“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being 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! “ Matthew 7:7-11
“KNOCK and the door shall be opened.”
The question is; “Whose door is this?” It’s the Father’s Door. He’s asking His children to come and knock on His door. A Father speaks to us of a man of authority, one you would respect, and one who loves you like a good father. He calls us to knock on His door in order to ASK and may on occasions even ask us to APOLOGISE.
1. THE KNOCK TO ASK
The bible says we are to ask and we will receive, and when we come to God it’s a sign of respect to knock. Don’t take God for granted and treat Him like a slot machine as many do. It’s also important to say ‘please’ when you approach the Father. Another thing is; be prepared to wait. He’s coming! So many of us knock and leave after a few days because nothing happened right away. We can be like children who want instant gratification. People who act like this will miss out. If you want to be blessed then hang around the Father’s Door.
“Blessed is the man who listens to me, Watching daily at my gates, Waiting at the posts of my doors.” Proverbs 8:34
It’s like the grass around a dripping tap in a very dry summer. It’s always greener there than anywhere else. The Father always wants to give to us and is no respecter of persons. He’s not there with a big stick as some would think, and doesn’t say, “Oh not you again.” “This is the last time!” “Go away.”
There is something special about a Father. In the olden days He was the one with all the money… but things may have changed now days. Matthew 7:11 says; “How much more…will the Father.” He’s a generous God, so come without fear, come respectfully, and come with patience. You may not have had a good earthly dad that you respected, but don’t think your heavenly father is like your earthly dad was. No, He’s different. Go by what the word of God says and not by your situation. He wants to give, but He wants you to ask.
Blind Bartimaeus came to Jesus, and Jesus said, “What do you want?” It was obvious what he needed, but Jesus wanted to hear what he had to say. He could have asked for some new sunglasses, or a white stick, or a braille bible, but he asked that he might see and he was healed of blindness. Come, knock and ask. Be specific.
There is no shortage in heaven. There is no recession up there either. I’ve never heard the Father say. “Things are tough right now my son, we’ve had to rip up the streets of gold and sell the pearly gates…sorry, we can’t help you, come back next year.”
ALSO APOLOGISE
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.“1 John 1:9
When you do wrong, come and knock on His door and apologise. Say ‘sorry’ and He’ll take you in His arms again. 1 John 1:9 says He will forgive you. Don’t be like the adulterous woman who says she has done no wrong.
“This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.’ Prov 30:18-20.
2. THE KNOCK OF JESUS
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” Revelation 3:20
Sometimes we think that Jesus is way up there in heaven and us down here on earth. No - Jesus is with us now and wants to come into our lives. He’s knocking at the door of your heart. Sometimes He arrives unexpected and we always need to be ready for Him. I can remember the times when Jesus knocked on my door in my youth before I was saved. It wasn’t until I was 21 that I opened the door to Him.
If you have ever seen the picture of Jesus knocking on the door in Holman Hunt’s painting, you will notice that there is no door handle on the outside. It can only be opened from within.
In the Song of Songs we see the Lord coming to His Bride the Church and knocking again on the door of her heart. He wants to have intimate fellowship with her but she doesn’t respond at first and misses out.
“I slept but my heart was awake. Listen! My beloved is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.” I have taken off my robe— must I put it on again? I have washed my feet— must I soil them again? My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening; my heart began to pound for him. I arose to open for my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh, on the handles of the bolt. I opened for my beloved, but my beloved had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his departure. I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer.” Song of Songs 5:1-6
3. THE ‘TOO LATE’ KNOCK
“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’ Luke 13:24-27
Have you ever been to the bank just before it opens and found it’s closed only on that day for staff training? No amount of knocking will open the door. Sometimes it can happen when you arrive late at a shop and it’s just closed. They won’t open for you either. You will wish you had moved faster.
This was how it was in Noah’s day. Noah had been warning of the flood for 100 years and the people wouldn’t listen. Finally the rains came, but God had shut Noah and his family in. As the rains fell and the flood arose, many rushed to the ark and knocked, but it was too late.
“But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matthew 24:37-39
Someday a similar thing is going to happen when Jesus returns and those who have been careless will be shut out. The doors of mercy will be closed forever and no amount of knocking will open them.
There is the Parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25:1-13.
“But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. Matthew 25:11-13
The 5 Foolish Virgins didn’t prepare for the Lord’s Return and were shut out of the Wedding Feast. Don’t let this be you. Today is the day of Salvation, now is the hour of His favour, so seize the day.