Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Trinity
Sermons. This week we are continuing our sermon
series called Summer on the Mount, where we are
diving into Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. And today
Jesus says, Ask and you shall receive, seek and
you shall find, knock and the door will be opened
to you. Now does that mean that Jesus will give
us anything that we ask for? Does this mean that
whenever we knock, any door will be opened to
us? I'm not so sure. But that's what Rob is going
to unpack with us in our sermon today. Let's
listen in. Today our reading is from the Gospel
of Matthew, chapter 7, verses 7 through 12. Ask,
and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will
find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives. The one who
seeks, finds. And to the one who knocks, the
door will be opened. Which of you, if your son
asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if
he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 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 good gifts to those
who ask him? So in everything, do to others.
what you would have them do to you. For this
sums up the law and the prophets. The word of
the Lord. If you are a Harry Potter fan, you
will know that that was Harry's cousin, Dudley
Dursley. And Dudley is the spoiled child of Vernon
and Petunia Dursley. And in Dudley, there is
the perfect storm of three really toxic traits
going on. First, he's self -centered. Dudley
thinks that the whole world revolves around him
to cater to his every whim. Secondly, he is entitled.
All those... presents he got, they weren't really
gifts because he felt like he was owed them.
The world owes him. He's entitled. And thirdly,
he's shallow. His relationships have become merely
transactional, right? His parents just give him
things to keep him happy, not necessarily because
they love him. And his parents, the reason he
has parents, according to him, is basically to
supply for his needs. There's no real depth in
his relationship. He's self -centered. He's entitled.
and he's shallow. Now, even though Dudley is
a fictional character, unfortunately, he's a
real reflection of a lot that goes on in our
own culture and society today. seen parents like
that from time to time. And let's be honest,
we've been parents like this from time to time,
spoiling our kids, maybe spoiling them rotten
even. And like Dudley, what happens is when parents
constantly say yes to their children, they too
end up creating these self -centered little monsters
who believe that the world exists just to satisfy
their desires. In fact, research shows that overly
indulgent parenting actually correlates strongly
with narcissism in children later in life. And
like Dudley, many children today, they also feel
entitled. They believe life owes them. They won't
accept a no. They're very impatient. They're
frustrated easily. Those are all signs of entitlement.
And thirdly, like Dudley, this kind of parenting
style can lead to shallow relationships. Relationships
that are more based on, hey, what have you done
for me lately, rather than relationships based
on love. love and affection. And again, some
studies actually link highly permissive parenting
with low emotional intelligence in children later
on in life. It's just harder for spoiled kids
to sustain meaningful, deep, and affectionate
relationships. So the research is clear, right?
Dudley isn't just a fictional exaggeration. But
he's a reflection of something that's dangerously
real in society today. And here's where things
get a little bit uncomfortable and closer to
home. Because here's the thing. If a parent who
always says yes to his or her child can form
them into self -centered, entitled, and shallow
creatures, then what happens when that's our
view of God? That God exists primarily to always
say yes to our prayers and to indulge in everything
that we ask him. I call it Dudley discipleship.
And it arises when we believe that God is always
there to say yes to what we ask for and give
us everything. And therefore, the same kind of
stuff ends up happening spiritually in our lives,
too. It leads to self -centered prayers. Our
prayer life becomes all about our personal wish
list. We don't really pray, Lord, thy kingdom
come. What we're praying is, may my kingdom come.
And it also leads to... an entitled kind of spirituality,
a spirituality where we say that we deserve constant
blessings from God, and if they don't come, then
we're very, very resentful. And it leads to a
shallow relationship with God. I mean, when God
is just there to dispense gifts to us, then our
relationship with him is just paper thin. God's
a tool. for our desires rather than the treasure
of our heart. There's no intimacy. There's no
depth there. And so here is the danger. The danger
is when a bunch of self -centered and entitled
and shallow Christians get together into a church
and this takes root, it actually screws up the
mission that God gave us, which was actually
to be people who are marked by self -giving love
and who sacrifice their own wants and needs for
the sake of others and for the sake of the world
and for the sake of the kingdom. Like Paul, what
we end up actually becoming are lovers of self,
lovers of money, proud. arrogant, abusive, disobedient
to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless,
lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
Sounds like Dudley. Sounds like me. If I'm honest,
it sounds like you too, probably, if you're honest.
