THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT (part 19)
Matt. 7:7-12
In our passage today, Jesus illustrates the power and provision of prayer. It was almost time for the 'Old Fashioned Revival Hour' radio program to go on the air. The broadcast was coming from a tin-roofed building in Waterloo, Iowa. As Dr. Charles Fuller stood on the platform to get ready to go on the air, a heavy rain began to fall and pound on that tin roof, making it impossible to conduct the broadcast. Dr. Fuller prayed, "Lord, if you don't stop the rain we won't be able to do our broadcast. Please make the rain stop. Within a few minutes, the rain stopped suddenly. The broadcast went on without any interference. Five minutes after the broadcast was finished there was a torrential downpour. Coincidence? No, this is the power of prayer.
1) Ask, Seek, Knock.
Matt. 7:7-8, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."
Here we see three verbs; all with different meanings. This can illustrate a process. We ask for something but instead of sitting back and waiting we take it a step further and do some things to try to obtain it. Then, we persistently knock to get a response.
One the one hand, this could be taken in a negative way. I've asked but God's not responding so I'll take matters in my own hands and get it myself. Then, in a demanding and selfish way, I'm going to keep pounding on the door until God gives me what I want. But that's not what Jesus is referring to.
This action pattern signifies willingness, passion and persistence; all good qualities when channeled correctly and for the right purpose. People’s NT commentary, “Ask implies a simple petition. Seek indicates an earnest search. Knock shows perseverance in spite of hindrances.”
In the act of asking I'm showing that something is important to me and I am looking to the one whom I know can help me. In the act of seeking, it shows that I'm willing to pursue it. I'm not just going to expect God to drop it in my lap; I'm following the prompting of the Holy Spirit and doing what I need to do in order to receive what I've asked for.
And in the knocking, I'm showing that it's something I'm willing to be persistent in. I care about this enough to show that I'm not going to give up until the Lord tells me to. Adam Clarke’s commentary: “Ask with confidence and humility. Seek with care and application. Knock with earnestness and perseverance.”
Luke 18:1-8, "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’ ”
And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
Even though he didn't want to help the widow, he ended up giving in to her persistence. Jesus contrasts that with God, saying, how much more will the Father see that you get justice, since he loves you and cares about you? We should not give up praying for justice and any other righteous desire because although at times it may seem like God isn't listening or doesn't care, Jesus confirmed that he does.
But why would God make us be so persistent before giving us his blessing? Sometimes it's a test to determine how important it is to us; and if we are willing to pursue it. He may also hold off so that we may appreciate it more. When something doesn’t come easy it’s appreciated more.
Sometimes we think God shouldn’t make us ask, seek or knock. He knows what we need so he should just give it to us. Sometimes God does operate that way. By his greatness he answers immediately. There are times when he blesses us without even asking for it. But just because he does it this way sometimes it’s wrong for us to expect or demand that he do it this way all the time.
There are times when we will need to go through a process in order to receive. We might have to wait before God will answer but it’s not diabolical; it’s wise. It’s not punishing; it’s rewarding.
We might see, 'ask and you shall receive' and think, 'I ask for a lot of things that I haven't received. What's up with that'? Well, we need to understand that this verse is not implying that everything we want we will get. It wouldn't be wise or loving for God to give us everything our hearts desire.
James 4 mentions that sometimes we don't have because we ask with wrong motives. So it makes sense why God wouldn't honor those requests. There are times when we think our motives are pure but they're not. How can we know for sure? We need to ask God this too. When we ask him for what we want we should also ask him to show us if we have the right motive.
Also, are we asking with the right spirit? John 15:7, "If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you." Vs. 16, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."
We see that it isn't just about asking, it's about being in Christ in the sense of being in relationship with him, being in step with him, having his word in our hearts and minds and operating our lives as such. When we're in right relationship with Christ and when his word is embedded in our hearts then our desires and requests will be in line with his will.
"In my name". Asking for things in the name of Jesus isn't just about ending our prayer, 'in Jesus' name, amen'. Asking in the name of Jesus means I am asking in accordance with the character of Christ, the integrity of Christ and the spirit of Christ. I am viewing my desires through the lens of righteousness and with Jesus' will in mind.
We're familiar with Jer. 29:11, 'I know the plans I have for you', but have you ever looked at what follows that? Jer. 29:12-13, "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
God had plans for the exiled Israelites. He had plans for them all along but too often they were disobedient; which led to them being taken into captivity in the first place. God wants us to call on him and seek him with all our heart. When we have the passion and desire for God and the things of God then we will receive; God will not hold back. We will see his prosperous plans for us come to fruition when we are focused and centered on him.
It's all about Jesus. Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." To delight in the Lord is to have joy in, be glad in, find satisfaction in, the Lord. It means to appreciate Jesus. When Jesus is our delight then the desires of our heart will be what delights him. Ask and we will receive.
2) God is the great gift-giver.
Matt. 7:9-11, " “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
Jesus is making it clear that God desires to give us good things. There’s significance to Jesus mentioning bread and fish. There was a type of bread made in Jesus’ day that looked similar to certain stones in that area. Hence if a father wanted to he could deceive his son by giving him a stone instead of bread.
