Ask, Seek and Knock...the Wayfarer 3/13/16

ASK, Seek and Knock
3/13/16

“Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

(Matthew 7:6-8)

ASK! Defined by Webster as the following:

Ask (verb) asked (past tense) asking, from Middle English asken, or Old English, ascain, akin to Old high German, eiscon (to ask or to beg.)

1. To call on for an answer. 1a. to put a question about, 1b to speak or utter a question.

2. To make a request for something or of someone.

3. To call for, require.

4. To set as a price.

5. Invite,

(Noun,)

1. To seek information.

2. To make a request.

3. To look for.

This, then, defines a small three letter word that carries such a large meaning when applied to the context of its use by Jesus as he spoke it during that Sermon on the Mount, forever redefining the requirements of men to meet the requirements of His Father.

Small, yet complex of meaning, complete in meaning as no other word would have been.

Calling for any answer is futile unless the one called upon holds the answer that is asked of him.

Speaking or uttering a question is futile unless heard, comprehended in totality and found an acceptable request to the one being asked.

Requests are made only in the comprehension that they are made to One with the ability to provide what is being requested.

What is required must be given in return for having been granted any requests.

Jacob wrestled with God, and asked whom he had wrestled only to be told that the answer was to be his blessing from that day forward. (Genesis 32:29)

Moses begged God for a leader for his people worthy of them, detailing exactly what would be required of that leader that replaced him.

God’s answer was Joshua, and came with the requirement of further asking by the priest chosen to represent the people for proper counsel for that new leader. (Numbers 27:15-23)

Job understood the need to ask and conveyed it well:

“He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.

The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly.

But ask now the beasts and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this?

In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of mankind.”
(Job 12:5-10)

Knowing Whom to ask is paramount.

Knowing what to ask is equally important as is evidenced throughout the scriptures as well, and when confronted with the times and trials of the day the what should be as simple as it was for another of God’s chosen, a simple shepherd boy and Psalmist destined to be the king.

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my son: this day have I begotten thee.

Ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”

(Psalm 2:1-12)

Persistence in asking also holds prominence when done despite the denial of men of the very ability to ask the proper Source:

“Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast  into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.”

(Daniel 6:10-12)

Most, if not all are familiar with the story of Daniel, and the result of his surety and certainty of what he asked, Whom he asked, and the same surety and certainty of answer to be given!

Daniel was well aware of the One in charge, the Creator, Judge, Savior, and the surety of the fact that He alone is unchangeable, and unchallengeable!

“Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain; so the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain to every one grass in the field.

For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; the comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.

Mine anger was kindled against the shepherds, and I punished the goats: for the Lord of hosts hat visited his flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as his goodly horse in battle.”

(Zechariah 10:1-3)

Again, promise is given that what is properly asked will be answered, and warning given that what is promised by any other than God, must and will fail.

The remainder of this chapter of Zechariah constitutes the promise of strength and salvation despite perceived weakness and subservience to a threat seemingly insurmountable… if endurance is maintained, and if the true shepherd is returned to position in leading and protecting the flock.

I ask all that dwell on prophecy, particularly in regard to the time and times to be faced, take the time to read, and comprehend the writing given by this old prophet that holds equal stance and truth with that of other, more quoted prophets, yet is as valid as any, and is in no way less than any, given by any other, with the single exception of the Greatest Prophet, and the FINAL PROPHET given us, as well as the Salvation promised by all the prophets, Christ Jesus alone!

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.

And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive.”

(Matthew 21:21 & 22)

James, Jesus beloved disciple and brother left a bit of advice and wisdom concerning what is to be asked, and from Whom.

In the time and times faced, they are most appropriate as well as were the words of the old ones, whose guidance is still to be followed as well as this bit given us:

“From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Speak not evil one of another, brethren.  He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law; but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, an buy and sell, and get gain:

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

For ye ought to say, If the Lord Will, we shall live and do this or that.

