What, exactly, do you want?

Matt. 20:17-34

just as we get focused on Kingdom ... God asks us what we want.

18-19 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem 18-19 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

God is not phased by our immaturity.

Matt 11:12 “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.”

Dave Ramsey “A heart filled with gratitude leaves no room for discontentment.”

Dave Ramsey “A heart filled with gratitude leaves no room for discontentment.”

Selfish Questions:

1 They Cause Conflict v24 “And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers.” James 4:1-2 “1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.” 1 Corinthians 1:10 “10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”

2 They Can be Impossible to answer 23 “He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.””

3 They are Temporary

Why does God ask us what we want?

1 He Loves to Hear Us. Matt. 6:7-8 “6 And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Psalm 56:8 “8 You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.”

2 He’s Actually Interested. On Churchill “Nothing was too small for the Prime Minister’s attention. At one of the worst periods of the war he sent out (a) a persistent correspondence on whether candies would have to be rationed, (b) orders that tree- felling operations should keep in consideration the beauty of the English countryside, and (c) that girls in the Auxiliary Territorial Service should be treated kindly and as ladies.”

3 We Need to Hear Ourselves.

Daniel “God doesn’t make passive imagers.” 4 We’re Made in His Image Daniel “God doesn’t make passive imagers.”

Asking God does NOT make my request bigger than The Kingdom.

Heb 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”