Ask, Seek, Knock.

Jake Morris

[0:02] Music

[0:08] Well good morning everyone. You can have a seat. [0:11] If you do not know who I am, my name is Jake and I serve on staff here at Village as the Youth Director. [0:16] And I am excited to go open up God’s Word with you this morning. [0:20] If you haven’t read the Bible, it’s going to be in Matthew 7, 7 through 11. [0:23] As you’re turning there, I just want to get a quick shout out if you are a student, [0:27] middle, high school, or the parent of a middle or high school student.

[0:31] We would love to have you come out on Sunday nights for our youth ministry. [0:34] We’re here at the building at 6 o’clock each Sunday. [0:37] The thing I love about our youth ministry is that we have some of the most fun times I can imagine. [0:41] But the best time that I have each Sunday night is getting into God’s Word with the students [0:47] and talking to them through different phases of life. [0:50] If you’re in middle school, let me just talk to you real quick. It’s tough.

[0:53] Middle school is awkward and weird. [0:56] And if you survive that, I truly believe you can survive anything in your life. [1:00] And what does the gospel mean for you in middle school? [1:03] How does the gospel transform your life as a middle school student? [1:07] As a high school student, as you’re transitioning closer to college, [1:10] what do you do with your life?

[1:11] How does Jesus speak into what you’re to do with your life [1:15] and how you’re supposed to function in this world? [1:17] It’s a great joy of mine every single week that I get to talk to students about that. [1:21] And I’m excited to open God’s Word with you all today. [1:24] Last week, Steve talked about judge not, let you be judged. [1:28] And what Steve said was that we take that verse and we can twist it in a lot of different ways.

[1:33] We can say a lot of different things about that verse that aren’t actually what it means. [1:37] And so today we’re going to be doing the same thing. [1:40] I’m going to read it for you. It says, ask and it will be given to you. [1:43] Seek and you will find. [1:46] Knock and it will be opened to you. [1:48] For everyone who asks will seize.

[1:50] And the one who seeks finds. [1:52] And to the one who knocks, it will be opened. [1:55] What a promise, right? [1:56] What an amazing truth that if we go to God and ask him for something, [2:00] he hears us in response to that. [2:02] But here’s the thing, as a culture, and even as Christians,

[2:05] we can take that and twist it into really strange and weird things. [2:09] So here’s a couple of them. [2:11] You might pray this. [2:12] God, my 2002 Honda Civic, by the way, I was going to say, [2:15] if you have a 2002 Honda Civic, I’m not making fun of you. [2:19] Please, I’m not. I promise.

[2:21] But God, my 2002 Honda Civic, it is just terrible. [2:25] I have, you know, the air condition works on Tuesdays. [2:28] The weather’s OK. [2:30] It doesn’t start half the time. [2:32] God, can I get a Tesla? [2:33] You like jump.

[2:34] You make this huge jump in your prayers. [2:36] You’re like, what in the world? [2:37] If you’re a football fan in this room on Saturday or Sunday, [2:41] you might pray, God, please help my team to win. [2:44] Can I tell you something real quick, though? [2:46] God doesn’t answer that prayer.

[2:47] See, I’m a Redskins fan, and I’ve been praying that. [2:50] I’ve been praying that for my whole life, and it never happens. [2:55] They’re just terrible every single year. [2:57] So if you’re praying that, God doesn’t hear it. [3:00] Just wanted to tell you that and hope you hear that well today. [3:03] There’s another one.

[3:03] I used to work in a grocery store, and people would come in [3:05] and buy a lot of tickets, especially when I got up to close to, [3:09] you know, $700 million, $800 million, and they’d be like, [3:12] this is the one. [3:13] Jesus is going to bring it to me. [3:15] Going to Jesus in prayer, like,

[3:16] Jesus, can I have $700 million? [3:19] Eh, I don’t know. [3:21] But here’s the thing. [3:21] Those are very silly examples. [3:24] But if we’re honest about our prayer lives, [3:27] I think most of the time we treat God like a genie

[3:29] who’s there to grant our every wish [3:31] instead of a God who is to be pursued and loved and cared for [3:35] and to be known by Him. [3:37] And so this morning, when we look at this verse, [3:40] I do not want you to see it as a magical phrase, [3:44] that this is just not a magical phrase that you can say

[3:46] to get whatever you want out of God. [3:48] But it’s through the context of something Jesus already said. [3:51] You see, a couple chapters earlier, [3:52] Jesus said that for us to seek first the kingdom of God [3:57] and all His righteousness, [3:59] and then all these things will be added to you.

