Seeking The Living God for New Life
Matthew 7:7-23
David T Gross
1998
July 1
#001
Introduction to sermon:
MT 7:7 Ask and it will be given to you
seek and you will find
knock and the door will be opened to you,
8 for everyone who asks receives
he who seeks finds,
and to him who knocks the door will be opened.
1. Asking God requires prayer
2. Seeking requires finding
3. Knocking receives opened doors
How do we ask?
In need
Expecting to receive good
Will you be one of the few who find it
What will we ask the Lord for?
Is anything to difficult for the lord?
Ask and it will be
given to you.
Children who ask there parent for something good get something.
We are Gods children
We can get something good
Today is the day you can have a miracle,
We have not because we do not ask for it
What hinders us asking for something from God?
Pride
People without prayer
Patients
Ask and keep on asking is the Greek denotes an action that is once and continuing
Seek and you will
find
Something has to be missing in order to be found
We do not know what we are missing
If we know what we have we would seek till we find it
How precious something is you need is how much you will seek for it
We tend to seek only in times of need, but we need to seek in the good times too
The things we do find will lead to a desire to seek more
Knock and the door will be opened to you
A door is something that keeps people in or out
If you have to knock the door must be closed and you have to by faith knock on it to get a response
A door is something that can be opened
Knocking requires action
Now who here as ever played hide and seek with your children, you hide and your child looks for you, now you make it easy after a while and you are found. Then it's your turn to find your child. When a person is born-again God finds that person and draws him to himself, there is no other way for a person to get saved other than God drawing that person to himself, but then God hides, we say God where have you gone? I don't feel you anymore. But he is still there. When we seek we find. God is so big and so great you can't miss him. When you thank Him you find him, when you have a personal relationship with him you can ask Him anything and he will give it. When you are able to find the place where God is and you knock the door will be opened.
It takes something to ask something of someone, it takes humility…its saying I have a need and you have the answer and only you can help me I am at my ropes end, there is no one else the doctors have given up on me. I can't pay the bills. My son is dying and I need to ask you something. The reason why we do not ask God is because we do not believe God is a good God, some where along the line we were taught that the small things in life are to little for God and the big things are just to hard, we doubt because we are afraid that God will not answer.
Knocking requires action, prayer talking to God is the first step seeking his will is the second and knocking is the third, when we knock we are saying I want to go deeper with you Lord I want to commune in your secret place. I want to listen to the answer you have for me and I will be satisfied with the outcome. If some one knocks on your front door will you know let the person in especially if you know the person. How much more will God give to everyone who asks seeks and knocks and answer and the Holy spirit.
We tend to ask for the wrong things…in chapter 8.2 a man with leprosy asked lord if you are willing you can make me clean, the lord replied by touching him and saying I am willing and the man was made clean…. The thing is he asked wrong and still God what he needed. This was from his lack of faith in the Father heart of God. Which of you if your son or doughtier asked for vegetables would give a box of candies. God loves us and wants to touch us but he wants us to ask and believe He wants to do it. From that comes gratefulness.
Ok how do we ask seek and knock
1. Prayer
2. Bible
3. Submission
1.1 Prayer
1.1.1 Prayer is simply talking with God.
1.1.2 Asking comes out of a daily relationship
1.1.2.1 If I just met a person and he asked to use my car I would say no, because there is no trust there
1.1.2.2 How can God give you something if you are not faithful to keep it
1.1.3 asking expecting to receive something good
1.1.3.1 God will not do you evil, the devil will try to stop you in believing God wants the best for you.
2. Bible
1.2.1 The Bible is the inspired word of God it reveals the nature of Christ
1.2.2 The Bible is like eating the more you eat the more you want to eat….
3. Submission
Submission only come when we pray and read our Bible then we can say I
am submitting to the will of God
Conclusion
The Lord is returning really soon, it is time to seek the Lord for revival. Revival starts with the obedience of you and me. The little things, will cause a spark of revival that will spread…The Lord says that if you seek him he will be found. Today is the day to seek God. Now is the time. If you do know Jesus….Then now is the time to come to a personal relationship with him.