Sunday Sermon Matthew 7:7-12
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Announcements
Announcements
Are there any announcements?
In the next few weeks there will be a sign-up sheet going around for men’s ministry.
Potluck will be held on March 26, with the possibility of a baptism or baptisms.
If there is anyone interested in being baptized, please connect with Pastor John.
Communion
Communion
Here at FCC it is our desire to take communion in a worthy fashion, one that glorifies the Lord, and brings him honor.
Our goal each time we take of the body and blood of Christ is to know the depths of the cross and its implications for our lives, and for us to comprehend the love Jesus showed us in dying for the sins of the world.
We invite everyone here who has confessed with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and believed in their heart that Jesus was raised from the dead can come to the table and take communion with us.
I will pray us in and during prayer, I will pause so the Holy Spirit can search our hearts to take the elements in a manner worthy of the Lord. Then I will close us out.
As the Spirit leads, please come to the table, return to your seats, and we will take together as a family.
Prayer
Prayer
Lord Heavenly Father, we come before you with humble adoration asking you to reveal your self to us in a deeper fashion. Our desire is that each time we take communion that we would understand the depths of the cross, its implications for our lives, and how you love us. Help us to remember your sacrifice, not just today, but all the days of our lives. For us to live is Christ and to die is gain. In Jesus Name, We Love You! Amen!!
For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Let us take the bread together...
In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
Let us take of the cup together...
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.
Prayer
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for laying your life down for your friends and for taking the sins of us all and the world upon you. Help us Lord to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus as we open your Word.
In Jesus Name, We Love You! Amen!!
We have come as far as Matthew 7:7, so let us open our Bibles there:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being 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!
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Review
Review
We are making our way through the greatest sermon ever taught, be the greatest Bible teacher that ever lived.
Jesus is on the North shore of the Sea of Galilee, on a mount just above Capernaum.
And he has taught us many things over several weeks about what it means to be his disciple or what it means to enter His Kingdom and to live our faith out loud.
Last week, we learned that there is righteous judgement, which means that we are to be discerning or use discretion.
And we also, learned that there is a bad judgement leading to death.
This is a person who has a critical, censorious spirit that seems to find fault in everything or everyone.
Jesus gave us some hyperbole when he used the illustration about the speck and plank.
He taught us to deal with our planks, before we go helping a brother or sister with the specks in their eyes.
Yes, Jesus has called us to help others with the sin in their life and others are to help us.
Then he don’t give your pearls to the hogs and dogs church, lest they trample you and tear you into pieces...
Is this person open? Are they sensitive? Are they hungering for the things of God? Or do they just want to argue and discuss endlessly?
The Lord loves to see us effective, and Satan would love to see us sidetracked.
How do we know what is wise in these matters?
How can we know what we should do and where we should invest our time? How does this work out practically?
Jesus gives the answer in the next verse:
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Prayer is the greatest weapon a Christian has, but it is not a blank check to get whatever we want church.
Prayer does not just change things, prayer changes you and me.
Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to pray?
I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish I didn't have time to pray.
Troubles just tumbled about me and heavier came each task.
Why doesn't God help me, I wondered; He answered, "You didn't ask."
I tried to come into God 's presence; I used all my keys at the lock. God gently and lovingly chided, "Why child, you didn't knock."
I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled on grey and bleak,
I called on the Lord for the reason—He said "You didn't seek."
I woke up early this morning and paused before entering the day.
I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray.
I can so identify with this short poem of honesty church, can you?
In studying this text, I uncovered three different views:
Jesus is headed to the close of his sermon and he reemphasizes prayer.
Remember in Chapter 6, Jesus taught on prayer, the how to pray and the how not to pray.
Here I think it is important for us to not forget that the disciples in Luke 11 asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, not how to do miracles, signs, and wonders church, but to pray.
This section of scripture is not a blank check to get what you want church out out of God.
For God is not a genie in a bottle.
But we must pray!!!
