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KEEP ON KEEPING ON

Luke 11:5-10
August 9, 2009

PURPOSE: To emphasize the importance of determination and persistence.

In the movie “Rocky” an unknown boxer’s life theme is to “Go the Distance.” That meant to still be on his feet at the final bell. Paul said almost the same thing. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (II Tim. 4:7).

In order to “Go the Distance” we must keep on keeping on. We’re not to just try once in a while. We’re not to just work until we lose interest or until we get tired or until we reach an obstacle. Instead, we’re to keep on until we reach our goal; until we accomplish our task and until we fulfill our purpose.

It’s our determination and persistence that makes the difference. In one of his strangest parables Jesus said, “Suppose one of you went to your friend’s house at midnight and said to him, ‘A friend of mine has come into town to visit me, But I have nothing for him to eat. Please loan me three loaves of bread.’ Your friend inside the house answers, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, My children and I are in bed. I cannot get up and give you the bread now.’ I tell you, maybe friendship is not enough to make him get up to give you the bread. But he will surely get up to give you what you need if you continue to ask. So I tell you, continue to ask and God will give to you. Continue to search and you will find. Continue to knock and the door will open for you”(Luke 11:5-10, edb).

Now, Jesus is not comparing God to a disgruntled neighbor. Rather he saying that if what we want is good and productive, and if we do our part, and if we don’t give up, we’ll get it. He is emphasizing that rewards and successes don’t fall on our heads without efforts. He is explaining that if we are persistent, doors will be opened and opportunities will be available.

Our part is to ask and seek and knock.

I. SO, HOW CAN WE ASK?

The Amplified Bible says, “Ask and keep on asking.” Jesus didn’t mean for us to make just one half-hearted request. To ask means to desire something passionately and to express that desire clearly. Many people don’t even know what they want. Instead, they only know what they don’t want, such as illness, poverty and loneliness. But in order to succeed, we need a well defined purpose.

Many things are started without a definite end in mind. That’s a waste of resources and effort. The famous Alaskan “Bridge to Nowhere” that politicians are arguing about represents such irresponsibility. All of us have unfinished business in our lives. Projects half done, books half read, letters never mailed, paintbrushes never cleaned. We didn’t desire the results enough to persevere.

A certain generous humanitarian helped many people. He gave scholarships to students and grants to small businesses. A close friend of his became a little jealous. “Why don’t you ever help me,” she complained. “Because you never asked,” the man replied. “You never asked!”

If we want something enough to put the desire into words, we’ll be more likely to achieve it. So, ask!

Before we can really “ask” in a productive manner, we must meet certain conditions. First, we must ask in faith, believing our request is possible. James said, “It must be in faith that he asks . . . with no hesitating, no doubting. For the one who . . . doubts is like the billowing surge out at sea, that is . . . tossed by the wind” (James 1:6, amp).

Then we must ask with an open mind, allowing God to answer in His own way. John said, “We are sure of this, that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will” (1 John 5:14, lb).

Perhaps most importantly, we must ask with a pure heart, removing all hostility and sin. Jesus said, “When you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against . . .” (Mark 11:25a, lb).

Hatred and bitterness block our access to God.

One of the Lord’s last promises concerned a Christian’s right to ask. He said, “Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete” (John 16:24).

So, ask, and keep on asking.

II. THEN, HOW CAN WE SEEK?

Again, the Amplified Bible says, “Seek and keep on seeking.” To seek doesn’t mean to make one casual search. To seek means to study and observe and do research. Sometimes this takes many years.

After we’ve determined our purpose and expressed our desire, we must analyze it. Do I really need it? Would it represent the best use of my time and abilities? What will happen if I do receive it? What are the most productive methods of achieving it?

