Ask, Seek, Knock

 Read Matthew 7:7-8

We begin this year and this series on the words of Jesus with something not so restrictive—no thou shalt nots.  We begin with something not too sacrificial—no real pain involved.

We begin with something that seems to be mostly about us.

Jesus began what we label as chapter 7 with counsel against condemning judgment.  He concluded this short pericope with some interesting words—don’t cast your pearls before swine.

That’s an interesting one.  How about don’t expend your best on something of no value.  In context, it would be quit wasting your time and energy finding faults in others and work on yourselves.

But how do we work on ourselves.  We know from last week that we are to put the words of Jesus into practice and this week those words are ask, seek, and knock.

Here is the scripture again.

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.

Jesus tells us to participate in our own success.  Think about what you need and ask him for it.  He wants to give you what you need.

He tells us to seek.  That means to go after the thing that we have asked him for—put some effort into this. We are collaborating with God in getting what we need.

We are not just recipients. We are also participants.

Finally, he says to knock.  There will be a time to realize the thing that you asked for and have been seeking.  Don’t wimp out at the last minute.  You found the door to what you seek, now knock.

Ask, seek, knock seem reasonable, but what if we ask for something that isn’t what we need? It’s good to read beyond these two verses.

Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

The basic reading reminds us that if our kids ask for something good, we won’t give them something bad or burdensome. There is, however, more to these scriptures. 

The heart of these scriptures tells us that if we who can’t figure out which way is up can give good things to our kids, don’t you think our Father in heaven knows what we need and what to give us?

So, if we ask for something that doesn’t get us closer to God, the answer might just be, to ask for something else.

Spend a little time figuring out just what we ought to be asking for in the first place.  If you need a church term for that, then call it a time of discernment.

Do you remember when God told Solomon to ask him for what he wanted? Solomon said, I'm only a kid. I need wisdom and discernment.

God told Solomon that because he had asked for something other than what would be selfish gratification, God would grant him what he asked for and would add status and wealth.  He told him that if he would obey his commands, he would be given a long life as well.

Solomon knew what he needed.  He asked God for what he needed.  What he asked for was not to gratify himself but to enable him to serve God in the position that he had been given.

Spend a little time discerning what we should ask for.  Then ask.

Once we know we have asked God for something we need, then pursue it. Go after it. Participate in your own success.

Salvation is a gift. It is 100% from God. Discipleship requires our participation.  Seek after the thing that you told God you needed.

Don’t be surprised when you come to the door that when opened gives you what you need.  Don’t hesitate. Knock!

Knock and the door will be opened to you. Be ready for God to give you the things that you need just because your realized that you need them, you put some real effort into seeking them, and when the time was right, you completed the process and knocked on the door.

How do we put these words of Jesus into practice?

We want to draw near to God.

We want to be known as his disciple by our love.

We want to take good news to the world—at least part of it.

We want to realize the fullness of life that Jesus promised.

So, figure out what you need to draw closer to God or to be known by your love or to share the good news, and ask God for it.

Then start doing the things you need to do to realize what you asked for.  Expect that God is also working to make this happen. We are participants not just recipients.

When the day comes that you can realize the very thing that you asked for and sought after, seize the day.

What then?

Repeat. Ask, seek, knock.

There is always something that we need as we draw nearer to God. There is something that we need to be better known as his disciple by our love. There is something that we need to take the good news to the world.

So, ask, seek, and knock.

God wants to give us good things. In fact, he will likely give you more than you asked for. He is a generous God.

So ask for things that draw you closer to God.

Ask for things to help you do the things that he told you to do.

Some requests may be more complicated than others. Asking for God’s peace and seeking it and receiving it, might be something that comes in the moment of asking. It seems like you don’t even have to seek or knock.

If you think you need a 4-year degree to do what God has called you to do, that’s probably going to take a few years and continued prayer.

If you think that you want to be a United States Marine, spend some time in discernment before you ask to make sure that is where God wants to use you. Once you begin that journey, you will need a lot of seeking.

Understand that you will have trouble in the world. We are told to take heart—to take courage—for Jesus has overcome the world.

In this world full of trouble, God wants to give you exactly what you need, and more.

So, ask, seek, and knock.

 

Amen.

Lost and Found

 Read Luke 15

This chapter has three stories given in response to the Pharisees and teachers of the law noting that Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors. Did you ever stop to think about those designations?

