Why don't you open your Bibles to Matthew
chapter 10, Matthew chapter 10, and
as you get there, then let's pray together
corporately, seeking the Father and acknowledge Him.
We are always in need of Him making
His own Word alive.
Father, we ask of You because we need
You.
We don't believe it's possible to receive from
Your Word without the help of Your Holy
Spirit.
We don't believe our minds are fully capable
of grasping something that is spiritual.
We don't believe the carnal man is able
to receive the things of the Spirit.
They're foolishness to him because You intended for
them to be spiritually discerned.
We also believe that You've made it very
clear You long to reveal Yourself, that everyone
who seeks You with all their heart find
You.
You don't hide Yourself.
You've brought Your righteousness near.
It's near us.
It's even in our mouth, the Word of
faith that we're proclaiming.
So we don't need to ask.
We're not asking one another who's going to
ascend up to heaven or to bring Christ
down or who's going down to the very
depths to try to bring Him up.
We don't need it.
You have already brought Him near.
You've already taken care of making every provision
for life and godliness.
You've made Your ways known and You continue
to make Your ways known.
So we're here before You to draw near
to You because You said if we draw
near to You, You would draw near to
us.
You said, Father, that if we hunger and
thirst after righteousness, we would be filled.
You fill us.
You do not turn Your sons and daughters
away empty.
You do not refuse those who call upon
You in sincerity and truth.
And we believe that You even have a
grace to give us through teaching.
And that's the grace we want to receive,
that we can add it to the things
You teach us directly.
May You, Father, according to Your will, bless
the instruction that You placed upon my heart
this morning.
Would You bless the hearers?
May those that have come ready to receive,
receive.
May Your Word do its wonderful work.
May Your Holy Spirit do His amazing work,
sanctifying us and cleansing us through Your Word.
May our Lord Jesus Christ cleanse His church
this morning through Your Word.
We want to stand before You faultless, blameless,
and at peace.
We don't want to be forgetful hearers, Lord.
We intend to do what You speak to
us.
And may everyone who has, and may everyone
who's using what You're giving, may what You
give and what they're receiving both be increased
this morning in the name of the Lord
Jesus, we pray.
Amen.
And before I look at the particular verse
in Matthew chapter 10, I just want to
ask you a question.
What is the Great Commission?
Hmm?
What can I describe?
You can put it in your own words.
You don't have to quote it exactly, but
what is the Great Commission basically?
Okay.
Share the gospel of Christ going to all
the world.
And what are we supposed to make?
We're supposed to make disciples.
And it's pointed, I mean, it's common knowledge
now.
I hear it many times and many ministers
are beginning to share this accurately.
It's as you go, as you're doing this,
this is the one thing you're commanded to
do, make disciples.
As you're going, disciples is something we're commanded
to make.
So to fulfill the Great Commission means we're
to make disciples.
Now with that in mind, look in Matthew
chapter 10 here and read with me verses
24 and 25.
A student is not above his teacher, nor
a servant above his master.
Now some of, does some of your versions
have a different word for student there?
A disciple.
That's actually the correct translation.
A disciple is not above his teacher, nor
a slave his master.
It is enough or it is sufficient that
the disciple become like his teacher and the
servant like his master.
So if we are to go into all
the world and make disciples, what are we
actually to go in all the world and
do?
Make people like Christ.
You see why it's always upon my heart.
That's what I'm called to do.
That's what you're called to do.
I'm not called to just seek, get your
sins forgiven.
I'm not just called to you learn a
couple of facts about God.
I am called to be a part of
the process of God through his word and
by his ministry, making each of us like
Christ.
It says this is for God, for everyone
that God has called to all who've been
predestined to all he foreknew, he predestined to
be conformed to the image of his son.
In other words, if you have been predestined
by God, if you've been called by God
and you're here, so you probably have been.
How do you know that?
You are becoming like Christ.
That's what you're predestined to be.
This is, you're to be conformed to the
image of his son.
This is why I lay such an emphasis
upon becoming like Christ.
That's what it means to be a disciple,
becoming like him.
And this is the confidence we have in
the day of judgment, that in this world
we are as he is.
In other words, we are really his disciples.