[4:02] So if we’re seeking the kingdom, [4:03] then our prayers will match the desires of His heart, not our own. [4:07] But this morning, my hope and prayer for you [4:09] is that you will see Jesus is calling you to pray earnestly and diligently. [4:14] But it might be to pray about things [4:15] that you’re not currently thinking about in your life,

[4:18] things that are more valuable than even temporary, [4:20] momentary pleasures of this world. [4:22] And ultimately, that when we pray for those things [4:24] that truly matter to God, [4:26] that He hears us as a good heavenly Father. [4:28] And He’s a heavenly Father that loves to give good gifts to His children.

[4:32] Let’s dive in. [4:34] Starting in verse 7, says this, [4:38] Ask and it will be given to you. [4:41] Seek and you will find. [4:43] Knock and it will be opened to you. [4:45] For everyone who asks receives,

[4:48] and the one who seeks finds, [4:50] and to the one who knocks it will be opened. [4:53] Which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? [4:57] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? [5:00] If then, you who are evil, [5:03] know how to give good gifts to your children,

[5:04] how much more will your Father who is in heaven [5:08] give good things to those who ask Him? [5:11] Point number one this morning, [5:13] Disciples need the wisdom of God. [5:15] Disciples need the wisdom of God. [5:18] If you notice the first word Jesus says there is ask.

[5:21] It’s a very interesting word because [5:23] you don’t ask somebody for something [5:25] or ask a question if you don’t need something. [5:28] That Jesus in His first word is showing us that we have a need. [5:31] But you see, Jesus doesn’t start showing us our need here. [5:34] He actually started a couple chapters ago.

[5:37] You see, in Matthew 5, Jesus says this, [5:40] Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, [5:43] for they will be satisfied. [5:45] He also says, unless your righteousness exceeds [5:47] that of the scribes and the Pharisees, [5:49] you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

[5:53] He says, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. [5:56] Six, He goes into our money and our love of money. [5:59] No one can serve two masters. [6:00] You cannot serve God and money. [6:04] 625, one of the ones we struggle with the most in our culture, [6:07] Do not be anxious about your life.

[6:10] He continues on, but seek first the kingdom of God [6:12] and His righteousness. [6:14] Then last week, Steve told us that he says, [6:16] Judge not that you not be judged. [6:19] And then 7-5 says, you hypocrite. [6:21] First take the log out of your own eye.

[6:23] And then you will see clearly to take the speck [6:26] out of your brother’s eye. [6:28] And as I was going through the text this week [6:30] and talking about this, especially with Pastor Clint, [6:32] I told him, I said, if I had to wrap up [6:34] what Jesus has set up until this point,

[6:37] it would be that Jesus is looking at us [6:39] and saying, you need me. [6:43] That you cannot do these things without Him. [6:46] That we can’t even do one of those things without Him. [6:48] We cannot just be anxious. [6:50] That’s just one of many things Jesus has said.

[6:53] Jesus here in the Sermon on the Mount [6:55] is telling us about the great need that we have for Him. [6:58] That we can’t do this on our own. [7:01] But here’s the issue with that. [7:03] We want to do that, right? [7:04] We love to try to do things on our own.

[7:07] You see, foolishly in our wisdom, [7:08] we love to think that we’re better than we are, [7:10] that we can do more than we can. [7:12] And the thing is, usually that falls flat [7:15] when you look at your life and basic things. [7:17] So here’s an example for you.

[7:19] I don’t diet enough. I know that. [7:22] So I’m talking about dieting. [7:23] I just want to put the caveat there. [7:25] But when I do diet, I’ve done a keto, [7:27] which is no carb, no sugar, no fun. [7:32] It’s just terrible.

[7:33] It’s just not a good way to live. [7:35] If you’re on keto, there’s got to be a better way. [7:38] I’m just telling you. I’m just telling you in love. [7:40] There’s got to be a better way. [7:41] But if you do it, here’s what typically happens [7:43] with any diet you go on.

[7:45] You’ll go to bed that night before you start the diet [7:47] saying, this is the one. [7:50] This is the time I lose all that weight. [7:51] This is the time I get fit. [7:53] Fit into those clothes I fit in in high school. [7:55] Let’s go. Let’s do this.

