Living With Open Hands and an Open Heart

Carter Conlon from the historic Times Square Church in New York City. Folks, we have to ask now. We've got to prepare for the day we're now in and moving into, a day of hostility towards the things of God. And we are going to need this incredible grace of God pouring through our lives, and it will be a testimony of Christ.

Welcome to A Call to the Nation with Carter Conlon. We are entering a time in our world today where people don't want to hear the truth. They aren't interested in the Word of God.

They don't want any restrictions on their behavior, and they want to call evil good and good evil. The question you should ask is, how do I share Christ with them? Here's Carter with his message for today. Living with open hands and an open heart. Matthew chapter seven, if you'll turn there with me, and that's where we'll start today.

Matthew chapter seven, beginning at verse seven. Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be open to you. For everyone who asks, receives. How many receive who ask?

Everyone. And he who seeks, finds. And to him who knocks, it will be open. Or what man is there among you, who if his son asks for bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?

If you then, being evil, that's in contrast to God, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father, who is in heaven, give good things to those who ask him? Therefore, verse 12, that means in summation, or leading to this conclusion, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them. For this is the law and the prophets.

Now you and I must recognize that we need a strength beyond our own natural strength to become the people that God is asking us to be, especially in this present and the soon to come time. The apostle Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter four, verses two and three, part of verse two, he said, preach the word, be ready in season and out of season. Be ready to preach the word of God when it's a favorable time in society, when people are interested in the word of God, when it's fashionable maybe to be called a Christian. I remember that when I first came here 25 years ago to New York City, everybody was a born-again Christian.

Anybody remember that? Athletes were born again, politicians were born again, everybody. And it was a fashionable thing to be a born-again believer in Christ. So the word of God was in season. And now we're living at a time, in verse three says, for the time will come when they will not endure. Sound doctrine. In other words, a time will come has come in previous societies and we are entering into that time in our world today where people are no longer interested in truth. They're not interested in the word of God, they're not interested in the truth of God, they do not want any restrictions on their behavior, they want no borders, no boundaries, they want to call everything evil good and everything good evil. And it becomes very difficult for somebody like you and I, I'm not in the place that many of you are and you're in a work environment where it's very difficult to have even a biblical worldview now. The people around you will not endure.

I mean that one of the most loaded questions in the lunchroom right now or in the school system, whatever it is, is what's your viewpoint on traditional marriage? And you find yourself in a place where if you just even share your opinion, people are no longer willing to endure a biblical opinion on any topic, especially when it concerns morality or behaviors. Now if the time comes where people around will no longer listen, and it's probably very close to here or already here in some cases, the question you ask is then how do I share Christ with them? How do I preach?

You know Paul said preach the word, be ready in season and out of season. In other words there's a way to preach truth when it's a favorable moment in time and there's a way to preach when it's not favorable. And so you would ask me, well so how do I do that? How do I do that when it's gonna cost me just to even have a biblical worldview? And my answer to you is by living with open hands and an open heart. Therefore, therefore, verse 12, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the law and the prophets. How you would like them to treat you if they were in your position and you were in theirs, do that to them. If you were the one presenting contrary arguments to truth, if you were the one pushing the boundaries of behavior to the point where your behaviors are putting you in jeopardy of your own eternity with God. If you were in that position how would you want a genuine believer to respond to you or to treat you? You see this is the context of asking.

That's why it says ask and it will be given you. Seek you will find knock it shall be open to you. You know we look at those verses of Scripture and we're all thinking about ourselves aren't we? We're all thinking about well about me. Ask for more resources.

Ask for a better job. Ask for peace in my mind. And there's a measure of that. Of course I agree that's necessary in every life.

But the actual context of this is summed up in verse 12. Ask for what you need, the giftings of God, the heart of God, the hands of God. May I put it that way?

To be able to do to others in the treat others in the way you'd want them to treat you if you were in their position. And of course you and I both know this requires a strength beyond our own. I can't do it neither can you. Let's be honest about it. We can't do it.

We can't do it. Just think of that neighbor across the hall in your apartment building and put it in the context of the Scripture. You're there praying God get them out of here. My life would be so much better if you just get them out of here with their music and all the stuff that goes on. How wonderful my life would be if these people did not live across the hall or in the workplace. If that person was not at that desk beside.

Get her, get him out of here. My life would be so much simpler if that person wasn't here. You see it requires a strength to be given for people when the gospel is out of season. And it requires a strength that we don't have. It has to be Christ in us, the hope of glory. I don't know about you but when I first came to Christ loving my enemies was not high on my priority list.

I thought if I just let them continue walking down the street without bleeding all the way down the street then somehow I was winning a victory. Yet God was wanting to take it a whole lot farther than that. Take me into the pages of Scripture and it all begins with a new way of praying.

A different kind of prayer. You know when we're in our youthful stages of living as a Christian we're like children. And you know those of you who have raised children you understand this. It's all me, mine, give me. It's mine, it's mine, it's mine, it's mine, it's mine.

