This is the outline of this past weeks Sunday School lesson.
Matthew 21:22 NIV
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
Luke 11:9 NIV
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Proverbs 30:7,8
7. “Two things I ask of you, O Lord; do not refuse me before I die:
8. Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.
Ecclesiastes 7:10
10. Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.
Introduction
According to crosswalk.com, ASK is found in the Bible 176 times.
• God asked Adam where he was
• Peter asked to come out on the water
• Abraham asked God to spare Sodom
• Jesus asked for the cup to pass
• Solomon asked for wisdom
• David asked God for direction before battle
Questions are all over the Bible
There are scores of questions in the Bible that simply didn’t use the word ‘ask’.
There are some questions that are easy to ask:
• Hey, can I sit with you?
• May I borrow $5?
• Will you excuse me while I go to the bathroom?
• How are you today?
A question is mean to be answered. Even rhetorical questions need answering.
• That can be the danger of questions.
• Sometimes we don’t ask questions because we don’t really want answers or we don’t know if we can handle them.
Hard questions:
• The square root of 5,423?
• How far is the sun from the moon?
• (Ask some Biblical questions)
How about these?
• Why don’t you feel completely fulfilled in life?
• Are you as happy as you know you should be?
• Why are you so depressed?
• Why are you angry?
• Why can’t you forgive?
• Why can’t you move on?
• Am I really good enough?
• Do they really love me?
• Is God REALLY out there?
These are tough questions.
Preachers and well meaning people have tried to sidestep some of these questions because they are afraid that you’ll find yourself unhappy with Christianity.
However, Christ came to give answers not leave you with doubts.
We’re going to discuss three different directions you need to aim your questions today.
These are not questions that I’m going to give you the answers to.
You have to do that.
Ask yourself.
The real questions.
Whenever someone decides to lose weight, the first thing most diet books tries to do is to work on the reader’s mind.
- The head’s got to get right first.
Where am I going?
• Did you know that you have a future?
God wants you to be successful.
We hear all these speeches given this time of the year to kids about making smart choices and planning for the best future possible. Adults need to hear that too.
Am I happy?
• What makes you happy?
o Is God even in the top ten?
Do you ever get excited thinking about God?
Does your relationship with God bring you joy?
• If none of your happiness comes from the Lord, there’s a chance you haven’t seen all that joy can be.
What is my purpose?
• Do you have a purpose?
• Did you know that we’re all a ‘gift-mix’ that we’ve gained through life and experience?
• There’s something that God needs you to do that no one else can do quite like you do.
• We’ve said before that hands down the bestselling book of our generation pertaining to religion is the book, “The purpose driven life.” People want to feel like there’s more out there.
Ask God.
• What do you want from me?
What’s wrong with asking God hard questions?
• Do we think He’s not strong enough or that we’re gonna hurt His feelings?
• Why am I so unhappy?
• Why did I have to go through that situation?
• Where were you? (the footprints poem)
• Why don’t I feel close to you like I use to?
What is God asking you?
1. In John, Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?”
• Feed my sheep – (work in my kingdom)
o God gave us everything we have. That’s all He asks for in return.
2. In the parable, the master asked the servant, “What did you do with the talents I gave you?”
• What is your answer? Either, “I invested it and got a return.” Or “I buried it so no one could find it.”
3. In Isaiah, God asked the question, “Who will go?”
• Are you willing to tell others what you have seen?
o Isaiah was from Israel. God wasn’t asking him to move away – he was being asked to share the news with those around him.
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