Sunday, Jujly 13

God saves. Our God saves. Hear the joyful sound of our offering. As your saints bow down, as your people sing, we will rise with you, lift it on your wings, and the world will see that. Now God saves. Now God saves. There is hope in your name. Morning turns to songs of praise. now God saves. Now God saves. Next we're going to sing, "On That Hit." What do you need, bud? What do you need, bud? What can I do now? You can wait until... I believe in Christ risen from the dead. The kingdom knows no end. Through his resurrection, death has lost its own. I don't want that final day of our lives that Jesus rose. I'm going to go through the computer now because of the idea. On that day, we will see you shining brighter than the sun. On that day, we will know you as we lift our voice as one.

Till that day, we will praise you. And we will keep on singing on that glorious day. Let me take this one, please. What about you? Why are you singing? Why are you singing? I'm sorry, I'm a queen that said, "Oh wait, what?" "What?" "I have to clean with my green, really?" Oh wait, I have to say, "Okay, what's it doing?" No, no, no. I need to clean up for you.

Ow! The wind shocked me! Whoa! Why do you need to clean up for a fight? What a day it will be. For I will leave you my choice someday. As I run into your arms open. My Father who is waiting for me.

My Father who is waiting for me. On that day, we will see you. Shining brighter than the sun. On that day, we will know you. As we lift our voices as one. Till that day, we will praise you. On that day, we will praise you. And we will keep on singing. On that glorious day. On that day. Shining brighter than the sun. On that day, we will know you. As we lift our voices as one. Till that day, we will praise you. And ever-ending grace. And you will keep on singing. On that glorious day. You will keep on singing. On that glorious day. You may be seated. We come to our time of confession and assurance. Normally, the word of the Scripture would be on the screen. But they are in your bulletin this morning.

Instead, if you would like to follow along with that. We are, I think, a people who like a good way to make hard things easier. And so we love things like life hacks. Things that allow us to do something we normally do. But in an easy, or surprising, or cheaper way. Oftentimes using products for something other than their intended use. We also love a good system that helps us, or we think will help us, change and transform. We like to see our problems in our life and say, "Here's how, through this particular system, we can hopefully improve ourselves." And oftentimes what we do is we believe that if we just think about it differently, or approach life more strategically, and we find the right board, the right podcast, we can fix what is broken. And oftentimes we bring that free instinct into our spiritual lives.

In Jeremiah chapter 2, God says this to His people, "My people have committed two evils. They have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and they have hewed out for themselves broken cisterns that can hold no water." Because we have often walked away from the source of life that strengthens, refreshes, and transforms us. But not only have we walked away, we have sought to replace that in the cisterns that we have dug, in which we seek to find transformation and hope and change, simply run dry. The good news is that God does not offer us a better system. He doesn't hand us an improved version of what we already have been trying. He promises from Ezekiel instead. And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you, and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh.

And I will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you. Notice it's not a new mindset or new framework, it's a new heart. The restoration and the transformation that we cannot manufacture or get to our own God gives to us freely, and this is the assurance of the gospel. And so what we are going to do as we prepare to come to the table, we're going to sing, "His mercy is more" in both the confession of those times where we have sought transformation elsewhere, and the joy that there is mercy that flows down the stream of living water and refreshes and transforms us. So let's let this moment begin. What love couldn't happen, the wrongs we have done. Our missions on the week, He counts on that sun. He's falling into the sea with our bottom of shore.

Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. Praise the Lord, His mercy is more. Stronger than darkness, you will ever be born. Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. What's gracious words as we constantly roam? What Father so tender is calling us home? Keep up who's the weakest, the brightest, the poor. Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. Praise the Lord, His mercy is more. Stronger than darkness, you will ever be born. Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. Our riches, our kindness, He lavished on us. His blood was the payment, His life was the cost. We stood in the debt we could never afford. Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. Praise the Lord! His mercy is more. Stronger than darkness, new every morn. Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more.

