A Grace We Need to Understand
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8, NLT)
Jesus, I pray that we would come to you this morning with open hearts and minds to what you want to sprout in us today. I pray that we would work fully as your vessels on this earth in everything we do. Jesus, I pray for the one reading my words this morning that finds themselves so discouraged and tired, I pray that they would just come to you in all their weakness and let you give them strength, Lord God. I pray that every person reading this morning would be renewed in spirit and feel encouraged to follow you all the days of their lives. Jesus, help us understand what it is to follow you, and how that is the best choice we could ever make. In Jesus Name I Pray, Amen.
I chose today’s key verse because it is such a beautiful truth and invitation we forget to take a hold of. In this passage, Jesus is encouraging us to get the courage to knock on His door, seek after Him, and ask Him the questions lingering in the beautiful mind He's given you. He will answer you without a doubt. He is there in your struggles and His heart aches at the sight of them, but He can only be there for you if you let him in and approach him in humility.
Today, my heart felt lead to fully share Jesus with you. A lot of the time we think we know Jesus but we really don’t. There is so much that we can’t even begin to comprehend about our Father God because His majesty is something that can be out of our reach. Our human understanding can’t possibly take in all the vastness of Jesus. So I want to share three simple points about Jesus today. Jesus is God, Jesus is our Savior, and Jesus is what you need.
Jesus is God. This point confuses many people. Along with Jesus, there are 2 other beings, the Holy Spirit and God himself. We often refer to the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit as the Trinity. This means that there is one God that exists in three separate persons, each with different roles and attributes that help direct us on the right path. Many people refer to this as “One God in three Divine Persons”. (“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19, NLT). Jesus’ job as the son was to live a sinless life on earth, experiencing all the same things we do as humans and taking on all the sin of the world upon the cross to save us from an eternity of misery.
Jesus is our Savior. You’ve probably heard this one a million times, but really what does it mean? Jesus is your savior... Jesus is my savior... what should that mean to us? When Jesus got up on the cross 2000 years ago, he died for every sin– past, present, and future– and felt all the pain of the world. Why? Because He loves you so much that He never wants you to experience that suffering. Because of Jesus, we have freedom and free will. Thanks to Him, every time we fail and mess up, we aren’t punished with suffering, but we are presented with unending Grace. Jesus has literally saved you from yourself, and all the pain this world can bring.
Isaiah 53:3-5 says “He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with the deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” (NLT)
Jesus is your healing, your savior, and your identity. There is no love that compares to the love Jesus displayed on the cross and still displays for us every day.
Jesus is what you need. I don’t know where you stand today, but there is one thing I know for certain, and that is a life without Jesus is a life without true purpose and joy. Jesus didn’t just give up His life for you not to know Him, but He did it with the plan to develop a relationship with you that surpasses anything you could ever understand. Jesus’ love for you lingers deeper than you will ever know, and if you thirst for something today– if nothing you have been doing has been satisfying your hunger– Jesus is the answer.
Look, Jesus longs for you to knock on that door. He wants nothing more than to develop a relationship with you and help you through your struggles. He wants to give you peace and joy and wisdom today.
Romans 5:8 says “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (NIV)
What’s your response today? Are you going to knock? Are you going to seek the God who has been longing for you since the day he created you? Or are you going to ask the questions you need to be answered? He is there ready to meet you and love you for all that you are.