[7:57] You wake up the next morning, drink your coffee, [8:00] black. Why? [8:01] No carbs, no sugar, all gains. [8:03] Let’s do it. And then you go and you’re driving [8:05] in your car and you’re ready. [8:06] You already feel the pounds shredding off of you.

[8:09] You’re just ready. [8:11] But then you get to work, [8:12] and you don’t realize it’s one of your co-workers’ birthdays, [8:15] and they’ve brought in a big tray of chicken minis [8:17] from Chick-fil-A. [8:19] And here’s the thing about Chick-fil-A,

[8:21] that I found about Christians. They don’t think it counts.

[8:26] They don’t. [8:27] And so you might be thinking in your head in that moment, [8:29] I can eat as many of these as I want because [8:31] they’re pre-blessed by Jesus. It’s Chick-fil-A. [8:33] Like, that is what it is. [8:36] But it’s not.

[8:38] If you eat eight chicken minis, [8:40] kiss keto goodbye. [8:42] And by the time you get to the end of your week, [8:44] you’ve probably gained more [8:46] than you started that past week. [8:49] And that’s a silly example and a dumb example,

[8:51] I know. But it’s real. [8:53] And here’s the thing it shows about us, [8:55] and the thing I really do think it gets at. [8:57] We can’t even handle that. How do we think [8:59] we can handle the things of Jesus?

[9:02] How do we think we can handle it? [9:04] And this is what God says about our own wisdom. [9:06] Isaiah 521, [9:08] Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, [9:10] and shrewd in their own insight. [9:12] Did you know that your wisdom is the reason

[9:14] that you are where you are? [9:16] Your wisdom has gotten you to where you are in your life. [9:19] Many times it’s that we don’t know how to deal with our own sin. [9:22] Much less the way that we’re taught. [9:23] Much less the sin of other people that we’re trying to talk to. [9:25] We don’t know how to discern the things of God.

[9:29] And what God calls us to is something completely different. [9:32] He says we have to seek His wisdom. [9:34] James 1, 5 says, [9:35] If any of you lacks wisdom, [9:37] let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, [9:41] and it will be given to him.

[9:43] Do y’all notice the wording there? [9:44] How amazing is that? [9:46] That you can ask God for wisdom, [9:48] and come to Him earnestly for wisdom, [9:50] and He says, I give it to you. [9:52] It’s amazing that we can do that.

[9:54] But I hope that you notice the wording there. [9:57] Notice that it echoes what Jesus says. [9:59] You have to ask. [10:00] It’s not something that just automatically applies to you [10:02] because you accept Jesus as your Savior. [10:04] No, it’s something you have to seek after,

[10:06] that you have to desire and want beyond anything else in this world. [10:10] That as a disciple of Jesus, [10:12] we have a daily need for His wisdom. [10:14] But this path to wisdom is not a one-time prayer, [10:16] it’s not a one-time thing. [10:17] But point number two, disciples are persistent.

[10:21] Disciples are persistent. [10:22] I want to read through that text again to give context. [10:26] It says, [10:26] Asking will be given to you. [10:28] Seek, and you will find. [10:30] Knock, and it will be opened to you.

[10:33] For everyone who asks receives, [10:35] and to the one who seeks finds. [10:36] To the one who knocks, it will be opened. [10:40] First thing I want you to notice here, [10:41] is that the verb used there [10:43] actually is read in a different way

[10:44] in the original language. [10:46] It’s not just a one-time ask on its end, [10:49] seek by itself, [10:51] knock by itself. [10:52] It’s a continual aspect. [10:54] So if you wanted to translate it better,

[10:55] you would say, Jesus would be saying, [10:59] continue to ask, [11:00] keep asking, and it will be given to you. [11:02] Keep seeking, and you will find. [11:04] Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. [11:06] It’s not a one-time thing that we do.

[11:09] That it’s a continual aspect of the life of Jesus, [11:12] and the life of walking with Christ. [11:14] But second, [11:15] it’s a progression. [11:17] Did you notice that? [11:19] Asking, it’s a very basic thing.

[11:21] You can ask anybody anything. [11:22] Your kids will ask you anything if you’re a parent. [11:25] They’ll ask you for anything in the world, [11:27] and you typically will say no, [11:28] because it’s ridiculous that they want 20 ponies. [11:31] That’s just not something that you can do.

