Jesus' Kingdom Message Acts 17:22-7/Matthew 5:1-2;7:7-11
“WHO'S ASKING?”
In our text this morning Jesus revisits a theme he was preaching on earlier in his Sermon on the Mount, that of bringing our petitions to God in prayer, as adeptly explored by Jamie three weeks ago.
The imagery Jesus uses here brings to mind an animated short from the PBS show, Electric Co.
It opens with a woman going out on an errand and leaving her pet parrot to answer the door...
(woman pantamimes putting on lipstick, patting her parrot's head, and closing the door as she departs)
Woman: Now Polly, be a good parrot, and be sure to let the plumber in when he arrives. Bye!
Plumber: (walks up w/toolbox, checks address and cheerfully knocks on the door/puppet stage)
Polly: (squaking) Who.... is it?
Plumber: Who's asking? Just kidding. It's the plumber, ma'am. I've come to fix the sink.
Polly: (waits, looks around, knocks again) Who..., is it?
Plumber: As I said, it's the plumber. I've come to fix your sink. (paces, checks watch, knocks...)
Polly: Who.... is it?
Plumber: For crying out loud! It's the plumber already! I'm here to fix the sink!
(stomping his foot in inpatient irritation. Peeks thru curtain, knocking angrily...)
Polly: Who....is it?
Plumber: (angrily) Are you kidding me?! It's the plumber! I've come to fix the sink!
(paces back and forth, then nervously tapping foot, glares at cong, and knocks again)
Polly: Who....is it?
Plumber: Aaaah! (gasping) It's the plumber! I've come...to fix – oh, hang it all! (gags & faints)
(woman walks up, prim and proper, and stops in shock at the sight of the plumber)
Woman: Oh my! What happened here?! Who in the world is this?
Polly: It's the plumber! He's come to fix the sink. (gives parrot whistle)
('woman' and 'parrot' exit by carrying the puppet stage back to its storage spot in the back)
Have you ever prayed for something, repeatedly knocking on God's proverbial door, only to eventually also give up in frustrated exasperation? And why is Jesus revising this theme....anyway?
Two reasons readily come to mind. One, because prayer is vital to nurturing a relationship with God, as Jesus repeatedly models throughout his ministry. As Matthew later notes: “After sending the people home, (and his disciples across the lake), Jesus went up into the hills by himself to pray.”
(Matthew 14:23)
So one, we need to pray if we're to seek and connect with God, as Paul impressed upon those he met in Athens. And two, it's clear that God's people past and present are quick to get frustrated with the experience of perceived unanswered prayer. The apostles addressed this in their letters to the early church. Paul openly admitted that “we don't know what God wants us to pray for.” (Romans 8:26)
Even Jesus' brother James conceded: “You don't have what you want or need because you don't ask God for it, and even when you do ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong - you want only what will give you pleasure. It's all about you!” (James 4:2-3)
Seems to me this disinterest in prayer, or the frustration connected to it, didn't end in the first century! I've noticed it's a rare day that anyone new joins one of our two prayer gatherings, for e.g.
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I remember a prayer I prayed as a boy, reminiscent of young Calvin, that proved James' point...
(bringing out a sled, putting on a stocking hat and looking down and then up...)
On “Three”! Ready? One...., Two...., Three! SNOW!! (looking about and checking with an empty hand) I said Snow! (shaking fist) C'mon SNOW! (looking up & crossing arms) Ok then, Don't snow! See what I care! I like this boring weather! Let's have it forever, why don't we? (folding hands in begging posture)
PLEEEEAASE Snow! Please??! (hands on hips) I'M WAIT-ING....! Do you want me to become an atheist?! (glaring) If I was in charge, we'd never see grass between October and May.
Here's the point: We error in prayer in two primary ways. One, as James noted, we tend to pray with some pretty messed up motives or distorted expectations; or Two, we simply don't pray at all.
No wonder there are few things Jesus teaches on more, or models to his disciples as frequently, as that of opening our hearts to God in prayer. If we want to grow in Jesus' likeness, and as the Spirit filled followers he's called us to be, our prayer lives need work and insight. Jesus provides the latter.
In his inspired sermon on the mount, Jesus provides three key insights. # 1: Be Persistent!
Those of you who've been around a while are familiar with the more traditional translation: “Ask, and you will receive. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.”
(Matthew 17:7 - NIV)
The Greek verb tense Jesus uses here is that of the present aorist imperative. It's a verb tense that indicates a continual, repeated action. The NLT is more accurate: “Keep on asking, and you will receive. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps asking, receives. Everyone who contintually seeks, finds; and to everyone who keeps on knocking, the door will be opened to them.” (Matthew 17:7 - NLT)
Jesus here is teaching his disciples to be persistent in their prayers. Just because our prayers are not immediately answered in the affirmative does not mean God is saying no. Some times, just as is true with the requests of a child, the answer is not yet. Young Calvin asks his father and later his mother if he can drive the car. Though they say no, they don't mean forever. Some day he will....
