Untitled Sermon

ASK

[Slide 1- semi-blank]

Introduction:

I’m sure most of us know the story of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens[1]. Probably the film ‘Oliver’[2] that came out in 1968 is even more well known. Remember that scene where Oliver is in the workhouse. Having had his inadequate meal he comes up and asks for more. The man in charge, called I believe the Beadle, says ‘more, more’. In a voice that says how dare you ask for more. And it reminds Oliver that he is a pauper in a poor house.

[Slide 2 – More more!]

So as God’s children are we paupers in a poor house.

[Slide 3 – Paupers]

OR are we

God’s precious children in His house of love, grace and above all provision.

[Slide 4 – His Children/house]

Remember we are all in Jesus God’s precious children. Everyone of us here to today is a precious child of God who is our parent, who is represent by God the Father represents to us. He loves each one of us as much as He loves Jesus. We are not therefore children in a poor house. Nor is God a mean God who doesn’t delight to bless us. No He is a God who loves to bless us abundantly, in Jesus and through His Spirit. So, let us bear that in mind as we think about this talk today.

Main Start

So, this morning I want us to look at how we ask God or ways of communicating or meeting with God. The passage that we read contains this paragraph:

[Slide 5 – Matthew 7:7]

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are 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! Matthew 7: 7-11 ESV

So this morning let us think about Asking, Seeking & Knocking

[Slide 6 – Blue Stripe]

THEN [Slides 7-9 – ASK; SEEK; KNOCK;]

Ø Ask

Ø Seek

Ø Knock

[Slide 10 – Title KNOCK]

ASK

So Jesus said Ask and it will be given. Without getting into the details of the Greek language and its grammar: it would better be translated as:

Continually Go on Asking

For God will continually go on answering.

[Slide 11 Ask continually]

As we also think about seeking and knocking we need to remember that these are on-going continuous actions as well. Many of the verbs – the action words – are in this form.

So Paul says effectively in Ephesians: Continually work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God who works within you to act towards His good purposes. Philippians 2:12. Or Paul says in Ephesians: Go on being being-filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:19

When we mention asking our minds immediately go to prayer. We need to remember that prayer is part of our intimate relationship with God. For the LORD is our heavenly parent who loves us. In close intimate relationships one person speaks and the other listens. Then the other speaks person speaks and the original person listens. But maybe in our individually prayer life and corporate prayer life do we do too much talking and not enough listening? Sometimes when I go to some Christian meetings where we pray it feels like we almost immediately going into lifting up needs to God that are out agenda. Personally I feel that it is good to start praying by addressing love and acknowledging Him.

Our youngest granddaughter at the moment is very affectionate and loves to sit on Sue’s lap and she gives her kiss on the cheek and says, ‘I love you Nanny’. She also gives me a kiss, but it is a bit like an Exocet missile launching itself at my cheek. Then as I am shaking for the encounter she tells me she loves Granddad.

[Slide 12 Love Mummy]

Why don’t we start our time of pray by telling God how much we love Him and adore Him? Not just thanking Him for what He has done of the sunshine that day, for instance. But worshiping Him by acknowledging His greatness, glory and all the other amazing aspects of who He is and above all His love.

This is one of the golden oldie songs we used to sing at the beginning of meetings sometime ago:

I LOVE YOU, LORD, and I lift my voice

To worship You, O my soul rejoice.

Take joy, my King, in what You hear,

May it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear[3].

[Slide 13 Love You Lord ]

Intercessory prayer is very important but let us think how we ask and what we ask for. Let us tune in to God's heart and his kingdom thoughts through the Spirit. And when we ask him for things let us above all express such request with our love of the LORd in our hearts. Let us also think about how do we ask? There is a word that has crept into our praying particularly our asking and it is the word just.

We say things like if you could just bless us or if you could just give us!! If you would justbless us O Lord! Father if you will just heal our brother or sister from their illness. O Lord if you could just bring peace to this country we are praying for. That sounds as if we don’t think we deserve God to answer us or that He is as God who is mean towards us.

[Slide 14 – Just Just Just]

I had this picture once of God having an infinite reservoir in heaven of grace and blessing.

[Slide 15 – Reservoir - Heaven ]

Then us as His children standing underneath it. And we pray, “O Lord, if you could just bless us”. The Lord says ok my children here is a small drop of My blessing.

[Slide 16/17 – Just/Drop ]

I thank God, that in the Christian faith and history we have the Pentecostal movement and people. For, maybe we should pray as they would pray. They would pray O Lord pour your blessing upon us. Or even open up the heavens and pour your blessing upon your people

[Slide 18 – Pentecostal Prayer ]

The Lord would say “wonderful my children I am opening up the doors of heaven and pouring my blessing down upon you like a mighty Niagara waterfall”.

[Slide 19 Niagra of Blessing ]

For remember Paul says in Ephesians chapter 1: that God lavishes His grace upon us. Ephesians 1:8 I don’t feel I hear any if only you could just give us some Grace O LORD!

SEEK

[Slide 20 Title - Seek ]

Jesus also invites to seek. The text actually says to continually seek for we will continually find.

Slide 21 Seek Continually ]

But what are we seeking for? Our consumer society often tells us to seek for wealth or possessions. To want the latest thing. Everything has to be exciting and scintillating. We are also told to aim for success. Success or achievement is what it is all about. Sometimes I feel that some Christians tell us that following Jesus is about being successful. So let us think about the things we should seek for in our lives.