Sinners—we get that.  Those were the lawless people who couldn’t keep the rules.  They broke God’s rules.

But tax collectors—why not lump them in with the sinners and just label the whole lot as sinners? Perhaps it was not God’s law they were breaking but the human culture of the Jews. These people were helping the Romans.  They were traitors. They were breaking man’s law, at least the unwritten ones by which we condemn others.

In any case, the Pharisees and teachers of the law declared that Jesus was associating with the wrong people. Those people don’t run in the right circles.

Jesus replied with three stories that I would label Lost and Found.

First, a shepherd is missing one of his sheep.  He had one hundred and now has only ninety-nine. He could be content with a one-percent loss, but he is not.

He goes out looking for his lost sheep.  The other sheep are left to themselves momentarily while the shepherd goes looking.

When he finds it, he rejoices in the moment and tells all of his friends.  He found his lost sheep and he is bringing him back home.

Some people substitute Jesus for the shepherd. Don’t do that.  Let Jesus tell the story so that we have a greater understanding.  Jesus says what if one of you had one hundred sheep…

He is giving a human example to make his heavenly point. It’s a parable in this way.  Jesus set the things that we understand in this world alongside those things he wants us to understand about his Father and his kingdom.

What did Jesus explain about the kingdom of Heaven? That when one lost soul is found or comes home there is much rejoicing in heaven.  In God’s kingdom, those whom the Pharisees labeled sinners are just lost.  They have drifted away.

Their lifestyle is not godly. From God’s perspective, they are not the focus of disdain but souls in need of rescue. God sent his Son to save us not condemn us.

There is rejoicing at the rescue of a single person!

Jesus told the same story but used a woman and her ten coins.  Again when her lost coin was found, there was much celebrating.

‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Sheep and coins are great examples, but the next story—parable if you will—uses a father and son. The younger son is anxious to experience the world.  He doesn’t want to wait for Dad to die to get his share of the estate.  He asked for it now.

Dad obliged and the younger son went out and sold what he had and then spent the money foolishly.  He lived the life for a while but soon was broke.

There was famine in the country where he was living and he was broke.  He got a job feeding pigs but the pigs ate better than he did.  Reality hit him and hit him hard.

If he was working as a servant for his father, he would be better off than he was now. He knew he couldn’t just go home but he might be able to convince his father to hire him as a servant.

He decided that is what he would do. He was rehearsing a speech that he would give his dad about how he had sinned against God and against his own father. Maybe he could convince his own father whom he had declared as good as dead by asking for his part of the estate, to hire him as a servant.

This young man never got the chance to finish his speech and ask for a job.  Dad spotted him while he was still a long way off and ran to him.  He wasn’t running so he could tell him I told you so. He was welcoming his son—his lost son—back home.

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Everyone was happy! Well, not really everyone—the older son was furious.  He had played by the rules all of his life and now his own father welcomes this kid back as family.  That’s unfair!  Why does he care for him?

Did he forget that this no good, prostitute-loving, son of his (not brother of mine but son of his father) squandered all of your money and considered you dead to him.

We see the disdain of the Pharisees clearly in the anger of the older son.

But what was Dad’s answer?

‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

This last parable is not really about the wayward ways of one son and the steadfast ways of the other.  It’s about the unbounded love of the father, a father who would love a son who loved his father’s money more than his father.

This is about how great our Father’s love is. If a human father can show this much love, how much more will your Father in heaven love you—even the you who was once lost.

We can look down upon those who are lost or we can continue our efforts to reach them.

Many in our country, even in our own towns and counties here in the Bible Belt, are still lost. They say they know Jesus. They think they are saved. They don’t want to take on the yoke of the One who should be their Master, but they give lip service to him.

There are people who say that one religion is as good as another. It doesn’t matter Just pick one.  They all get you to heaven or nirvana or you get to come back as a goat in the next life.  What does it matter?

There are plenty of people who just do not believe there is a God. At least they have convinced themselves there isn’t.

Our choice is to view them like the Pharisees as someone outside of our circle and undeserving of God’s love or to see them as souls in need of rescue.

With people, you can’t just throw them over your shoulder like a sheep and bring them home. You can’t just put a person back into the stack of coins.

We must reach out and invite people to know the Lord. We must be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.

We must be known by our love.

