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Ask Seek Knock Mathew 7:7-12 November 13 2016 Lorna Laister

Now this whole section of scripture from verse 1 to 12 is about just treatment towards others. All the Sermon on the Mount was to prepare the disciples (and now you and me) for kingdom participation. Joining Jesus in his work on earth. A very high calling

ASK –difficult. We don’t want to ask. What is it that keeps us from asking? PRIDE. EGO.  FEAR. We are afraid people will think we are stupid, that they will laugh at us. We are afraid they will say no!Now this whole section of scripture from verse 1 to 12 is about just treatment towards others. All the Sermon on the Mount was to prepare the disciples (and now you and me) for kingdom participation. Joining Jesus in his work on earth. A very high calling.

SEEK There are many things available to us if we diligently seek them out. But we are very good at blaming others for our lack. Seek means looking until you find.

KNOCK  Often a door remains closed to us because we are too scared to knock and ENTER. We won’t open the door to relationships. So many people are lonely and they miss out on relationships

Let’s look at these verses from the other side as if they were prayer. Ask seek knock. This is Hebrew poetry. Saying much the same thing – perhaps one building upon the other EMPHASIS

ASK GOD. What for? anything. How we approach prayer reveals how we view God. We frame our requests in accordance with what we know is the character of God. Jesus is saying ASK; don’t be afraid. Don’t be proud or full of ego. ASK FOR GOD”S GOOD WILL TO BE DONE Jesus has already taught us to pray and to ask Matthew 6:11-14

SLIDE Seek is more. Deeper. This is NEVER trying harder so God will love you more. NOTHING can make him love you more. This is NEVER working it up so God gives you what you want. This is SEEKING GOD HIMSELF. Psalm 27:8 But this is the time to stay. STAY at it. Because so often we ask amiss and we need to stay at it until we know. Romans 8:26-27. Jesus said to seek the Kingdom FIRST then all your relationships will be ok

KNOCK Maybe knocking is to open the door to understanding. Read Ephesians 1:18 18

Matthew 7:9-12 These verses help us to understand how loving merciful and compassionate God is. We can feely receive from our heavenly father too. We can know and trust that he has his best for us BECAUSE he’s a loving merciful and compassionate God

God may very well put the pressure on. He may very well ask you to do something incredibly uncomfortable. Jesus has been teaching about our relationships in the Kingdom of God – especially our relationship with god himself. You see Jesus knew that it is ONLY through God – living in total dependence on him. That we could ever hope to live this life, live out these values that he is calling us to

Matthew 7:12 This is the Golden rule.

We are oriented towards God. That is the whole point. THE LOVE OF GOD POURED INTO OUR HEARTS WHICH WE POUR OUT TO OTHERS. When we first receive from our heavenly Father, we can then freely act in grace towards another. So we can treat others in a way that we would want them to treat us (whether they do or not!). When all our strings are attached to God, we can love each other with no strings attached.

Our relationship with God and fellow humans through Jesus Christ cannot be sliced apart into separate realities—they are one integrated whole. We cannot have this “GOD LIFE” and this “PEOPLE LIFE” no. It is all consumed in the Kingdom. WHY? Because God lives in us and we in him and we are all in the Kingdom. Verse 12 sums it all up really.