His disciples have a great reason to look
forward to heaven because he told his disciples,
behold I go to prepare a place for
you.
Heaven is a place for Christ's disciples.
And so it's an emphasis upon my heart.
Now, with that in mind, I want you
to turn to Luke chapter 11.
Luke chapter 11.
This is one of the things that we
need to understand critically in order to become
like Christ, to be made like our master,
our teacher.
Okay, in Luke chapter 11, read with me
from the very first part of the chapter.
On one day, Jesus was praying in a
certain place.
And when he had finished, one of his
disciples said to him, Lord teach us to
pray just as John taught his disciples.
And he said to them, when you pray,
say, Father, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom
come.
Give us this day our daily bread, forgive
us our sins.
For we also forgive everyone who sins against
us and lead us not into temptation.
Something very similar to what Matthew wrote in
the Sermon on the Mount.
But he follows this up in verse 5,
and then he said to them, suppose one
of you has a friend.
And he goes to him at midnight and
says, friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
because a friend of mine on a journey
has come to me and I have nothing
to sit before him.
Then the one inside answers, don't bother me,
the door's already locked and my children are
with me in bed and I can't get
up and give you anything.
I tell you, though he will not get
up and give him the bread because he's
his friend, yet because of the man's boldness,
he will get up and give him as
much as he needs.
So I say to you, ask, it will
be given.
Seek, you will find.
Knock, the door will be open to you
for everyone who asks or sees.
He who seeks finds, and to him who
knocks, the door will be open.
Which of you fathers, if your son asks
for a fish, will give him a snake
instead?
Or if he asks for an egg, will
give him a scorpion?
If you then, though you are evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your father in heaven
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask
him?
This is interesting, the stress that Jesus would
put would lay upon the means of prayer
and the assurance of getting your prayers answered
after he describes the just gives a basic
pattern for us to pray.
I'd like us to look at this because
it's extremely important to understand in this process
of becoming like Christ.
Notice first in verse 5, suppose one of
you has a friend and he goes to
him at midnight and says, friend, lend me
three loaves of bread because a friend of
mine on a journey has come to me
and I have nothing to set before him.
What, what, there's, there's a word that appears
three times in those verses.
What is it?
Hmm?
Friend.
Friend, you have a friend, you go to
a friend and he says, a friend of
mine has come to me on a journey.
You know, our Lord gives parables that are
wonderful.
Okay.
When did this, when did this friend go
to his friend?
Midnight.
It actually says that the literal Greek word
is meso-nuptio, in the middle of the
night.
So they just called it midnight and that's
what, that's where we get our English word,
middle of the night.
It doesn't necessarily mean 12 o'clock and
we would, in the middle of the night,
he goes to his friend.
Now, why is he going to his friend
in the middle of the night?
He says, a friend has just come to
me.
You think, you think a person back then
showed up in the middle of the night
to a friend's house?
When did they travel back then?
They traveled in the day.
I don't think he's saying that a person
shows up at midnight.
They didn't, it wasn't safe to travel back
then.
It's not like they had headlights to turn
on.
We, we live in our very convenient society.
We can be out there.
What happened, what were the dangers they faced
at night?
Abandons, that lions, this is, this is an
area where lions and tigers were in this
area, that, that they weren't travelers at night.
So if it wasn't that he just arrived
in the middle of the night, why would
he get up in the middle of the
night?
If that, if that's not the reason, why
would he get up in the middle of
the night while his friend was sleeping and
go seek help from another friend?
That's exactly right.
Why wouldn't he want his friend to know
he didn't have it?
Because if he's a friend, who would be
doing the providing?
If he let his, if he let his
need be known, the friend that came to
him would be the one providing for him.
But the culture was, and it was a
very important, what you wanted to do is
you wanted to bless your friend when they
came to you, but he doesn't want his
friend to feel bad for showing up.
So he waits till his friend is asleep.
And I'm gonna say he was, this is
a little bit of speculation.
I'm reading between the lines.
So I should probably say it could be
that he waited for his friend to go
to sleep, safely sound asleep.
So he'd get up without his friend knowing.
So he wouldn't feel bad because you know
what he probably had just done at the
evening meal?
Giving it all.