Though it doesn't snow that day, it doesn't mean it never will. Just because healing isn't instant-aneous doesn't mean God won't bring the desired healing in good time. Some times, He surprises us with a spontaneous response, a supernatural healing or prompt answer to prayer, but often he has other plans, other puzzle pieces to assemble first, so the answer is yes, but not yet. So Be Persistent!
Haka Ganbat, who serves a church plant in Mongolia with her husband and is on our prayer list, shared this week on Facebook an amazing answer to persistent prayer. This is what she wrote:
“We have really good news! My father, who is 69, has received Christ and shared his testi-mony yesterday in church. Many of you have been praying for my dad for many years. As for me, I've been praying for him for over 30 years!” (Haka) 30 years?! That's persistence!
Haka's witness, and that of her father's, is an exciting witness to the power of persistent prayer.
My friends, don't let the enemy discourage you. Don't give up! Keep asking and keep knocking!
# 1 – Be persistent! # 2 – Be Confident!
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Jesus gets at this insight with a little story, with a bit of humor. In doing so, he directs his attention to the parents in the room. He says, “Hey Dad – if your son asks for a loaf of bread, do you give him a hard stone instead?” (Matthew 7:9) Oh, (Ethan), are you hungry? Do you want a bagel or a croissant, or something? I bet you do! Well, here chew on this rock, why don't you? Ha-ha-ha!
“Or Mom, if your daughter asks for a fish sandwich do you give her a coiled snake instead?” (Matthew 7:10) Oh, you're hungry for steamed crab legs tonight? Mmm! That sounds good! Well, how about a tasty rattlesnake instead! There you go! Careful with his pointy fangs, dear! Ha-ha-ha!
Would you loving parents or grandparents do that? “Of course not!” Jesus affirms. And here comes the insight! “So if you sinful parents know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him?” (Matthew 7:11)
And who's asking? Your Heavenly Father's beloved daughter or son, that's who! He alone knows what's best for you in a way that far, far exceeds your limited understanding of your own kids' needs, potential or purpose. God knows all these things about you and loves to bless your socks off. So “May the Lord bless you and nurture you; may he light up your life with his loving presence and grace; may He look upon you with the favor of a king's heir, and give you the kind of peace that comes from knowing that if God the Father and Creator of the cosmos is for us, who can ever stand against us! After all, nothing can ever separate us – you - from God's love in Christ Jesus!”
(Numbers 6:22-24/ Romans 8:31,38)
When Jesus taught us the Lord's Prayer, he told us that we could address the Creator just as he did, as our father, using the intimate word children used to address their fathers back then – as Abba – best translated as “Dad” in English, or “Poppa”, as Ann Louise put it.
Jesus is saying when you pray, don't be timid! # 1 – Be Persistent! # 2 – Be Confident! God loves to hear from you. Jesus came to reveal your Poppa's heart; and your Poppa wants to dote on you!
And # 3 – Be Yourself! You don't need to be eloquent, or pray like Mother Theresa. Just be you! As Jesus told his disciples, “Don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray in such a way that they'll be noticed and praised...” (Matthew 6:5) Just be yourself!
Share your heart. Be honest about your struggles and failings. As Paul made clear, “His heart, his plan, is for everyone to seek after Him, to find him, because he's not far from any one of us!”
(Acts 17:27)
One final insight. We're called not just to pray in private, but to pray aloud with and for one another. Note that Jesus taught us to pray “Our Father” rather than “My Father”. As James put it: “Pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person, (one made right with God thru faith in Jesus), has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16)
I experienced that last Sunday when Katherine, and later Ed, prayed over me and my nausea up and went! Consider the forementioned testimony of Haka's father, Ganbat....:
“When my mother died early due to a serious illness, I was deeply hurt and felt alone, hopeless. I began to drink alcohol from a young age, and quickly became an addict. Even though I married a good wife and was blessed with four beautiful daughters I couldn't stop drinking.
When I got drunk, I lost my temper and was mean and abusive to them. My wife sent me to one witch doctor after another, then to Russia for a series of treatments and injections, and was even hospitalized in a psychiatric ward but none of it helped. Instead I got depressed and isolated.”
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“My second daughter, Haka, was married in a church and her husband and their family began praying for me. Her husband, Sheika, showed me the Eternal Father's unconditional love even thru my crazy, angry behavior. He was consistently gentle with me, often praying for me while fasting. Their children also showed me great love and kindness. Why? “Because of Jesus”, they told me. When they visited my home they always laid hands on me and prayed, which was a mystery to me.”
By God's grace, I finally accepted Christ and was completely freed from alcohol, and all kinds of miracles happened. My heart was healed by asking the Lord for his forgiveness. Now I want to dedicate the rest of my life to Jesus. After I graduate from YWAM's discipleship school I want to go on a mission trip with my daughter and son-in-law and help them plant churches in rural Mongolia.
“Please join me in praying for my wife, Irina, and for her salvation as well. Thank you.”
(Haka's father, Ganbat)
My friends, learn from Jesus, and from Ganbat and his family. Be persistent! Be confident! Be yourself! “Pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer(s) of a righteous person (or persons) has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16)