[11:34] Especially if you live in a one-story house. [11:35] This doesn’t work. [11:36] But, when we ask questions, [11:39] it’s not hard on us, really. [11:41] We can ask God anything. If you prayed, [11:42] you know that you can just go to God and ask him things,

[11:45] and we know that he hears us, and that’s good. [11:47] But you see, Jesus doesn’t stop with us [11:49] just asking God things. He says seeking. [11:52] If you know anything about seeking, [11:53] it’s more aggressive. [11:55] To seek after something is to desire it strongly.

[11:58] That you’re looking for it. [11:59] That it’s purposeful. [12:00] It’s the opposite of wandering aimlessly. [12:03] It’s the idea of like a [12:05] missile seeking after its target. [12:07] That you’re zoned into that.

[12:09] You know, the one thing I thought about when it came to seeking [12:11] was when I was dating my wife. [12:14] You know, I asked my wife [12:16] out, and we [12:17] finally started dating. [12:19] And the thing about it was

[12:21] that once we started dating, I didn’t just say [12:23] I asked you, so now [12:26] God’s just gonna give it to me. [12:27] I’m married. Like, immediately married. [12:29] No. I had to seek after her heart. [12:31] We spent time together.

[12:33] And the thing I did was I spent a lot of money. [12:35] And I told this in the first service, and then [12:37] she’s sitting right there, so I can say it directly to her. [12:39] I did. [12:41] But here’s the thing. Your money typically [12:43] goes where your heart is.

[12:45] And when you’re seeking after something, you will do whatever [12:47] you can to hit that goal. [12:50] To meet that mark. [12:51] And just like I was with my wife where I wanted to [12:53] show her how much she meant to me. [12:56] And how much she still does.

[12:59] That’s how we [12:59] need to be after Jesus is seeking after him. [13:01] With everything we have. But then he goes [13:03] one step further. He says, knock. [13:07] And here’s the thing. [13:07] Have you ever thought about this? That you can knock on God’s door.

[13:11] That’s what prayer actually is. [13:13] So it’s knocking at the door of God. [13:15] But here’s the thing. [13:17] When we knock on the door of our neighbor, [13:19] it’s pretty simple for us. [13:20] We know typically that they’re gonna answer if we go

[13:22] and then we know they’re home. [13:23] And we can borrow something from them. Maybe you’re borrowing a tool. [13:26] Or something from the kitchen from them. [13:28] Maybe you’re going over to a friend’s house, you knock on the door, [13:30] and you know you’re going in to eat a meal. [13:32] To hang out. To talk to them.

[13:34] But then we get to God. [13:35] And I think we get to God and we [13:37] think this very odd thing. [13:39] Which is we treat God like the old man [13:41] from the movie Up. [13:43] If you’ve ever seen the movie Up, it’s one of my favorite

[13:45] Pixar movies. And this little kid goes [13:47] to the door and he just starts [13:49] reading this little sheet for [13:51] this old man telling him how he’s trying to [13:53] work in the Boy Scouts. [13:54] And the old man just goes, urgh, and slams the door.

[13:57] In his face. But the [13:59] little kid stays. And then the old man [14:01] opens the door again. And he just starts reading [14:03] again. It’s hilarious. I’ve never [14:06] laughed so hard I think in a [14:07] movie because that is so true.

[14:10] Because I immediately [14:11] think about that. That’s how we view God sometimes. [14:14] We view God as this [14:15] old man in heaven that doesn’t care. [14:18] That even if he does, he doesn’t want to [14:19] hear it from us. But Jesus

[14:21] is actually saying the exact opposite in this [14:23] passage. He’s saying knock and it [14:25] will be opened. That Jesus [14:27] invites you in. [14:29] That the Father invites you in to [14:31] be in line with him. But you knocking

[14:33] is the most intense because it’s the [14:35] face to face personal [14:37] relationship.

[14:41] And the continual aspect of the life of a follower [14:43] of Jesus is seen also [14:45] in Luke 11. [14:47] See in this passage in Luke 11 it’s the same [14:49] verses that Jesus says [14:51] here in the Sermon on the Mount just in the Gospel

[14:53] of Luke. And before Jesus talks [14:55] about knocking, seeking, and asking, [14:57] what he does is he gives an example [14:59] of what that looks like for us. And I love when the [15:01] Bible gives us clear examples because I [15:03] don’t have to come up with one which is amazing.

