Ask, Seek and Knock

Well, good morning again, brethren, and as I mentioned earlier, always happy to come up and see you, and be able to share the Sabbath here with you. It's fabulous. As you looked at Genesis 1 and 2 and 3, how the God established the Sabbath.

He blessed it, he hallowed it, he set it aside as the seventh day, of course. And all of us are the ones who benefit from that. You know, that was a brilliant design, wasn't it? Didn't he have a great factor of design into... You know, and I know I've often thought about the different proofs of God existing. The Creator, the Life-Giver, Law-Giver, Designer, Sustainer, the one who fulfills prophecy, the one who answers prayer.

Those are things that we have taught for many, many years. And yet, it appears almost the first one of those ought to be the Designer. Because pretty sure, you know, he put a lot of thought into, he in the Word put a lot of thought into, what are we going to do? What are we going to create?

And so it's incredible as we think about that, even as we think about the eclipse that's coming up here in a couple of days. A great deal of design was put into God's setting the earth where it is, around going around the sun, and with the moon being established to go around the earth. And for the fact that there even is, you know, and I looked up last night, just, you know, frequency of eclipses, and of course they happen all the time in many different, many different areas of the earth. And yet they're not, they are pretty predictable, at least we seem to be able to write down what's going to happen.

But the incredible design that God put into this creation is just remarkable. You look out as I drive along, you know, I look out the trees and the grass and the weeds, you know, all that grows out of the earth. All that, you know, comes from what God placed here in the dirt. And of course He created us out of dirt, too.

So He knows far more about it than we do. And whether I can fully explain anything, that's totally immaterial. I want us to look, we saw last week, that we need to live by faith. And in Hebrews 11, you know, the first verse says, Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. And like we described, there may be many other descriptions of faith and faith that needs to dominate our lives.

But I want to drop down, because this whole chapter, of course, talks about faith, I want to chop down to verse 6. It says, without faith, it's impossible to please God. For whoever would approach God must believe that He exists. Now obviously, we often take that for granted, and certainly that is a foundation of our belief. But it says, without faith, it's impossible to please God. But those who approach God must believe that He exists. We do believe that, not only from many proofs, but because of faith. We go back to verse 2 and 3. You know, that's what it says.

We believe the world came into existence out of the invisible, out of nothing. But then in verse 6, those who approach God must believe that He exists, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Now, I want us to focus on that statement. He's a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. That's what the New King James, I believe, says. And I want to go back to a well-known section of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, chapter 7, to consider how it is that we diligently seek God.

Here in Matthew, chapter 7, you see a reference also in the book of Luke. You see a similar reference in Luke, chapter 11. But I'll focus here on the section here in Matthew, chapter 7, verse 7. Now, in some ways, this might seem to be an extremely simple verse. Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it shall be opened unto you. See, there's a description that can be looked at as very, very kind of easy to overlook.

But Jesus says that one of the formulas for seeking God, really knowing God, really relating to God, and actually an explanation of approaching God, is revealed here. Ask, seek, and knock.

And then in verse 8, of course, the outcome of that, everyone who asks, verse 8 receives, everyone who seeks finds, everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Now, often that verse is read by many people that might have a religious inclination.

I think that applies to me. Everybody can come to God. Everybody can come to God in whatever way they want. They can make God in their own image. They can do whatever seems right to them and think that's seeking God. But see, is this talking about everyone? Well, who's Jesus talking about here when He makes this a very definitive statement? Ask and you'll receive. Seek and you'll find. Knock, and it'll be open to you. I think it's good for us to think about, you know, who Jesus is speaking here. I'm going to say that this doesn't apply to everybody on earth today.

I think it is a directive to us, a directive to those that the Father draws to Jesus Christ.

Because clearly, as Jesus defines that in John chapter 6, He says, not only does the Father draw you to Me, to understanding Me, to growing in a relationship with Me, talking about Jesus, but or the Father, but the, you know, Jesus says, I want you to come to Me. I want you to come to more fully know Me. Even here in chapter 7 of Matthew, we drop down to verse 13, Jesus says, enter through the narrow gate.

For the gate that is wide in the road that is easy, that leads to destruction, who are taking it, but the gate that is narrow, and the road that is hard, that leads to life, to eternal life, and there are few who find it. So in the same breath, certainly it would appear in the same sermon, the same message, where He talks about ask and seek and knock. He says, well, there's a wide way that most people are going to follow, and then there's going to be a narrow way. Gate.

