Seeking Answers
Matthew chapter 7:7-7:12
Introduction- Good Morning
Anyone find that seeking God and seeking answers from God are two things hard to do? Right…We are not sure where to look or how to go about it.
Please turn to Matthew 7:7-12
Usually, I set up the text before we read it, but this morning I am going to let it speak for itself.
Matthew chapter 7:7-7:12
That sounds good, right? But here is a perfect example of why scripture taken out of context is dangerous and why people can make it say whatever they want it to say.
If you read this without reading what was said before, you can come away from this scripture with the idea that anything you want God to do, all you have to do is ask.
Ask and it will be given
Seek and you shall find.
Knock and the door will be opened unto you.
Like God is this genie in a bottle, and all you have to do is rub the lamp and say the right things and God is obligated to answer your prayer weather it lines up with the word of God or not.
The words here are in red- which means that these are the recorded words of Jesus Himself. For 2 chapters before Jesus words are also recorded as He deals with adultery, murder, divorce, un-forgiveness, storing up treasures on earth as well as storing up treasures in heaven.
We sometimes forget about how he talks harshly about judging others, taking the plank out of our own eye before going after a speck in someone’s else’s eye.
We would love to serve a God that always answers our prayers and always did what we thought was the right thing.
Do you realize the mess we would be in if God answered everyone of our prayer request in the way that you asked them?
My goodness, in a fit of anger, neighbors would be dropping dead, our garages would be so full of things that we do not need anymore and our emotions would be more twisted and confused than ever before.
Not to mention some praying for rain and some praying for it to be sunny.
Jesus teaches us about kingdom principals that fall within the parameters of God’s Word.
It would not be good for us to get a free pass on anything we pray for and want.
He ties this to something we can get our heads around;
(9) “Which of you, if his son ask for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asked 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 have good gifts to those that ask Him?”
(12) So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets.”
2 thoughts to think about;
The relationship between our heavenly Father and us- we must realize that God has our best interest concerning things in our life. Just like we would not allow our children something that would harm them. Sometimes the Lord will withhold things from us that we should not have.
2. We should treat others like we would want to be treated. Not necessarily treat someone nice who is nice to us, and mean to those that are mean to us.
Addressing the first one-
The relationship between you and the heavenly Father is… He is the Father and you are the child. He does not do what you order Him to do, He does what He deems right that falls within the parameters of His word.
We are expected to pray for the promises of God.
Knowing God’s word and standing on His promises that he has given us.
Heaven is real
Jesus paid the price for mankind
We have the victory through Jesus Christ.
God answers our prayers
“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him that knocks, it will be opened.”
2 certainties when we pray
He hears our prayers
He will answer
The misconception is that we feel God has to say yes to every prayer. No is also an answer, so is not yet, and wait.
Sometimes God gives us what we need, and not what we ask for. Amen to that!
There are many sincere prayers I have prayed and glad that God did not answer the way I had wanted Him too.
“Oh what man is there among you who, if his son ask for bread, will give him a stone, or if he ask for a fish, will give him a serpent.”
Everyone who prays wants to know to what kind of God they are praying too.
Are we praying to a grudging God who every gift has to be squeezed out and begged for?
Are we praying to a God who’s gift have a double-edged sword?
Are we praying to God whose heart is so kind that He is ready to give more than we are to ask?
Jewish people loved prayers- they recited beautiful prayers- “God is so near to his creation as the ear is to the mouth.”
Human beings can hardly hear two people talking at one time, yet if the whole world called out to God at one time, He would be able to hear each prayer.
Jesus examples are carefully chosen
He gives three examples, 2 here in Matthew and one in Luke.
The point you have to see is that these comparisons bear close resemblance.
The limestone of that time was the exact shape and color of little loaves of bread.
If a child ask for bread, will a parent mock that child by offering a stone, which looks like bread but is impossible to eat.
If a child asks for a fish, will a parent give that child a serpent? The serpent here is an eel. According to Jewish law, the eel was an unclean fish.
“Everything in the water that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you” Lev. 11:12
Would a parent give a child an unclean fish and mock their hunger by giving them something they are forbidden to eat?
Last one,
If a son asks for an egg, will the parent give them a scorpion? The scorpion of their day was pale in color, and when folded up looked like an egg. Would the father give his child something that was dangerous and harmful to him?
