Sweden Church
  • Home
  • Listen
    • Sunday Services
    • Real Time >
      • But God...
      • Incompatible With Life
      • Heroes of Faith
      • Matthew 9 Series
      • Where We Find Jesus Series
      • Temptations of Christ Series
      • Sermon on the Mount Series
      • Prodigal Son Series
    • Revival 2022
    • Sweden Celebration 2020
    • Revival 2019
  • Sermon Series
    • Revelation Series
    • One Thing Series
    • Deuteronomy Series
    • 1 & 2 Kings Series
    • Titus Series
    • Jonah Series
    • What Kind of Man Series
    • Advent 2019
    • Ten Commandments Series
    • "No More" Sermon Series
  • Pictures
  • Our Blogs
    • The Pastor's Pen
    • The Layman's Pen
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us

Ask, Seek, Knock

1/11/2022

0 Comments

 
          A friend comes to your house.  It’s late, really late.  He bangs on the door.  “Let me in.  I’m on a trip and need a place to stay.”  You get up, let him in and prepare a bed.  Just then he says, “I’m hungry.  You got anything to eat?”  Your friend’s hungry and there’s nothing to feed him.
          So, you run next door and wake up your neighbor.  “It’s me, your neighbor.  My friend is on a trip and stopped to spend the night.  He is hungry and I don’t have anything to feed him.  Can you help me out?”  Your neighbor pulls the cover up and hopes you’ll go away.  You knock again.  “I’m sorry but I really need your help.”
          This time your neighbor is awake.  He lies there for a few minutes and listens to your incessant knocking.  Finally, he gets up, stumbles to the kitchen, gets something for his neighbor to feed his friend, and goes to the door.  “Here,” he says, “go and enjoy.”  Now, he goes back to bed, and you can feed your friend.
          Jesus tells this little story in Luke 11.  The disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray.  He does (Luke 11:1-4).  Then, the story followed with the famous verse, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Luke 11:9) Then Jesus follows this with an example.  He looks around and says, “For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
          Well, that’s what happened in the story.  Jesus goes on to point out that even people who are not necessarily good, even evil, know how to give good gifts to their children.  If these people can do good things, just think how much more your Father in heaven is willing to do for you.
          No one knew God better than Jesus.  When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he covered it all.  First he taught them to pray remembering to praise God.  Then, to pray for the coming of His kingdom and for His will to be done.  Pray daily for your needs that day, ask for forgiveness and to resist temptation.
          Then, he used the little story to emphasize his next points, the story of feeding his friend and banging on a neighbor’s door for help.  How even those of us here on earth will help each other out.  This brings us to the promise.
          Ask, seek, and knock.  James 5:17,18 gives the example of Elijah who prayed earnestly that it might not rain and then prayed for it to rain.  And it was so.  Elijah was continuous in his prayers.  He sought God.  God listened.  When the time was right, He answered his prayers.  Pray without ceasing. (I Thessalonians 5:17)
0 Comments
    Picture

    Linda Johnson

    Linda Johnson moved to Douglas County with her husband Tom 12 years ago after retiring from teaching. Following Tom's death in 2016, Linda began facilitating a grief support group called GriefShare through Sweden Church.​ She serves as the Sunday School teacher for our High School class. Her "Layman's Pen" articles are also published in the local paper, The Douglas County Herald. 

    Andrea Strong

    Andrea is Pastor Joshua Strong's wife. She also serves Sweden Church as Church Secretary, website administrator, and Sunday School teacher to the Intermediate Class.

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    February 2015
    November 2013
    October 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012