INTRO: Today let’s look at how God enables us to work and live WITH Him. This is miraculous enabling aid from our Superior as He bends down to aid the inferior.
BENEFIT STATEMENT: Our God allows us a Unique Charter of our active Relationship. It is revealed information through His Holy Spirit. We are given this set of tools to draw close to what God has designed for us to DO with Him. This Process is one of God’s Gifts to His People today.
SPS: We could call this Charter of Active Godly Relationship …Ask, Seek, Knock
BODY:
- God enables our Relationship miraculously. We may choose to fully WORK at this.
(((Ecclesiastes 3:9-11 (NKJV) 9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
(((Acts 17:26-28 (NKJV) 26 And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, 27 so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also His offspring.'
John 5:30 (NKJV) 30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
Romans 8:19-28 (NKJV) 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
- Our eternal relationship WITH God has instructions
Matthew 7:7-11 (NKJV) 7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
Is this a set of encouragements to “keep importuning God until He answers”, or is this a step by step Process that leads to God’s Family relationship? Well …why do three different things, if asking consistently until He answers should work?
Maybe, these are steps to being ushered into something, since there is something that is “opened” after asking, seeking, and then knocking. Let’s find out from God’s Word.
God alone really knows our heart. He knows us as WE do not know ourselves. Bad and Good.
Acts 15:8 (NKJV) 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,
(((Psalm 44:21 (NKJV) 21 Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart.
When we “Ask” for something from God, what is God’s desire to GIVE us?
Matthew 13:10-17 (NKJV) 10 And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?" 11 He answered and said to them, "Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; 15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.' 16 "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
They did not understand what was already GIVEN them. Important. They needed to SEEK it out and God would allow THEM to FIND it. What happens then?
Job 42:1-6 (NKJV) 1 Then Job answered the LORD and said: 2 "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. 3 You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' 5 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees [sought out revealed so Job could “find”] You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes."
- We are to ask for the Gifts of God to join With His Purpose …He will GIVE us what HE does not give others. This is seeking connection with God and His Purpose.
- THEN we must seek out what He Chooses to Gift to us (this may involve trials and tests we are to endure to be able to give up our will).
Mark 10:46-52 (NKJV) 46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you." 50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. 51 So Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight." 52 Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
- Ask, Seek …also told to do even MORE. That involves following God our of our blindness into His Eternal Way.
- Knock requesting Barriers be opened so God’s Gifts Bear Eternal Fruit WITH Him
The Pharisee had been given the ability to know what the rest of humanity did not, and had found some of it in himself from God. BUT he had not knocked to have the barrier between him God removed so He could actually relate as God does for eternity.
Luke 18:9-14 (NKJV) 9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.' 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
In Greek, there are two kinds of imperative: there is the aorist imperative, which issues one definite command. 'Shut the door behind you' would be an aorist imperative. There is the present imperative, which issues a command that a person should always do something or should go on doing something. 'Always shut doors behind you' would be a present imperative. The imperatives here are present imperatives; therefore Jesus is saying: 'Go on asking; go on seeking; go on knocking.'
William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1, (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001), WORDsearch CROSS e-book, 314.
Matthew 7:7-12 (NKJV) 7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Knock on WHAT? The door, or the “gate”? the Narrow gate, opened to you.
The place you are attempting to go through into sharing (Ep 4.13-16) the Fruit of the Spirit found in you which god gave is the narrow gate.
Matthew 7:13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
What God is actually continually opening as we persistently knock correctly is LIFE With Him in His Family Kingdom.
Revelation 22:14 (NKJV) 14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
This is about Sharing the Spirit of God in His Presence with His Chosen Family into eternity.
(((Ephesians 4:13-16 (NKJV) 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
- God enables our Relationship miraculously. We may choose to fully WORK at this.
- Our eternal relationship WITH God has instructions
- Knock requesting Barriers be opened so God’s Gifts Bear Eternal Fruit WITH Him .
CONCLUSION: We are to actually stop what we ARE, and go into what we do not understand by God in order to share life with Him and His Chosen Family through eternity.
Christ leads us AWAY from this world into the Divine Family Relationship Sharing eternity!
Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV) 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
CLOSE: We see in the context of Matthew 7 and Luke 11.9-10 that God is enabling a unique Relationship OF the God Family AS we continually ask, seek, and knock in order to move BY God …from where we are to where HE is.
Ephesians 3:14-19 (NKJV) 14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ask and it WILL be Given, Seek and You WILL Find, Knock - it WILL be opened to you
…to LIVE W I T H God …His Way by HIS Gifts IN us all.
