Matthew 7 verses 7-12, ask and he'll be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and he'll be open to you. For everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks will be open. For what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 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?
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, or this is the law and the prophets. The thing I find most compelling about this section is, when it talks about whatever your son asks for. And evil people still know how to give good gifts. Good gifts transcend good and evil.
But then we also look at how much more will your father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him. In Proverbs 16 verse 3, it tells us to commit our works to the Lord and our thoughts will be established. Verse 20, he who heaves the word wisely will find good and whoever trusts in the Lord happy is he. And then we can kind of go out of context a little bit, but the principle of the exhortation Paul gave to the Philippian church still applies, and Philippians 4 verse 19.
And my gosh, I'll supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. So let's look at what this context is saying about asking, seeking, or knocking. When in the Bible has that been for physical things? I think if we're asking ourselves honestly, when has that been for physical?
For worldly things. You have to have a mentality here that understands that this context is predominantly talking about your faith, your belief, spirituality, spiritual gifts, spiritual things, things that are fruit of the Spirit. I'm not saying that if you ask God for a Lamborghini and you have faith that he will get you a Lamborghini that he can't or won't do that. I'm not saying that.
But let's look at some of the contexts. Let's look at some of the things that we are told of how we should be asking. In Matthew 21 verse 21 and 22, Jesus answered and said to them, surely I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, be removed and be cast into the sea, it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you'll receive.
So we ask in prayer, we have to believe that it's going to be done. If you have faith and do not doubt, your doubt makes you waver. In John 14 verse 12 to 14, most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also and greater works than these he will do because I go to my father. And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, that the father may be glorified in the son.
If you ask anything in my name, I will do it. Chapter 15 verse 7, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it should be done for you. Chapter 16 verse 23 and 24, and in that day you will ask me nothing. Most assuredly I say to you, whatever you ask the father in my name, he will give you.
Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you will receive that you're joining me before. In 1 John 5 verse 14 and 15, now this is the confidence 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, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked him.
In James 1 verse 5 and 6, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. Chapter 4 verse 2 to 3 of James, you lust and do not have, you murder and covet and cannot obtain, you fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
You ask and do not receive because you ask a miss that you may spend it on your pleasures. There are several keys there in the verses that talk about asking, belief, faith, no doubting, having confidence, asking a miss, having poor motives when you ask. All these things, and I'm sure more, influence, whether or not we receive what we ask for, maybe even influence whether or not we're going to ask in the first place. The second part here is to seek.
God's word is riddled with the desire for him wanting us to seek him. In Hebrews 11 verse 6, but without faith is impossible to please him, for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him. 1 Chronicles 16 verse 10 and 11, glory in his holy name, let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord, seek the Lord in his strength, seek his face evermore. Chapter 28 and verse 9 of 1 Chronicles, as for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your Father and serve him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind.
For the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. In the second Chronicles 7 verse 14, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Proverbs 8 verse 17, I love those who love me and those who seek me diligently will find me.
Jeremiah 29 verse 13 and 14 also do the rhyming of 4 verse 29, kind of say the same thing. And you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captain.
Chapter 34 verses in Psalms. Chapter 34 verse 10, the young lions lack and suffer hunger, but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. Chapter 14 verse 2, the Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there are any who understand who seek God. Chapter 119 verse 10, with my whole heart I have sought you, oh let me not wonder from your commitments.
Chapter 40 verse 16, let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Chapter 27 verse 4 through 5, one thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek, that I make dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. From the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion, and the secret place of his tabernacle he shall hide me, he shall set me high upon a rock. Isaiah 55 verse 6 and 7, seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near, let the wicked forsake his way and unrighteous man his thoughts, let him return to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
The limitations of the Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. James 4 verse 8, draw near to God and he will draw near to you, cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded. Amos 5 verse 4, for thus says the Lord to the house of Israel, seek me and live. He says it again in verse 6.
Verse 14 of Amos 5, seek good and not evil that you may live, so the Lord God of hosts will be with you as you have spoken. Acts 17 verse 24 to 27, God who made the world in everything in it, since he is the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, nor is he worshiped with men's hands as though he needed anything, since he gives to all life, breath and all things, and he is made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth, and has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord and the hope that they might grow for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. In verse 3, seek the Lord all you make of the earth who have upheld his justice, seek righteousness, seek humility, it may be that you will be hidden in the day of the Lord's anger. Some key thoughts here, seeking diligently, humbling yourself, turning from your wicked ways, searching with all your heart and with all your soul.