It's not yours, it's mine. And there's a measure of that when we are young in the Lord. Where it's just about my health and my future, my mind and my freedom.

And I get that. But there is a point where Christ is calling us into something a little deeper than being focused on ourselves. Now the Apostle James he says in chapter 4 verses 3 and 4. He says you ask and do not receive because you ask amiss that you may spend it on your pleasures. In other words there's a point where God's going to start saying no. When we go to prayer but it's just all about ourselves. It's all about my life, my future, my provision, my happiness. In other words I want the resource of God and I want it to spend it on myself. And I want to feel good.

Even coming to church on Sunday morning. Don't ask anything of me. Just tell me how wonderful I am. Don't ask me to give anything. Tell me today what I can get.

And that's what James is talking about. It's a kind of a life that's seeking God but it's not in the truest sense for the ultimate objective of what our life is supposed to be. We're asking, even today we're asking God give me this. Do this for me.

I'm asking you for this but it's really just for my pleasure. It's so that I can feel better and know and feel secure about my own future. And James goes on and says something phenomenally powerful even offensive if we didn't understand the heart of God. He says adulterers and adulteresses do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God. In other words this is the way the world lives. The world lives it's all about me.

I don't care about you it's about me. If I can use you for my benefit I will use you for my benefit but don't ask me to be given for you. And he calls it adultery in a sense because we are we are betrothed as the bride of Christ to the bridegroom and it betrays his heart. His heart was not to come and take from us but to give. God so loved the world what that he gave his only begotten Son. The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. And he told his own disciples he said as the Father has sent me now I'm sending you as the representatives of that heart as the bride in a sense of the bridegroom.

