"ASK - SEEK - KNOCK"
Part 2


A. "ASK, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN YOU; SEEK, AND YE SHALL FIND; KNOCK, AND IT SHALL BE OPENED UNTO YOU." - Matt. 7:7
  1. This is a most wonderful text for God's praying people; it reveals:
    1. Our heavenly Father's magnanimity -
      1. He wants us to feel free to come to Him and ask for blessings.
      2. And He gives freely for the asking - Jas. 1:5
    2. Such an invitation leaves us without any excuse - Luke 14:14-28
  2. But there is another side to our opening text:
    1. It indicates our absolute dependence upon our heavenly Father for our very being.
    2. "For without me ye can do nothing" - John 15:5
    3. "For in him we live, and move, and have our being" - Acts 17:28
  3. A study of the Bible reveals that our opening text is a standing rule for all:
    1. Jesus had to ask - John 5:19, 30; 17:20
    2. Some of us have not because we ask not - Jas. 4:1-3
B. THERE ARE THREE SPECIAL POINTS IN OUR OPENING TEXT TO BE NOTED
  1. Ask:
    1. The blessings of heaven cannot be bought for any price; they come to us just for the asking - Mark 10:51, 52
    2. All benefits from God are without any partiality - Jas. 3:17
    3. Ask how?
      1. In the blessed name of Jesus Christ our Lord - John 14:13
      2. In simple and childlike faith - Mark 11:24; Jas. 1:6; Heb. 12:6. "If faith then new birth; if new birth then sonship; if sonship then an heir of God, a joint heir with Christ." "Faith does not ask what bread is made of, but eats it; does not analyze components of stream, but drinks out of the wells of salvation."
  2. Seek:
    1. God places great emphasis upon the word SEEK. Compare Matt. 6:33 with Jer. 29:13; Luke 11:10
    2. Seeking implies putting forth effort - EXAMPLES -
      1. The lost sheep;
      2. The lost coin are vivid illustrations of our text - Luke 15:4-10; Matt. 15:22-28
  3. Knock:
    1. That indicates still greater effort on our part. Too many of us give up too easily and they have not. Vivid examples of persistence are to be found in the experience of Jacob - Gen. 32:26; the mother, pleading for her daughter - Matt. 15:22-28
    2. The Lord of glory uses the knocking approach - Rev. 3:20; if He does, then it follows that we should do the same.
C. FOR WHAT ARE WE TO ASK?
  1. Here is one of our great weaknesses because we do not know what we should pray for as we ought to: Rom. 8:26 EXAMPLES -
    1. Balaam asked permission to cure Israel.
    2. The mother of two sons asked for position of honor in the kingdom.
  2. We are to ask for all the things that we stand in need of:
    1. It includes our daily bread - Matt. 6:11
    2. Bodily health - Isa. 53:1-6; John 5:5-9
    3. Spiritual eyesight - Rev. 3:14-17
    4. The salvation of our children - Isa. 49:25
    5. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit - Luke 11:13
  3. God is more than able to supply all our needs:
    1. He may not grant us all our wishes;
    2. But he will supply our needs - Phil. 4:19; Eph. 3:20


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