That, He says, is a hard path. He even dropped down to verse 21. Down in verse 21, He says, not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, or kingdom of God, but only the ones who do the will of My Father in heaven. On that day, many will say to Me, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name? Have we not cast out demons in Your name and done many deeds of power in Your name? So it might be that the name of Jesus is not used properly, appropriately, many, many times. I think all of us would understand that, having come out of, most of us coming out of some form of a religion that at least talked about Jesus. I was glad they did.

That is an emphasis that needs to be very clear. But I know as I grew up and growing up in a Protestant church and being taught a little bit about Jesus, at least I had some idea who that was.

And yet I clearly realized I don't know anything about it. I don't know anything about He and the Father. I don't know anything about the Bible or the purpose of life until God started revealing that.

But so in the same breath here of what we read in chapter 7, verse 6, about a straight and hard path, a narrow path that we need to be on. And in verse 21, He talks about, in verse 23, I declare to you, I never knew you, those who claim to know the Lord. I never knew you, go away from me, you evildoers. See, He says, I don't know you. See, and that's a category that many people would fall into whether they know that or not. And I think all of us could say there was certainly a time when I did not know the Lord. Let's see, according to the mercy of God, He has drawn us to be able to relate to Him not only through the power of the Holy Spirit that He has blessed us with, but also with an understanding of His Word, an understanding of the Word that is going to give us life. As Peter said, whenever Jesus asked Him, well, are all you going to leave to? Where would we go? You have the words of eternal life. You're the one that I need to relate to, that we need to figure out. Now, they were yet to do a lot of learning, even while Jesus was alive, and they were going to learn a lot more even after He was dead and resurrected. But see, the emphasis, let's go back to chapter 7, verse 7.

Ask and seek and knock, a formula to truly relate to God. Let's read the whole thing, verse 8.

Everyone who asks receives, everyone who searches finds or seeks.

Everyone who knocks the door will be opened. Is there any among you?

Well, if your child asks for bread, you give them a rock.

You know, if your children want an Oreo cookie, you don't give them a rock, but you might give them, you know, something else that you think is better for them. You think of giving them a good gift. If a child asks for a fish, you don't give him a snake. If you then, who are able to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him? Now, that's the point of what I want to make today. I want to examine, you know, this very simple, as I was thinking about it coming over here today, I thought that the little topic, which is the title for the sermon today, ask and seek and knock, knock. That actually, what is that? You could say, well, it's some kind of slogan, it's some kind of a biblical statement, it might be a motto, could be a motto of some kind. I think it's really a description of the children of God, a description of those of us who have been blessed with the calling of God and who want to do what God says, who want to simply follow the instructions because Jesus makes it pretty clear. And so, you know, let's ask, do all these words mean the same thing? They all seem similar, ask and seek and knock. And yet, I think you'll see that they are quite different, and yet I will point out that I believe that this is for those that the Father is wanting to relate to. And He wants, He wants to give us good gifts. He wants to give us His blessing. He wants to give us encouragement. He wants to give us comfort. He wants to give us things that are right for us. And of course, you have a section in Hebrews chapter 12 that I won't go to where He talks about, you know, do you despise the discipline of the Lord? Well, don't do that because, you know, the Lord, you know, knows what the children need, and He gives them what they need.

And He says, if you didn't have that discipline and direction, then you're illegitimate. You know, if you have that, then you are the children of God. And so that's what we're doing. And we're exercising, I think, pretty well. You know, we could say we do ask, we do seek, and we do knock. But I want to emphasize that here in the sermon today. I could say, you know, the first part of this, asking, you know, that's a pretty incredible thing that God that we can ask Him for what we need.

And so ultimately, this begins with God working in our lives to help us understand that we need help. See, every single one of us came to a belief in God by coming to see that I need help. I need an understanding of sin, or as I came to an understanding of sin, I realize I'm guilty. And what I need is Jesus Christ. What I need is forgiveness. What I need is hope.

And so, in essence, this asking is really requesting God's help. Now, we've talked about a couple of weeks ago being instant in prayer. That's still, I think, a very good thing to keep in mind. I think when we read Matthew 7, it almost implies that God expects us to be asking.