Praise the Lord! His mercy is more. Stronger than darkness, new every morn. Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. Our sins, they are many, His mercy is more. Which light is different? Which light is different? In a few moments, some of us will be in Matthew chapter 7, where Jesus tells us that our Heavenly Father gives good things to those who ask. And it's a comforting thought, unless we look at our lives, we begin to see clearly all of our brokenness, and all of our hurt, and all of our failure. We begin to ask the question, "Do I even belong with this Father that you've been walking?" When you go back to the very beginning, Genesis 1 and Genesis 2, you find this phrase that God makes everything good, and He makes it good, and He makes it good.

And then He says, "God saw that it was very good." And the world that God gives us is one that is only us, and then in Genesis chapter 3, Adam and Eve are faced with a choice. Did you hear the good things of God? No. He didn't listen. He didn't listen. And in that moment, Adam and Eve, they changed the burden. And in that moment, God also changed the burden. And He responds to a way that I think should surprise us. He's having to shout as they lie. He corrects them. He disser them. But then even in that moment, when God's impeding his grace, there is a grace that God's grace is up to ensure that he will be destroyed. And God also changed the burden of God. And He was scared of the same moment.

The first bloodshed in all the spirits of the earth is shed by the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of the father of

We have chosen the same things over and over and over again. Did the Father have a choice about how to respond? By rights, we deserve the serpent. We chose him, but at the Passover table, the night when he was betrayed, he was betrayed by the Holy Spirit. Jesus took bread and broke it. He said, "This is my body, which is for you." And then he makes the third cup of redemption and says, "This is my blood." The new cup which is given. What we deserve is death and what we receive is meal. And you see the good Father sending his good Son to restore redeem those people who chose the servant. This meal is not simply a looking back historically. It's also a promise. The same Jesus that instituted this meal tells his disciples, "We might leave it again." Tell them he drinks with them in the kingdom. There's a table still on top. The wonderful news is that God the Father keeps saving him.

He doesn't have nails. Thank you that you have prepared for us this kingdom. Let's make you happy. You have been with us. That you have shepherded us together, behind our planting in the valley of the stars. Thank you that you have prepared a table for us. We will see the cost of our redemption. We will see the source of our hope. We will be transformed by grace. We thank you for Jesus. We ask that you bless this bread and this cup. And we proclaim that he comes again. It's in his name we pray. Amen. If you would, let's partake together as we remember the body of Christ. If you would, partake with me as we drink with you. We're going to sing just a couple of verses of "Give me Jesus" before we dismiss the children of humans.

Give me Jesus, all His choice I've put on me. But His love abides forever. Through each turn, no years the same. Jesus, sweetest comfort of my soul. With my Savior watching on me, I can't see the middle of control. Hold the high end, have the mercy. Hold the lengthen, wrap the floor. Hold the fullness of redemption. Let your kindness take this world. My God is now.

Sing for the world. Forgive me, Jesus. In His cross, my trust shall be. Still with clear, brighter vision. Face to face, my Lord. From the high end, down the world to see. Oh, the wind and down the wall. And what the world is doing? There's something in the show. There's a wind and down the wall. Sing to the world, my God's love. To this point, we'll dismiss the children, the children's church. And we'll go to our high school spirit. "Feel good." "Come on, go up here." "That's good." "You have to ride the bike there." "You want to ride the bike over?" "Come on, help you." "Goodbye." "Goodbye." "Goodbye." "Back in the day." "Back in the day." "No." "Let's go check it out." "Check it out. We do this every week and then you stay." "Is that him throwing something?"

"Certainly." "Oh, that's it." "I'll get her over here." "Yes." "Yeah." "All right." "Hey, Brandon." "Yeah." "Brandon." "Volume coming through from someplace." "It's good to be back." "I've got this working, but I don't know where the volume's coming from." "To be able to bring it down here, just so you can see all your answered prayers." "Everyone's seen too." "You shouldn't do anything." "I don't know where the volume's coming from." "I don't know where the volume's coming from." "I don't know where the volume's coming from."

