Asking God for Good Gifts

Introduction

Recap

Ok, now everybody go ahead and turn in your Bibles to Matthew 7:7-11 for our Bible passage tonight. And a quick recap:

What is this section of Scripture we’re studying called?

Who gave the sermon?

Why is the mount significant?

Instructions given to God’s people on how to live in relationship with him

The indicative (what is stated about us) comes before the imperative (what we are told to do)

Scripture Reading

Matthew 7:7–11 ESV

“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 the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are 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!

There are two sections here I want to highlight:

Section 1 is the commands and promises

Section 2 is a statement about God as our Father

Commands and Promises (verses 7-8)

We must first see these statements are commands. Ask, Seek, Knock.

These aren’t hypothetical statements, like:

“If you ask, you will receive.” or

“If you seek, you will find” or

“If you knock, it will be opened.”

No these are what we are told to do. As believers we are commanded to do these things

Commands

Ask

We are told to ask God for the things we need. Jesus mentions this earlier when he talks about prayer and anxiety.

Seek

We are told to seek, and I think this is tied to the command to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” in Matthew 6:33

Matthew 6:33 ESV

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

We ought to be focused on letting his kingdom and his righteousness be our pursuit.

Knock

I think this is talking about perseverance to the end. Keeping with the faith through to the end of your life.

We are seeking the kingdom of God and following him, and when we find it, we don’t turn away from the door, but we knock with persistence that we might be let in.

Promises

Each of these commands are paired with a promise that we will not be disappointed.

We will receive what we need

We will find the kingdom of God if we seek it

We will enter into the kingdom if we persevere

The promise is that if we follow what Christ commands us to do, we will never be let down.

And that’s because he’s a good father.

Good Fathers Give Good Gifts (verses 9-11)

Verses 9-10

The second section shows us that fathers/parents know instinctively how to take care of their children.

Parents do not give bad gifts, they meet needs.

Verse 11

Verse 11 puts this into perspective with God.

By comparison, even “good” earthly parents would be considered evil when held up to the ultimate goodness of God.

We are sinful, selfish, broken.

God is selfless, perfect, whole, pure, loving, and holy

Therefore, we can expect to get good things from our Father. To think any other way would actually be ridiculous, as Jesus highlights with the rhetorical questions about children asking for bread and fish.

The Best Gift Secured

In light of this passage, we need to remember that the best gift has already been secured for us.

Jesus, through his life, death, and resurrection, secured our salvation, sanctification, and a restored relationship with God.

When Luke records this teaching from Jesus, he writes that Jesus says

Luke 11:13 ESV

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

I think we need to understand that the Holy Spirit is how we take hold of those perfect gifts of salvation. That perfect gift of being made more and more like Jesus. And he brings us the gift of God dwelling not only with us, but in us.

The Holy Spirit is the ultimate good thing here because he is God himself. He is the perfect gift.

That perfect gift was bought with the blood of Jesus.

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