He'd given it all and he didn't have
any more.
So he's going to get up, making sure
his friend does not feel bad about it.
And he's going to go to another friend
that'll understand.
But he goes to this other friend and
he knocks on the door and he pleads
for him to get up.
And, and that friend tells him, look, I
can't get up and give you anything.
And the reason I can't get up and
give you anything is that I'm in bed.
I've locked all the doors.
My children are in bed with me.
If I get up, the whole place is
going to, I can't give it to you.
I can't give it to you.
But it says, he just went on to
say, I tell you the truth, even though
he will not get up and give it
because he's his friend, yet because of the
man's, what was your version of saying?
Boldness or what?
Persistence or importunity.
It's an interesting word in the Greek.
It comes from the word, a negative form
of awe and modesty because of his immodesty.
Because he didn't care about what time it
was.
He knew something was more important than how
he looked.
Something was more important than inconvenience.
He didn't regard time.
He didn't regard appearance.
He didn't regard his own self.
What he, what, what was he regarding?
What was the one thing he could not
get out of his mind that in the
morning, something should be set before this thing.
In the morning, there should be something, there
should be provision for this friend.
He knew in his heart, that's right.
And so because he, he, he insisted it
won't be okay for his friend to not
have in the morning.
If he waited till the morning and he
was found out that he did not have,
his friend would become awkward, uncomfortable.
And he didn't want that.
He wanted the needs of his friend met.
So the man gets up and gives him.
And then he says, now I say to
you, let me say to you, ask, tell
me what he's saying about prayer.
What is the number one thing he is
saying about prayer above the form, above the
me.
What is the bottom line of prayer?
Why do we pray?
Yes, yes, yes.
The bottom line of why we pray is
that we must receive from the father in
order to give those who need.
We must go to the father.
He must give us what we are able
to give others.
And he, so what does he say?
What does he give you complete freedom to
do?
He lays it out, ask.
And he said, it will be given, seek,
you will find, knock, the door will be
open when you're asking, because there is a
need and you don't have it.
Ask, guess what?
You'll be, it's going to be given.
You don't have, you haven't found something that
you need, that someone else there's a need
and you don't have it.
You have to seek it.
You seek that for that other person and
you'll find it.
And if there's a hindrance, if something's closed
and you cannot get in and you still
know that behind this obstruction is the provision
that, that your friend needs, you knock.
And then just in case anyone misunderstands, he
wants to make sure it's not, it doesn't,
it's not just anyone.
It is everyone, everyone who asks receives.
Everyone who asks with this heart receives.
Everyone who seeks with this heart finds.
Everyone who seeks, everyone who knocks, that is,
with this heart, the door is open.
And he, and he, and he follows that
out with, because it is just as natural
as your children coming to you.
And notice the three things.
What is the three things he illustrates?
What he uses to illustrate this?
What's first?
Bread.
What is that?
But not the most basic need.
The most basic part of their diet was
bread.
Of course, they live near the sea and
they live near the river.
What was one of the most basic part
of their, their, their protein needs?
Fish.
And what's something that they even had back
then, quite common that you could have around
the house?
The basics.
When it is established that there is basic
need, when it's established that you are seeking
the father in order for you to receive
what the basic needs for, for those you
are concerned about, there is not any question
that God will give you.
No.
Every time, every request it will be given.
Think every time, every request it will be
given.
That's the way Jesus teaches.
So why would it be?
We might ask and not receive.
Is there a place in the scripture that
talks about, hmm, some of you ask, but
you don't receive.
James, what chapter James chapter four.
All right.
Go to James chapter four.
Let's look and see, because you know, you,
you confirm something by a positive, but if
something positive is true, it should be strengthened
by its negative.
Okay.
Let's see if it's, if the negative strengthens
the positive here, James chapter four, verse
one of chapter four, let's start reading from
there.
Where do wars and fights come from among
you?
Do not, they come from your desires for
pleasure that war in your members.
Now follow very carefully a Jew writing.
James is, uh, the brother of Jesus and
he's Jewish.
And you know how, when you read the
Proverbs, the Proverbs state something twice, they'll repeat
often the same truth twice to follow, follow
this Jewish way of writing.