Seeking requires persistence. Did Henry Ford’s crew build a V-8 engine on their first try? Was the the Wright brothers’ a dazzling success on their first flight? Do most actors win an Academy Award for their first performance? Does an artist usually become famous after painting his first “masterpiece”? Did Alexander Graham Bell’s first try at telecommunications work? Can a golfer expect to win the Masters at his first competition? You can answer “No!” to every one of these questions.

Seeking is long term. Someone said, “The most meaningless statistic in a ball game is the score at halftime.”

A famous coach said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”

If we seek to discover all the information and study the situation, we’ll be more likely to have a good result. Paul said, “What should I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind” (1 Cor. 14:15a).

He also gave us several admonitions concerning persistence: “Don’t be weary in prayer; keep at it; watch for God’s answers and remember to be thankful when they come” (Col. 4:2, edb).

“Never stop praying” (1 Thess 5:17, edb).

“Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up” (Gal. 6:9)

So, “Seek and keep on seeking!”

III. FINALLY, HOW CAN WE KNOCK?

Once more, the Amplified Bible ways, “Knock and keep on knocking.” To knock doesn’t mean to give one brief tap and then walk away!

To knock meant to act—to make a physical effort. When we’ve expressed our desire and searched for the best methods of achieving it; the next step is action. Complete the process. Do what ever needs to be done. Close the deal.

So often we quit just a few steps from the finish line. One student struggled through three years of college. Then, in his Senior year things got very hard and he was about to drop out. But his grandmother called him up and said, in no uncertain terms, “Young man, you can’t quit now. I’ve already bought you a graduation card.”

If we approach closed doors and make our presence known, they will open. So knock and keep on knocking. Don’t leave unfinished business. Paul was a finisher. He said, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me . . .” (Acts 20:24a).

He advised others to finish. “Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means” (2 Cor. 8:11).

James also emphasized finishing. “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4).

Then, Jesus told a story about a man who didn’t ask clearly and seek wisely. He said, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish’ ” (Luke 14:28-30).

In his personal life Jesus practiced what he preached. He said, “My food . . . is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34).

“The very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me” (John 5:36).

In fact, his last words were “It is finished” (John 19:30).

Sometimes just staying on your feet is a victory. In the 2002 Olympics, 3 or 4 of the best speed skaters in the world fell in a heap on the ice. This allowed one unknown entry to cross the line ahead of everybody. He won the first medal in his country’s history.

So, the race doesn’t always go the swiftest or the most powerful racer. It may go to the one who keeps on keeping on—the one stays on his feet and finishes the course.

In the 1968 Olympics, a runner from Africa participated in the cross-country event in Mexico city. He came in last. In fact, by the time he finally arrived back at the stadium, spectators were already leaving. A sports announcer asked him, “You knew you were far behind the other runners. Why didn’t you just give up and quit?” “Oh, sir,” he replied, “My country didn’t send me here to start this race. They sent me here to finish it.”

It’s the same with us. God didn’t put us here to start. He put us here to finish. What do you need to do in order to finish? What have you left undone? What should you be asking for and seeking for? What door should you be knocking on? At the end of your life, will you be able to say with Paul, “I have finished the course! I have kept the faith?

Isaiah has a wonderful verse that promises God’s help for all of us. “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isa. 40:31, niv).

He says a few great heroes will accomplish great things with little effort. They will soar like eagles. Then he says many people will go through life with adequate energy—they will run and not be weary. But most important, he says some can only walk. They don’t fly, they don’t soar, they don’t jog, they don’t run. But they keep plodding along. They walk through their years on earth. They don’t faint. They don’t quit. They keep on keeping on.

That’s our purpose. If we can soar, that’s great. If we can run, that’s fine. But if there are handicaps and tragedies and problems in our lives that allow us to only walk or even stumble, we can still go the distance and finish the race, by keeping on.
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(WC1859)

Copyrighted 2009 by Miles and Maralene Wesner, Idabel, OK. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE THIS MESSAGE IN ANY WAY YOU THINK IS APPROPRIATE. The only thing we ask is that you give credit for original material in PUBLISHED works.

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