As ambassadors of another kingdom called heaven. Now that's why he says if if your whole prayer life and I'm talking about prayer again today if your whole prayer life is just about my future my safety my security my provision my freedom all of these things that's where your prayer life ends then you end up with a heart that's not in line with the one who called you and saved you and betrothed you. Now Luke chapter 11 let me show you where this kind of prayer begins. Luke chapter 11 beginning at verse 5 he said to them that's Jesus which of you shall have a friend and go to him at midnight and say friend lend me three loaves for a friend of mine has come to be on his journey and I have nothing to set before him and he will answer from within and say do not trouble me the door is now shut and my children are with me in bed I cannot rise to give to you. I say to you though he will not rise to give to him because he is his friend yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs so I say to you ask and it will be given you seek and you will find knock and it will be open remember it's the same thing same scripture we open with everyone who asks receives he who seeks finds that the Hebrew knocks it will be opened if a son asks for bread from any father among you will he give him a stone or if he asks for a fish will he give him a serpent instead of a fish or if he asks for an egg will he offer him a scorpion if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him so here's the context of asking the context of asking it begins when we choose to do something for someone else when it is no longer personally convenient for us that's where it all starts it's midnight that's not convenient where a friend comes to your house at midnight I don't know about you but I'd be inclined to say call me in the morning we'll go for breakfast we'll go down to Cracker Barrel and I'll buy you breakfast but you see the context is it's midnight it's a dark time it's a difficult time it's a hard time and this particular man has a friend that comes to him and he himself has nothing to eat he himself is probably hungry he has no bread in his house and it's midnight and a friend does come to him and he recognizes it's not about his own need he knocks at the door of the man with the supply not for his sake but for the sake of the man that came to him at midnight we have so many people living in the midnight hour now who are hungry they are starving for direction they're starving for life hope and a future and the fact that it's not being satisfied is driving them to anger it's driving them to division it's driving them to look to blame somebody but you and I have in our Christ the resource that God's willing to give us to feed the need of this hour praise be to God but it means that we have to go to the throne of grace and it's not about us anymore it's about them this is my prayer and I pray if we would God help me God help me for their sakes I'm not I'm not looking to sound good on the radio I'm looking to have something from heaven that causes people in their cars to begin to pray it causes people in their offices to begin to pray it causes people at home to begin to pray I'm asking you Lord for bread I'm asking you God for those three loaves the the compassion of the Father who sends his Son the power of the Holy Spirit to give life and the courage of the Son to go to the cross if necessary as it was of course that those who believe might have eternal life God help me God help me not for my sake but for their sakes this is the kind of prayer this is where it all begins this is how we start to be a people who are living with open hands and an open heart and it goes even deeper than that in Luke chapter 6 if you go there with me I wanted to show you now this is the place none of us can go none of us we can start to pray we can say God give me some bread give me some truth for others give me provision Lord so that I may pass it on to others but there's there are certain places that without the Holy Spirit without what God promises to give us we're never going to go there remember he said therefore whatever you want men to do to you do to them for this is the law and the prophets in other words everything that I've taught you to this point is saying to his disciples is summed up in this one statement now I say to you verse 27 Luke chapter 6 I say to you love your enemies it's not easy is it I don't know about you I can't do it I can't do it apart from the Holy Spirit I can't do it apart from the resource that God God has to love them through me I can't do it the Holy Spirit has to love them through me I know it's not possible go out and get a coffee for the person that's talking about you behind your back all the time lying about you do good to those across the hall may take them a cake if or do something just do good speak good words when they curse you bless those who curse you bless in New York City bless those who curse you you know it's not hard to get cursed on the streets here you can't walk from here to Penn Station without somebody cursing you on the street Jesus said now this is red letter bless them bless them can I pray for you pray for those who spitefully use you pray for them when you go home at night those that are are backstabbing you in the workplace those that are doing things to you that are not right the script says pray for them so here's two verses of Scripture and I know I can't go there without the Holy Spirit I can't and to him who strikes you on the one cheek offer the other also think about Christ think about the Son of God letting people slap his face now he's not asking us to do something he didn't do you understand the King of glory the God of all power he could have killed a whole bunch of them right on the spot he didn't even have to speak he just had to think it and he's asking us to do what he did but you and I know that without the power of the Holy Spirit we can't do that I can't do that you can't do that and him who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either in other words don't run after him down the street yelling please please help give to everyone who asks of you and to him who takes away your goods do not ask them back and just as you want men to do to you remember that scripture remember at the end of ask sake knock and just as you want men to do to you you also do to them likewise if you love those who love you what credit is that to you for even sinners love those who love them if you do good to those who do good to you what credit is that to you for even sinners do the same if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back what credit is that to you for even sinners lend to sinners and receive as much back but love your enemies do good and land hoping for nothing in return and your reward will be great and you will be sons of the Most High for his kind to the unthankful and the evil he is kind to the unthankful and the evil therefore be merciful just as your father also was merciful verse 37 judge not and you will not be judged condemn not and you will not be condemned forgive and you will be forgiven give and it will be given to you good measure press down shaken together and running over will be put into your bosom for with the same measure that you use it will be measured back to you let me just encapsulate what we've just read he says love your enemies do good to those who hate you bless those who curse you pray for those who spitefully use you somebody strikes you on the cheek offer him the other one give to him of asks of you do to others as you'd have them do unto you love your enemies do good land hoping for nothing in return in other words you could you could lend kindness you can lend good words you can just just land be a giver and not a taker be merciful as your father also is merciful don't judge don't condemn but forgive and you will be forgiven then he says give and it will be given you give these things give this kindness of God let the kindness of God be expressed through your life and it will be given to you good measure pressed down shaken together and running over will be put into your bosom in other words God says if you're willing to give these things out to others I will give them to you in such a measure you can't even contain it I will pour back into you if you're willing if you squeak out mercy I'll squeak mercy back into you if you generously give it you will generously receive that's what he's saying give and it will be given to you praise be to God press down shaking together running over put into your bosom in your heart that's your bosom it'll be put into your heart the more you choose to give and that God says I will pour into you I will pour through you I will take you into places you can't even hope to go in your own strength I will make you a vessel through whom I God says I through him I can preach the gospel in this last hour of time you don't even need to use words it will be me preaching through you it will be me reaching out through you it'd be me forgiving through you the beauty of this whole thing is that God's not asking us to do anything on our own he says if you ask of me I'll pour into you and I will pour out through you the same grace that sent me to a cross for you I will do it through your life and so now we go back to where we open ask and it will be given you seek and you will find knock and it shall be open to you everyone who asks everyone you and me receives and he who seeks finds and the him who knocks it will be open folks we have to ask now we've got to prepare for the day we're now in and moving into a day of hostility towards the things of God a day when God's people are going to be called revilers and bigots and haters and dividers a day when you will be vilified a day when it's going to be very difficult and we are going to need this incredible grace of God pouring through our lives and it will be a testimony of Christ remember it can't get any worse than when Jesus walked here 2,000 years ago when it seemed the whole of society is crying out crucify him take him away we will not have this man to reign over us that's the thanks he got for healing the sick delivering the oppressed even raising the dead for doing nothing but kindness to people everywhere he went that's the thanks this society gave him but yet when he went to a cross some of the most powerful words recorded in Scripture is when he said father forgive them they don't know what they do we have an availability through the Holy Spirit to operate in the same spirit in our day and I remind you that going to the cross changed the course of history we don't remember a lot of names back then but we do remember the name of Jesus Christ the Son of God a lot of people in this generation may not remember your name but they will remember your kindness they will remember your forgiveness they will remember your good deeds they will remember that you were the one who blessed them when they were cursing you and who knows but the God will turn in some of these people's lives and leave a blessing behind him and lead them to the saving knowledge of who he is and what he has done for them so I say to you ask and it would be given you seek and you will find knock and it will be open everyone who asked receives and he who seeks finds into him who knocks it will be open what man is there among you if his son asked for bread will he give him a stone or if he asked for a fish will he give him a serpent if you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him and of course the other passage dealing with the same discourse says how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him my cry is the same as yours Lord Jesus Christ through us extend your hands and extend your heart to your enemies into ours as you once did for me when I was your enemy praise be to God the message today has been brought to you by Carter Conlon pastor of Times Square Church for more information log on to tscnyc.org that's tscnyc.org plan to be with us next week for a call to the nation with Carter Conlon