It says you desire and do not have,
you have a strong desire and you do
not have, then he's going to restate the
same thing a little differently.
You murder and are zealous.
It's the word zelute.
It's a, it's a form of the word
zeal.
You have a strong desire and you do
not have, you murder and are zealous, but
you're not able to obtain.
So the result of that is you fight
and make war.
That's what happens.
This is what happens when you have a
strong desire, but you don't have, and when
you, you, you could kill for something you
have, you are so zealous for it, but
you're not able to obtain it.
It produces fights and wars.
Then James turns around and tells you why
you don't have, why do you not have
now?
Why does he follow up with that?
Follow this.
It's not the church's fault.
It's not the preacher's fault.
It's not your wife's fault.
It's not your husband's fault.
If you don't have, it's your fault.
No reason to war about it.
It's not for you wives.
It's not.
Once your husband gets on trap, you'll be
a happy lady.
You better dump that thing.
You know what that's going to produce?
A war.
If you're looking to hubby to make you
happy, get ready for war, war three, because
that's what it produces.
When you look for what God should give
from someone else, here's what it leads to.
Disappointment, frustration, quarrels and fights.
The reason you don't have what you need
is you're seeking it in the wrong place.
Ask God and he'll give.
Your husband doesn't always have the ability to
give what you need.
Husbands, your wives does not always have the
ability to give what you need.
God always provides what you need.
If you do not have, it's one reason
you're not asking.
That's pretty, that's pretty clear.
You see, when you look to men to
provide what you think you need, quarrels and
fights are going to break out.
When you look to God for what you
need, what can you expect?
You'll have what you need.
There'll be no reason to fight.
There'll be no reason to quarrel.
Okay, but there's one other reason it goes
beyond this.
What's, what's the next thing he says?
Not only is it, you do not have
because you do not ask, but what if
someone is asking, but they're not receiving?
What wrong motive?
On whose pleasure?
You see your own.
You see, God never promised to answer a
prayer when it's based upon you feeling better.
He crushed his own son.
He crushed him to give us peace.
It pleased the father to bruise the son.
Although he was rich, he became poor for
our sakes.
God's not about making us feel good.
He's about making us vessels that meet the
needs of people.
And when we pray with this understanding, we
get answers.
He gives, you know what?
This is to be so revolutionary to you.
There is not a mother here who God
is not ready to pour out all the
wisdom of heaven.
You need it for your children.
It's a need and God will give it.
There's not a father here who doesn't need
wisdom on how to be a father to
his children, how to dwell with his wife
in knowledge.
It's a legitimate need.
And when you are asking for, when you
are asking with that motive, fill me with
your spirit father, so that I can provide
the needs of my home.
God won't even blink.
The answer is on its way before it
leaves your lips.
It's yes.
It's you have it.
You know what?
Remember it?
I didn't know that Sunday school for those
of you that weren't here in the adult
in the Sunday school that happened over here.
I know that there's one over next door,
a couple next door.
But when Solomon asked, when he said, I'm
just a boy and I don't know how
to think and I need wisdom and understanding
so that for the sake of these people,
it not only, not only did God say,
God say, yes, it says that God was
pleased with what he asked and he was
so pleased with what he asked.
He gave him more than he asked.
He made him rich.
He gave him long life and length of
days.
It pleases the Lord.
When you're asking because you want the needs
of those around you met.
Yes, mother, you need patience with your children.
He'll give you more than you ever thought
you could handle.
Yes, you need wisdom, how to deal with
those in your life.
He'll give you more than you ever thought
you needed.
Isn't that what it says?
Looking at if you're still in James, if
you've opened there, turn back to chapter one.
Okay, here you are, parent.
Here you are, spouse, whether, whether man, woman,
here you are, young person, put yourself whoever
you are.
Is that what it says in verse five?
Who's he talking to?
Hmm.
Any of you?
Okay.
Any of you, anybody, everybody sitting in this
room, if you lack wisdom, what are you
to do?
Call the pastor up.
My number is 7 8 3 7 7
6 0.
Disappointment.
7 8 3 7 7 6 0 human.
Why ask me?
You ask God.
And what does it say?
What's the promise here?
A strange word for the translators.