Same with the fish/snake. Once it was cooked snake meat could resemble something else like an eel. But the problem is fish were clean animals and were okay to eat but snakes were unclean animals and forbidden to eat. A father with bad intentions could trick his son into becoming unclean.
Jesus is highlighting that any decent father would not do such a thing. Therefore, since we would do the right thing even though we have we have a sinful nature, how much better does God operate since his motives and purposes are always pure and holy? God will never give us something bad. On the contrary, God wants to bless us and he knows how to bless us.
Sometimes, though, we feel like we've asked God for bread and he gives us a stone. We ask God for what we want and he responds by giving us what we need. And we don't like that so we feel God has shortchanged us. But we need to remember that since God is much wiser than we are, whatever he gives us is what's best for us at that time.
If we want God to bless us then we need to be prepared to receive it. Sometimes we aren't prepared to receive what we're asking for. There might be sin in our lives we aren't dealing with or we might not be mature enough yet. So, God may want to give us what we're asking for or he might have something he desires to give us but in his wisdom, he will wait until it's the right time and some things get worked out first. Otherwise, we wouldn't appreciate the blessing for what it is or we would misuse and abuse the blessing (we would trample the pearls).
1st John 3:21-23, "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us."
We will receive from God because we are obedient to God. Do we think God would give us what we're asking for when we're living in disobedience? In fact, it's possible God would remove some of the blessings he's given us when we choose to disobey him.
And it would actually be a blessing if he did that because hopefully that would cause us to come to our senses quicker. And if we repent we can be sure that God will bless us. We also have to keep in mind that when we ask, seek and knock, we will receive if it's in line with God's will.
1st John 5:14-15, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."
We might come to God in faith, with the right motive and as obedient children but still not get what we ask for because it might not be his will. When Jesus prayed in the garden and asked that the cup of suffering be taken from him, the Father didn’t grant his request-because it wasn’t his will.
Paul asked three times for the demonic thorn in his flesh to be removed but Jesus didn’t give him what he asked for-not because he enjoyed seeing Paul tormented but because he wanted Paul to understand some things.
And both Jesus and Paul had the right attitude about that. Jesus said, “Yet not my will but yours be done.” Paul said, “Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” They didn't have a negative attitude toward God for denying their requests, they knew God had a purpose in it.
God always knows what’s best for us and he will always do what's best. We think we know and are confused when God doesn’t deliver on what we think is good or best for us. But if we don’t have it, whether it’s because it’s not his will or not the right time, we should trust his wisdom. Sometimes we think God hasn’t answered our prayer when in fact he has it’s just not the answer we were looking for.
Here's something to think about: how many times has God given you more than what you asked for? We ask for money to pay our bills and he gives us that much and more. God rewards those who earnestly seek him, who seek first the kingdom of God, who are obedient to him, who has gratitude, contentment and thanksgiving in their hearts towards him. God is the greatest gift-giver.
3) The Golden Rule.
Matt. 7:12, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
This may seem like it’s a stand-alone verse but I think it goes well with what Jesus just said before it. In fact, the KJV starts vs. 12 by saying therefore which connects what follows with what precedes it. If we, though we are imperfect and undeserving, get such good and gracious gifts from God, shouldn’t we treat others the same way? Shouldn’t we seek to bless others the way we have been blessed?
In the movie “Pay it Forward”, a boy has a social studies assignment to find a way to change the world. His idea-do something good for someone that they can’t do for themselves, then that person pays it forward. As it catches on we see people engaging in acts of kindness only to say, “Don’t pay me back–I’m looking for nothing in return–pay it forward.”
Jesus has blessed us so we in turn pay it forward and bless others. Confucius, in what is called The Silver Rule, says, "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others." The golden rule goes further than the silver rule. As the silver rule has to do with refraining from doing to others, Jesus commissions us to be initiators; even if no one is initiating towards us.
“In everything”. This tells me that there is no circumstance where I am excused from following this rule. When I don’t feel like it I must still follow it. When people mistreat me I must still follow it. This principle is not conditional.
It's natural for us to want to follow the not-so-golden rule of do unto others as they do unto us or bless others if they bless us first, but we are called to do the harder thing: bless the undeserving, bless even though you were not blessed first, bless even though you will not be blessed by them in return; bless because God has blessed you.
Seven-year-old Chad was not a popular kid in school, he was different and the other kids didn't treat him very well because of it. Kids can be mean that way. Shortly before Valentines’ Day, Chad came home and told his mother he wanted to make cards for everyone in his class.
Part of her wanted to say no because she knew how they treated him, but she saw how excited he was to do it so she helped him make 35 cards. On Valentine’s Day, she waited by the curb for the school bus to bring him home. When it got there, she saw all the kids laughing and getting off the bus, and then she saw Chad walking by himself near the back of the bus.
When he got off the bus, he was very happy, and told his mother he didn’t forget a single classmate; he remembered them all. Even though his classmates shunned him, that didn't stop Chad from wanting to bless them all with a Valentine's card. Chad treated them the way he wanted to be treated; not the way he was treated.
We once shunned Jesus but that didn’t stop him from remembering each one of us in His love. Now He wants us to show that love to others, like Chad did, simply for the sake of blessing them. We ask, seek, knock and receive. But it doesn't end there. As we have been blessed by God we choose to honor God by blessing others. And that is golden.