The question we have to ask this morning, where
does this self -centeredness come from? Where
does this entitlement, where does this shallow
spirituality arise from? And I'm sorry to say
that I think a lot of it comes from a misreading
of a very famous part of Jesus' Sermon on the
Mount. We've been going through Jesus' most famous
teaching, the Sermon on the Mount. It's found
in Matthew chapter 5, 6, and 7. And we have already
gone through chapter 5. We've already gone through
chapter 6. And today we break into chapter 7.
Now I should say, you'll notice we didn't cover
chapter 7 verses 1 to 6. And the reason is because
that whole bit, which was about not judging others,
is something I already preached on back on June
1st. So if you want to access that, you can go
to our YouTube channel and you can dig that up.
But today what we're really arriving at is Matthew
7, 7 to 12, which Sally just read for us. sounds
a lot like Jesus is pulling an Aunt Petunia and
an Uncle Vernon. Ask, and it'll be given to you.
Seek, and you'll find. Oh, knock, and the door
will be opened for you. Whoever asks, gets. And
whoever seeks, finds. And whoever knocks, the
doors will be opened to you. I mean, doesn't
that sound like God is teaching us to be self
-centered, entitled, and shall, oh, Rob, whatever
you want, you can have it. Oh, little dudders
here. Do you want more? Have another present.
Have another present. You want 30? 30, 40 presents?
Seek and I'll give it to you. Ask and you'll
have it. Knock and the door will be open to you.
Is that enough? Is God trying to raise us the
way the Dursleys raised Dudley? Giving us everything
we want? Making us into self -centered, entitled,
and shallow Christians? Is that what he's saying
here? It might look like it, but actually couldn't
be further from the truth. No way. If we take
a closer look at what this passage is really
saying, we will see that Jesus is trying to teach
us a way. better method of prayer, and that God
is actually trying to raise us, his children,
in a way better manner of life, okay? So I want
to invite you just to follow along. There are
some sermon notes that we've handed out on your
way in, and if you're joining us online, you
can access the sermon notes online by visiting
our church app, which is called Church Center.
So let's get started. Here's the first thing
I want to say. When Jesus says, ask and seek
and knock, It's easy to rip those verses out
of context and to imagine that God is saying,
hey, whatever you want, I'll give it to you.
But if we actually read the context, we will
realize that that's not true. That in context,
Jesus is not speaking about every kind of prayer
that you pray, I will answer and give to you.
But he's talking about a very specific kind of
prayer. Not a self -centered prayer, a prayer
for me. It's about God. other centered prayers.
That's what he's promising to answer. But to
see that, you've got to look at the context.
Here's what I mean. Just before Jesus speaks
these words, what is he talking about? He's talking
about how we judge others. He's talking about
hypocrisy. He's talking about the need for us
to remove the plank from our own eye before we
try to pick the speck out of somebody else's
eye. In other words, what's he talking about?
He's talking about making peace with others.
He's talking about restoring relationships. He's
talking about forgiveness. That is the context
of ask, seek, knock. It's about relationships.
And then afterwards, what is Jesus talking about?
Oh, guess what? He's also talking about relationships.
This is where he gives us the golden rule, do
to others what you would have them do to you.
That is not a verse about me getting my own way.
It's a verse about loving others the way that
we want to be loved. So that's the context after.
So follow with me here. Right before Jesus says,
ask and seek and knock, he's talking all about
restoring relationships. And right after Jesus
says, ask and seek and knock, he's talking all
about loving others and again, relationships.
Which means that the prayer that Jesus promises
to answer in Matthew 7, 7 and 8 are prayers for
relationships. It's a certain type of prayer,
a kind of prayer where we're asking God to help
us love other people well. If you've ever had
to mend a broken relationship, then you'll know
exactly what I mean. It is hard. You cannot do
that on your own. You need wisdom. And Jesus
is saying, ask me and I'll give you that wisdom.
Seek me out. Knock on the door. I'll teach you
the wisdom. I'll give you the courage to restore
that relationship. I'll give you the patience
and the grace to forgive that person. Come to
me and ask. So I'm going to say it again. Jesus
is not promising us anything we want in these
prayers. But in context, what he's really offering
us is wisdom for healing relationships. Okay?
