GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - THE GOOD FATHER, & THE GOLDEN RULE

MATTHEW 7:7-12 - THE FATHER, THE GOLDEN RULE

We ended chapter 6 of Matthew with Jesus commanding us to worry less, don’t be anxious but trust God the Father more.  Anxiousness is a form of atheism as it shows lack of faith and trust but when we seek God first and foremost we can release the worry and rest in His presence and His provision.  Jesus told us 6 times to not worry not be anxious because worry distracts us from God’s faithfulness, and God loves us and cares for us deeply and provides for our needs we just need to seek His Kingdom and not control. 

Chapter 7 started with telling us to see clearly as we judge with grace and wisdom and that judging must include discernment as we check our hearts first and deal with any sin in our own lives and that discernment allows us to know when to move on because the Gospel is not making a difference.  We ended with the reminder that Jesus is calling us to humility, self-awareness and wisdom so we can truly see others through the lens of grace and speak with both truth and love.

Today we look at Asking with the right heart and the Golden Rule – let us pray!

“The Open Door, the Good Father, & the Golden Rule”

Big Idea:

God invites us to seek Him boldly, trust Him fully, and follow Him faithfully—even when its goes against what the world says to do.

Matthew 7:7–12 (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! “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Point 1: Keep Asking—God Hears and Answers

Scripture: Matthew 7:7–8 – “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.”

Illustration:

A child who believes their parent will come keeps calling their name. Their persistence is not about volume—it’s about trust. Likewise, our repeated asking flows from relationship, not desperation.

Key Idea:

Persistent prayer reveals a heart that trusts in God's presence and power.

Present imperative verbs – habitual prayer life –

Pray – Seek – Knock – all about our prayer life – pray for God’s Will, Pray God’s Word and pray for it to happen God’s Way

Be persistent in prayer – don’t stop praying (beggars compare)

Be expectant

God will provide for our needs and our wants if they align with His Word and His Will

Don’t lose your appetite for prayer

Don’t get tired of prayer

Don’t ding dong ditch your prayers – (stay and wait)

Supporting Scriptures:

Isaiah 49:15 – ““Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.”

– Luke 18:1 - “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.”

– Jeremiah 29:11-13““For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Application Questions:

1. What have I stopped praying for that God may still want to answer?

2. Do I see prayer as a last resort or a first response?

3. What does my prayer life reveal about my trust in God?

Point 2: Trust the Father Who Gives Good Gifts

Scripture: Matthew 7:9–11 –“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!”

Illustration:

A child asks for candy before dinner, but the parent gives them vegetables. It’s not what they wanted, but it’s what they needed. God's gifts are always shaped by wisdom and love.

Key Idea:

God’s answers may not always match our requests, but they always reflect His goodness.

Hyperbole – extreme exaggeration

Compares us to God – if we who are full of sin know how to give good things – meet the needs of our children and not do evil to them – how much more will Good God give to those of us who call Him God, Father

Luke 11:13 – “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!”

He calls us to seek His Kingdom, His Righteousness – so when we ask according to these stipulations – He is faithful to give!

Ask in prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) – ask with right heart and intentions – pray for His Will

Remember Matthew 6:8, 32 – Your Father in Heaven already knows!

Supporting Scriptures:

– James 1:17“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

– Romans 8:28“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

Application Questions:

1. Do I trust that God’s "no" or "wait" is just as loving as His "yes"?

2. How has God’s “better answer” replaced my original request in the past?

3. Am I willing to receive what God gives, even if it’s not what I expected?

Point 3: Live the Golden Rule with Kingdom Love

Scripture: Matthew 7:12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Illustration:

A man keeps an umbrella in his car—not just for himself, but in case he sees someone else caught in the rain. He thinks, “What would I hope someone would do for me?” That’s the heart of this verse.

Supporting Scriptures:

Luke 6:31 - “Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Romans 13:8-10 - “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as

Key Idea:

This idea is on the positive not the negative – its not – don’t do to others what you don’t want done to you – that requires no action on your part but

Kingdom living is marked by treating others not as they deserve—but as we hope to be treated.

This is connected with the previous verse – ask it will be given – seek you shall find – so whatever you wish others to do to you –

It is not randomly put in –the conclusion to the SOTM – creates a 10 Do Not list and To DO list

1. Do not commit verbal murder – reconcile first

2. Do not commit mental adultery – take every thought captive – deal with your thought life

3. Do not divorce – make every effort to stay married

4. Do not make vows – simply tell the truth let your yes be yes and your no be no

5. Do not seek personal retribution – be generous with your enemies

6. Do not hate your enemies – love and pray for those who persecute you

7. Do not perform religious duties for the approval of man – do so to be obedient to God and eternal reward

8. Do not be anxious – trust God even with the little things

9. Do not judge or be naïve in people – examine your own life first

10. Do not doubt or neglect your prayer life – believe God and that He Hears and Answers

Came to fulfil not abolish the law of the Prophets – requires us to follow suit – do as He did – He led by example

This is the greater righteousness that He calls us to have

Application Questions:

1. In what relationships do I need to practice the Golden Rule more intentionally?

2. Am I more focused on how others treat me, or how I treat them?

3. How would my home, work, or church culture change if everyone lived this way?

Closing Thought:

Jesus is inviting us not just to ask but to keep asking, not just to knock but to keep knocking—and to walk a road that few choose but leads to everything our hearts truly long for. The door is open, the Father is good, and the path is life—if we will follow Him. 

The SOTM – gives us reassurance in Matthew 5:2-11 The Beatitudes

Gives us 10 Commands to not do and the antidote to those negatives and concludes with 1 DO!

True relationship with Christ and being led by the Holy Spirit will be marked by His conclusion – v12 – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Let us Pray!