Open the Door
- Heegi Kim
- Sep 7, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: May 17, 2023
Sebastien Vitali In this talk, international lawyer and Cru partner Sebastien Vitali shares his personal story and teaches that God will pursue you, but you need to respond. Sebastien attends Calvary EFCA in Essex Fells, N.J., as a member and also serves with the worship team.
PASSAGE | Matthew 7:7-12
Matthew 7:7-12 ESV
[7] “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. [8] For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. [9] Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? [10] Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? [11] 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! [12] “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Read Matthew 7:7-12. What does Jesus say one must do in his or her pursuit of answers?
What does all the asking, seeking and knocking say about a person's attitude when pursuing answers?
How does Jesus portray the Father in this passage? Is he annoyed by one's asking/seeking/knocking or does he welcome it? Give the example Jesus gives.
When were their times in your walk with God that you felt you needed to persistently pursue Him? What was the outcome? Give examples.
Does persistent pursuit mean God will always give us what we want?
Sebastien makes the point that not everything we pursue in life can satisfy, even a high-profile job like his. Do you often try to find completion in things other than God? Give examples of how these may have failed you.
Sebastien's sermonette largely involved his own salvation story. He details how God pursued him until finally he surrendered to Christ, repented of his sin and accepted Christ for forgiveness of sins and new life. Have you trusted in Jesus for forgiveness and completion? If not, what may be holding you back from "opening the door"?