Leon Morris is a commentator. He agrees. He says,
the request Jesus speaks of here is not a carte
blanche for selfish desires. The prayer arises
from the preceding teaching, like we said. wisdom
to live righteously grace to forgive and the
courage to reconcile and then again craig blomberg
talks about the verses that come right after
he says the linking of verses seven and eight
with the golden rule suggests strongly that what
we're to request from god is whatever will enable
us to treat others as we would want to be treated
therefore the emphasis is on ethical and the
relational not the material i am so sorry this
morning If you thought that this reading we just
read was teaching us to pray for a Ferrari. Or
pray for a bigger house. Or that God would give
us a lifetime supply of chocolate if that's what
we wanted. No. When Jesus says ask, he is not
saying ask for Raptor Seasons tickets. When Jesus
says seek, he is not saying seek for a new iPhone.
When Jesus says knock, he's not saying knock
on the door of an all -inclusive resort in Maui.
No. This is a certain kind of prayer. where Jesus
is inviting us to pray for help to heal our relationships.
So therefore, Jesus is saying, I will help you
when you pray prayers like this. And I've left
these blank. You can fill them in however you
want. But when you pray a prayer like this, Jesus
says, I will help you. Lord, help me to forgive
my spouse. Jesus says, yes, I will help you with
that. Father, give me the courage to apologize
to that. Fill it in. Coworker. God, show me how
to love that family member or that person at
coffee hour who's really, really annoying. I
know it's not what we wanted to hear. We thought
that God was offering to give us anything. That's
not what the context shows us. And it's actually
a good thing because we don't want to grow up
to be dudley disciples. Okay? So that brings
us to the second. The first misunderstanding
is this is actually, this is about relationships,
not about material things. The second misunderstanding.
that we need to work out is these ask, seek,
and knock prayers. Make it sound like God is
this emergency responder. That normally in life,
we're going along just fine. Thank you very much.
I can handle life myself. But if we need something,
God says, oh, if you run into trouble, ask me.
I'll be there. If you run into a bind, seek me
out. If you have a real problem, just knock on
the door and I'll sort you out. And then you
can be on your merry way again in your life.
I'm just there if you need it. But a closer look
at what Jesus is teaching us to pray here actually
shows us he isn't encouraging us to pray these
entitled one and done kind of prayers. He's teaching
us to rely on him through prayer in this ongoing
way. Here's what I mean. When commentators look
at what Matthew 7 to 11 is really saying, many
suggest that the best way to read it, given the
tense of the verbs, is keep asking. Keep seeking,
keep knocking. The verbs in Greek are in the
present tense, the imperative mood and the active
voice, which apparently expresses an action that
is ongoing and it's continual rather than a one
time event. So you see what this means is God
wants you to be relying on him through prayer
all day. Every day, not just when the going gets
tough. Entitled people say, you know what, God
owes me. But when we develop the spirit of reliance,
we actually come to say, no, God cares for me
each and every day. Entitled people say, I deserve
this. But people who are reliant on God day in
and day out say, no, I need him always. Entitlement
is about getting. But reliance is about staying,
staying in a relationship with God, not to make
us spoiled, but to keep us close. Again, Leon
Morris says, prayer is not an attempt to force
God's hand, but it's a humble acknowledgement
of our continual dependence on him. Dudley, he
had this once a year windfall, his birthday.
