Knocking on heaven's door.
Notes
Transcript
Ask, Seek, Knock
Ask, Seek, Knock
In the beginning of the end of the sermon on the mount, Jesus offers some encouraging and instructive words about the nature and love of God.
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
8 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
9 “Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?
10 “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
11 “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 what is good to those who ask Him!
12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Can we get real for a second?
Can we get real for a second?
I wish these verses meant what we all want them to mean. I wish I could tell you that you can pluck these verses out of the context that Jesus meant them and apply them to every aspect of our lives.
I wish that when I ask for a new motorcycle, God puts one in my garage. When I seek out a clear path through trouble, He provides the a clear picture of a road map from A to B. I wish I could tell you that when you knock on a the door of that new, higher paying job, because God loves you so much, He will throw that door wide open.
But I can’t.
I wish that I could tell you when I ask the unselfish, prayer that he would stop and reverse the terrible disease that has gripped my step father, that has taken his independence, ability to effectively communicate, his dignity and left unchecked eventually his life., that He will do it.
I have prayed it, but he hasn’t done it.
See, when we take these verses out of the context in which they were meant, and try and put them into every situation to where we want them to apply, we are often disappointed.
Have you ever been disappointed that God hasn’t kept his end of the bargin?
Disappointed that you didn’t get what you asked for, didn’t find what you sought, and had that door slammed in you face?
When you misapply these verses, and are disappointed, you start to fall into a trap. A trap that has only three possible conclusions.
God doesn’t really love you.
God can’t be relied on to keep his word.
God doesn’t really exist.
Truth
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds;
There is no one who does good.
So this morning, we will put these verses in their true context.
Persistance
Persistance
Ask - Keep asking
Seek - Keep asking
Knock - Keep knocking.
I read about a politician that at age 21 he failed at business. Interested in public service, he threw his hat in the ring of a legislative race at 22, but was defeated. He failed in another business at age 24. Suffered the loss of the woman he loved at 26. Had a nervous breakdown at age 27. Lost a congressional race at 34. Lost a senatorial race at age 45. Lost another senatorial race at age 49, but finally at age 52 Abraham Lincoln was elected as president.
I read about a politician that at age 21 he failed at business. Interested in public service, he threw his hat in the ring of a legislative race at 22, but was defeated. He failed in another business at age 24. Suffered the loss of the woman he loved at 26. Had a nervous breakdown at age 27. Lost a congressional race at 34. Lost a senatorial race at age 45. Lost another senatorial race at age 49, but finally at age 52 Abraham Lincoln was elected as president.
He was persistent.
One commentator said about this passage it is a picture of a child with his mother. If she is there with him, he will ask, and continue to ask. If she is not visible, he will seek for her until he finds her. And if she is behind a door he cannot open, he will knock and knock and knock until she opens it.
Context
Context
It is about you, but its not all about you.
The disciples had just asked him how to pray. Jesus tells them first how not to pray, then gives them a model of prayer.
Here He is telling them to pray persistently, and trust that God loves you enough to give what is good.
Father: fish/stone bread/rock
Verse 11 tells us that. God will give us what is good.
13 “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?”
James puts this in perspective for us.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Paul in the book of Romans, drives the point even further.
5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
Its about you, but its not all about you.
Jesus is telling His disciples, and by extension those of us that are His disciples… that God will give us everything that we ask for, that equips us for His service.
Keep asking for the forgiveness of sins
Keep seeking His kingdom
Keep knocking, with persistence, on Heaven’s door.
And you will receive all that you need to be His witness.
Assurance of salvation, forgiveness of sins, promise of His Kingdom, and yes even our daily sustenance.
Where is your focus?
Christianity comes with a great retirement package and plenty of earthly perks.....like his peace.
But understand: You may choose a particular job for its perks and retirement, but you don’t choose to work for those things. You choose to work because if you don’t you believe you will starve and die.
If you got talked into Christianity because of the benefits of Christianity, you don’t understand the Gospel and most likely aren’t saved, and will only see these verses as a way to blackmail God into giving what you want.
The true believer sought Christ because they knew they were dying and going to hell and needed a savior. And their focus is on getting from God whatever equips them to fulfill His will in their lives.
Todd White is being talked about in the Christian circles because he repented and admitted he hasn’t been preaching the whole gospel. The Truth is, he was preaching a false gospel.
And I sincerely pray that it is true repentance.
In his sermon last Sunday he retold a story of two men on a plane.
1. parachute would improve the quality of their flight.
2. You are going to have to jump out of the plane and the parachute will keep you from dying.
How do you come to the cross? As a spoiled child with a sense of entitlement or as a begger in the presence of the Kind?
The prodigal son came back with a servants heart and was received as a son.
The Golden Rule
The Golden Rule
12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
If this passage is about how to get what you want from God, then why put the Golden rule here?
BUT
Since this passage is about how you can be fully equipped by God to do His work. Jesus is telling us now that we are equipped, Go do the Word.