Some scholars and pastors connect verse 7, with verse 6. Which would definitely help in the exegesis of this passage.
Because many take this verse out of context church.
Remember context is king!
When they connect verse 6 with 7, it means that we should persistently pray about sharing the gospel and with whom.
It means we pray that God would soften hearts to hear.
It means we pray for the salvation for those we serve, love, and even our enemies.
It means that we ask for discernment so we don’s cast our pearls (Jesus) of great price to the hogs and dogs church.
But it also means that we pray for the hogs and dogs!!! That we just don’t kick them to the curb because they refused to hear us the first time.
Last, some pastors and scholars connect this text to the whole sermon Jesus taught.
He taught us how to enter his Kingdom and be his disciples.
We are called to be poor in Spirit, this means we must recognize our spiritual bankruptcy, because the Pharisees did not...
It means that we mourn not just over loss, hurt, and pain, but over our sin.
It means that we become meek and hunger and thirst for righteousness.
It means that if we are his, we will be persecuted, but praise be to God the kingdom of heaven is ours.
It means that we become the salt and light of this earth.
It means that we allow God, through prayer to deal with the issues of our hearts.
It means that we are called to love our enemies and go the second mile church.
It means that we seek God through prayer and we fast and give, not like the Pharisees to be seen by men, but in secret.
It means that we learn to store our treasures in heaven instead of on earth.
It means that we cannot serve God and Mammon, that there is a righteous judgement that leads to life, and a critical spirit .
Here, some believe Jesus is teaching us to pray for the Kingdom principles to be in our lives church.
So where do I stand?
Well, I think context is king!!!
So all three of these could be applicable.
However, one thing for sure is that this is not a blank check for us to get what we want.
Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones said it this way church, “You Can’t Always Get what You Want!”
And this is true with God.
But to rightly interpret this text, we must look at Luke 11 were the Lord prayer is mentioned and what comes after it:
And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’?
I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Persistence- anaideia- (an-ah'-ee-die-ah')- shamelessness, of an importunate man, persisting in his entreaties.
The Lord is using this illustration to teach his followers an being persistent in prayer.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
The original Greek here is interesting for these imperatives or commands are in the present tense and should be translated, “Keep on asking, keep on seeking and keep on knocking.”
Keep running to the Lord with the issues of life and the issues of others
Our Lord is speaking about importunity persistence and perseverance in prayer.
We must be continually asking God for the strength, power and grace to live the Christian life.
At no time have we ever arrived in our Christian life, so there must be continued prayer and dependence upon the Lord to sustain us and to transform us into his image.
There is another parable called the Parable of the persistent widow church, there was a widow who petitioned the judge to avenge here and her refused over and over.
But as the parable unfolds, guess what? Because of her persistence , it paid off:
And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ”
This widow persistently came to the judge pleading with him for mercy and because she would not give up, she got recieved what she had asked.
Troubleth- parecho- to bother v. — to cause inconvenience or discomfort to someone.
The word trouble is active and written in the continual tense church.
So I believe the Lord is teaching us to pray about the things we learned in the Sermon on the Mount, to pray to whom to share Jesus with, and to pray persistently.
Pray, pray, and pray!!
Jesus said:
ASK
SEEK
KNOCK
And what is interesting here in the Greek as we move from ask, to seek, to knock, prayer is intensified as we do each step.
ILLUSTRATION: If a salesman approaches a customer, it is quite easy to refuse him and get rid of him. But if he comes back again and again, he may annoy us but we also know that he would not persevere unless he knew he had a good product and was eager to sell it. His eagerness and intentness makes an impression. So it is that our eagerness and intentness in prayer pleases God.
it is importnat for us to remember what God desires from us is intimacy and if we want to pray rightly and wisely, and be praying the for the will of God, we must spend time in his Word.
He desires us to be in fellowship with him.
The more time we spend with God, the less time we spend with ourselves, and the better we will be for everyone church and the opposite is true.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
When we ask a miss, it is because we do not understand the heart of the father church.
