Sermon on the Mount: Ask, Seek, Knock

Sermon on the Mount – Ask, Seek, Knock

Matthew 7:7-11

1. Introduction – This morning we come to another passage that is packed full of insight.

a. It is packed full of truth and packed full of helpful spiritual advice.

i. Jesus is drawing his great sermon to a close…and as he does this – he is once against reminding his disciples that they are unable to follow these instructions on their own.

1. Right at the beginning of the sermon Jesus spoke about our need to be poor in spirit.

a. It is only when we recognize our own inability…when we check our pride at the door…

i. When we humbly come before God – only then can we truly live out the teaching of the SM.

b. And here – as we are nearing the end of the SM – Jesus puts that thought front and centre again.

i. We can’t live this out by trying harder or by being a better a person…

1. The only way we can truly live out the principles of this sermon is by asking God for the strength to do it.

a. Seeking and doing God’s will…by knocking on heaven’s door for more and more grace.

ii. Let’s read the passage and then I’ll talk about its structure.

1. Hear God’s Word – Matthew 7:7-11.

2. Structure – The passage has 2 distinct parts.

a. In vv.7-8, Jesus talks about asking, seeking and knocking…and the results of those actions.

i. And in vv.9-11, Jesus employs an example from the world of parenting.

1. And as we’ve seen previously, Jesus uses an argument from the lesser to the greater.

a. If the lesser thing is true, how much more is the greater thing true.

b. It’s a pretty simple passage, but in its simplicity, it is rich and deep with meaning.

i. It challenges us to come before God with our needs and concerns…knowing that God will give us the good things he has in store for us.

3. Ask, Seek, Knock – In all reality, vv.7-8 are quite repetitive.

a. V. 8 driving home the point already made in v.7.

i. Ask, seek, knock…what’s in these three words?

b. Well, there are some who see these 3 words as an escalation in action and urgency.

i. They compare it to a child asking a parent for something.

1. If they are in the same room – the child simply asks.

a. If they happen to be in different rooms – the child will most likely seek the parent out in order to ask.

i. And if the parent is hiding in his or her room with the door locked – the child will no doubt knock at the door in order to ask.

2. So these 3 world could demonstrate an increased urgency in asking God – from simply asking to what seems like frantic knocking.

ii. Or these 3 words could simply be synonyms of each other – all representing the same basic idea.

1. Jesus could be using the rule of 3’s here to drive his point home.

a. In all honesty, it doesn’t really matter whether we view these 3 words as an escalation or as 3 synonyms – here’s what we really need to grasp about these words…

i. All 3 of them are in the present these…in Greek anyway…in English it is hard to get this sense.

1. But in the Greek text it is blatantly obvious that they are in the present tense.

2. Here’s why this is noteworthy – the present tense represents a continuous action.

a. Something that is currently being done and will continue to be done in the future.

i. Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking…that’s the sense portrayed by the Greek.

1. Actually the NLT translates the verse in this way.

3. By recognize that these 3 words are in the present tense – it shows us that asking, seeking and knocking aren’t actions we should perform whenever we feel like it or whenever we get around to it…

a. But they are to be on-going in our lives.

c. Ask, seek, knock – or more accurately…asking, seeking and knocking…what action is Jesus representing with these words?

i. What is the he telling his listeners to do?

1. Well, whether you view them as synonyms or escalating urgency…there’s no debate about this…Jesus is speaking about prayer.

a. But Jesus isn’t speaking about prayer whenever we get around to it…or prayer during crisis or prayer before meals…

i. Jesus is speaking about consistent and persistent prayer.

ii. Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking…all that really means this…keep on praying…constantly come before God.

d. Actually, there’s a parallel passage in Luke’s Gospel.

i. If you read through Matthew, Mark and Luke – you’ll most likely notice that they tell the same stories and share the same teaching.

1. That’s because they all used a common source…and even borrowed from each other in order to give their own account of the life and ministry of Jesus.

a. And we have what are called parallel passages – sometimes a scene or a story or a miracle is recorded in 3 of the gospels, sometimes only 2 of them.

i. But each writer tells the scene in his own way – emphasizing what he thinks is important for his particular audience.

1. So in Luke 11 – Luke recounts this same teaching as Matthew – ask, seek and knock.

ii. But in Luke 11 – before Jesus teaches about ask, seek and knock – Jesus teaches his disciples about prayer.

1. In fact, Luke 11 is where the Lord’s Prayer is recorded in Luke’s gospel.

a. And right after teaching his disciples about how and what to pray – Jesus tells them when to pray.

i. And he goes on to tell them a parable about a persistent friend in Luke 11:5-11. Hear God’s Word.

