If You Ask

James Weidner III   -   August 6, 2023

John 14:12-14 (NKJV) 12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Matthew 7:7 (NKJV) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Matthew 18:18-20 (NKJV) 18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them

Introduction:

  • Remembering all the Lord has done.
  • One thing that he has done is given us all access.
  • We just have to learn how to ask.
  • And when we ask to ask rightly.
  • Everything that happens does so by way of two nouns: Sovereignty and Prayer.
  • Prayer is inspired, empowered, and directed by sovereignty.

Matthew 7:7 (NKJV) “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

1. It all begins with the *ask*

“Ask, and it will be given to you”

1.1. Lord…?

1.1.1. Lord, will you come into my heart?

1.1.2. Yet, it all begins with the ask.

1.1.3. Lord, would you do this for me?

1.1.4. Lord, will you come into my life?

1.1.5. Lord, would you help me out of this bind?

1.1.6. Lord, would you heal me?

1.2. That initial ask is always the hardest.
1.3. But once you begin to learn the Lord’s ways and see how He answers then we grow more confident to ask more.

1.4. But our ask progresses.

2. Then we progress to the seek.

“seek, and you will find”

2.1. The seek is different than ask.
2.2. “In the three words the Lord uses – ask, seek, and knock – a difference in meaning has been sought. If such was indeed His purpose, then the first ask refers to the gifts we pray for. But I may ask and receive the gift without the Giver. Seek is the word Scripture uses of God Himself; Christ assures me that I can find Him. But it is not enough to find God in time of need without coming to abiding fellowship.” Murray

2.3. The seek has a different intent then the asking.
2.4. Seeking begins to display a level of confidence to find.

Mat. 6: (ESV) 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,

Acts 15:17 (ESV) that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things

Acts 17:27-28 (ESV) 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, 28 for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’;

3. Knocking our way to an open door.

“knock, and it will be opened to you.”

3.1.“Knock speaks of admission to dwell with Him and in Him. Asking and receiving the gift would thus lead to seeking and finding the Giver; this again leads to the knocking and opening of the door of the Father’s home and love. One thing is sure: The Lord wants us to be certain that asking, seeking, and knocking are not in vain; receiving an answer, finding God, and the opened heart and home of God are the certain fruit of prayer.” – Andrew Murray

3.2. Now, you can keep knocking your head against a brick wall that may or may not fall down or you can learn how to ask, seek, and knock the Lord’s way.

4. The great Solomon ask.

1 Kings 3:4-5 (NKJV) 4 Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 5 At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

1 Kings 3:9 (NKJV) 9 Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?”

4.1. Before the man Solomon asked for and received wisdom he displayed it in his request.

4.2. The discernment of good from evil is at the core of every ask.

4.3. Without this discernment our ask are misplaced.

5. Asking for wrong things.

James 4:3 (NKJV) You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

5.1. Ask amiss.
5.1.1. Amiss = grievously, diseased, evil, miserably, sick, sore. 5.1.2. miserable, to be ill
5.1.3. improperly, wrongly

5.1.4. to speak ill of, revile, one

5.2. Spend on pleasures.

5.2.1. sensual delight

5.2.2. Lust for pleasure.

6. Binding and loosing prayer.

Matthew 18:18-20 (NKJV) 18 “Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them

6.1. The secret of the binding and loosing power of prayer is found hidden, in plain sight, in our dealings with ourselves and the church to live a humble consecrated life.

1 Kings 3:3 And Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David

Matthew 18:15-17 (NKJV) 15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ 17 And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.

6.1.1. To bind is to knit and tie together.
6.1.2. To loose is the opposite.
6.1.3. We always need an Agreeing Partner: Your spouse. Your Pastor. Your Leader. Your team.
6.1.4. Never assume you are right all on your own:

6.2. On one hand this promised effectual prayer on earth, with heavenly results, is a progression of a steady effective prayer life and dealing with our wrong motives and mistakes.

James 5:16-18 (ESV) 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit

7. If you ask.

John 14:12-14 (NKJV) 12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

7.1. We must all be loosed to do the Greater Works we are called too.
7.2. Too many remain bound up because they won’t go before the Church and be loosed.
7.3. Bring it into the light.
7.4. Once loosed on earth and in heaven our prayers are emboldened. 7.5. Then, if you ask anything.
7.6. Mainly, because we are asking the right things.
7.7. Where we started with our asks and where we end have different coordinates

Conclusion: Jesus is seated in Heavenly places making intercession for us making sure our asks/prayers are heard and responded too.

Romans 8:34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died more than that, who was raised who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

  • Jesus is making intercession for each of us.
  • For the purpose of powering up our lives for greater things.