I can see I have more and more
sympathy for translators.
The word is one of those negative, uh,
and, and, and the word pluse.
We get, we, it, we get some of
the word ply from it.
Multi.
The actual word he gives simply uncomplicatedly.
What's it mean?
It's not going to be complicated.
It's not going to come in some big,
big thing.
You have to unravel.
He just, you just ask.
He just gives.
It's not complicated.
It's simple.
You ask and he gives liberally and without
what?
Without reproach.
He's not reproaching you for what you don't
have.
He is longing to provide what you genuinely
need.
There is one thing he does not like.
He doesn't like anyone who thinks he's slow
to give.
That's why he goes on to say, but
let him ask him faith.
God has never been slow to provide what
his people need.
And that's, that's an evil heart to think
God is slow.
Provide what his people need.
We're just human and we know how to
give what our children need.
And if anyone thinks God is slow to
meet our needs, that kind of person doesn't
deserve anything from God.
He doesn't even know God.
God's perfect.
And what a perfect creator be slow to
meet the needs of his children.
So why don't we have, we either don't
have because we're just not asking him, isn't
it good to know that God's there so
that in case you do need him, you
can call on him.
Did y'all get that?
Yeah.
Isn't that good to know he's there?
You know, I don't need him much at
the time, but it sure is good to
know you can always go to prayer.
You know, if all else fails, pray about
it.
What a sick attitude.
You apart from him, you can do nothing.
Because is that why the scripture says pray
without ceasing?
See, when you, when that's how you treat
God, what it is, you're not really looking
him to meet your need.
You're looking to your husband or you're looking
to your wife and what, what happens?
Let's don't talk about it.
We don't like to talk about it.
We just live with it.
But since everybody lives with it, we all
feel I'm not, at least I'm not abnormal.
I mean, all husband and wife struggle together.
Do they really?
I'd like to be one that doesn't.
I'd like to believe it's possible that if
I look to the Lord for everything, I
don't have to blame Dina.
I believe it's possible.
That's my goal.
My goal is not normal.
Did you ever figured out my goal is
not normal?
You know, the Bible is a book about
thousands upon thousands upon thousands of ordinary people
who never really fully believe in took God
as a word fully.
But there's those few gems of exceptions in
it.
And all the chapters are written around.
That's who I want to be.
I want to be the Joshua and the
Caleb.
I want to be the Elijah.
I want to be one of the 12.
I want to be a David and the
rest of the world can live their normal
life and have their and feel good because
it's not that much worse than everybody else.
But there is something we just saying I'm
pressing on the way new heights I'm gaining
every day.
You know, I want to live above the
world.
You know, though some some may dwell, you
know, it says, What is this?
I want to scale the utmost height to
catch the gleam of glory bright, though some
know what's it?
What is it?
What versus that?
What was that?
4 30?
What were we singing?
5 90.
What?
5 49.
Thank you.
Let me let me quote that right.
There's a verse that my heart has no
desire to stay where doubts arise and fears
dismay, though some may dwell where these abound.
My prayer, my aim is higher ground.
I'm not I'm not content to dwell where
there's plenty of people dwelling.
There is a life in Christ that is
so rich.
We need more Solomons in our day.
You know, the scripture says it and we
I talked about in Sunday school, but I'm
gonna say it again and we're done.
Here's what it says.
Now to him who is able to do
what?
Exceedingly abundantly above all you ask or think
to him be glory in the church.
I want to know a God who does
more than I ask all the time.
More than I ask way more than I
ask.
I would think the problem is then not
that you think too much, but you expect
too little.
I think we're going to find when we
stand before God in heaven, you probably heard
the you probably heard the story in it
and it's a parable.
I think it came from a dream.
God gave a man that a man was
being given a tour in heaven and there
were thousands upon thousands of packages in a
warehouse beside his mansion.
He went to his mansion and there was
next to it.
There was this warehouse filled from floor to
ceiling with thousands and thousands and thousands of
gifts.
And he asked, he asked the angel, what
are these?
He says, these are all the things that
God long to give you, but you never
asked.
I don't want to stand before him and
only find out then unbelief hindered the life
that he really called me.
And I know him to be merciful.
