https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/The-One-Thing-that-Matters.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Luke 11:5-13<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. How do you pray? What do you pray for?<\/p>\n A. A young Chinese preacher asked me to explain Luke 11:9-10 better so that he\ncould teach others in his area better\n
B. God is all knowing, but God expects us to ask<\/p>\n 1. Consider how many people won’t even admit they are wrong or need to\nchange.\n
a. It is someone else’s fault (Cain, Saul, or Adam and Eve)<\/p>\n
b. It is no use asking, I’m so sinful that God will never listen<\/p>\n (1) Imagining that God is looking to keep people from being\nsaved\n
2. Asking requires humility – a dropping of pride<\/p>\n
3. It measures how much you really want whatever you are considering<\/p>\n
4. “Ask, and it will be given to you.”<\/p>\n
C. God expects us to look for His answer<\/p>\n
1. God expects us to put effort in, to use the minds that He has given us.<\/p>\n 2. It is surprising how many people miss the answer that is right in front of\nthem because it isn’t in the form that they were expecting or because it\nisn’t the answer that they want.\n
3. God requires you to put effort into receiving an answer<\/p>\n
4. It measures your faith. Do you really believe God will answer?<\/p>\n
5. It measures your desire. Are you willing to looking for that answer?<\/p>\n
6. “Seek, and you will find.”<\/p>\n
D. God expects us to put effort into receiving the answer<\/p>\n
1. Far too many people aren’t willing to expend energy to get something<\/p>\n 2. Knocking on a door doesn’t open the door. It doesn’t let you in, but you\ncan’t enter without first knocking.\n 3. I know a lot of people who give a tentative tap and then give up because\nthe door isn’t opened immediately.\n
4. “Knock, and it will be opened.”<\/p>\n
E. God will give us what is best for us – Luke 11:11-12<\/p>\n
1. God is not out to ruin our lives<\/p>\n F. Jesus’ point is that we have to trust and expect answers to our prayers, to the point\nthat we are doing all we can to receive the answer when it comes.\nII. But notice Luke 11:13 – “How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit\nto those who ask Him?”\n A. We so often read this passage and think about asking for things in our daily lives,\nbut Jesus has in mind asking for the Holy Spirit\n
B. What does it mean to ask for the Holy Spirit?<\/p>\n
1. Peter talks of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit – Acts 2:38-39 <\/p>\n
a. It is offered to everyone who answers the call of God<\/p>\n
b. But it requires effort – a change in life and obedience to God<\/p>\n
2. Paul talks of us being sealed with the Holy Spirit – Ephesians 1:13-14<\/p>\n
a. It only comes after hearing the Gospel and believing it<\/p>\n
b. Again, there is effort on our part<\/p>\n
c. But he also means why.<\/p>\n
(1) The Holy Spirit is the spirit of promise<\/p>\n (2) He is given as a pledge of our inheritance – salvation and\neternal life\n (3) We don’t become immortal when we are baptized, but\nknow it will come because God always keeps His promises\n 3. But effort remains because we are required to remain faithful until death –\nRevelation 2:10\n C. Going back to Luke 11, look again at what Jesus is saying in view of the\nconclusion\n
1. God wants us to be saved – II Peter 3:9<\/p>\n
2. But we must ask, seek, and knock in order to gain salvation<\/p>\n
3. Work out your salvation – Philippians 2:12-13<\/p>\n
III. We get so caught up in our lives that we forget what is most important<\/p>\n A. Go back to the event that Luke records just before this discussion on prayer – Luke\n10:38-42\n 1. Martha was caught up with the immediate events of serving dinner for the\nSon of God who came to her house\n
2. But Jesus said there was only one thing that was necessary. <\/p>\n 3. Mary chose that which would not be taken from her – eternal life! – John\n10:27-29\n B. John tells us that when we ask according to God’s will, our prayers will be\nanswered – I John 5:14-15\n
1. What does God want most for you and I? To spend eternity with Him.<\/p>\n 2. Are our prayers furthering that goal or will granting those things hinder us\nfrom reaching heaven?\n
IV. There is a parallel account to Luke 11 in Matthew 7:7-11<\/p>\n A. The two lessons were not given at the same point during Jesus’ ministry; thus, we\ncannot assume the same point is being made.\n 1. Yet, Jesus mentions that God is able to give good gifts to those who ask\nHim.\n
2. Eternal life would certainly be one of those good gifts<\/p>\n B. The young preacher was confused by this account because Matthew 7:7-11 seems\nto be talking about prayer and then Matthew 7:12 suddenly seems to shift topics to\nproperly treating people\n
C. Actually, Matthew 7:12 is actually returning to the topic started in Matthew 7:1-5<\/p>\n
1. God will judge us according to how we deal with other people<\/p>\n 2. People forget that we should be working to get as many people to heaven\nas possible\n
a. We are the lights to the world – Matthew 5:14-16<\/p>\n
3. Some find fault in everything another person does.<\/p>\n a. But in finding fault, they prove they understand something is\nwrong and they set themselves up for the same judgment\n b. While they see faults in everyone else, they fail to see their own\nfault, which are many times greater problems.\n
c. Such fault-finders tend to show no mercy to their fellow men.<\/p>\n 4. Jesus instructs that we are to fix our own problems and then help others\nremove their problems.\n D. This doesn’t mean that everyone wants to go to heaven or wants to leave their sins\n– Matthew 7:6\n