"I thank you for your grace that has been poured out into our lives." "May we hear these words directly from your Son this morning." "The promises that hold them up." "The assurance of your goodness." "The assurance of your power." "May we see this reality clearly and may it overflow out of our lives." "Help us this text this morning." "In Jesus' name we pray. Amen." So my favorite vehicle I have ever owned was a little 1980s Nissan pickup truck. I think it may also be Evelyn's favorite vehicle that we have ever owned. And in my eyes, it was the greatest truck to ever have existed, will exist. Now, most of you, I think if you were to see a picture of said truck, you might go, "Really that?" Right? When we first got it, like it was lacking some paint.

Some random girl from the people we got it from, it scratched your name across the hood. I don't know if in anger or in deep emotional love. The back at some point may have rusted away and replaced with plywood. It didn't always start. Did not have air conditioning. The belt had been fueled by people's horsepower going down the road. Like we unhooked the air conditioner, it just goes faster that way. The emergency brake lever to engage had been taken off to hit the starter when it wouldn't start. But in my mind, like it's the most beautiful truck that I have ever had or probably ever will have. I love that so very, very much. Now, in the reality of seeing things sometimes clearly in the light of day, it probably needed a few things, right?

Probably some room for improvement at some place or at some point. But because of the love that I have for that truck, right, I can't see it. Sometimes this is how we view our lives, and it may not be because love is clouding everything out, but we look at how we're living, and the decisions we make and where we don't see clearly. A few weeks ago, if you would have been driving from Winchester at like five or six in the morning, the fog would have been so thick that you couldn't even see the white lines on the edge of the road. And I think one of the things that happens in life is oftentimes we are unable to see things that are very, very close to us. And one of the things that the Sermon on the Mount does so wonderfully is that it shines into our lives the light that Jesus brings,

and it diagnoses our struggle, first of all, but then secondly, by grace, it transforms our hearts. So this morning, we want to begin by seeking to see clearly. Sometimes we don't see very clearly because of sin or discouragement or brokenness. And so Jesus begins by saying, "The blessed are the poor in spirit for those who are the kingdom of heaven." And we look at ourselves and our problems and our fears, and we see no hope, and Jesus shows up and says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." And it's just not your situation, it's how you're transformed. Jesus goes on to say, "You start with the poor in spirit, and then you end up in just a few verses being salt and light and having an impact on the world." And then sometimes we have trouble seeing clearly because we are skeptical.

Jesus will say this in Matthew 5:17, "Do not think I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill him." And here Jesus is speaking, and it's likely that an accusation is being raised, maybe verbally, but also maybe just in the hearts of those who are hearing. And they're seeking to dismiss Jesus because in their minds they're skeptical that he's being biblical. And Jesus comes and says, "I am not minimizing righteousness. I'm not disregarding the holiness of God. I'm ultimately fulfilling it." And I want you to understand, skepticism is not a bad thing when skepticism is in pursuit of the truth. The church in Berea, as Paul comes preaching, they're skeptical, but they're doing so in light of the truth. And so they search the Scriptures to see if the things that you were saying was true.

But there is a place where we can be so cynical and so skeptical that something wonderful can be in front of us, and we miss it entirely. Right? Somebody comes to us and goes, "Hey, the best burger in town is here." And we're like, "Really? There?" And we become so skeptical that we never even go and taste it. One of the things that happens, I think, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is confronting those religious leaders who are skeptical and showing them there is a better way. Sometimes we don't see clearly because we're looking in the wrong place, trying to control sin rather than eradicating it. That's what Jesus deals with next. The heart, in regards to anger and murder and in terms of lust and in terms of marriage and in terms of how we deal with our enemies,

sometimes we don't see clearly because our hearts are fixed on ourselves. That's where Jesus begins to engage with worship, and He constantly is contrasting this view of self that is lifted up with the goodness of our Father in giving and in prayer and in fasting. And sometimes our struggle to see clearly is because our hearts are divided in range. We're seeking treasure in two places. The light in our eyes is attracted to the wrong thing. We're trying to serve two masters, and Jesus comes in the middle of that and shines a light on both our divided hearts and the anxiety that flows out of them. Sometimes we don't see clearly because of our brokenness, and that translates into how we interact with those mouths. That's what Jesus said last week. Take the beam out of your eye before dealing with the splinter or the speck that's in your brother's eye.

