Shameless Audacity 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. Luke 11:9-10 Marlo shared on Asking, Pastor Josh lead last week with seeking, and I am going to focus on KNOCKING. Knocking is an interesting thing in perspective of ASKING or SEEKING. To ASK is a verbal action toward God for a physical response. To SEEK is to be INQUIRING, on a search for answers and instruction, but to KNOCK, this means that there is something in your way, something unavoidable, something that must be passed through or opened in front of you. To knock is to press something out of the way. I have pranked people knocking on their doors I have had people inquire about information about my family or people that I might know. I have had friends knock on my door. I have even had a friend raise his camp tuition in three days by going to one house and asking for an egg and going to the next house and selling it. There are messages that I preach and there are messages you have heard. Sometimes when I preach a message it s because I m sure it s important for you to KNOW the content of the information. Other times when I preach I know it s important that you SERVE or ACT with the information that I am providing. But today, it s very evident to me that you don t just KNOW or SERVE or just ACT with what you hear. It s important that you LEAD with what you hear. It will make you a better parent It will make you a better leader It will make you a better decision maker It will give you a life full of stories of God s intervention in your life in supernatural ways. I m not inviting you to simply listen to my sermon or to go out and pray, I m asking you to LEAD, with SHAMELESS AUDACITY. Shameless audacity is like: 1
When you win on a lottery jackpot and you find out that there is no money to pay out, like the two lottery winners in Illinois this past week who had to file a federal lawsuit against the Illinois Lottery for stopping payouts of $50,000 and $250,000. Why? Because the state didn t have the budget to pay out. The lawsuit also alleges dozens await more than $288 million in prizes. I would say that if you won and didn t get paid, you would find your SHAMELESS AUDACITY. Jesus Two Illustrations on Prayer Positive Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him. Luke 11:5-6 Notice, the friend he went to someone he was familiar with and was not asking for himself but for another friend. We do that, we feel bold, and will do things unconventional for others that we would probably not do for ourselves. It was Midnight- INCONVENIENT (Midnight moments make said friends or prove them.) He asked for a LOAN of 3 loaves of bread- the guest was obviously passing through and wasn t going to eat and take some with him. There was an urgency about the bread. And suppose the one inside answers, Don t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can t get up and give you anything. Luke 11:7 3 Points of Resistance 1. The DOOR is already locked- Everything is set and in order 2. The CHILDREN are already in bed- It wouldn t be fair 3. He can t get up and give you anything- IT S NOT HAPPENING! I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. Luke 11:8 Though the situation would not change on the hinge of FRIENDSHIP, but because of SHAMELESS AUDACITY Two things happened: 1. He gets up! 2. The friend gives him 3 loaves? No! AS MUCH AS YOU NEED. Negative Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. Luke 18:1-2 2
And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, Grant me justice against my adversary. Luke 18:3 For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, Even though I don t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won t eventually come and attack me! Luke 18:4-5 And the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? Luke 18:6-7 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? Luke 18:8 Notice Jesus words, When the SON of MAN comes, WILL HE FIND FAITH ON THE EARTH? What is He asking? When Jesus returns, will He find people who will pray and not give up, but will allow their sleep to be second to their need of prayer. Those who will CRY out to Him, at gut level, it moves them. And Jesus asks the question, WIll God keep putting them off? He doesn t give us the answer to that question because He asks it in a way that we know the answer, NO, He will not continue to put us off. Our prayers, desperate cries to God, that is not on the clock, but moves throughout the day, into the night and perhaps through the next morning, those prayers will not be put off. This FAITH is SHAMELESS AUDACITY. Hezekiah s Shameless Audacity I m amazed at the story of Hezehiah, who was a king in Israel who became sick and was at the point of death. In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to him and said, This is what the Lord says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die; you will not recover. II Kings 20:1 What is amazing about this story is that Isaiah was without a doubt, THE PROPHET of GOD! He didn t mess around and he didn t get his messages mixed up. What Isaiah said would come true and he came to deliver a message that was a message, a divine message from God. Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord, Remember, Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes. And Hezekiah wept bitterly. II Kings 20:2-3 Hezekiah faced the wall, he broke down and cried out to God. He reminds God about how he has walked faithfully and wholeheartedly before him. And then Hezekiah WEPT BITTERLY. Honestly, I m not sure it was his life, but I m certain that it was his cry, that 3
SHAMELESS AUDACITY to ask God to change this DIVINE DECISION FROM HEAVEN! It was that CRY, that gut level cry that somehow reached the ears of God and MOVES HIS HEART OVER HIS WILL! Before Isaiah had left the middle court, the word of the Lord came to him: Go back and tell Hezekiah, the ruler of my people, This is what the Lord, the God of your father David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. II Kings 20:4-5a His words, his cry and his tears captured the heart of God. And God said, I WILL HEAL YOU. