stovebolts
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- Nov 4, 2004
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If somebody were to ask you what it’s like to be a Christian, how would you answer? This is a question that I would have us all to ponder, as we begin our time together.
As we begin, let’s take a look at Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. 7:8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
To be a Christian, means we don’t always have the answers, which is why we ask, seek and knock. But what types of things do we ask for, what do we seek after, and who’s door are we knocking on?
Ask…
There’s this story in Matthew 15 where a Canaanite woman asked Jesus to heal her daughter and to get a better picture of who this woman represented, it’s only fair that we understand the Canaanite Gods. I know that most of you here are avid bible readers, so I’m sure that many of these Canaanite god’s will sound familiar. First off there’s Baal, head of the pantheon and god of the storms. In 1 Kings 18, you can read where Elijah challenges the Prophets of Baal by each building an altar, and the one true God would consume the offering by fire. As the day became evening, the prophets of Baal continued to dance and began to cut themselves, and Baal was queit. Elijah then offered his sacrifice to the Lord, and proceeded to drench the offering and the wood with water, and when he prayed to God, a consuming fire devoured the entire sacrifice, wood and even the water that surrounded the offering.
Then there is Baal’s father Dagon, god of grain and crops who you might remember from 1 Samuel 5 when the Philistines captured the Arc of the Covenant and proceed to bring it into the house of Dagon, and the next morning Dagon is face down on the threshold. How about El most high and his wife Asherah? But the one god that most of you may be familiar with is Moloch, god of fire to whom children were sacrificed in a horrendous manner.
Taking the ancient gods of the pagans as a consideration, is it any wonder why the disciples of Jesus ignore this woman and ask Jesus to “Send her awayâ€Â? But Jesus doesn’t send her away, he lets her persist in her plea for her daughter and even goes as far to call this woman a dog (which was how anyone “Outside†of Israel was viewed)… but by doing so, her faith is made known to those who consider this woman “Out†while they of course are “Inâ€Â.
Have you ever felt alone, alienated, mistreated, accused of being a ‘dog’ and all you wanted, is something better for your child… A selfless request, but because of perhaps your social, economic, gender or even race, you were oppressed, abused, taken advantage of, kicked to the wayside and viewed as an outcast? Jesus understands, and calls you to a life of faith as he haers our requests and binds up our wounds. For Jesus, it’s not about being “In†and being “Outâ€Â, its’ about healing, and it’s about faith.
What types of things are you asking for?
Seek.
In Mark 5 there is a beautiful picture of somebody who is seeking. You may recall the story about the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. The woman had gone to many doctors for healing, yet her condition worsened. In the 21 century, we would look at this as a medical mystery, but in the days of Jesus, it was thought that these types of things happened because of some sin one had committed and had failed to repent of. Remember Job’s friends? Or how about John 9:1-3, I think you’ll remember the story. It went like this.
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Teacher, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
So imagine for a moment this woman who had this physical issue and had had been bleeding for 12 years. The text says that she was hemorrhaging, which paints a picture larger than a simple paper cut. Hemorrhaging means to bleed profusely… She would have been looked down upon by her peers and mocked openly as a sinner. She would have been considered an outcast among her own people, and what she’s seeking isn’t just physical, it’s emotional.
We all have emotional scars, every one of us, were fragile, and we all know people who have emotional scars, and being a Christian, means that were seekers.
And this is what is so great about being a Christian, because so often, we’re like the woman who sneaks up on Jesus to touch his cloak and immediately we try to lose ourselves back in the crowd. But Jesus doesn’t let this happen. He doesn’t heal us, just to have us dip back and hide in the crowd. No, he calls us forward, and by doing so, unites us back into the community in which we belong. You see, Jesus doesn’t only want to heal our physical issues; he wants to heal our emotional scars too and re-introduce us back into the community. We were created to live in harmony with one another, and with God.
God wants to restore relationships. Are you seeking?
Knocking.
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will eat with him, and he with me.
Meals were an important social function in Jewish custom. I’m sure that you can think of many meals that took place in the bible, but I think the first one that came to mind was when Elijah met the widow who was going out to make her last meal with the little bit of flour she had remaining before her and her son died of starvation. You can read the story in 1 Kings 17. The story goes that the woman does bring Elijah something to drink and shares the last of her food with him and as a result, each day there is enough flour and oil to feed the three of them and so far, things look pretty good.
But then things take a turn for the worst as the woman’s son gets sick and dies. Imagine this for a moment if you can. Here is a woman who was prepared to starve literally to death with her son, and by God’s grace through Elijah, is saved from starvation, and now ends up outliving him. If you’ve ever lost a child, or you know anyone that ever has, I can tell you that losing your child is a very traumatic event and often, the first question, like the widow and Elijah is “Why God did you save me, just to endure such pain and suffering?â€Â
God knows and understands our suffering, whether it’s the loss of a job, a car, your home, bank account and yes, even the loss of one’s child. But what do we do with these types of things occur? Do we knock on heaven’s door eagerly waiting for the door to be opened as were greeted with warm arms and compassionate, caring eyes? You see, Jesus wants to share a meal with you, and weather your knocking, or he’s knocking, are you willing to enter into conversation as the bread is passed, and the wine is poured?