[15:05] Luke 11 5 through 8 says this, [15:07] and he said to them, Which of you who has a [15:09] friend will go to him at midnight [15:11] and say to him, Friend, lend me three [15:13] loaves, for a friend of mine has arrived [15:15] on a journey, and I have nothing to set

[15:17] before him. And you will answer from within, [15:19] do not bother me, the door is now shut, [15:22] and my children are with me in bed. [15:23] I cannot get up and give you anything. [15:25] I tell you that he will not get up [15:27] and give him anything because he is his friend.

[15:30] Yet because of his impudence he will rise [15:31] and give him whatever [15:34] he needs. [15:36] This passage comes right before Jesus [15:37] says these things and so Jesus [15:39] gives us that example. And it’s an

[15:41] example of a guy banging on his friend’s door [15:43] at midnight. I wouldn’t suggest it. [15:45] It’s not typically a thing you want to do. If you knock [15:47] on my door at midnight, I don’t know how it’s going [15:49] to work. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I can’t [15:51] guarantee anything. You’re definitely not getting bread.

[15:53] I’ll tell you that. You ain’t getting any bread. [15:56] But here’s the thing. Jesus gives [15:57] us an example. And back then, to [15:59] get an understanding, [16:01] back then what they would do is they would all be [16:03] sleeping in one room. And they’re all on

[16:05] mats. So imagine you’re this dad. [16:08] You finally got your kids to bed. [16:09] Imagine how hard it is right now, parents, [16:11] for you to get your kids to bed. Imagine when it’s just mats [16:13] and you’re all in the same room. [16:15] Finally got his kids to bed. He’s about to go to sleep himself

[16:17] and all of a sudden he hears his friend go, [16:19] Hey man!

[16:22] Hey man! Can I borrow [16:23] some bread? You’re like, Seriously? [16:25] Bread? See, back then, they didn’t have [16:27] Wegmans open till midnight or Walmart 24-7. [16:29] They couldn’t do it. They had to find another [16:31] way to get this stuff. And clearly this

[16:33] friend didn’t prepare. So he goes to his friend’s [16:35] house at midnight and says, Hey, can I borrow three loaves of [16:37] bread? And his friend looks at him and goes, [16:39] Are you trying to ruin my life? [16:41] I just got my kids to sleep. [16:44] If I give you this bread,

[16:45] they’re going to wake up and we’re going to have to start this whole [16:47] process over again. [16:49] And that’s typically where a lot of us [16:51] would have just been like, Okay. [16:53] And gone somewhere else or done something else. [16:55] But no, this guy stays. Bold.

[16:58] Bold, bold. I would not want to be [16:59] on the receiving end of that door if I opened it for one of my friends. [17:03] But here’s the thing. [17:03] He keeps asking. [17:05] And he says, Please, I need this. [17:08] And then notice verse 8.

[17:09] It says, Even though [17:11] he wouldn’t give it to him because it was his [17:13] friend. He didn’t give it to him [17:15] because it was his friend. He gave it to him because he [17:17] kept saying, Please, give it to me. [17:19] Come on, help me out. Dude, seriously, I helped you like three weeks ago.

[17:22] Help me, help me, help me. [17:24] He wouldn’t stop until [17:26] he got a response.

[17:28] And here I think it’s going to be easy [17:29] for us to look [17:31] and to say that God is the one [17:33] that’s the annoyed friend. [17:35] And I don’t think that’s Jesus’ point at all. [17:37] I think his point is that we’re

[17:39] to be the friend that doesn’t stop asking God. [17:42] We’re to be the friend that doesn’t [17:43] stop seeking God. [17:45] We’re to be the friend that doesn’t stop knocking until we receive [17:47] the bread that he has for us.

[17:51] And so, [17:53] it’s not a one-time request. [17:55] This man keeps asking over and over [17:57] and over again. That is continual. [18:00] But I think we struggle [18:01] greatly in this. And this is the reasons I think we

[18:03] struggle with prayer. Got a couple of them for you. [18:05] The first is that we fail to ask. [18:09] Have you ever been [18:09] there? Life’s going good. [18:11] You don’t really feel like you want to bother God with what’s [18:13] going on in your life because you’ve got it under control.