E. This brings us back to ask, seek, and knock.<\/p>\n
1. Given the context, it seems that forgiveness is the primary consideration<\/p>\n
F. God doesn’t listen to all prayers – Isaiah 1:15<\/p>\n
1. What must we do first? – Isaiah 1:16-17<\/p>\n 2. We have to put the effort in to leave sin and knock at God’s door to ask for\nforgiveness\n 3. Then God promises to forgive, regardless of how evil we had been – Isaiah\n1:18\n G. Thus, the reminder in Matthew 7:12 is that if we want forgiveness and reach\nheaven, we must treat others the way we want to be treated by them.\nV. Heaven is hard enough to reach. We don’t need to make it harder for ourselves or for\nother people – Matthew 7:13-14\n
A. We need God’s help. We need the help of our brethren.<\/p>\n
B. If the righteous are scarcely saved, the unrighteous have no chance – I Peter 4:18-19<\/p>\n
1. So commit yourself to the will of God by doing good.<\/p>\n
C. What are you asking God for?<\/p>\n
D. There is the one thing that matters most<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 11:5-13 I. How do you pray? What do you pray for? A. A young Chinese preacher asked me to explain Luke 11:9-10 better so that he could teach others in his area better B. God is all knowing, but God expects us to ask 1. Consider how many people won’t even admit…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[699,1571,46,1510,47],"class_list":["post-54785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-eternal-life","tag-forgiveness","tag-heaven","tag-prayers","tag-salvation"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":62679,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/hannahs-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":54785,"position":0},"title":"Hannah’s Prayer","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Samuel 1:9-18 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I Thessalonians 5:17 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is a short passage, but it isn\u2019t short on meaning. What is meant \u201cwithout ceasing?\u201d \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Paul isn\u2019t talking about a 24-hour a day, non-stop prayer. There are other things which must be accomplished in life. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39856,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-we-ought-to-pray\/","url_meta":{"origin":54785,"position":1},"title":"How We Ought to Pray","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 11:1-13 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Being creatures of habit, we often fall into a pattern of doing certain things in certain ways. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There is nothing wrong with a habit, so long as it is a good habit. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In fact, we ought to cultivate good habits to carry us\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":89516,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/faithfulness-in-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":54785,"position":2},"title":"Faithfulness in Prayer","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Heath Rogers In Luke 18:1-8, Jesus told a parable to His disciples about a woman pleading with an unjust judge. This parable was spoken for a specific purpose: \"that men always ought to pray and not lose heart\" (Luke 18:1). Prayer is an exercise of faith. When we pray,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33084,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-i-feel-like-god-never-answers-our-prayers\/","url_meta":{"origin":54785,"position":3},"title":"Why do I feel like God never answers our prayers?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 3, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: This is probably a stupid question, but anyway I will proceed. Sometimes I feel like God never answers our prayers; thus, why do we pray? How do we know if God answers our prayers? Are there signs that I should be looking for? I just don't understand why we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":88489,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-a-loved-one-is-making-a-terrible-mistake\/","url_meta":{"origin":54785,"position":4},"title":"When a Loved One Is Making a Terrible Mistake","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 8, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Heath Rogers What are we to do when a loved one is making a terrible mistake? We often feel helpless as we must stand on the sidelines and watch the approaching disaster unfold before our eyes. Is there anything we can do? Does the Bible offer guidance in such\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":84033,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/balance\/","url_meta":{"origin":54785,"position":5},"title":"Balance","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Zeke Flores Now, there's a concept. The more we need it, the more out of reach it appears. For instance, our political views have become more extreme and polarized. People on one end of the spectrum scream and holler for their side, while those on the other end scream\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54785","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54785"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54785\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}