Be Diligent

Intro

being a dad

kids just keep asking for something

what do you do in that situation?

flesh it out a little better

Keep this in mind as we dive into today’s scripture

Matthew 7:7–8 NLT

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Keep on...

First, I want you to be encouraged in these first two verses. I find in our society today that people are too quick to give up. In fact, I’ve heard some believers even say that they are waiting for a door to open up, and that is how they know the will of God.

Jesus is actually teaching something very different. If you need something, ask for it. Other parts of the Bible tells us that we don’t have because we don’t ask. Seeking suggests that the thing we are looking for is elusive and needs to be sought out. Knocking suggests that the door is closed, and you are actually encouraged to do what you need to do to get the door to open.

The underlying theme in all three scenarios is that God is with us every step of the way. Who are you asking? Not just God, but your heavenly Father who loves you and wants to give you good things. When you seek, you don’t just seek aimlessly; you seek with the wisdom that comes from your Father in Heaven. You don’t just knock on every door that is closed, but you knock on the doors that God leads you to and knock with confidence that if this is where God led you, it will open.

Don’t give up. Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. If your Bible does not have ‘keep on’ in it, add it in front of each of those sections because that is actually the most true to the orginal language.

But there is something to remember in all this. Parents, did you give your kids everything they ever asked for? Probably not. Why? Because there is a difference between a need and a want. It is nice to treat your kids sometimes, but sometimes their asking is an opportunity to teach.

Jesus is not telling you to keep asking, seeking, and knocking because you will eventually wear God down until He gives in. It is because He wants a relationship with you, the kind of relationship where you depend on Him, come to Him first with your desires. In the process of coming to Him, depending on Him, you begin to understand the heart of God. It is even in Jesus’ teaching. The idea of seeking should call to Matthew 6:33 that tells us to Seek first the kingdom of God and live righteously. Knocking in those days wasn’t necessarily on doors but on gates, and next week we are going to be talking about the gates of the kingdom of God.

What we begin to realize is that God is not a vending machine, that if you just keep throwing that coin in, you will get what you want. But just like your kids, it is opportunity for you to understand the heart of your Heavenly Father, and have your mind renewed to see the world the way He does.

What are you asking for? What are you seeking? What door do you need to knock on?

Matthew 7:9–11 NLT

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

Your Heavenly Father is Good!

I remember when I was young, I was harassing my grandfather about what he was going to give me for my birthday. He responded that he was going to give me a half eaten potato. I brushed it off that he was messing with me, and in fact they had something good. A few hours later, grandma and grandpa came over for cake, and grandpa handed me a wrapped gift. I was so excited to open it, I ripped off the wrapping paper, and to my displeasure, there was a half eaten potato in a zip-loc bag box. Grandpa thought it was hilarious, me less so.

Everytime I read this passage, I remember this story. For some reason, I always read it that even though the rock and snake were not what was asked for, they were somehow still good gifts. The interesting thing is that at the time, loaves of bread would have been round, and could’ve been mistaken as rocks. Similarly, there are fish in the lake of Galilee that looks suspicously like snakes.

But that isn’t actually the point Jesus is trying to make. When your kid asks for bread, you typically give him bread. When your kid asks for fish, though I don’t know too many kids that actually ask for fish, but we would typically give them some fish.

The emphasis is more on the last part. Remember, at the core of our being, we all have a sin nature. You don’t have to be a Christian to understand the idea of giving a good gift. You may be more prone to giving a gag gift, although believers are not above that practice either, even a gag gift is still done with love. Even though humans are fallen, sinful, and selfish beings, generally people still give good gifts.

Jesus’ point is that even when so much is working against us, yet we do something that is contrary to our sin nature. How much better, how much more willingly will God give good things to those who ask. Our Heavenly Father has a perfect, uncorrupted nature. His love for you is perfect. Jesus is drawing us back to chapter 6, where you need to learn that you can depend on God to meet your needs. He is not just a good father, He is THE Good Father. Where each of us dads will always wrestle with the sin nature, God never wrestles, He never has to look out for number one. He loves you so much He sent His only Son to die for you.

You and I are capable of showing love inspite of the sin nature working against us. How much more can God show His love to you if you lean on Him more?

What areas of life are you withholding from God? Why?

Matthew 7:12 NLT

“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

Therefore...

there is a word that is missing in the NLT, and if your bible doesn’t have it, you need to add it at the beginning of Matthew 7:12 and it is, “Therefore...”

Verse 12 is what the church has coined as the Golden Rule and for good reason. In fact most major religions refer to this, though most take the negative approach. Something like, “Whatever you hate most, assume others hate it as well.”

Jesus takes the positive approach but it is not an independent verse by itself. Therefore indicates that this rule is built off what came before it, and it is based off the entire Chapter 7 up to this point.

Last week we looked at judging. If you don’t want to receive condemnation but rather grace and support, then do that to others.

This week, if you are asked, give an answer. If someone is seeking you out, allow yourself to be found. If someone knocks, open the door. Why? Because your Heavenly Father has done and will continue to do the same for you.

There is a humility here, and it requires some self reflection. Is there something you expect others to do for you that you are not willing to do for others? If you feel like people are mistreating you, how do you treat people? When Jesus taught us to pray, forgive others and your heavenly Father will forgive you. The second great commandment, “Love others as you love yourself.’

This will take time as well. If you realize you’re being treated a certain way because of your actions, and you suddenly change by the inspiration of God’s Spirit, don’t expect everyone else to change instantaneously. It will take time, you will have to be diligent, and the change will come.

BE Diligent

Group Up

there are discussion questions that will pop up on the screen, they are also on the app if you have it. I would encourage you to take sometime right now and discuss these questions. They will require a little transparency, but that is a good thing. The Bible tells us that healing comes when we are willing to confess to one another.

Take a few minutes to work through the questions, and then we will move into communion.

What are you asking for? What are you seeking? What door do you need to knock on?

What areas of life are you withholding from God? Why?

What areas do you need to grow in the Golden Rule?

Communion