[18:15] Life seems to be going okay. [18:17] The kids are doing okay. The job’s okay. [18:19] You don’t have to worry about it. [18:21] Or even at worst, life could be going terrible. [18:23] And you feel like you can’t go to God with it. [18:26] What a terrible place to be at

[18:27] for us. But often, [18:29] we’re not desperate enough about our spiritual condition. [18:31] Either when we’re too good and we’re going to be [18:33] in danger [18:34] of chasing after something that’s not Jesus [18:37] or we’re so desperate that we’re going

[18:39] to be looking at Jesus and saying, why aren’t you [18:41] fixing this for me? And we’re going to have unbelief [18:43] because of that. [18:45] That Jesus in this passage is saying that [18:47] we fail to ask. And that’s James 4 [18:49] 2. You desire and do not have

[18:51] so you murder. You covet and cannot [18:53] obtain so you fight and quarrel. [18:55] You do not have because you do [18:57] not ask. But it’s [18:59] not just that we don’t ask. It’s that when [19:01] we do ask, many times, we ask

[19:03] wrongly. James 4 3, [19:05] you ask and do not receive because you ask [19:07] wrongly to spend it on your passions. [19:10] How often does that show [19:11] the entirety of our prayer lives? I’ve been thinking about [19:13] this this week. How many times do we go to God

[19:15] in prayer and we just give him a list [19:17] the size of our Amazon wish list [19:19] on Prime. Of just things [19:21] we want.

[19:23] And we get to the end of the prayer. [19:25] And all we’ve done is just tell God everything we want [19:27] him to do. And we’ve never said a [19:29] thing about what he’s done [19:31] for us. Or what we truly [19:33] want him to do for us.

[19:36] If Jesus is just a genie [19:37] to you, you’re never going to get to where he’s [19:39] at in this passage. [19:41] So we fail because we don’t ask. We fail [19:44] because we ask wrongly. [19:45] But then I think we also fail because we have a give up mentality.

[19:49] You see, in this life, I’ve noticed that [19:51] it’s very easy to pray a prayer once [19:53] and then give up on it. How many times [19:55] have we prayed, God, I want your help [19:57] in growing my relationship with my spouse. [20:00] Or God, I want to know what you want me to do

[20:02] for my next job. God, [20:03] I want to be known more by you. [20:05] I want to know more about you. Or God, [20:07] I want to be a part of community [20:10] here in the church. [20:12] But then we’ll miss the opportunity God

[20:14] gives us. You see, Jesus isn’t [20:16] just saying to keep asking for it, but there’s [20:18] motion and there’s things for [20:20] us to do on that end as well. [20:22] So if our marriages are struggling, [20:24] what are we doing besides just praying

[20:26] for it? How are we pushing forward, [20:28] trusting God in the process with that? [20:30] Guys, when’s the last time you bought your wife [20:32] flowers just because to show her how much [20:34] you love her? Wives, when was the last [20:36] time you intentionally did something for your husband not because you had to,

[20:39] because you know he would bless his heart? [20:41] For those of you looking for jobs, [20:42] how many applications have you done? [20:44] How have you sought after counsel on that? [20:46] Who have you talked to in the church that’s older [20:48] or wiser than you about what you should do about

[20:50] this? When it comes to community, [20:52] are you in a community group? What do you do [20:54] when people ask you into discipleship? [20:56] Because here’s what I’ve found about [20:58] community. People want community [21:00] until it costs you something. And

[21:02] I’ve been there too. Because [21:04] here’s the thing, after church today, somebody could come up to you [21:06] and say, hey, I have a discipleship group on [21:08] Thursday nights at 7. [21:10] Would you like to come be a part of it? You’ve been praying, [21:12] God, I want to be a part of community. But what that

[21:14] does is it collides [21:16] with your life. If you’re a guy, [21:18] maybe you say, ah, Thursday night football, [21:20] I can’t do that. [21:22] Can’t give up that time. If you’re [21:24] a lady, maybe you’re catching up on Netflix or

[21:26] you’re doing anything else that you want to do. You have other [21:28] groups or things going on that night. [21:30] And you say, ah, I can’t do [21:32] that. That will inconvenience me. [21:34] And here’s the struggle that we have. [21:37] That we want the blessing that God

[21:38] gives, but we don’t want to do the work to obtain [21:40] it ourselves, too. That [21:42] God ultimately does the work. [21:44] But He calls us to action in the midst [21:46] of it. That if we never go past [21:48] asking, we never get to seeking.