But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not to him it is sin.”

(James 4:1-17)

Ask, such a small word, but a word of such importance!

The time has come to ASK loudly and clearly, and accept the foreordained answer to this petition.

GOD’s will be done! In my body, in my life, in my heart, in my soul, in my home, in my village, city or habitation, in my nation, and in this world, GOD’s will be done!

Even so I ASK,

Seek

Today I would direct your attention to the second of the statements made in Matthew 7:7, a verse quoted often in sermons of my own and others, and one that holds impact on any life that is truly in compliance with its direction.

Again, before continuation, definition is required of the key word within this quote, and again I go first to Webster’s before the use of scripture in order to better reveal the meaning of the scripture chosen.

 The use of any word, without first understanding the meaning of that word makes the use of it and intent of the statement muddied and less than comprehensible to the user and the hearer, so:

Webster’s defines “seek” in the following manner.

“Seek: verb, Sought, past tense, seeking, present perfect tense; taken from Middle English (seken), Old English (sican), akin to Old high German (suchen) to seek, Latin (sagire), to perceive keenly.

1.    To resort to: go to.

2a. go in search of: look for. (b.) try to discover.

3.To ask for: request.

4. to try to acquire, gain: aim at.

5. to make an attempt: try, to make a search or inquiry, to be sought, as in something lacking.

With this in mind, let us look at what we are to seek, and what is not to be sought!

“Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord.

Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.”

(Leviticus 19: 30 &31)

Too many seek the solace they think to find in all the “new age” philosophy and direction in which it leads them by granting permission to do as they themselves wish as opposed to the wishes and will of the Creator, the One True God.

Wizards are to be found throughout society, some actually calling themselves by this title, others hiding behind the appellations they choose to use to misguide any who would listen to their misdirection.

Seeking requires knowing first what is actually sought!

“And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; that ye seek not after your own heart and your own eyes, after which ye use to go a whoring:

That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God.”

(Numbers 15: 39 &40)

Reminders of what is to be sought are visible in every corner, in every shadow and shade to be found in this world, as are reminders of what is being sought, as memories are demolished by forgetting the simple instruction given to follow the commandments given instead of the machinations and imaginations of men’s hearts that distract and destroy the ability to comply with those simple commandments.

“And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead you.

And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;

(For the Lord thy God is a merciful God: ) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.”

(Deuteronomy 4:27-31)

God is not forgetful, like a lot of his people. No Alzheimer’s, no deficiencies what so ever!

The key, however is within the 30^th verse. “If thou turn to the Lord. And “if thou shalt be obedient unto His voice”!

“And Elisha saw it, and cried, my father, the chariot of Israel, and saw the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them into pieces.

He took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of the Jordan.

And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they come to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men: let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send”

(2 Kings 2:12-16)

Time spent in search of any false savior, or false prophet is time wasted, time futilely spent while wasting it.

Far too much time is spent in seeking what is never to be found, and in search of the wrong master, when the Master himself, stands as close as he is allowed, speaking as clearly and as loudly as he is allowed!

“These mentioned by their names were princes in their families: and the house of their fathers increased greatly.

And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even unto the east side of the valley to seek pasture for their flock

And they found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for they of Ham had dwelt there of old.”

(1 Chronicles 4:38-40)

When the right things are sought, it is immediately recognizable when found!

The trick is to actually recognize what the search is really all about!

“Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.

Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually.

Remember his marvelous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth.”

(1Chronicles 16:8-12)

Seeking alone is never quite enough… once found remembrance must come into play to attain and maintain what has been sought.

That remembrance must include the judgments, the chastisements, as well as the blessings derived for having sought, if the search is true, and if it is for the Truth!

“And the Spirit of God  came upon Azariah the son of Oded:

And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him, and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.”

