I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness. – John 10:10

John 5:40
yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.

I truly believe in the saying if you don’t ask, the answer is always no. You don’t get what you don’t ask for. This is how the brother in the story of the “Prodigal Son” in Luke 15

²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

As I study this text, I was looking when the time this older brother asked his dad to have a goat or a lamb or beef to celebrate with his friends. But the Bible is silent about this. Was it because this brother did not ask.

Maliwanag ang sinasabi ng Bibliya, “ask and you shall receive”. This parable shows that the father is a wealthy man. He is not poor or middle class, but he is a rich man with a estate or big properties. In many countries in the world, a estate is means huge land – also known real estate. The cost of a goat or a lamb, is nothing or insignificant as compared to what the father has as his possession. Maliit na halaga ang presyo ng isang kambing or tupa.

In James 4:2-3

“You do not have because you do not ask God.”

Is that a reason why the brother did not get even a small portion of his father treasure? Pwede mo bang sisihin ang Diyos na hindi Niya ibinigay ang bagay na kelangan mo?

Whenever we ask, it shows dependency upon God. It shows confidence, also known as faith, in God. The only way we can ask God to move is when we show full confidence and faith upon Him. Not by crying, not be tears but only through faith. Unbelief holds people back and they fail to achieve what they want.

Ask came from the Greek word: “aiteo” which means:

• to ask;
• to crave;
• to desire; and
• to require or demand

Let’s take these words in turns for better understanding.

To ask:

John 15:7 (NIV)  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

Importante na may personal relationship tayo sa Diyos, yung kilala ka ng Lord. Naaala ko sa President Duterte nagsabi: “may hinihingi kayo tapos tinitita nyo naman ako…” You remain in God and God’s word remain in you, ok kayo.

To crave

Mark 15:43 New International Version (NIV)

43 Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.

To beg

Matthew 27:58 New International Version (NIV)

58 Going to Pilate, he [Joseph Arithmatea] asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.

• talk about the begging of Esther to King Xerxes

To require or demand

The idea here is to demand something due to one because of family and redemptive rights.

If you do not go after what you want, you will never get it.  If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place.

SEEK

Jesus went on to say, “Seek, and you will find” (Matthew 7:7b). What is it believers ought to be seeking? It is God Himself!

Earlier in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). Seeking God’s kingdom means putting God’s plan before our own; seeking God’s righteousness means setting a priority on personal holiness and desiring to be sanctified.

That word “these” refer to the worries and anxiety of people in Matthew 6:25:

“what shall we eat, what shall we drink, what shall we wear…”

But God said if you seek me first, I will give you all ‘these’ things. Unahin muna natin ang kaharian ng Diyos at ang lahat ng mga bagay ay ibibigay ng Diyos sa atin.

Ito ang hindi madalas makita ng mga tao: sa Diyos lamang nagmumula ang lahat ng mabubuting bagay. Na kung uunahin natin ang Diyos, walang bagay na hinihingi tayo ang hindi Niya kayang ibigay. But people find it easy to do it their way. Like Frank Sinatra: “I did it my way.” They don’t do it God’s way.

For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him. 1 Colossians 1:16

Lahat ng bagay ay ginawa sa pamamagitan Niya at para sa Kanya. Walang bagay sa daigdig na hindi sa Kanya. Walang nawawala sa Diyos kung magbibigay sya sa iyo. But you need to seek the face of the King.

• talk about the seeking of the baby Jesus

KNOCK

The door is never opened in the East until the one who knocks is first questioned:

Luke 11:5-8 New International Version (NIV)

⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ ⁷ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity^[a] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.