See, we have a need. Maybe that need is for humble, a humble attitude before God to set aside our sinful nature and our skepticism. Maybe we need light to see. Maybe we need help to walk. Over all of this, we need hope. And Jesus comes with that hope. And so I want you to consider the audience. And so seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain. When he sat down, his disciples came to him. And so there's some here who are following Jesus, and we know from the disciples they don't have it all together yet. They've got some ideas wrong. Their faith, in some cases, isn't very strong. They are trying to seek the kingdom even in the midst of their struggles. And then on the other side of that spectrum are the religious leaders who are convinced they've got it right.

They're self-centered. I don't need any help. I've got it. I'm proud. I'm good. And then in the middle of that, you have the crowds. And I think the crowds are kind of just interested. They're being entertained. There's something exciting going on. It's kind of like sometimes if you've ever gone to Costco and there's samples. And I always feel bad because I never really know how to interact with the sample person because, like, you come up and you try this thing, and it's good, but it might not be good enough that I want to buy it. Or it's really good, and I look at it and go, "I'm not spending that amount of money on it." So you're like, "Oh, well, where is this on the shelf?" Well, I might go take a look at that as I steal a second sample, right?

Because you're trying to be polite, but you're not necessarily ready to invest. And so Jesus addresses all of these. People who are just kind of coming for a little sample, maybe no intention. I want to see the famous Jesus, maybe the proud, maybe the struggling. And He goes deeper than these three broad categories. In this group, there are going to be those who doubt, those who are anxious, who are overwhelmed, who are exhausted, who are proud, who are barely holding it together. And He comes with hope for everyone. See, what everyone needs is hope. Whatever posture you're in, committed, rousing, proud, exhausted, desperate, uncertain, you need hope. And that's exactly what Jesus offers us next. Listen to what He says. Just one verse. Ask, it will be given to you. Seek, and you will be find. Knock, and it will be opened to you.

Let's look at verse 7. We'll pick up verse 8 in a minute. I think this happened probably two or three times during my academic career. We were given a test. The first one, I remember, was in sixth grade, and I had a bunch of problems, and I ran through them. And I'm spending all this time, and usually I was one of those kids who, like, blazes through the test, like, right or wrong, I'm very certain about my answer. That's the key with a lot of life. Just be really certain about it. I remember I was, like, still doing the test, and everybody else was done. What had happened with the problems in the big section at the end, it just said, "Pick three of these problems and do them." Because I hadn't read the instructions. I'm, like, working my way through, like, an extra 15 problems.

And there are times when we become familiar with something, and we don't really read it to understand. We just sort of skip right over it. I know what this means. And this verse is one of those places. "Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you." And we abbreviate this so frequently as what? "Ask, seek, and knock." It's become sort of a three-word paraphrase of what Jesus is saying. Jesus isn't just saying, "Ask, seek, and knock." Listen to what he says. "Ask, and it will be given to you." "Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you." And in just a minute, in the assurance of God's goodness and God's power, he's going to repeat this in verse 8.

Notice there are promises attached. There's going to be assurance coming in verse 8. And if it's not enough, he's going to illustrate it for us in verses 9 through 11. And so he starts like this. "Ask, be given." Right? There's ways that we can ask that all sort of come across differently, right? So there's a way we can ask where you're not really asking. Like, your kids come up and you go, "Will you clean your room?" Right? We're not really asking. We're just being polite. Like, you're going to clean your room. Like, we are not asking, but we are sort of asking. We can ask in a way that's sort of between equals, right? So you go sitting at lunch and they say, "What do you have?" And you say, "Well, could I get a double cheeseburger?"