(2 Chronicles 15:1 & 2)

Pretty much, “’nuff said!”, as goes the vernacular! You cannot find what is not sought, cannot be close to what is being raced away from as rapidly as feet, minds and hearts can do so.

If you do not feel close to God, guess who moved?

“Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:

Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvelous things without number:

Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:

To set up on high those that be low; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.”

(Job 5:6-11)

If any help is to be found by seeking, that help must have the ability to perform the task necessary to grant that help. What greater help is there than the One with the ability to grant what is needed, often times before recognizing that need?

“My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him.

The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever.

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.

For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.”

(Psalm 22:25-28)

“I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.

This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God.

For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his prisoners.”

(Psalm 69:30-33)

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.

Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.

Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.

O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!

Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.

I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.

I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.”

(Psalm 119, Aleph, 1-8)

Psalms and Proverbs both are rich with advice on what to seek, when to seek it, where to seek it and most importantly where what is sought may be found, and repercussion to be expected if true seeking is not done.

“But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof.

I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh upon you.

Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

For they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord:

They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

For turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.”

(Proverbs 1:25-33)

“When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth sleep with his eyes: )

Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labor to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea farther; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.”
(Ecclesiastes 8:16 & 17)

Seeking, and the search must be continual. When seeking to serve God, or to search out His will within our lives, it is a task that cannot and will not be finished until the end of that search at the end of life itself as a physical being, because a physical being my never attain complete knowledge or approval of God in the corruption that exists in its flesh.

It is only in Spirit and in Truth that we may attain the answers to what we must daily seek.

“Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;

Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Come now, and let us reason together saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”

(Isaiah 1:16-18)

Redemption sought may be found, but only through repentance!

Once that repentance, true repentance is given, innocence and purity of the soul once again is what is and will be seen by God.

Without that repentance, the stain and putridness of the soul is what remains primary in His sight, and all that can be seen without that repentance.

“And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee; and he saith, I am not learned,

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? And who knoweth us?

Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? Or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He hath no understanding?

(Isaiah 29:13-16)

There is nothing sought that is not seen and known, and seeking any place to hide is futile, since the entire universe is created by Him, known by Him, and seen by Him, as Adam found out in the Garden, and as Cain found out when attempting to hide what had been done.

Seek only that worthy of being found, in the knowledge of its worth and the lack of value of all else by comparison.

“The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.

There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.

Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.

And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.”

(Isaiah 34:14-17)

All attempts to begin, to initiate and follow and conclude a search, (seeking), must begin in the given word of God, the scriptures and prophecy given us through it.

“Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that this place shall no more be called Tophet, nor The valley of the son of Hinnom, but The valley of slaughter.

And I will make void the counsel of Judah, and Jerusalem in this place; and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies, and by the hands of them that seek their lives: and their carcases will I give to be meat for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.

And I will make this city desolate, and an hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues thereof.

And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their lives, shall straiten them.

Then shalt thou break the bottle in the sight of the men that go with thee, S

And shalt say unto them, thus sayeth the Lord of hosts; Even so will I break this people and this city, as one breaketh a potter’s vessel, that cannot be made whole again: and they shall bury them in Tophet, till there be no place to bury.”

(Jeremiah 19:6-11)

Seeking the wrong things result in finding the wrong things, and most often not what was thought to be originally sought, to include life.

The search must be in line with what one expects to find as a result, temporal and temporary, with all the evil and pain throughout and at its end, or for what is eternal that comes with the reward to be found only as that eternity is realized.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

And I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.”

(Jeremiah 29:11-14)

The search must come from the heart, and the whole of that heart to be effective. Anything less will prove fruitless and futile.

Promise, and warning. Redemption for repentance!

“Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord;

Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for  I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.

For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I, even I will both search my sheep, and seek them out.

As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.

And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the  high mountains of Israel shall their fold be; there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.”

(Ezekiel 34:9-14)

Again, promise and warning, redemption and reward for repentance, turning back to God and his will and commandments instead of what is given in its place by men.