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David. II Kings 20:5b-6 SURPRISE, I WILL GIVE YOU MORE! I find it very interesting that when Hezekiah prayed to live, God blessed him with more, two additional blessings: 1. Deliverance for him and the city from the king of Assyria 2. God personally will defend the city It s amazing that God not only gave Hezekiah 15 years more to his life, but he provided provision for him to live that life. If Hezekiah had not turned on his bed and faced the wall, crying out for a CHANGE IN THE WILL OF GOD, not only would Hezekiah died, but the city would have been over taken and destroyed. HEZEKIAH Had SHAMELESS AUDACITY I recently listened to the speech writer who assisted Ronald Reagan when he was wordsmithing a speech he would give at the Brandenburg Gate near the Berlin Wall on June 12, 1987, where, on the day before, 50,000 people had demonstrated against the presence of the American president in Berlin. There he not only gave a speech, but he sent a message to the Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev in his statement that still resonates SHAMELESS AUDACITY, his spoke these words, There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace. General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization, come here to this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate. Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! But it was later on in his speech, President Reagan said something that I think is much more powerful than that great statement. He told the people that day, as he looked out on the Berlin wall earlier, he noticed words that had been crudely spray-painted upon the wall, perhaps by a young Berliner, after he was able to grab someone to interpret the graffiti, here is what it said, 'This wall will fall. Beliefs become reality.' 4
And ask President Reagan finalized his speech, spring boarding off of that graffitied statement, he finished, Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith; it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom." If a president can have SHAMELESS AUDACITY for a wall to fall down, certainly we can have SHAMELESS AUDACITY for DOORS to open for us or in the presidents case, the walls to fall down! Shameless Audacity of a Mother Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly. Matthew 15:21-22 All we know about this woman is that she was a Canaanite woman, who came from the country north of Palestine a country hostile to the Jews and a people the Jews hated and she had at least this one child, and obviously, she was willing to go the great lengths for her child! But other than that, that s all we know about her...we don t even know her name but we know she had SHAMELESS AUDACITY! FIRST REALITY about this WOMAN:According to the Jews of that day, this woman didn t deserve to be in the crowd. Let me say it loud and clear, SHE DID NOT BELONG! This had to do with a social, TRIBAL or BLOOD LINE ISSUE, she was not from those who did belong and were deserving. Let s continue to read, Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us. He answered, I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. Matthew 15:23-24 It s funny because it s clear, her cry was not after the disciples, but Jesus. Here is the SECOND REALITY about this WOMAN: SHE WAS NOT HIS MISSION! Jesus was very clear about the direction He was taking, I was sent ONLY to the LOST SHEEP of ISRAEL. This ISSUE had to do with the DIVINE PURPOSE of GOD. Christ was sent on mission, and He was sent to the lost sheep of Israel, that was His assignment, that was His purpose, that was His mission! Now, this can almost be offensive, what Christ was saying was that she was NOT on HIS RADAR, SHE WOULD BE AND WAS A DISTRACTION. The woman came and knelt before him. Lord, help me! she said. He replied, It is not right to take the children s bread and toss it to the dogs. Yes it is, Lord, she said. Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master s table. Matthew 15:25-27 THIRD REALITY about this WOMAN: SHE DID NOT HAVE A RIGHT FOR HELP. This ISSUE had to do with TAKING WHAT ISN T YOURS, getting what was someone else! Jesus was clear, It s NOT RIGHT to take the children s bread and toss it to the 5
dongs. Here is something worth mentioning here, after Jesus Christ died upon the CROSS, His death provided passage for us to become SON S and DAUGHTERS. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God John 1:12 Therefore, Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. And, I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. II Corinthians 6:18 Jesus was saying, IT IS RIGHT TO TAKE THE CHILDREN S BREAD! Jesus was telling the woman, not only do you Not BELONG here, You Are Not my MISSION, And, You DON T HAVE a RIGHT for me to give you WHAT IS SOMEONE ELSES! Because this bread, it s my children s! She didn t have a RIGHT to ask. She didn t deserve it and it wasn t hers! But let s look at the Four TRUTHS this woman KNEW, really only three things: 1. She knew who Jesus was- LORD, SON OF DAVID If she didn t know Jesus in this capacity, she would have never received the healing for her daughter. She knew Jesus as Lord, all knowing, all powerful, from God the Father in heaven, before the creation of the world. She knew he was the Son of David, the promised Messiah, and part of the evidence of Jesus being the Messiah, was that He was THE healer, as proclaimed as one of the prophetic, enlightenment or spotlights that would identify Him. She knew more than most people today. Someone good taught her well! 2. She knew what she needed- HAVE MERCY ON ME She KNEW she needed MERCY FOR healing. She knew Jesus would have to cross a line, change His course and give what wasn t hers. That s what MERCY is, it is having Jesus come into our messed up, mixed up, cluttered up life, get involved in our crazy, wild and repulsive situation to give us something we don t deserve in a million years. That is MERCY, it crosses the theological, social and financial differences, it changes God s divine direction to give us what shouldn t be ours! 3. She knew what the problem was- MY DAUGHTER IS DEMON-POSSESSED and SUFFERING TERRIBLY. I believe this is where most believers fail in their prayer, they don t know what the problem is, or they are asking for things that will never glorify God. 4. She knew she was not leaving- (Vs. 21) THE WOMAN CAME AND KNELT BEFORE HIM. Four Great Words Then Jesus said to her, Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted. And her daughter was healed at that moment. Matthew 15:28 6
In four words Jesus summed up everything, if we never knew anything else about this women, YOU HAVE GREAT FAITH! You have SHAMELESS AUDACITY! Oh, woman, your faith is something else. What you want is what you get! Right then her daughter became well. Matthew 15:28 (MSG) In the short encounter with Christ, HIS RESPONSE to her, You have great faith. Only 4 words, but they were enough to enshrine her as one of the greatest mothers of all time! HE COULD HAVE SAID, YOU HAVE SHAMELESS AUDACITY! She was FEARLESS! She was DETERMINED! She was DESPERATE! 7