I'm not really asking if I can get a double cheeseburger, right? I'm telling someone I would like a double cheeseburger. So while we may be asking because it seems polite, there's a third way of asking. It's not really a command in disguise. It's not really just politeness. And that's what's happening here. The asking that Jesus is speaking of is not a command. It's not between equals. It's between a child and a parent. In fact, it's kind of asking specifically between the lesser of two parties asking the more important. So we've had extra kids this week or this weekend. We get asked a lot of things frequently sometimes. And the reason why is because they can't do it themselves. It might be too big. It might be too scary. It might be they're not strong enough.

And we'll talk about this in a minute. Maybe because they can't see it even though it's right in front of them. And the picture here is of a small child asking their parent. Not commanding, not ordering at a restaurant, but asking a parent to ask. Look at the promise. It will be given. Not like a vending machine, but like a good father. And one of the questions that our hearts might raise is, "How will I know it will be given?" And Jesus is going to address that next. In reality, as a dad, I get a lot of questions, and I'm very, very tired sometimes. Our good father is not tired of being answered. But he's also very wise. And in a moment you'll hear, "When you ask for bread, he doesn't give you a stone."

The problem is, I think a lot of us, when we ask and we say, "I'm not receiving," it's because we're asking for a stone instead of asking for bread. Sometimes our struggle in asking and receiving is because we're not very good at waiting. The kids come running in, "Do we have cookies and popsicles?" "Well, there's chicken nuggets that just came out of the oven, and they're sitting here, and we're going to eat before that." Sometimes we can only see the hill or the corner that's in front of us where our good Heavenly Father sees the road entirely laid out and is acting for it. There's a lot of emotional struggle so many times folded up into asking. We'll talk about some of them on Wednesday. If you have more questions, I'd love to answer those for you about this.

Be assured that your good Father is doing what He gives. The second thing is seek with the promise of this you will find. And just like there's different ways of asking, there's different ways of looking for something we're interested in. So for example, if I see like a FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser from anywhere between like 45 to 65 years ago, which made me feel really old as I was doing that math this week. Like I'm interested in looking at it. I am not interested in buying it unless my wife is not with me right now. And then we might be getting a surprise like we traded all your cars and the kids for a new car. There's a kind of looking that we sort of do casually. And then there's how my kids look. "Can you hand me the paper towels?"

And they're literally using the package of paper towels as a pillow. And they go, "I can't see them anywhere." So there's a looking that's casual, there's a looking that's sort of oblivious to the world around them. And then there is a looking that is urgent and active. You want to see this illustrated? Luke chapter 2. Jesus and his parents. He's 12 years old and he goes to Passover in Jerusalem. Jerusalem's population swells like Winchester and apple blossom. Right? Thousands and thousands of people. And they are there, and as they get ready to leave, they're traveling with friends and family from their town. And they assume Jesus is with somebody else. He's not. And it ends like this. When the feast was ended, they were returning. The boy, Jesus, stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it.

Right? Every parent's worst nightmare probably made worse because of the virgin birth and because of the angels announcing it, the trek to Egypt. Right? The promised Messiah. Right? This is a big deal. But look at the reaction. Supposing him to be in the group, they went on a day's journey, so they make bad worse. Then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances. And when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem searching for him. And three days, they found him sitting at the temple among teachers, listening to them and asking questions. Do you think Mary and Joseph were casually just looking around? And they're like, "Oh, maybe he's over there." Right? They are searching. They are parents who are frantic to find their child. Same word Jesus uses here for seeking.

Right? This is not like, "Well, I'll look around, and if I spot it, I spot it." And what this seeking leads to, you will find. The picture here is of joy. In fact, the word is probably pretty familiar. There is a remarkable thing about a mathematician by the name of Archimedes. You probably know this story. He has to solve a problem for the king. The king has a crown made of gold, but he is concerned that inside the crown of gold, it is filled with silver. He is not getting his money's worth for the gold crown. And he tasks his mathematicians to solve this, and Archimedes is trying to solve it. One day, he sits down in the bath, and as he does, he notices as he sits down in the bath, the water goes up, and he realizes the water displaces, and he figures out a way to use displacement to determine the metal of the crown.