And it's been upon my heart to repent
of my own unbelief and to plead with
you that if we are not abounding in
grace, if there's any area where you're lacking
to take your eyes off yourself, take it
off your neighbor, take it off your wife,
take it off your husband, take it off
me, take it off your job, fix your
eyes on Jesus Christ, look at him, ask
him and he'll give and quarrels will be
ended.
Fights will be ended.
You will have the peace of Christ that
passes all understanding, guarding your heart tonight.
And you'll find that every time you need
something for your husband or you need it
for your wife or you need it for
your Children, you can rise up and go
to the secret place and ask the Lord
and he'll give you yes every time.
So you can make sure you have what
we need.
That would be a sweet.
Yeah, I'll read it for you in Ephesians
chapter two.
Is it?
Let's see.
Yeah, no, Ephesians 3 20 Ephesians 3 20
is that verse.
Well, let's spend a little bit of time
in prayer this morning together.
And you know what?
It's good to pray to you.
We don't do it often enough.
If it's upon your heart to just cry
out to the Lord something upon your heart
right now or to pray about it, go
ahead.
Bless bless the body.
And just because sometimes the very things that
you're seeing and longing for is the very
thing someone else is.
And it sure would be easy for them
to say Amen.
abounding in compassion.
You forgive wickedness, rebellion.
We have sensed through your loving discipline and
your consistent attempts to speak to us that
much.
It's not all the problems in our lives
are areas of unbelief.
We do not trust you.
We have not looked to you.
You say in your word that quarrels and
strife come from our disappointments.
And you said you don't disappoint.
You don't disappoint us.
We I confess we don't understand you near
enough.
But even that even our understanding of you
father has been greatly hampered by our own
slowness to seek that from you.
I'm so grateful.
You don't hide yourself.
You want to be known.
You make it clear that everyone who seeks
you with all their heart find you would
you for your own namesake amongst us here
cause more and more of us to to
to be made in a right relationship with
you purged from that evil heart of unbelief
so that we're walking in the abundant provision.
You've made ours in Christ and so that
the testimony of more and more of us
here is that these are a people blessed
of God.
These are a people whom God's mercy and
grace have enriched and that we would be
a people full of hope able to share
with the many others out there who are
suffering from their own stubbornness and suffering from
their own lack of seeking you and who
who you said the backslider and hardest fill
with his own ways his own backsliding shall
punish them.
And like us there are many out there
father whose their own backsliding is just ruining
their life.
But Lord made the mercy and the grace
that you're showing to us and the repentance
you're granting to us.
May it so fill us with hope for
those around us so that as they see
the transformation your mercy and grace brings about
in our life.
They'll be they'll be drawn to seek it.
We've gone to seek it and desire it
from you.
Thank you Lord.
Thank you that you're willing to purge us
from the things that is so damaging to
us.
Father would you continue to be the finisher
of our faith?
All of us would confess that we know
somehow whether we can't explain it.
There are things that we cannot do that
you have called us to do because of
the littleness of our own.
And we want to thank you for being
long suffering.
We want to thank you for being patient
and forgiving gorgeous.
But we want more than just forgiveness.
We want to be delivered from being without
because of our own heart condition.
So for your own namesake continue to work
in us.
Continue to bring us more and more and
more into what it what you intended a
son and daughter to be loving, trusting, believing,
walking with you, led by your spirit with
rivers of living water coming up from our
hearts, our innermost being, refreshing those around us.
That's our prayer.
That's your will.
We know you hear us when we seek
and ask according to your will.
So may it be done for your own
namesake.
We pray in Jesus name.
Amen.
Let's sing something together.
We can sing it.
I could play but we can sing it
acapella.
Seek ye first.
All right.
That sounds good.
Just as I am without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me.
And that thou bidst me come to
thee, O Lamb of God, I
come.
Just as I am and waiting not
to rid my soul of one
dark blot, to thee whose blood can
cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God,
I come.
If you don't know this verse, listen to
it.
Just as I am poor, wretched, blind,
sought riches, healing of the mind.
And listen, yea, all I need in thee
to find, O Lamb of God, I come.
You're dismissed with this thought.
There is a heavenly father longing to bless
you this week.
Amen.
Let him.