[21:50] We never get to knocking. Because [21:52] there’s no action on our part and then we’ll never get [21:54] to the place where Jesus says we [21:56] ultimately can go, which is growing in our faith. [21:58] That persistence makes us a better [22:00] disciple. Our persistence in prayer

[22:02] to God allows us to grow in our [22:04] relationship with Him. Because we’re [22:06] building our trust in Him. [22:09] And here’s the thing. [22:10] You get to know more about God and you get to [22:12] ultimately get to my last point this morning.

[22:15] Disciples trust God’s [22:16] goodness. Disciples [22:18] trust God’s goodness. [22:21] Matthew 7, [22:23] 9 through 11 says this, [22:25] or which one of you,

[22:26] if his son asks him for bread, will give him a [22:28] stone? Or if you ask him for a fish, [22:30] will give him a serpent? If you [22:32] then who are evil [22:34] know how to give good gifts to your children, [22:37] how much more will your father who is

[22:38] in heaven give good things to [22:40] those who ask him? Once again, Jesus [22:42] has given us a modern example [22:44] to go by of what this looks like in our [22:46] life. And you notice that it revolves around [22:48] food. If you’re going to talk to people about

[22:50] something, food’s probably the best subject to talk about. [22:52] Because everybody gets it. [22:54] Because here’s the thing. Jesus is looking and He says, [22:56] look, if you have a son [22:58] and your son comes up to you and says, Dad, [23:00] I want bread. You’re not going to

[23:02] go find a stone that looks exactly like a [23:04] loaf of bread and go, here son, [23:06] break your teeth on this. You’re not going [23:08] to say that. Any father who [23:10] loves it all, or most [23:12] fathers would never do a thing

[23:14] like that. If their son asks [23:16] for bread, they’re going to give him bread. [23:18] Why? Because their son’s hungry and he’s providing [23:20] a basic need for a child. [23:23] And then we get to this one about a snake. [23:24] And whenever we see snakes, I know Steve

[23:27] loves snakes. And so [23:29] I do too. I don’t at all, actually. [23:31] And so when I read about it, I don’t like it. [23:33] But in this passage, you see snakes. [23:35] And you see him saying [23:36] that the kid asked for fish and you give him

[23:38] a snake. This isn’t a live snake. [23:40] It’s not like your kid’s like, hey, can I have a piece of [23:42] fish? And you throw a live snake at him. That’s not what Jesus [23:44] is getting at here at all. That’s not it. [23:47] What he’s actually saying, though, is back [23:48] in those days, if you ate a

[23:51] snake, it was an unclean animal. [23:52] It was actually something that was sinful [23:54] for the people of God to do for the Israelites. [23:57] And so he’s saying that he would [23:59] never allow his son [24:01] to eat something unclean

[24:02] to make him unclean. No, if his son [24:04] asked for a fish, he’s going to feed him a fish. [24:07] And then Jesus says [24:08] this phrase that really hurts us. [24:10] He says, if then you who are evil. [24:12] I never want to be called evil. I hope

[24:14] you don’t either. That we should never want to be called [24:16] evil. But in this passage, [24:18] Jesus gets to the heart of who we are. [24:20] He says, you who are sinful and evil, [24:23] if you can look at your son [24:25] and say, son, you asked

[24:26] for bread, here’s bread. Son, [24:29] you asked for a fish, here’s [24:30] fish. Then why do we think [24:32] that when we go to God and we say, God, give me wisdom, [24:34] he’s going to go, no.

[24:38] God, help my marriage, no. [24:41] Or better yet, he doesn’t even listen.

[24:44] Jesus here is getting to the core of how [24:46] we see the Father. And he’s saying, if the [24:48] Father is good, then he will [24:51] give good gifts to his children. [24:53] But here’s the thing about the gifts that God [24:54] gives that sometimes we can get twisted.

[24:57] It doesn’t mean he’s going to give us everything we [24:58] desire, but he’s going to give us the gifts [25:00] we actually need. [25:02] And these gifts aren’t always physical. [25:04] But I say that these gifts that God gives us [25:06] when we pray in this way are ultimately

[25:09] transformational gifts. [25:11] And they’re gifts that line up with [25:12] his will. That’s what it says in 1 John [25:15] 5. It says, and this is the [25:16] confidence that we have towards him, that if we [25:19] ask anything according to what?