And according to the story, Archimedes doesn't stop for a towel or his robe. He just goes running through the streets with the king, shouting, "Eureka! I found it!" He solved the problem for the king, and so overwhelmingly, joyfully forgets about everything else and runs to proclaim his discovery. The word that Archimedes yells, "Eureka!" is this word you will find, that this seeking results in joy that is overwhelming. I have found it. Jesus says this, "Knock, and it will be opened." So unlike the others, this is not an issue of definition, right? It's always knocking. Nine times it's used in the Bible. It's always like your hand to a doorframe, your hand to the wood of the door. But, while it's always knocking, you probably know this, we can knock differently, right? There's a knocking of formality, right? Your friend's office door, it's open, and you want to talk to them, you go, "Hey, can I come in?"

Right? Or, sometimes people are knocking, and they know that people aren't home, but they come and knock on the door just to check anyway. Then there is a knocking of certainty. Once when Rachel and I were dating, and she was living in some apartments over on the other side of town. Went over to visit her. A lot of police cars there, and as we're sitting in the living room, we hear, "Winchester City Police! We know you're in there! Open up!" And I was like, "Alright, well, it's time for us to leave this apartment building and go somewhere else," right? The knocking here is not just, "Hey, can I come in?" It's not a knocking of, "Is anybody home?" This is a knocking that we know you are there. He's speaking of the assurance of being answered, and it will be open.

Our struggle with knocking and with asking and seeking, I think, sometimes can be found in pride or discouragement or fear. Pride goes, "I don't really need to knock on the door. I don't really need to look. I've already got it." Discouragement says, "I don't know if I can keep going." Fear says, "I don't know if God even wants to see me." Maybe I knock on the door, and he peeks out behind the blinds, and he sees who it is, and he just pretends like he's not home. Jesus is addressing our hearts, our pride, that thinks we can do it. He's going, "You can't." The tired and exhausted, he's welcoming us home. The door will be opened. Those who are unsure, you're welcome. And the picture here is that the opening is passive, meaning you don't do it.

The good Father is the one who opens the door. And so Jesus doesn't leave you in your pride or your exhaustion or your fear. He reaches in with something familiar to show you something wonderful, and it's the assurance of hope. "Everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and the one who knocks it will be opened to you." He just repeats what he said. "And which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for fish, will you give him a serpent? And if you then, who are 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?" So here we stand, some of us resistant, "I don't need this."

Some of us afraid, or some who are tired. And Jesus now assures you, or for some of you reassures you. He assures hope by repeating what he's just saying. He's not giving you an idea of your opinion, very clearly stating the truth that our hope is found in our good Father. And then Jesus assures us of hope by directing us to the character of God. And he does it in a way we understand. So when the kids came this weekend and go, "Hey, I'm hungry. Can we have some bread?" I don't go, "There's a whole bunch of gravel in the driveway." Or they come in and go, "Hey, can I have some fish sticks?" And I go, "Mm, we only have snake sticks. I'm sorry," right? When our kids were little, I used to tease them, they'd go, "Oh, can we have pizza?"

And I'd be like, "Yep, just ordered it." Skunk pepperoni! And when they were real little, they didn't get that I was joking. "We don't want skunk pepperoni on our pizza," right? I would never order skunk pepperoni, although once in Alaska, I did have a pizza called Santa's Little Helper, and the sausage was not pork. Like, I'm not going to ever tell my kids about that. But Jesus says, "If you who are evil and occasionally joke about ordering your kids skunk pizza, but you give them good gifts anyway, how much more will your heavenly Father do that for you?" So He repeats Himself for those of us who sometimes have to hear it more than once. He assures us of the goodness of the Father, and then He directs us to the power of God. How much more will your Father, who is where?