As a parent we would never give our kids everything they ask for because they would end up as spoiled and rebellious brats...
Aren’t you glad that God has said no, to some of you prayers?
Think of Elijah and Jonah. They asked God to take their lives and God said no!
Think of all the unanswered prayers in your life...
What about this one?
saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
We must have resolve to the Father’s will church.
We must pray for the Father’s will to be accomplished.
And we must know that these verses are not for the person that seek to advance or promote self.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being 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!
Matthew 7:7-11 are for those that are dead to self and desire God’s kingdom to come, and their kingdom go...
These verse are for those who desire God’s will and glory above all else.
For those who recognize their utter brokenness and dependance of God, for Jesus said apart from me you can do nothing!
And for those by faith lay hold of the promises of God though perseverance until the Lord shows up!!!
Father, if can get glory for your kingdom through prospering me, then do it for your glory, but if you can’t, then ground me to powder!
When we look at these verses and the whole context of the Sermon on the Mount it simply about advancing his Kingdom and not ours!
For apart from God himself, we cannot fathom, nor mine the riches of his Kingdom.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being 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!
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
In other words, if human beings who are evil would not think of giving a child a stone that looked like a piece of bread or a dangerous snake instead of a fish, then how much more will a holy God acknowledge and answer our requests?
The phrase “you then, who are evil” refers to our human condition in comparison to a holy God.
Here, Jesus revealed the heart of God the Father.
God is not selfish, begrudging, or stingy;
He is a loving Father who understands, cares, comforts, and willingly gives good things to those who ask him.
“Good things” could refer to the Holy Spirit but does not exclude material provision or those things that are his will church.
He is a Good God father church that we serve!
If humans can be kind, imagine how kind God can be? For He created kindness!
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
In Matthew 5:17, Jesus taught that he did not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets, but rather fulfill.
Here, as Jesus is headed to the close of this amazing sermon gives us what is referred to as the Golden Rule.
And many other philosophies and world religions have a similar saying:
Hillel: “What thou wouldst not wish for thyself, do not unto thy neighbor. This is the whole law.”
Socrates: “What stirs your anger when done to you by others, that do not do to others.”
Aristotle: “We should bear ourselves toward others as we desire they should bear themselves toward us.”
Confucius: “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.”
What is this therefore, therefore? It is because of the last 11 verses.
And here we see a summation of them.
This great truth is a principle that ought to govern our attitudes toward others. It only applies to believers, and it must be practiced in every area of life. The person who practices the Golden Rule refuses to say or do anything that would harm himself or others.
If our judging of others is not governed by this principle, we will become proud and critical, and our own spiritual character will degenerate.
Practicing the Golden Rule releases the love of God in our lives and enables us to help others, even those who want to hurt us.
But remember that practicing the Golden Rule means paying a price. If we want God’s best for ourselves and others, but others resist God’s will, then they will oppose us.
The kingdom of heaven requires us to be poor in spirit, to be pure in heart, to speak truth and live our faith out loud, to be compassionate, to have a non-retaliatory spirt, to live a life on integrity, and for us not to judge or serve mammon church.
How are we doing with all this? Not so good???
Well, guess what?
Jesus just gave us the remedy once again.
We must ask, seek, and knock church continually, persistently and not give up:
And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
Prayer
Prayer
Lord Jesus, as we leave here today, help us to grasp your goodness and grace. You are a good, good Father, that desires nothing but the best for your children. We thank you for answering our prayers Lord, whether its yes, no, or wait we are grateful because you know what we need when we need it. Thank you for supplying all of our need according to your riches and glory. We ask that you would teach us to pray according to they will, so that you can receive all the glory, all the honor , and all the praise. Quicken us in the Spirit when we are praying a miss, for our desire is for your Kingdom to come, and our Kingdom go!
In Jesus Name, We Love you ! Amen!
What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
THE LORD BLESS YOU!
YOUR MISSION STARTS NOW!