[25:22] His will. [25:23] He hears us. [25:25] And we know that he hears us in whatever we ask. [25:27] We know that we have the requests [25:29] that we ask of him. [25:30] Notice that he hears us when it aligns

[25:32] with his will. [25:34] That he listens when it aligns with his will [25:36] because God loves to make [25:38] disciples of Jesus more like [25:41] Jesus. [25:42] So when you go to God in prayer and you ask to be

[25:44] more like Jesus, he’s not going to deny you. [25:47] He’s a good father that’s going to say [25:49] absolutely, be more like [25:50] Jesus. And the more you seek after [25:52] it, the more he’ll give that to [25:55] you. Why? Because he’s a good

[25:56] father who gives good gifts [25:58] to his children. But as [26:00] a good father, you know what else sometimes happens? [26:03] This happened in my life so many times. [26:05] Where God will tell you no. [26:08] No to other things

[26:08] that you pray for. Maybe [26:10] he’s like, be patient, my son. That job [26:12] might not be coming yet. [26:15] Be patient where you are. [26:17] Be patient in your marriage. We’re [26:18] getting there.

[26:20] Keep working on it. Keep growing in [26:22] it. You will see and reap the [26:24] rewards of it. And the one that [26:26] I’ve experienced that hurts but it’s so helpful [26:29] is when God looks at us and he says, [26:31] my son, I love you

[26:32] too much to allow [26:34] this thing to come into your life. Because I know that if I allow [26:37] this to come into your life, [26:38] that you’re going to run from me and you’re going to chase after

[26:55] me every day. [27:11] what you pray for needs to change and it needs to shift. [27:15] Yes, pray to God for your daily needs. Pray to God for the 92 Honda. Sure, that’s [27:20] fine. You need to. But ultimately, if it just ends there, then we’re never going [27:24] to get to what Jesus says here. Because what Jesus says here is that we need to [27:28] ask, seek, and knock with intensity. Coming to God is saying, God, I want to be more

[27:34] like Jesus. Make me more like Jesus. And when the Heavenly Father hears that, he [27:40] goes, absolutely, let’s do that. So here’s my call to you this morning and the call [27:47] to us to come to Jesus and come to the Father with your burdens and your sins. [27:52] Come to him in the places you want to grow and even come to him with the [27:56] desires of your heart. But ultimately, rest in the fact that he is a good Father [28:02] who gives good gifts to his children. That he will not abandon you. That he will

[28:07] not forsake you. But that sometimes he might tell you no to direct you back to [28:11] himself. So my question for you this morning is, what do you need to ask God [28:16] for? And won’t you come to him? Because my promise to you is, if you come to him, he [28:22] will find you. If you seek after him, you’ll find him. If you knock at his door, [28:27] God will open the door and welcome you in. As we transition into the time of [28:31] communion this morning, I love that each week here at Village, we get to take

[28:36] communion. Because what this does is each week it takes us back to the reason [28:39] we can even call God our Heavenly Father in the first place. It’s not because of [28:44] anything we’ve done. It’s not because we were good enough, but it’s because Jesus [28:47] broke his body on the cross for us, which is the bread. The cup represents his [28:52] shed blood for us on the cross. And the reason that we have access to the Father, [28:57] that Jesus says we can call the Father our Abba Father, is because he loved us

[29:02] enough to die on our cross for us. That the ultimate place I see the goodness of God [29:06] in our Heavenly Father is on the cross of Jesus Christ. So come this morning [29:10] with your burdens. Come this morning with whatever is going on in your life and [29:16] reflect on the cross of Jesus, knowing that you are saved from any of those [29:20] things that are going on. But here’s the thing, if you’re in this room this morning [29:24] and you’re not a follower of Jesus, I want to encourage you not to partake in this

[29:28] meal. Rather, I would encourage you to walk out into the foyer as we’re taking [29:31] communion and talk to one of us that are out there. We’d love to talk to you more [29:34] about what it looks like to follow Jesus so that you could begin this relationship [29:39] with the Father. But church, this morning I encourage you to come, partake of this [29:44] meal, but then go and ask, seek, and knock. I know that God’s waiting to answer. [29:51] When you’re ready, come.