We must have eyes to see those who do not know the Lord as lost and not as enemies.

There is a whole bunch of celebrating going on in heaven when one sinner repents and comes to the Lord. That is how we should see those who do not know the Lord.

They are opportunities for celebration.

We don’t do this alone. God’s own Spirit goes with us wherever we go and we are told there will be a time when he will pour out his Spirit upon this world.

God desires that none perish and that all come to life in Christ Jesus.

There are very few churches that have not struggled in this century.  The pandemic or plandemic, however, you see it, surely made things worse.

But we must be ready to receive those who will come in response to God’s Spirit leading them to life. We must be ready to celebrate every soul that comes to salvation as a victory for the kingdom of God.

We as the body of Christ must also be ready to disciple them. That means that we say let’s walk together as we grow nearer our Lord.

A football player scores a touchdown and then has a five-minute dance in celebration.  Don’t you think that one lost person who comes to know the Lord is worth a celebration?

We are very welcoming and celebratory when we have a profession of faith or a baptism, but we must be on the lookout for those who are still lost.

We don’t see the lost as targets of our human condemnation but as people in need of rescue.

Many are lost. Some will be found—they will home come.

We will celebrate.

Let’s look down on no one but take the good news and a sincere invitation to know the Lord to everyone.

We had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.

Many are in need of a relationship with God. Let’s take them the good news and be ready to receive them in fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Each person who comes is cause for celebration.

Amen.

A Heart for Rescue

 Read Luke 15

It’s human nature to look down on others. In our minds, we can always convince ourselves that we are better than someone in some way.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law had their inner circles that others were not invited within.  They also defined the outer circles.  There were lepers and the unclean.  They had no business hanging out with these most righteous leaders.

And then there were the tax collectors. They didn’t really violate God’s law but they were traitors to their own people.  Nobody needed to be hanging out with them.  This was self-inflicted exile as far as the righteous were concerned.

And then there were the sinners.  They didn’t obey God’s laws.  Maybe they tried and maybe they didn’t but they fell short and no righteous person would hang out with them.

That is, no righteous person except the most righteous of all, Jesus.  Jesus went where he wanted and talked with whom he pleased and that included sinners, tax collectors, and those afflicted with disease.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law considered him to be very much out of bounds as far as righteous living went.  Jesus had a different perspective for them and for us.

God wants us to be an intimate part of his family. He wants us close. He promises that when we draw near to him, he draws near to us.

There is a heaven and there is a hell and God wants us in heaven, for eternity.

So when we stray from his path—you remember God’s way and everything else—he doesn’t discount us and discard us and disown us, he considers us lost and in need of rescue.

Jesus used three parables—The Lost Sheep, The Lost Coin, and The Lost Son to make his point.  And his point is simple.

If we who are flawed humans can rejoice over finding a lost sheep or a lost coin or the return of a lost son, how much more does God and all in his kingdom rejoice when a sinner repents and comes home to God.

We understand rejoicing in heaven.  What we struggle with is rejoicing as we strive to live in God’s kingdom now. 

If someone has wronged us, our human nature wants us to look down on them.

If someone is just outright living without a moral compass, we must be better than they are.

If someone is outside of our circle, they must be less of a person than we are.

We can be so like the Pharisees in so many ways. We can look to exclude. We can look to disqualify. We can look to discard, all the while thinking we are in good stead with our heavenly Father.

But disqualification is not our objective. Rescue is our mission. We are to reach the lost with the good news of life in Jesus Christ and pray that all respond to the Holy Spirit.

We often look at the lost sheep and the lost coin and the lost son but forget the lesson we find in the older son who stayed with his father.

He kept the rules. He worked like a slave. He walked the narrow path and he was angry that his father loved his brother even after all that he had done.

The Pharisees and teachers of the law walked the straight and narrow but they never understood the heart of God. God desires none to perish. He desires all to come home—regardless of what they have done.

God desires all to return to the fold and he desires us to welcome them home—regardless of what they have done.

We could read Luke 15 and say that’s cool, knocked out 3 parables today or we could say God, please give me eyes to see the lost as those in need of rescue.

God provision me for the rescue mission that you have given me.

God grant me the charity in your heart that I may love those who are different from me or who have offended me or who I just don’t like.

We can read this chapter and just catalog the lessons or we can be moved to rescue all that we can.

I hope we have the heart of one who will rescue the lost.