He expects us. See, God's willing to give good gifts, but He wants us to realize we need Him.

He wants us to realize how much we need Him, how much we need His involvement in our lives. In 1 Corinthians 12, you have an entire chapter that kind of talks about the gifts of the Spirit.

And you can read many different verses here that I won't take time to read very many of.

But I'll read a couple says in verse 1, now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I don't want you to be ignorant. I don't want you to be uninformed. And so Paul is writing about spiritual gifts, and he's writing about how God gives different gifts to different members of the body. And not all of us have the same gifts. You know, they vary. And he says down in verse 14, indeed the body does not consist of one member, but member of many. See, all of us need to be working together within the framework of the body. And over in verse 18, he says, as it is, God has arranged the members of the body, each one of them, as He chose.

And so are we just haphazardly here as part of the Church of God? Sometimes we might think that.

But I think verse 18 has maybe more significance than we, you know, might commonly think about.

And yet, you see Paul continuing to discuss different gifts and different even roles.

Down in verse 28, appointing apostles and prophets and teachers. God is the one who is the author of that. But the verse I want to focus on in verse 31, but I'll start in verse 30, does everyone possess the gift of healing? Do I speak in tongues? Does everyone interpret? But, he says in verse 31, I want you to strive for the greater gifts. See, here he actually tells us something that we need to be asking for. We need to ask. We need to request that God would strengthen and empower us with gifts from His Spirit. We need to ask. And it goes ahead to conclude this by saying, I'm going to show you a more excellent way. And, of course, whole chapter of verse 13 is a description of the most excellent way, of the way of the love of God. And so, what is it that we should ask for? Well, we ought to ask for gifts from God, but we ought to ask that He will give us an understanding of His love, an understanding of how that love needs to emanate from us. That needs to be reflected in us.

In James chapter 5, you read a verse that, again, we're familiar with.

James chapter 5 verse 13 says, Is any among you suffering?

They should pray. They should ask. Is any cheerful? They should sing songs. Or, any among you in verse 14, sick. So, what does it tell us if we're sick? What can we do? Well, we should call for the elders of the church, have them pray over us, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore, in verse 16, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another. Ask request of God for the help, the healing, the comfort, the encouragement, the forgiveness for one another. And he finishes this in verse 16 with a statement that the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. The prayer of a righteous man is meaningful.

See, so whenever I say, you know, we want to ask, and Jesus says, I want you to ask, I want you to understand the value of asking. See, it's obvious that God already knows what we need.

That's one of the statements that Jesus also makes. He knows what you need, but see, too many times we may forget to ask, or we may, being as limited as we are, you know, we might not focus on what I need to ask for. And yet, asking is an important part of Christian development. Requesting God's help is an important part of our growth.

Now, do we have everything that we ask for? Well, no, we realize sometimes we wait for that.

Sometimes the answer is no. You know, sometimes, you know, we may have things to learn, but the act of asking is extremely important. And of course, you know, you can read verses, several different ones that say that Jesus says to ask in my name, ask in the authority of Jesus, or by His direction. That's in John 16. In 1 Kings chapter 3, you see something that was actually a description of what Solomon did, as we know, and as we've been studying in Ecclesiastes here for some weeks. Solomon had a lot of wise things to write.

That wasn't because of Solomon being so brilliant himself. That was wisdom that God had given him. And that's wisdom that God gave so that He could write it down. And whether He fully implemented that, you know, we don't know. Certainly He made a lot of mistakes.

And we don't know how well He recovered. But see here in 1 Kings chapter 3, what is it that Solomon asked for? Verse 5, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream.

And God said, ask what I should give you.

And Solomon said, you have shown great love to your servant, my father David.

And verse 8, now your servant, your servant is in the midst of these people whom you have chosen, are great people, so numerous they can't be numbered or counted.

And yet He says in verse 9, give your servant therefore an understanding heart, or an understanding mind. See, what did Solomon ask for? He asked for understanding.

Give your servant an understanding heart to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil.

For who can discern or who can govern, you know, this great of people?

See, that's what Solomon asked for. Do we ask for that? Do we ask for understanding? Do we ask for an understanding mind, an understanding heart?

Well, in verse 10, it says, pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked for this.

