Are You Knocking By Bro. David Rogers
Bethlehem Baptist Church
Luke 11:9-10
Have you ever gone to a house and knocked on the door and no one answered. You see that all the cars are in the driveway. You can hear the T.V. blaring, the stereo is booming from upstairs, the dog is barking, the children are screaming and no one can hear you knocking. How frustrated do you get? Do you bang on the door harder, do you call out? Yet still no answers you. How mad do you get, knowing that someone is home but they are not interested in hearing your knock? They don’t want to answer the door. Just think how God must feel when we, His Children, are to busy to answer His knock on our hearts. How must He hurt when He is trying to get our attention and we refuse to answer.
This week during the revival God knocked on several people hearts. Many answered His knock but many did not answer His knock. Maybe their radio was turned up to loud or the kids were screaming, the t.v. had something on it that was to good to hear Him. Maybe work was to consuming that they did not have time to hear God knocking.
If you are a Child of God I want to bring something to the fore front of your attention. God does not say I am to be 4th of last on your list of things to do. No. He says that He is to be first before yourself, your family, your job, your hobby, your t.v. shows, before anything else God is to be first. There is nothing that is more important that God in your life. I want you to understand I love Carla and Kristen dearly but God comes before the and that is the right place. Because how can I truly love them If I don’t love my creator and savior first. He teaches me to love. Yet many of us place God at the bottom of our list of things to do. When we don’t place God first we can not or will not hear Him knocking.
At the Milan Cathedral there are three inscriptions over the respective doorways. Over the right-hand door there is this motto: “All that pleases is but for a moment.” Over the left-hand door the words are: “All that troubles is but for a moment.” But over the center doorway there is this on simple sentence: “Nothing is important save that which is eternal.” How true that statement is yet so many are more concerned with that which pleases or the troubles that come along in life. They are not concerned about the eternal. Tom Landry the coach of the Dallas Cowboys was once asked how he had been so successful. His response was “In 1958, I did something everyone who has been successful must do, I determined my priorities for my life would be God, family and then football.” Oh that more Christians would determine this.
But tonight I am not going to talk so much about us not hearing God knock but about
Him hearing our knocking. How does God respond to our knock? Luke 11:9-10 “Luk 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Luk 11:10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
Even after hearing all our excuses and whining for not hearing Him God stills answers when we knock at His door. God is not asleep. He is not in bed, nor is he watching t.v., or jamming on the radio, nor to busy to answer when we call. Even though we often fail Him God still wants to answer our prayers and He will. We do not have to storm the gates of heaven nor knock down the doors of heaven to get His attention.
It is His desire to hear our prayers. Isa. 65:24 says “Isa 65:24 And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” God wants to have that close personnel relationship with us. He wants to talk with us. He wants to be our best friend. There are those who say that God does not answer prayers, that He no longer perform miracles. To them I say maybe you are not getting the message that sometimes God answer is no. Our problem is that we don’t want to take no for the answer. God always hears our prayers and He always answers our prayers. Sometimes His answer is no not because He wants to punish us or play games with us but because that is the right answer for us at that time. Over the years I have learned that some of the best answers that God has ever given to my prayers has been no. God knows what is best for us.
Verse 10 says “For everyone that asketh recieveth.” God does not lie. What we pray for God will answer. It just may not be the answer that we want to hear.
Illustration
A newborn baby cries frequently when he or she has needs, and the mother comes immediately, day or night, to fill those needs. Thus, children learn to cry when they want mother’s presence. Later, mother comes but does not pick up the child; She only softly says “Hush child, go back to sleep.” Later she may not even come every time the baby cries. Of course the baby does not like this one bit, but the feelings of “abandonment” lessen as he or she learns that mother will always come in the morning. In the process, all babies learn that they can not manipulate a mother, especially one who distinguishes between her baby needs and wants.
So it is with our prayers. When we are young believers, God often answers our prayers quickly. Later, as we mature, He uses unanswered prayer as a means of teaching us to rely on Him-He who knows our real needs and who is always faithful.
Let us not be like the man who was lost in the deep woods. Later in describing the experience, he told how frightened he was and how he had prayed for deliverance. Later someone asked him “Did God answer your prayer?” “Oh no!” was the response “Before God had a chance, a guide came along and showed me the path.” Was that prayer really unanswered? Or did God do what He promised in Isa. 65;24 answering before He was called.
What have you asked God for? How did God answer you prayer? Do you believe that God answered your prayer? Verse 10 teaches us that he that seeketh findeth. Maybe the reason why we haven’t seen God’s answer to our prayers is because we haven’t been looking for it. Or maybe we have seen God’s answer and don’t recognize it as God’s answer because it is not what we want. But God says that if we seek we will find. To seek means to look. That means we have to stop giving lip service to God and start serving God. When we pray we must be ready to accept God’s answer whether it is a yes or no. I want you to know that to be a seeker means that you are also a server because a seeker has their eyes upon that which they are seeking and you can’t have your eyes on God and not serve Him.
Illustration
When Dr. W.A. Criswell, pastor of the largest Southern Baptist Church in North America, was preaching I the North Shore Baptist Church in Chicago, he was entertained at the home of deacon James L. Kraft who was the superintendent of the Sunday School and founder of Kraft foods. Kraft said that as a young man he had a desire to be the most famous manufacturer and salesman of cheese in the world. He planned on becoming rich and famous by making and selling cheese. He began as a young man with a little buggy pulled by a pony named Paddy. After making his cheese, the youth would load his wagon and he and Paddy would drive down the streets of Chicago to sell the cheese. As the months passed the young Kraft began to despair because he was not making money, in spite of his long hours and hard work.
One day he pulled his pony to a stop and began to talk to him. He said “Paddy, there is something wrong. We are not doing it right. I am afraid we have thing turned around and our priorities are not where they ought to be. Maybe we ought to serve God and place Him first in our life.” Kraft then drove home and made a covenant that for the rest of his life he would first serve God and then would work as God directed.
Many years after this, Dr. Criswell heard James Kraft say, “I would rather be a layman in the North Shore Baptist Church than to head the greatest corporation in America. My First Job is serving Jesus.”
Is our first job serving Jesus? Are we knocking? I can assure you that if you knock on God’s door He will answer it before the sound of the first knock can be heard. The words ask, seek, and knock are action words suggesting both perseverance and frequent prayer. Do we pray frequently? Who and what do we pray about? Do you pray for others who we are concerned about? Does our job, family, meetings, or hobbies keep us from knocking on God’s door? Everything we need for spiritual success has been promised to us. God leaves us no excuse for failure.
Conclusion
Today God is knocking on your door. He is calling you. Maybe he is saying come to me those who are weary. I have everything you need. Maybe He is saying you need to talk with Him more. Or you need to place Him first in your life. Maybe He is saying you need to rededicate your life to Him that is to be your first priority in life. Maybe He is saying you need to have a church home and this is where He wants you. What ever it is He is saying to you tonight. Don’t delay open your door to Him and you will find that His door is always open for those who seek Him. Tonight is the first night of the rest of your life.