Rejoice and be glad in your seeking. Cleanse your hands and purify your hearts. Seek good and not evil. I like that in Amos 5 verse 4, again in verse 6 and in verse 14.
Seek me and live, seek God and live, seek God and live, and in verse 14 seek good and not evil that you may live. God is good. Seek God. Seek the good, not the evil.
Seek righteousness. Seek humility. These are several things about how we should be seeking God. What seeking God should elicit from us.
And the third part of this little context, the knocking. I actually had the hardest time with this because there is not a whole lot of stuff in the Bible that deliberately talks about knocking, so I had to kind of understand and come up with a, what does it mean by knocking, type of pursuit whenever I was studying this. And the first thing that came to me was the prodigal son, in Luke 15 verse 17 to 21. That particular section, but when he came to himself, he said, how many of my father's hired servants have bred enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger.
I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants. And he arose and came to his father, but when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
To me, knocking is pursuing, doing something. And the asking, the seeking, the searching that you are doing, and then coupling those two things with a pursuit. First Peter 3 verse 11, he is quoting from Psalm 34, let him turn away from evil and do good, just like the prodigal son. Let him seek peace and pursue it, the prodigal son wanted peace between him and his father.
And he pursued, he arose and came to his father, he pursued his father. How he made it all the way to the door, he wouldn't have just walked in, he didn't think he belonged, he didn't think he was worthy to just walk home and get back into the house and be welcomed. He thought he had to be a hired servant, but he would have knocked. He was seeking peace, and because he got up, he pursued it.
And then in Revelation 3 verse 7, the angel of the church in Philadelphia, right? These things says he who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens. A little bit later in chapter 3 verse 19 to 20, as many as I love I rebuke and chase, therefore be zealous and repent, behold I stand at the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with me. God opens and no one can shut it, God shuts it and no one can open it.
Jesus is knocking at the door of our heart, will we let him in? It takes humility to ask and acknowledge you need anything, any kind of thing from God. It takes humility to seek and look for God. And it takes humility to knock, pursue and approach God.
We read James 4 verse 8 and just a little bit later, in verse 10 it says, Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up. 1 Peter 5 verse 5 to 7, likewise you younger people submit yourself to your elders, yes all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility. For God resists the crowd but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you.
Humble yourself and ask him for help. He cares for you. Proverbs 11 verse 2, when pride comes in comes shame, but with the humble wisdom. 2 Chronicles 7 verse 14, read this again, If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways and I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Humble yourselves, pray and seek God, and then pursue him, pursue him by turning from your wicked ways. Ask, pray, seek his face, knock at his door the door of righteousness which is in the exact opposite direction of wickedness. Luke 14 verse 11, Proverbs 11, whoever exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted. John 3 verse 30, he must increase but I must decrease.
Remember back to James 1 verse 5 to 6, Matthew 21 and 1 John 5 verse 14, and you're asking, do not doubt. It's so hard not to doubt. You can't see what he's thinking. Not always can you see when you ask for something, whatever it is, not always can you even remember that you ask for it when you get it, if you get it.
Sometimes the answer is no. But don't have doubts. Have confidence. And believe.
When you ask, ask, believe in you're going to get it. Or believe in that God can do it. Maybe that's what it is. Simply just don't have any doubts about the capabilities of God.
Have confidence in the capabilities of God. Believe in the capabilities of God. I'm going to tell you no, it doesn't align with his will. And that's okay.
Apply this also to your seeking and knocking. Know that God is findable. Know that he is approachable. Hebrews 4 verse 16, let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We can ask, we can seek, and we can not. But unless we're doing it in the name of Christ Jesus, he'll be for nothing. Just before verse 16 and Hebrews 4, we are told of our high priest Jesus, the Son of God, which is why we can come boldly before the throne of grace. And John 14 and 16 asking Christ's name.
In 1 John chapter 5, ask according to God's will that gives us confidence that God hears us. So what's the proper order of our journey when we ask, seek, and knock? First, humble yourself. Second through that humility, you're going to attain wisdom.
And third, you're going to use that wisdom, hopefully. Use that wisdom to know Christ is the mediator and we must ask, seek, and knock through Christ. Fourth, have or build your confidence and remove all doubt that you may have. And lastly, ask whatever your petition to God may be.
Seek God in a manner in which you may find him. Knock so that he will open what only he can open. Pray for each other. Help one another.
Keep each other accountable and always stay focused on the foot of the cross. Where all things are leveled and the love of God and Christ is on full display. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. Stay tuned for more.