And God said, because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life, for riches or for the life of your enemy, but you've asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right. I now am going to do that. I'm going to do according to your word. Indeed, I'm going to give you a wise and discerning mind. And no one like you has been before. No one like you shall arise after you. Now, that's clearly a positive.

From everything we read about Solomon, you know, this is one of the most positive things he rightly asked for something that God truly wanted to give. And perhaps he wanted to give it far more than Solomon even knew, because he was going to have Solomon write down so many proverbs and so many directives and sayings and give so much wisdom, not only for Solomon and those people at that time, but for people throughout the last 3,000 years. Down to our day today, we have written information about what God inspired Solomon to write. But see, Solomon asked for understanding.

In Philippians 4, Philippians chapter 4, we see Paul's guidance to the church there, and you know, we often read this, or at least this should be something we read.

Philippians 4, in kind of concluding this book, he says in verse 4, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Verse 6, do not worry about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.

Let your asking, let your requests be made known to God.

And he says, The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ. The God of peace will give you a peace that passes all understanding.

You know, I seek that. I want that. I need that. I think every one of us would like to be at peace.

We often are dealing with difficulties or struggles, trauma, problems, our own limitations, our own sins. But God says to ask, request, make request of God and the God of peace will give us what we need.

1 John chapter 4, or chapter 5, I guess. 1 John chapter 5.

You see John again concluding this short epistle by saying that if we properly ask, not only will we receive, but he says that gives us a great deal of stability, a great deal of confidence.

1 John 5. He says in verse 13, I'm writing these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. He says, I'm writing to you who have been called by God and who have been given the Holy Spirit and who do what God says, ask and seek and knock. And you can have a great deal of confidence when you do that. And he says this is in verse 14, the boldness that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in what we ask, then we know that we will and have obtained the request made of him. Wouldn't it be great to believe in things so strongly that we have a confidence that God is going to help us?

See, now asking is the first of the three things that we wanted to focus on.

There's a lot of things to ask. The second one is seeking, and it says, if we seek, we shall find. Now again, we can say, well, that sounds like something I'm doing or sounds like something that's pretty simple. You know, is it as simple as that? Now you see statements in the Bible talking about people who are groping in the dark, who are searching for God. See, now we've been found by God, but He still wants us to seek Him.

It's not a matter of just, well, I'm on the log and I'm in the river and I'm probably going to fall off. It's a matter that, well, I need to seek God. And we need to search the Scriptures. We need to study God's Word. Clearly, Matthew 6, 33, what does He tell us? Seek first the Kingdom of God. Is that a focus that I have every day of my life? Seek first the Kingdom of God and seek first the righteousness of God. The primary focus of seeking, see, I don't have and neither do you, the Kingdom of God yet, because we're still here. We're still sitting here. We're still flesh and blood. It says flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. We've not yet achieved the goal, eternal life and being a part of the Kingdom of God that's yet to be. And so here He tells us you need to seek the Kingdom. You need to seek the divine nature. Mr. Barnett sent out a news feed this morning. Actually, a very, very nice one as far as many things that were quite applicable to what's happening today. One of them was focusing on how much we need Galatians 5, I think it's verse 23, as our values. See, that's talking about the fruit of the divine nature, the fruit of love and joy and peace and long suffering and goodness and faith and meekness and temperance. See, I want those values. I find them lacking in my life. You know, I get distracted more easily than I wish. And sometimes I'm not just distracted. Sometimes I'm just my empty box, you know, just blank. That's not going forward. That's just kind of in neutral.

But see, you know, we're told to seek the divine nature.

In Philippians 4, Paul describes something that he had that I think all of us want. Philippians 4, this is a little bit further on in chapter 4 of Philippians.

He says in verse 10, I rejoice in the Lord greatly that at last you have received your concern for me or you excuse me, you have revived your concern for me. And indeed, you were concerned for me, but you had no opportunity to show it. But he says in verse 11, not that I am referring to being in need. See, he was telling the congregation there, I know you love me. I know you're concerned about me. You have supported me on and off. And you have even revived that support and interest in the work that God is doing in me. But he says not that I am referring to being in need, for I have learned. So in verse 11, it appears that he didn't have this particular quality early, and he probably labored with it and probably went through so much as far as distress over it.

But he says I've learned how to be content.