In heaven. He just doesn't have the inclination, the goodness, or the desire. He has the ability, and if we're honest, one of our two great doubts about God, are this: can He, and will He? Does He have the ability to help, and does He have the desire to help? And Jesus, the Son of God, says yes. He loves you as His child, and as the Creator of all things will meet your needs. And remember where we're standing when we hear this. We're on the mountain with Jesus, we see the entire sermon. All the parts, our hearts have been laid out. If we're honest, there is a lot within us that is broken. And the call isn't to pull yourself up. It's like a child, look to your face, and ask, and see, and knock. And the door opens not because we're good or we have a special key, but because we have a good Father.

And it is all of grace. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul. A hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. We begin to see this hope that is ensured. It begins to overflow out of us. In John chapter one, Jesus has begun his ministry. He's been announced by John the baptizer as the Lamb of God. And there's a couple of guys following Jesus, likely John. We know for sure Andrew. And as Jesus sees these guys sort of follow him, he goes, "Hey, can I help you?" And they go, "Well, where are you staying tonight?" Essentially they're asking if they can follow him, but they haven't quite worked up the courage.

And Jesus goes, "Come and see Andrew." Before he goes, he runs and gets Peter. The next day Philip is called. He runs and he gets Peter. The reality is that when we see the hope that we have in God, it overflows out of our lives and into the lives of others. And that's exactly what happens. So whatever you wish that others would do for you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. This is parallel in the arrangement of the Sermon on the Mount to Jesus' words about the Law and the Prophets in Matthew chapter 5. But it's also connected to what comes before. So Jesus says, "So," or "Therefore," as a result of, and just like some walls are load-bearing, this "So" is load-bearing. It carries a connection to what we have just heard about asking, and seeking, and knocking, and receiving, and finding, and doors being opened, and the goodness of God, and the power of God.

But it also goes back, and supports the weight of our struggle to judge with grace, and to judge with closeness, and to judge with wisdom. But it also supports the weight of our hearts that are divided, and are anxious, and sometimes don't go very deep. Going all the way back to the Beatitudes that are hungry, and thirsty, and poor, and in the spirit. And Jesus says, "When you see the grace and the goodness of God, and your hearts are transformed, you heal with your sin below the surface, because God is the one who is able to transform your heart from a hardened stone to a hardened flesh." And when you see your good Father, and you're giving, and you're praying, and you're fasting, and when you've been transformed, and your heart is no longer divided,

Jesus, it's interesting here, is taking a common teaching of the day, right? We call this the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, not as I often thought as a kid, do unto others before they do unto you, and not as the rabbi Hillel said, which is a very common statement in Jesus' day, do not do to others what is hateful to you, essentially saying, "Do you like it when somebody does this?" No, then don't do that to other people, right? In the negative. Jesus turns it around and moves it from passive to active and from negative to positive. Not just don't do bad stuff to other people, but do actively good things to those that you would have others do for you. The way Jesus formulates this demands action, presence, and movement toward others.

I want you to see the kingdom Jesus proclaims is transformational. From the invitation and the transformation of the Beatitudes, the engagement of our heart, to the evaluation of our worship and the assurance of our anxious hearts, Jesus is at work in our lives. And so to the proud and the tired and discouraged, unsure if they want it, Jesus says, "Come and see." For as we began this morning, taste and see that the Lord is good. Not just a transformation of our thinking, or a transformation of how we feel, but as a transformation that adds an action toward others. And how we come to them with grace and closeness and wisdom. And our transformation of our relationship with God, by His grace, is extended to others. In fact, in verse 8, when we are receiving, what we ask for has been given.