7:8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Grace and Peace,
Jeff
As we begin, let’s take a look at Matthew 7:7-8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. 7:8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
To be a Christian, means we don’t always have the answers, which is why we ask, seek and knock. But what types of things do we ask for, what do we seek after, and who’s door are we knocking on?
Ask…
There’s this story in Matthew 15 where a Canaanite woman asked Jesus to heal her daughter and to get a better picture of who this woman represented, it’s only fair that we understand the Canaanite Gods. I know that most of you here are avid bible readers, so I’m sure that many of these Canaanite god’s will sound familiar. First off there’s Baal, head of the pantheon and god of the storms. In 1 Kings 18, you can read where Elijah challenges the Prophets of Baal by each building an altar, and the one true God would consume the offering by fire. As the day became evening, the prophets of Baal continued to dance and began to cut themselves, and Baal was queit. Elijah then offered his sacrifice to the Lord, and proceeded to drench the offering and the wood with water, and when he prayed to God, a consuming fire devoured the entire sacrifice, wood and even the water that surrounded the offering.
Then there is Baal’s father Dagon, god of grain and crops who you might remember from 1 Samuel 5 when the Philistines captured the Arc of the Covenant and proceed to bring it into the house of Dagon, and the next morning Dagon is face down on the threshold. How about El most high and his wife Asherah? But the one god that most of you may be familiar with is Moloch, god of fire to whom children were sacrificed in a horrendous manner.
Taking the ancient gods of the pagans as a consideration, is it any wonder why the disciples of Jesus ignore this woman and ask Jesus to “Send her awayâ€Â? But Jesus doesn’t send her away, he lets her persist in her plea for her daughter and even goes as far to call this woman a dog (which was how anyone “Outside†of Israel was viewed)… but by doing so, her faith is made known to those who consider this woman “Out†while they of course are “Inâ€Â.
Have you ever felt alone, alienated, mistreated, accused of being a ‘dog’ and all you wanted, is something better for your child… A selfless request, but because of perhaps your social, economic, gender or even race, you were oppressed, abused, taken advantage of, kicked to the wayside and viewed as an outcast? Jesus understands, and calls you to a life of faith as he haers our requests and binds up our wounds. For Jesus, it’s not about being “In†and being “Outâ€Â, its’ about healing, and it’s about faith.
What types of things are you asking for?
Seek.
In Mark 5 there is a beautiful picture of somebody who is seeking. You may recall the story about the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years. The woman had gone to many doctors for healing, yet her condition worsened. In the 21 century, we would look at this as a medical mystery, but in the days of Jesus, it was thought that these types of things happened because of some sin one had committed and had failed to repent of. Remember Job’s friends? Or how about John 9:1-3, I think you’ll remember the story. It went like this.
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Teacher, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
So imagine for a moment this woman who had this physical issue and had had been bleeding for 12 years. The text says that she was hemorrhaging, which paints a picture larger than a simple paper cut. Hemorrhaging means to bleed profusely… She would have been looked down upon by her peers and mocked openly as a sinner. She would have been considered an outcast among her own people, and what she’s seeking isn’t just physical, it’s emotional.
We all have emotional scars, every one of us, were fragile, and we all know people who have emotional scars, and being a Christian, means that were seekers.
And this is what is so great about being a Christian, because so often, we’re like the woman who sneaks up on Jesus to touch his cloak and immediately we try to lose ourselves back in the crowd. But Jesus doesn’t let this happen. He doesn’t heal us, just to have us dip back and hide in the crowd. No, he calls us forward, and by doing so, unites us back into the community in which we belong. You see, Jesus doesn’t only want to heal our physical issues; he wants to heal our emotional scars too and re-introduce us back into the community. We were created to live in harmony with one another, and with God.
God wants to restore relationships. Are you seeking?
Knocking.
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will eat with him, and he with me.
Meals were an important social function in Jewish custom. I’m sure that you can think of many meals that took place in the bible, but I think the first one that came to mind was when Elijah met the widow who was going out to make her last meal with the little bit of flour she had remaining before her and her son died of starvation. You can read the story in 1 Kings 17. The story goes that the woman does bring Elijah something to drink and shares the last of her food with him and as a result, each day there is enough flour and oil to feed the three of them and so far, things look pretty good.
But then things take a turn for the worst as the woman’s son gets sick and dies. Imagine this for a moment if you can. Here is a woman who was prepared to starve literally to death with her son, and by God’s grace through Elijah, is saved from starvation, and now ends up outliving him. If you’ve ever lost a child, or you know anyone that ever has, I can tell you that losing your child is a very traumatic event and often, the first question, like the widow and Elijah is “Why God did you save me, just to endure such pain and suffering?â€Â
God knows and understands our suffering, whether it’s the loss of a job, a car, your home, bank account and yes, even the loss of one’s child. But what do we do with these types of things occur? Do we knock on heaven’s door eagerly waiting for the door to be opened as were greeted with warm arms and compassionate, caring eyes? You see, Jesus wants to share a meal with you, and weather your knocking, or he’s knocking, are you willing to enter into conversation as the bread is passed, and the wine is poured?
7:8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Grace and Peace,
Jeff