I've learned to be content with whatever I have. I've learned contentment. That's something that I think all of us want. See, as we heard described, you know, there are going to be people who continue to be upset and agitated and at each other's throat and probably worse over the next few days and then beyond. And you can't imagine the confusion, the distress, the frustration that people suffer. But brethren, this is something that Paul says we ought to seek.

He says I've been given contentment from God. See, I know what it is to have little and I know what it is to have plenty.

Floating on a plank in the Mediterranean is having little. Maybe having some hope, hope that we're going to be able to paddle the shore, but if you're a shipwreck, you know, I don't think I don't really want to go on a cruise. I'm not interested in cruises.

I guess riding a boat would be of interest to some people. But see, Paul had some mishaps, shipwrecked in a rough sea in the Mediterranean. And, you know, he says I figured out, you know, God is still with me. Even I have nothing. You know, I don't have any water, I don't have any food, or maybe I can find some food on the plank over here. Something from the ship.

He says I know what it is to have little and I know what it is to have plenty.

In any and all circumstances, I have learned the secret of being well fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. And he makes the statement, of course, I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me. He understood that contentment came from not stuff.

It comes from God. It comes from relating to God. It comes from seeking that from God. And I implore us to seek God. See, some of us deal with illnesses that we can't really fully explain. We don't know how they're even, how they start or what the outcome is, but we can still be content.

And we need to seek that contentment.

You know, we read verses as we are focused on, I'm thinking about the Feast of Tabernacles, focused on, you know, what's going to happen when Christ is establishing a kingdom.

And you read verses in Isaiah and in Micah about all the nations, you know, coming to Jerusalem.

Why? Well, just to get a little instruction. To make them aware of the law, that's going to be a big step in the right direction. But then it says to learn the ways of God instead of, you know, what didn't work. And that's what we're going to be looking at over the next few years as we await Christ's return. People are going to continue to need the stability that comes from seeking the ways of God. Micah 4 too. See, those ways, I'm not going to read that, but those ways are what everybody is going to embrace.

So we talked about Solomon a little, and he was given understanding and a discerning heart and mind, and so he was given wisdom from God. See, in James 3, verse 13 to 17, we're told.

James 3, 13 to 17 says, you know, that we need to seek wisdom from above. See, there are different types of wisdom, and there are some people who maybe are more wise than others in this world. Certainly many different levels are understanding of wisdom. Some things deal with physical stuff. You know, I don't think any of you want me to wire your house.

I'm just pretty sure that would not be a good move, because you would probably have a flaming inferno.

And, you know, you don't want me to remove a tree in your front yard, like I have one that doesn't look very good. But I don't want to be knocking it down on the roof. There are people who know how to do that. There are people who have a certain level of wisdom in even physical things that not all of us have. So, you know, we're supposed to seek wisdom from above.

And that wisdom is going to create, it's based in humility, but it's going to create peace and righteousness, it says. I won't again read all of these verses.

You know, it's interesting to see that even Jesus followed His own words where He sought the help of the Father. You know, we're familiar with the account of Jesus praying with His disciples kind of watching and then dozing off. Matthew 26, verse 39 to 42. See, what was Jesus doing? Was Jesus praying in order to somehow change the will of the Father? Well, I don't think so. I think He was praying, seeking the will of the Father.

And He mentions in verse 41, the Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He understood, you know, I've got a limitation right now. I need help. I seek Your will, not my will, but I seek Your will. And so, when we are asking for things from God, sometimes our prayers can end up just being all ask. But that should change as we grow to understand, well, our prayer ought to be honoring God, praising God, thanking God, asking for as He tells us to do. But we should also seek the will of God, even as Jesus did. The third of the things that I've mentioned is to knock.

This might seem a little unusual, but, you know, it tells us there in Matthew 7 to knock and the door will be open. To wonder what it is that I don't know yet. Wonder what it is that I need to know that I don't know yet, but that God clearly knows what it is. See, this activity involves, as I said, requesting of God for His help, seeking or being motivated toward what He says is my goal. And then knocking involves desiring the Kingdom of God. See, being willing to put forth some effort in knocking. I would say you could kind of think about this as accepting the invitation that God has given us. Accepting the invitation. You see, you know, it seems to be directed toward us as knocking and the door will be opened, something that we are seeking and asking for and desiring, but pursuing the effort of knowing God the Father and knowing God the Son. See, that's what we've got to be pursuing. We've got to be seeking that, but we've got to desire that. I've got to desire that. John 17, verse 3, says, Eternal life is knowing the one true God and to know Jesus Christ, whom He said.