Lesson here,
God will never refuse our prayers.
God will never mock our prayers- God will always answer them in His way and His will be perfect wisdom and perfect love.
If God answered our prayers at the moment desired, most times it would be a disaster and the gift we ask for would be our ruin.
The imperatives in this verse are;
Go on asking.
Go on seeking.
Go on, keep knocking.
His promise is that He will in his perfect wisdom and perfect love answer you.
Write this down,
We are expected to ask for things that God has promised
“Ask and it shall be given “
James 4:2- “You have not because you do not ask.”
God never promises to answer every prayer the way that you want.
Nowhere in God’s word does He allow Himself to be manipulated by certain words, certain deeds. He is the heavenly Father and He will make heavenly decisions.
God answers every prayer
Yes, no, and not yet.
God’s no’s are given in love as well as the yes.
Sometimes, He gives us what we don’t ask for! Amen.
Good things- He may grant them.
Harmful things- He will deny them.
Too far ahead of Him- he may say wait, not yet.
Those times we are crying out and we make no sense at all to anyone else. He understood every word our heart said and he answers that prayer the way He only could.
No prayer is ever wasted
As long as we remember that God has our best interest and that He loves us more than a parent loves their children.
Addressing the second thing;
(12) “So in everything , do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets.”
At first reading, this seems out of place. The Lord just gave us lessons on prayer and ends abruptly by saying that we should treat others as we would want to be treated.
This is not a coincidence. It is by design.
By the same love we have received from God, we are to love and treat others. It is the Golden Rule isn’t it?
“Love your neighbors and hate your enemies; I tell you love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.”
We are commanded to love others.
We are to model Christ.
We do that by showing the love of God. Not by a big sign that says we are Christians.
Jesus never said “treat people with the same respect that they treat you. He said, “whatever you want men to do to you, do to others.”
There is a big difference. Jesus doesn’t say we have to water down our beliefs or make okay what is not okay. We are to love others as Christ loves us!
Just like last week, I said Jesus never told us we can have it our way! Only Burger King says that!
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” Phil 2:5
Jesus hung that verse as a reminder as we are praying and wanting God to work in our lives.
Don’t forget to show the love to those around us. Even the tough one!
Andrew Murry
“My relationship with God is part of my relationship with men, failure in one will cause failure in the other.”
John Ashcroft
“A pat on the back is only a few vertebrae away from a kick in the pants, but the results are much better.”
Heard it said,
“Holding a grudge is like letting someone live rent free in your head”
Closing,
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the law and the prophets.”
That seems like a curve ball-
He is telling us not only do we have to live in a right relationship with the Lord, but also a right relationship with people.
He is telling us there is a blessing for us treating people right.
Attitude is everything! Right perspective in everything!
Here is a takeaway- God answers prayer but not always the way we want- Amen.
You have to be okay with that or you will be disappointed when your prayer do not line up with the will of God for your life.
Here is another takeaway- once we are praying and seeking answers from God and understanding that His will becomes our will, we will see more prayers answered because they line up with His will. We will also see that when we have those dry times when are praying in unchartered and unfamiliar territory, we are trusting the Lord to navigate us through it.
An example is the expedition of Lewis and Clark, a fantastic example of exploring the unknown is them trying to find a route from the East to get to the Pacific Ocean. A transportation route authorized by Thomas Jefferson and they had prepared maps and had ideas on how it was to be done. When they got going they quickly got into danger and unknowns and it took them a year longer than they thought and had they not gotten help from squaw Sacagawea and the Indians, they would have starved and died in the mountains because the map does not always work and you must go into unchartered land and unchartered ways without much notice. When you know it is God directing, you have to trust that God will provide.
When we are seeking God for answers, we are open for new learning. Adaptive learning becomes your friend because you trust that God has your back to show you what He needs to and takes your through what you go through.
Sometimes we think we need a new gym, new ministries, read more books, maybe get a new pastor, change the name of the church, more cool technology… maybe for most, we just need to discover what God has already shown us. Maybe we just need to apply Godly principals to those times of the unknown.
Someone once said-
“If you cheat at practice, you will cheat in the game. If you cheat other people, you will cheat God. When you cheat God, you really cheat yourself.
Prayer-
