KNOCK LIKE SOMEBODY'S HOME

January 20, 2016

KNOCK LIKE SOMEBODY'S HOME

Matthew 7:7–12

Laura Webb

Central Truth

God is a good father who is eager to give good gifts to those who ask!

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)

Ask, and It Will Be Given

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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are 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!

The Golden Rule

12 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Sometimes, we knock on a door thinking no one’s home. So we knock quietly, just in case, and leave quickly. Other times, we knock and walk away before someone comes to the door. But when we knock on a good friend’s door knowing he’s home, we knock, wait, knock louder, wait longer, and knock again until he comes to the door.

We certainly wouldn’t keep knocking on the door of an empty house, but the good news is Scripture promises that we don’t have to! When it comes to knocking on God’s door, we can trust at least three things:

1. He’s always home. (Deuteronomy 31:8)
2. He’s eager to answer. (Jeremiah 29:12-13)
3. He’s not slow like we count slowness. (2 Peter 3:9)

As God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, we have the freedom and confidence to ask God for all things great and small (Hebrews 4:16). When we believe that, we knock (pray) (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). We seek with our whole heart, knowing that Jesus has an answer and is the answer. And because God is who He says He is, we can trust that He will meet all of our needs (Philippians 4:19) and satisfy our desires with good things (Psalm 84:11, 145:17). Even if it means that God answers the door with something that doesn’t seem pleasant at the time, we can trust that it is good because He is good (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Because God is always home and ready to talk to anyone who wants to talk (even you), we can and should come to Him every minute with a heart that is ready to ask and receive, seek and find, knock and have the door opened for us.

1. I’ve made it a goal in life to be the one who knocks persistently, faithfully, patiently, and gratefully. But when I stop trusting that God hears me and answers in His timing, it’s easy to become discouraged and want to walk away. Which of these sentences best describes where you are now?

2. How often do you pray (knock)? Do you pray (knock) with expectation, believing that the Lord hears you, or do you tend to pray (knock) like no one is really home? What truths from the Bible can you remind yourself of that would help you?

3. Are you praying for things that are in line with Scripture, trusting that God knows what’s best for you? Are you praying for things that honor God . . . or that honor yourself? Are you praying for the people around you?

4. Is there anything in your life that tempts you to feel like God doesn’t hear you or doesn’t care? Are you reminding yourself of what’s true, or are you letting bitterness take root in your heart (Hebrews 12:15)?

• Be honest with God
• Be honest with other people
• Thank Him for giving you exactly what you have
• Trust that it is good because He is good
• And keep knocking!!