I hope we will be a part of the celebration in heaven when a sinner repents.

I hope that we receive and live with the heart of God.

Amen.

 

Ask - Seek - Knock

 Read Matthew 7:7-8

We begin this year and this series on the words of Jesus with something not so restrictive—no thou shalt nots.  We begin with something not too sacrificial—no real pain involved.

We begin with something that seems to be mostly about us.

Jesus began what we label as chapter 7 with counsel against condemning judgment.  He concluded this short pericope with some interesting words—don’t cast your pearls before swine.

That’s an interesting one.  How about don’t expend your best on something of no value.  In context, it would be quit wasting your time and energy finding faults in others and work on yourselves.

But how do we work on ourselves?  We know from last week that we are to put the words of Jesus into practice and this week those words are ask, seek, and knock.

Here is the scripture again.

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.

Jesus tells us to participate in our own success.  Think about what you need and ask him for it.  He wants to give you what you need.

He tells us to seek.  That means to go after the thing that we have asked him for—put some effort into this. We are collaborating with God in getting what we need.

We are not just recipients. We are also participants.

Finally, he says to knock.  There will be a time to realize the thing that you asked for and have been seeking.  Don’t wimp out at the last minute.  You found the door to what you seek, now knock.

Ask, seek, knock seem reasonable, but what if we ask for something that isn’t what we need? It’s good to read beyond these two verses.

Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

The basic reading reminds us that if our kids ask for something good, we won’t give them something bad or burdensome. There is, however, more to these scriptures. 

The heart of these scriptures tells us that if we who can’t figure out which way is up can give good things to our kids, don’t you think our Father in heaven knows what we need and what to give us?

So, if we ask for something that doesn’t get us closer to God, the answer might just be, ask for something else.

Spend a little time figuring out just what we ought to be asking for in the first place.  If you need a church term for that, then call it a time of discernment.

Do you remember when God told Solomon to ask him for what he wanted? Solomon said, I only a kid. I need wisdom and discernment.

God told Solomon that because he had asked for something other than what would be selfish gratification, God would grant him what he asked for and would add status and wealth.  He told him that if he would obey his commands, he would be given a long life as well.

Solomon knew what he needed.  He asked God for what he needed.  What he asked for was not to gratify himself but to enable him to serve God in the position that he had been given.

Spend a little time in discerning what we should ask for.  Then ask.

Once we know we have asked God for something we need, then pursue it. Go after it. Participate in your own success.

Salvation is a gift. It is 100% from God. Discipleship requires our participation.  Seek after the thing that you told God you needed.

Don’t be surprised when you come to the door that when opened gives you what you need.  Don’t hesitate. Knock!

Knock and the door will be opened to you. Be ready for God to give you the things that you need just because you realized that you need them, you put some real effort into seeking them, and when the time was right, you completed the process and knocked on the door.

How do we put these words of Jesus into practice?

We want to draw near to God.

We want to be known as his disciple by our love.

We want to take good news to the world—at least part of it.

We want to realize the fullness of life that Jesus promised.

So, figure out what you need to draw closer to God or to be known by your love or to share the good news, and ask God for it.

Then start doing the things you need to do to realize what you asked for.  Expect that God is also working to make this happen. We are participants not just recipients.

When the day comes that you can realize the very thing that you asked for and sought after, seize the day.

What then?

Repeat. Ask, seek, knock.

There is always something that we need as we draw nearer to God. There is something that we need to be better known as his disciple by our love. There is something that we need to take the good news to the world.

So, ask, seek, and knock.

God wants to give us good things. In fact, he will likely give you more than you asked for. He is a generous God.

So ask for things that draw you closer to God.

Ask for things to help you do the things the he told you to do.

Some requests may be more complicated than others. Asking for God’s peace and seeking it and receiving it, might be something that comes in the moment of asking. It seems like you don’t even have to seek or knock.

If you think you need a 4-year degree to do what God has called you to do, that’s probably going to take a few years and continued prayer.

If you think that you want to be a United States Marine, spend some time in discernment before you ask to make sure that is where God wants to use you. Once you begin that journey, you will need a lot of seeking.

Understand that you will have trouble in the world. We are told to take heart—to take courage—for Jesus has overcome the world.

In this world full of trouble, God wants to give you exactly what you need, and more.

So, ask, seek, and knock.

 

Amen.