When we freely receive that, now we freely extend it. So Jesus says this, "Ask, be given to you, seek, and you will find not, and it will be opened to you." So some of us this morning maybe came cracked. The light of God's grace has shown you something. Maybe we're not as strong as we thought. But it's not an accusation, it's an invitation. Right? Ask. Your Father is not offended by your need. He's been waiting for you, and He's helping you to see your need for Him. And some of you maybe came in exhausted. And you've been asking, you're seeking, and you're knocking on every door until your hands hurt, and you're not sure you have another knock left in you. This door is different. The door will be opened not because you knocked hard enough or you knocked long enough,

but because the one who's on your side is the Father. He opens it. He'll welcome you home. And some of you came, and you're not sure if you're even welcomed in the family of God. If the door would open for someone like you, it doesn't look out that window, look through the people, see you, and then just slap the deadbolt close. This door opens not because of who you are, but because of who God is. He's good. He's gentle. He's a father. He sees and runs you from a long way on. Maybe some of you are like new Costco samples. You've been standing in the crowd for a long time. If you're watching, you're interested, you're not quite in. It's not closed. It was spoken on the mountain 2,000 years ago. You ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you reply not, and it will be opened to you.

Not by you, but open, but open by your head. It's a call for all of us. It's about our pride, and our weakness, and our sorrow, and our joy. To ask, and to seek, and to knock, knowing that we have a Father who is both good and powerful. And we see that transformation in our life of grace, that we have received over the place of God. We're going to pray, and then we're going to sing, and as always, if there's ever a need that you have, and you want to pray with somebody, and pray for you, with you, just talk to somebody. It's welcome now, it's welcome at any point. I'd love to talk with you more about the truth. Let's pray. Father in Heaven, thank You that You are a good Father, and strong, and careful.

Thank You that when we ask for fish, and not for the service, and bread, and the rocks, and the grace that You are broken for. Give us gifts. Lead us where we are supposed to be. Let's see where we are supposed to be. Thank you that your son came, who found us. We are going to stand, and we are going to sing. We are going to sing. Amen. Amen. Amen.

God bless you. Lord, sing with faith. Oh, praise the God of every praise and love of God. Lord, sing with faith. Lord, sing with faith. Lord, sing with faith. Lord, sing with peace. Lord, sing with arches of light. Surely You have borne our sufferings, and the cross took up our pain. And You lead us unto love as we try. Now, to the God of every grace, who counts my tears, who holds my days, I sing through sorrow, sing with faith. Oh, praise the God of every grace. This is the night of the Lord, and the Lord, and the Lord, and the Lord, and the Lord, and the Lord. Oh, my tears are done in glory falls, and I know this is too great. As I wait on mercy, this will swallow every word. The cries of joy and the songs of victory, when we enter heaven's haste, all your children will come together with you. God of grace, now to the God of every grace, who heals my tears, who holds my days.

I sing through sorrow, sing with faith. Oh, praise the God of every grace, now to the God of every grace, who heals my tears, who heals my days. I sing through sorrow, sing with faith. Oh, praise the God of every grace. Oh, praise the God of every grace. Oh, praise the God of every grace. Oh, praise the God of every grace. We're very thankful that you are here with us this morning. We'll be back this Wednesday night at 6 p.m., and we'll spend a little more time going through our text and discussing it and diving into it from different angles and a little deeper. So we are thankful that you are here with us and invite you back to join us on Wednesday night. Coming up next Sunday is Palm Sunday. The Sunday following is Easter. And so just a reminder, there is a Good Friday service the Friday before Easter.

And that will be at 6 p.m. that Friday. So we invite you to join us for that as well. We'll go ahead and in just a moment, we'll pray and then we'll read some Scripture. And then we'll be dismissed with the Doxology. Father in heaven, thank you for your goodness and for your grace. And thank you that you know our days and you count our peers. May you lead us to a place of rejoicing. Rest in your goodness. In Jesus' name we pray. I don't think this will be on the screen, but it is in your bulletin. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Well, as we go, I want us to go in the confidence of a good Father who hears when you ask, who finds us when we seek, who opens when we knock. May we taste and see that the Lord is good. May we know that we have received what we could never earn. And may we go, not out of obligation, but of overflow of grace. The grace that found us, the grace that carries us. It's the grace that we proclaim God's name in the world. Let's sing. Praise God for all blessings. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Thank you.