Right? And if you see God only that way, as this
guy who shows up to hand you gifts on special
occasions, your relationship will always have
that sense of entitlement. But when you keep
coming back to him, keep relying on him day by
day, moment by moment, that's when you move from
a birthday relationship with God to an everyday
relationship with God. I mean, think about Israel
when they were in the wilderness. When Israel
was in the wilderness, you know, could God have
whipped up a Costco -sized pallet of food and
given them food for a whole week? Yes, but he
didn't. He gave them bread day by day. And why
was that? It was so they would keep coming back
in reliance on him. Or consider what Jesus said
in John chapter 15. He says, apart from me, you
can do nothing. Now, that's not a statement about
the occasional need for emergency help. It's
a reminder that our very life, all of our life,
flows from an ongoing connection to God. You
know, I probably should have done this a lot
earlier, but now that we've got more drivers
in our house, I went in for the family -sized
CAA membership, you know, just in case anyone,
whether it's Sophie or Petra or me or Sal, need
some roadside assistance. that is often how we
treat God, roadside assistance. We're fine cruising
along until something breaks down and then we
just dial in a quick fix. But Jesus isn't offering
us CAA for the soul. He's inviting us into a
relationship where we don't just call him when
we've got a flat. We invite him into the car
for the whole trip. Okay. That brings us to the
third and final thing I want to share with you
today about how we sometimes misunderstand this
command about prayer. At first glance, Jesus
seems to be describing this very shallow relationship
with God as if God's this heavenly ATM. Insert
your prayer, get your blessing. Insert your coin,
get your result, right? But upon closer inspection...
Praying the way that Jesus is teaching us does
not result in a shallow relationship, but actually
one of the most intimate relationships possible,
the relationship between a parent and a child.
Listen to what Jesus says. He says, which of
you, if your son, this is parent -child language,
asks you for bread, we'll give him a stone. Or
if he asks for a fish, we'll give him a snake.
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good
gifts to your children, how much more will your
father in heaven... Give good gifts to those
who ask him. Now notice the shift. Jesus does
not say God gives. He says your father gives.
Prayer isn't about a shallow transaction. It's
developing a relationship of intimacy with your
heavenly father. That's the result Jesus is after.
Good parenting. doesn't just result in kids who
believe that their parents can meet all their
needs. Good parenting results in kids who know
they're loved and who love their parents. You
can't love a vending machine, but you can love
a father, and a father can love you. And Jesus
wants us to develop that kind of intimacy in
our prayer lives, which helps us to know God
as our Father, we need, even if it's not what
we want. And that's actually really important.
I put this quote from Dallas Willard actually
into your notes because I think it's really important.
The idea that God would automatically give us
whatever we want is not the mark of a loving
father, but of a careless stranger. Do you get
that? Like the very fact that we don't get what
we ask for is a sign That we are relating to
a person, not a machine. When God says no, or
when God says not yet, it's actually a sign of
love. We don't always know what's good or bad
for us, but our father does. A toddler might
ask for candy for breakfast every single day,
but a good parent won't say yes. Not because
they don't love them, but precisely because they
do love them. What Dudley needed most in Harry
Potter wasn't more yeses. He actually needed
more no's or not yet. He didn't need more gifts.
He needed more love, more care, and more intimacy
with his parents. They kept handing him snakes
and rocks and gifts that weren't good for him
and actually hurt him in the long run. But a
good father doesn't just give you what you want
in the moment. He gives you those things that
are going to grow you up into the person you
were made to be. And that's how we should pray
too. Because when we approach God as a father,
then prayer actually becomes less about getting
stuff from God and more about getting God himself.
Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you
will find. Knock, and the door will be opened
to you. If we misunderstand Jesus' words, we'll
become spiritual Dudleys or spiritual Duds. Our
arms are loaded with presents. But we're never
satisfied, self -centered, entitled, and shallow.
That's not what Jesus is teaching us here. Now
we've seen. Jesus doesn't want to make us spiritual
Dudleys. He wants to move us from being self
-centered. to other -centered, repairing relationships,
living out the golden rule. He wants us to move
from entitlement to reliance, making prayer the
posture of our life every day and all day. And
he wants to move us from a shallow relationship
where God is a vending machine to a deep, intimate
relationship where God is our Father who gives
us what is best, even if it's not what we expect.
Friends, how are you approaching God these days?
Are you approaching God like Dudley or like a
disciple? A Dudley comes to God demanding, but
a disciple comes to God depending. Dudley wants
gifts, but a disciple wants the giver. Dudley
wants more stuff from God, but a disciple wants
more of God himself. And so this week, I just
want to encourage you to renew your own prayer
lives in this way. And as you're praying this
week, ask yourself, am I praying to get something
from God? Or am I praying to get close to God?
And then take Jesus at his word. Keep asking,
keep seeking, and keep knocking. Not because
Jesus or God is stingy or hard of hearing, but
because he loves you. And because he's shaping
you into someone who can love others like he
does. So thanks be to God. Amen.