Playing Hide and Seek with Someone Who WANTS to be Found. S31e89 Matt7:7

When you play hide and seek with a 3 year old, the main point isn't to HIDE. The joy of the game is in the FINDING. 

Similarly the Lord wants to be found as we are asked to : ASK, SEEK, and KNOCK.

Join me for 7 minutes as we enjoy the God who wants to be found.

https://youtu.be/MzCZM3bgU4o

Transcript

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Brothers and sisters. So have you ever played hide and seek with a three-year-old? Well, I spent quite a bit of time with such little groups of humans, and uh typically it's in a gymnasium, and what's the thing that they want to play most? It's hide and seek, it's unbelievable. So you're in this big open space, they want to play hide and seek, seek, and there's virtually no place to hide. Well, that's not really the point. The point is of this hide and seek game is to be found. The joy is in the finding, the delight is in this discovery and in the relationship. So similarly, we have a God who wants to be asked, he wants to be sought, he wants to be pursued. Why? So that he can be snug in this unfindable hiding spot? No. So that he might be found. This is from Matthew chapter 7, verse 7. 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 the one who seeks finds. And to the one who knocks, it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 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 gifts to those who ask him? So what kind of a God do we have as described in this passage? One who gives when he is asked by his family, one who is found by those who seek him, and one who opens the door to the sincere knocker. And then what kind of a God do we not have? Well, one who gives stones rather than bread, one who gives serpents rather than fish, and one who gives like we do, who are evil. So what kind of a person is blessed in this passage? It's the person who earnestly seeks, who persistently knocks, the one who sincerely seeks, who the one who wants to be found. So who is this guy in this passage? Who is the person? Well, he's a son, he's family. In other words, it's not his first day in relationship. So there's this ongoing relationship. And the attitude of the giver is that he does want to be found. He inclines himself to give to us in this particular way. He wants to open the spiritual treasures for us. Now, I will say this about the prosperity gospel. It gets one thing right, and that is we do have a giving, finding, opening God. So his character is one that you definitely do want to be associated with and seek deeper. So God is a responder to this. He's full of mercy and does not treat us as our sins deserve. We do not get the justice we deserve. We get grace. He bears the justice part upon himself. So we have to address this issue of you who are evil. Hopefully, you read this passage and say, that's the part I want to kind of forget. Well, let's just say it. We're evil. And if we're sons, then this family that we're the part of here on this earth, our family is evil. So recall this, the one of the most distasteful birth verses in the Bible, which is probably why you should pay attention to it, in Genesis chapter 6, verse 5. And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Every intention, only evil all the time. So he also uses two different words, wicked and evil. Yet these are the ones, so so that's that's humanity in a in a nutshell. And yet these are the ones that he comes to save. So how can God say this when there is some good in man? Well, the way I think it's best to understand this is, or at least the way that I understand it, is that compared to the holiness of God, He is holy Father, we are sinful children. He is more holy than we see right now, and we are more sinful, more evil than we see right now. So let's draw some conclusions here. Make a continual approach before God. This passage says ask, seek, knock, knock. And this might mean for some, not continual, maybe it might be a first-time ask, first-time approach before God. If so, good for you. And then if he is asking, I was thinking about, you know, what lists can we make of needs not asked for, or phone books of people that we have put in peril perhaps because of our not asking. Again, he is more holy than we see right now, and we are more sinful and evil than we see right now. But let's be of good cheer, because God, the inclination of God is he is a responder. He is in heaven, he's a father who art in heaven, so he's other, he's holy, he's powerful, he's all seeing. But he awaits our prawaits our prayer as a father. And how much more will your father who is in seven give give what kind of things? Well, good things to those who seek him. So, Lord, will you give good things right now to my listeners and watchers? You are in heaven, you are father. First, I ask that you would give a family relationship. So may your reign increase and the kingdom reaching reach over every watcher, every family member they're associated with. And then, Lord, dare I ask, yes, give good things, please, give bread sufficient for the day, give protection from evil. May you give understanding of our trespass and the remedy that you have provided. And I ask that you give passion for yourself, desire for you, increase the hunger and the intensity that people have for you. You are a good God, you give good things and you give the finding of yourself. You open doors of relationship and you're faithful and generous. So, Lord, we seek, we knock, we ask for where else we can go. So, I want to leave you with the playing hide and seek in a gymnasium. Lord, let us find you, and He takes joy in the finding. Thanks for listening.