Here is one of the sayings when Jesus let us know what we can seek for. He says:

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

[Slide 22 Seek Kingdom of God ]

This is in the previous chapter to where Jesus tells us to Ask, Seek and Knock. If you read then you will see the context for all these other things is food and clothing etc. The things we need to live and take care of ourselves physically.

Jesus also says: My kingdom is not of this world. John 8:36

So we can see that seeking Jesus Kingdom is very different to what the world would teach us to seek for.

Another thing that we can seek for is God’s presence. I love reading the Psalms. When I have been reading from other books in the Bible, I often go back to reading some of the Psalms. I often use some verses from Psalm 27 at the start of my time with the Lord in the morning. Here is part of that Psalm:

One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple. Ps 27:4. ESV

Remember to the Jews at that time the House of the Lord was another name for the Temple. Paul tells us

… that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you. 1 Co 6:19–7:1. ESV

God now dwells or abides in us through His Spirit. So the Psalmist is pointing us to the seeking of God himself who lives within us. The Lord through His Spirit is in each one of us here this morning. So, we can seek the Lord who lives within us. The Psalmist says, ‘to inquire in His temple’. The word inquire in Hebrew has the sense of to examine, to attend to or reflect on. So, we are encouraged to seek the Lord. To seek the Lord who lives in us. Such seeking means we should attend to it and examine what it means for us. It also encourages us to reflect on the Lord who lives in us. This is all one aspect of to be continually seeking.

KNOCK

[Slide 23 Title - Knock ]

Finally Jesus says Knock continually and it will be continuously opened to you. Some of my friends know that from time to time I go to Chelmsford Cathedral to their Eucharist. One of the staff is Canon Ivor Moody. Sometime ago he was giving a talk on Thomas and dealing with doubt. I don’t know about you but sometimes something will stand out, strike you and stay in your mind. Near the end of the talk he said:

Keep on knocking on heaven’s door.

[Slide 24 Keep on Knocking on Heaven’s Door ]

In other words as Jesus said go on Continually Knocking on Heaven’s Door

One of the parables Jesus told was the women and a judge who neither feared God or respected others. Then a widow kept coming to judge crying out for justice against an adversary. At first the judge refused but when she was persistent he eventually he gave her justice. Luke 18:1-8 ESV

[Slide 25 – Parable and Judge ]

This is not a picture of God’s nature but about persistence. It says in the Gospel:

[Slide 26 - Persistence]

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. Luke 18:1

In other words go on asking and seeking continually.

So let’s keep on knocking on the door of heaven. Let’s think about whose door it is and who will answer or come through the door. I love reading the Psalms. Psalm 24 has a great section in it that illuminates this knocking on heaven’s door. The Psalmist writes:

Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.

[Slide 27 – Lift up O Gates]

Then he asks, ‘Who is this King of Glory?’ He gives the answer, ‘The LORD of hosts he is the King of Glory’. Ps 24:6–10. NRSV

[Slide 28 - King of Glory]

The Lord, Jesus the King of Kings is behind the door we are knocking on, It opens up to the amazing Love of God our Father – our loving parent. We need to remember that He is our parent and He loves us. But He is all great in Holiness Majesty and Power.

So let us continually keep knocking on the door of heaven. The door that a gives entrance into our lives of the King of Kings, the King of Glory. Jesus will come to us continually through His Spirit as we continually knock on His door.

CONCLUSION

[Slide 29 – Ask; Seek; Knock - continuously]

So let us Ask continuously, seek continuously and knock on heaven’s door continuously. Only we can do this, no one else can do this for us or on our behalf. So let’s be bold before God’s throne. Let us also be adventurous. It is so easy to keep doing things the same way when we approach God or ask Him, seek Him or Knock on His door. Remember we are all different. The way I ask, seek and knock might not work for you. So find the ways that work for you in approaching God as you Ask, Seek and Knock. Try something different. As long as we keep our eyes on Jesus and flow in the Holy Spirit it isn’t that important how we do these things. There is no right way and wrong way there is your way in Jesus of doing them. Be creative in your asking, seeking and knocking and keep on doing them continuously.

When I first started following Jesus, my church said we need to have Quiet Time or QT as it was called. And it sounded as if one should have that in the morning. It was almost prescribed that you read your Bible from your Bible reading notes and then read what they said about the passage. Then you did said your prayers.

As I have become older I have learnt to try different ways to seek God and feed upon His word. I have also put being aware of His presence as vital. To this end I have experimented in how I read the Bible or pray. There are so many different ways to read the Bible or pray. So be adventurous. Try something different.

Just as we need to individually do these things; so as God’s people we need to keep on asking, seeking and knocking on heaven’s door. Let us be bold and creative as His people. Be willing to try new ways and be adventurous. Again, it is so easy to keep doing things the same way.

When I first became a Christian and joined the Anglican church I thought their motto was:

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be; world without end.[4]

I thought I would be using the Tudor English of the 1662 BCP even when I was older. Thank goodness the Church of England has brought in Common Worship written in more modern English. Heaven help us if we change the amazing Good News of Jesus but let us be fresh and dynamic within His Kingdom in our asking, seeking and knocking continously. Above all as we are adventurous let us be fully open to God’s Spirit.

<<Prayer - Silence>>

Word Count 2500 approx. – so time = 15-20 minutes

[1] Oliver Twist was the second novel by Charles Dickens. It was initially published in monthly instalments that began in February of 1837 and ended in April of 1839. [2] Oliver! (1968) - IMDb [3] Laurie Klein. Copyright © 1978 Maranatha! Music/Adm. by CopyCare. [4] BCP Morning Prayer