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men.”

(Hosea 10:12 & 13)

Seek the rewards of the teachings given by men and their fallacies, or the rewards given by God for seeking the one also seeking you as well!

“Seek the Lord, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,

Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The Lord is his name:”

(Amos 5:6-8)

Seek the Lord and live!!!! Again, “’nuff said”.

“Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;

Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord’s anger fall upon you.

Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.”

(Zephaniah 2:1-3)

The day comes far to soon that it will be too late to seek, that what has been sought will be what is to be found.

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: ) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

(Matthew 6:31-34)

“Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.”

(Luke 13:24)

“And Zacchaeus stood and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.

And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

(Luke 19:8-10)

“Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.

And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.

 I receive not honour from men.

But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.

I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him will ye receive.

How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only.”

(John 5:39-44)

“Jesus therefore knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye?

They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also which betrayed him, stood with them.

As soon as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

Then asked he them again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let these go their way:

That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.”

(John 18:4-9)

Whom do YOU seek? 

Whether admitted or not each searches and seeks.

I know what and Whom I have sought, and Whose favor I continue to seek.

 I know that that search has been and is fruitful, and will be all the more so at the end of my search, and I may say without compunction, without consternation, without complaint, without fear or worry, as I must continue the search to its end:

2 Timothy 1:12 King James Version (KJV)

¹² For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Knock

Knock: defined by Webster’s as: Taken from Middle English (Knoken), Old English (cnocian) /akin to Middle High German (knochen, meaning to press)

1: To strike something with a sharp blow,

2: To collide with something.

3:  Bustle, busily.

4:  To make a pounding noise.

Striking with a sharp blow requires extra effort to assure that what is being stricken is struck in the manner intended to produce the result desired by the one doing the knocking.

When one collides with something, the resulting collision will either produce damage, or a merging dependent upon what is collided with, and what is doing the colliding.

Bustling busily also requires effort, and the end results of that bustling are dependent on the efficiency of the work being done. Sometimes, hastiness destroys the intended outcome of the work done.

Pounding noises are made to get the attention of the hearer, and the type of sound made conveys different intents.

An example of this was the field expedient alram that was to be given in the event of a chemical attack to alert others to the danger that was being faced. Metal on metal was a sound not to be desired to be heard, nor is it still.

The pounding noise described by the opening verse, and in other scripture used should be familiar to most peoples and most individuals throughout the world.

We are told to “knock, and it shall be opened,” to us.

What then is to be knocked upon? Most would agree that the knocking described would be upon the door to something, or to someone wished to visit, or to gain entry to.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber,

But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him for they know his voice,

And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers.

“This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

 All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

 But he that is a hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

(John 10:1-18)

That door is indeed Jesus, his teachings, his sacrifice, his intercession, his love that allows access to both the Father and eternal life.

It is that door that needs attention, and needs to be knocked upon.

To knock on the proper door, the proper address is required. When you knock on the wrong door, do not be surprised at who answers when it is not whom you expect!

“And he went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem.

Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,

Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able.

When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut the door, and ye begin to stand without and knock at the door saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

Then shall ye begin to say We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets.

But he shall say, I tell you, I know not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.

And they shall come from the east, and from the west; and from the north and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom of God.

And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
(Luke 13:22-30)

We are, however not the only ones doing the knocking, Jesus knew us better than that, and, just as he asks each to come of their own volition, seeks each of his own sheep who wander off and become separated from the safety of his fold, he also knocks constantly on OUR doors proffering the freely  given gift of life instead of death, if only the door is opened, and repentance given for redemption.

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the AMEN, the FAITHFUL AND TRUE WITNESS, THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION OF GOD;

I KNOW thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would that thou wert cold or hot.

So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched and poor, and blind and naked:

 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear: and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see.

As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his throne.

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.”

(Revelation 3:13-22)

Even so come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Amen and Amen
the Wayfarer