And so, knocking, I think, could involve pursuing in earnest, knowing God the Father and God the Son.

See, that's what we need to know. Now, there are several other verses that we might read in connection with this.

Actually, you go over Revelation 3 and you really see it even in connection with, this is actually, seems to be almost turned around backwards, but in Revelation 3 and dealing with the church of Laodicea, that we can clearly see as a lukewarm church and needs to be, not lukewarm, but on fire. And Jesus says to this church in Revelation 3, in Revelation 3, starting in verse, now Revelation is somewhere here.

Revelation, it's in the last part of the book, I think. Revelation 3, verse 17, He says, You say, talking about the church in Laodicea that is lukewarm, that is indifferent to what God has offered to the invitation that's been extended. It says, You say, I'm rich and increased with goods.

I don't need anything.

You don't realize that you're wretched and pitiable and poor and blind and naked. Therefore, I counsel you to buy from me gold, tried, and the fire, so that you can be rich and white robes to clothe you and keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen. Verse 19, I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Say, I want you to be on fire for the Word of God, for the work of God, for the purpose of God in your life. I want that. I seek that. And He says, verse 20, Listen, I'm standing at the door knocking. If you hear my voice and open the door, I'll come into you and eat with you and you with me. See, now again, that seems to be kind of backward from what we read earlier. It still involves embracing desire to be in close communion with the Father and with the Son. You actually see in the book of Acts, when Peter preached the first inspired sermon after the day of Pentecost, or on the day of Pentecost, after they received the gift of the Holy Spirit, he preached and told them, You just killed the Son of God. You just killed the author of life. You just put to death the one that God sent to save you. What happened to those people? Well, verse 37, Acts 2, verse 37, Acts 2, verse 37. When they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and it wasn't just that they realized, well, we need help.

We are going to knock. We're going to ask Peter, what do we have to do?

It says, when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and they said to Peter, what do we do? What do we need to do? And of course, he summarized saying, you'll repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus, and you'll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. He summarized and telling them what they needed to do. And over in chapter 3, you find him saying a similar thing, where people are actually honoring Peter for healing someone, and he says, look, it wasn't me. It was God.

God was the one who healed. And he says in verse 17 of chapter 3, now, friends, I know that you have acted in ignorance when you, again, killed Jesus, the Holy and righteous one, the author of life. Now, friends, I know that you did that ignorantly, as did your rulers, but in this way, God fulfilled what he had foretold through the prophets that the Messiah was suffering. So he says, well, you actually fulfill God's promise or God's prophecy about what was to happen to the Messiah. But in verse 19, he says, what you need to do is repent.

Repent and turn to God. Be converted so that your sins may be blotted out and the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. And that he will send the Messiah appointed for you, that is Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the times of restitution of all things. See, here, he was telling them the answer. He was telling them the kingdom of God is the Gospel. He was telling them what God is going to do is so remarkably incredible. It requires you to repent, to turn and be converted, and so you need to be born again. That's what he was telling them, the way John writes it. You need to be born in chapter 3, born from above. And that, of course, is an entirely other huge topic of what that is, to be truly born as the children of God.

But see, knocking involves some action. It involved a desire or an intent to truly draw close to God. And so I hope that whenever we read the statement that Jesus makes and Matthew 7, verse 7, that we don't overlook it, that we think about, well, am I requesting, am I asking God requesting His help? Am I seeking His kingdom and all the other things He tells me I need? Am I knocking and desiring to pursue? I'm motivated to pursue the calling that God has given me, and so I'm going to do whatever's required. I want to do whatever I need to to fulfill that desire of truly knowing the great God and knowing the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

See, I think in many ways there are more to our relationship with God than we know. That's why we need to knock. We need to grow in a closer walk with God. But of course, that's a process. It's an ongoing process, one that we simply want to be engaged in. So we'll read in Matthew 7 the conclusion to the matter where Jesus says, ask, seek, and knock. Verse 8, everyone who asks will receive and everyone who seeks will find, and everyone who knocks, the door will be open.

See, I think it's up to us, brethren, to ask and to seek and to knock.