Notes + Questions: Good Gifts Guaranteed
Sermon title: Good Gifts Guaranteed
Passage: Matthew 7:7-11
Introduction
•These verses contain two things:
oAn amazing promise
oPotentially dangerous pitfalls
Prerequisite
•Definition of prayer: Offering up our desires to God (Westminster Shorter Catechism)
•Understanding our need
oStep 1: Our basic needs
oStep 2: Our spiritual need
•Encouragement
oMartin Luther: “knows we are timid and shy, that we feel unworthy … to present our needs to God.… We think that God is so great and we are so tiny that we do not dare to pray.… That is why Christ wants to … remove our doubts, and to have us go ahead confidently and boldly.”
•Exhortation: Come to the Lord in prayer
Persistence
•Repetition: Jesus gives us 3 similar commands
•Greek language: present active imperative
oNLT: Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
•Luke 18:1-5
•Exhortation: Don’t lose heart
Promise
•Details of the promise
oFor everyone
oAsk – Receive
oSeek – Find
oKnock - Open
•Lesser to greater argument
oLesser – If you then who are evil know how to give good gifts
oGreater – how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts
•Goodness of God
oOmnibenevolence – God is all-good
o1st Chronicles 16:34
oPsalm 100:5
•Exhortation: God is good!
oIntellectually
oExperientially
Pitfalls
•#1 – Why pray?
oRelationship
oObedience
oChange in us
oGod uses prayer
•#2 – A superficial understanding
oWhat does Jesus promise? – good gifts!
oGood gifts
Holiness
His Kingdom come
Spiritual gifts
Unity of the church
•#3 – Unanswered prayer
oMartin Lloyd Jones: “We are the children of a Father who not only loves us but looks upon us and keeps his eye upon us. He will never give us anything evil. But beyond all, he will never lead us astray. He will never make a mistake in what he gives us. He knows everything; his knowledge is absolute. If we but knew we were in the hands of such a Father, our outlook upon the future would be entirely transformed.”
Practically
•Time
•Assessment
•Gratefulness
•Community
Community Group Questions
•How would you define prayer in your own words?
•Are there other passages in scripture that help us understand the meaning and reason for prayer? Brainstorm and discuss as a group.
•As a group, recount the answered prayers you have experienced either individually or as a group.
•In this passage, there are potential pitfalls. Is there one in particular that you struggle with?
•What practically can you implement to grow or benefit your prayer life?