call that I'm gonna make is about trust. And so I've asked the worship team to lead us in a song and I don't want us to just sing the song. I want us to declare the song. There's a bridge that says, I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered. Can we just declare these words in faith? I'm gonna come and close this out and lead us in a call for trust, but let's sing this song. Say this, blessed assurance. ♪ Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine ♪ ♪ He's been my forefather in the fire time after time ♪ ♪ Born of his spirit, washed in his blood ♪ ♪ And what he did for me on Calvary is more than enough ♪ So I trust. ♪ Oh, I trust deep God, my Savior, one who will live ♪

Come on, sing it to him. ♪ He will never fail, oh, I trust in God, my Savior, one ♪ ♪ Who will never fail, he will never fail ♪ ♪ Perfect submission, all is at rest ♪ ♪ And I know the author of tomorrow has ordered my steps ♪ So this is my story. ♪ So this is my story, oh, this is my song, my song ♪ ♪ Praising my risen King and Savior all the day long ♪ ♪ Oh, I trust in God, my Savior, one who will never fail ♪ ♪ My Savior, one who will never fail, he will never fail ♪ ♪ Oh, I trust in God, my Savior, one who will never fail ♪ ♪ Oh, I trust in God, my Savior, one who will never fail ♪ ♪ Oh, he will never fail, he will never fail, he will never fail ♪ Come on, all across this place, can we just thank him for that truth today? God, you are good, you never fail us. So we choose to trust you this morning, we choose to put our trust in it. On every voice and sing, I sought the Lord. ♪ And I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered ♪ ♪ I sought the Lord and he heard and he answered ♪ Come on, let's declare this, come on. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. ♪ And he answered, that's why I trust him, yeah ♪ ♪ That's why I trust him, I sought the Lord and he heard him ♪ He heard, and He answered. I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. Open your heart back up to Him. Come on.

That's why I trust Him. That's why I trust Him. I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. I sought the Lord, and He heard, and He answered. That's why I trust Him. That's why I trust in God. My Savior, the one who will never fail. No, no, no. You will never fail. Oh, I trust. I trust in God. I trust in God. Oh, my Savior, the one who will never fail. He will never fail. I know in a room this size, there's so many requests that you have. There's things that you've been waiting on. There's some pain. There's some confusion, maybe some anger. I just want to pray for you this morning. So if that's you, would you just raise your hand? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Can I tell you something? God's not afraid of our emotions. He created us. He wants us to come honestly, just as we are. Whatever is going on, present ourselves to Him.

So this morning, I just want to ask you to open your heart back up. And I think by raising your hand, that's part of the process, is saying, God, I'm confused. I'm angry. I'm hurt. I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to choose to trust you. So I want to pray for you this morning. Lord, I thank you that you see the hands that were raised. And I thank you, Lord, that you know exactly what's going on. I thank you, Lord, that it matters, that our pain matters to you, that our circumstances matter to you, that you know us individually, that you are a father and you love us. And I thank you, God, that you don't just hear the cries of our heart, but you answer us when we call out to you. And so I speak to every heart this morning that is tempted to believe the lies of the enemy, every heart this morning that is weary or discouraged or angry. And I ask God that you would meet them right now where they are, that they would sense even now the peace of God that passes understanding, that you would begin to bring healing to those areas, and God, that you would help them. Once again, I'm going to ask you to do something. I haven't done this in any other service, but if you raised your hand, I just want you to say, God, I choose to trust you. Can we say that together? God, I choose to trust you.

Let's say it again. God, I choose to trust you. Lord, I pray as we've made this declaration, as we've made, Lord, this request, Lord, that I'm going to declare, I'm going to trust you now. I pray, Lord, that something would shift in the heavenlies, Lord, and we would begin to see breakthrough. I declare that with confidence in who you are, confidence in your nature, confidence in your ability, and we pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen, amen. God bless you.