1. After this parable, Jesus goes on to say what is recorded in Matthew 7:9-11 about parents giving good things to their children.

iii. It’s the persistence in this passage that speaks about…persistence in prayer.

1. Luke even wrote…did you hear it…”Teaching them more about prayer, he used this story…” referring to the persistent friend who was eventually given what he wanted.

a. Jesus teaches that prayer is rightfully persistent.

i. We won’t bother God with our requests. We will never pester God…he will never tire of hearing from us.

1. Just the opposite…Jesus instructs – keep on asking, seeking and knocking…storm the throne of grace with your requests.

e. But what are we to be persistently praying for?

i. Obviously for our needs…our physical needs – give us this day our daily bread.

1. For our health needs…for our loved ones…

a. But since this command to persistent prayer is found in the SM – I’m going to propose that above all – we are to be persistently praying for our spiritual needs.

ii. As we’ve seen throughout this study – life in the kingdom of God is different than life outside it.

1. Life in God’s kingdom requires poverty of spirit, mercy, meekness, a hunger and thirst for righteousness.

a. It requires a pure and holy righteousness…done for God’s glory…not for show.

i. It requires us to give, pray and fast in secret…

1. Life in God’s kingdom requires us not to worry and not be judgmental towards others…

iii. And who of us can do any of these things in our own strength?

1. Can you love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you in your own strength?

a. Can you turn the other cheek, go the extra mile and give up what no one is entitled to on your own?

i. Can you be salt and light in this world because of your own saltiness and your own inner light?

iv. The answer…none of us can….No you cannot do anything taught in the SM in your own power and in your own strength.

1. So what do we do about it? If we can’t do any of this on our own…what’s the solution?

a. We ask God for his strength.

i. If you aren’t as obedient and holy and meek and poor in spirit as you want to be…ask God for the grace so these virtues multiply in your life.

1. If you aren’t as loving and forgiving as you would like to be…ask God for the grace to make you so.

2. If you worry too much or judge people too much…ask God to take these characteristics out of your life.

a. Ask and you shall receive…seek and you will find…knock and it will be open.

b. Keep on asking, seeking and knocking…persistently come before God with your needs…particularly your spiritual needs.

i. Keep asking, seeking and knocking…and God will keep on giving, keep on revealing, and keep opening.

1. What an incredible promise.

4. God as Father – And in order to drive this point home about God giving to us…Jesus uses an example from the world of parenting.

a. And the argument Jesus makes is a familiar one. We looked at it a few weeks ago…an argument from lesser to greater.

i. A few weeks ago, we learned that if God takes care of the birds and the flowers of the field…we will most definitely take care of you.

1. If the lesser is true, how much more is the greater true…and Jesus uses parents as his example.

b. If human parents know how to give good gifts to their children…how much more does our heavenly father know how to give good gifts to his children.

i. I don’t know about the rest of you parents out there…but I feel woefully inadequate for this job.

1. I remember leaving the hospital with Veronica and thinking, “OK, now what??? I have to keep another human alive?”

a. How does one do that?

i. And even though I didn’t know what I was doing…and still don’t really know…I do know how to give good gifts to her.

ii. Human parents are just that – human – prone to selfishness and all kinds of other sin.

1. But even though we sin and can be self-centered…most parents still know how to give their children good things.

a. “May I have a snack…maybe an apple?” No, but how about some dirt instead?

i. May I have some milk? No, but you can have this oil instead!

1. That’s not how we treat our children…and we are naturally bent towards selfishness.

iii. So if that’s how we act towards our own children, how does God…who is perfect in all of his ways…act toward us…his children?

1. If I, a selfish at heart parent, know now to give my child good things- how much more will God give his children good gifts?

5. Good things – Now, there are a couple points that need to be clarified here/

a. Notice first that Jesus says, “good things” not ‘all things.’

i. Isn’t it true in parenting – we need to give our children good things…but not everything they want or think they need?

1. Veronica would love to have chocolate and cookies for every meal…she wants to watch 26 hours of TV a day…and she doesn’t ever want to go to bed.

a. But as her parents – we give her fruits and vegetables…

i. We limit her screen time and we make her go to bed.

1. Those are things she doesn’t necessarily think are good…but as her parents we know they are good for her.

ii. It’s the same with God, our heavenly Father.

1. He gives us what he knows to be good.

a. Even if we can’t see it at the time…God is never guessing…it’s not trial and error for him…to see if something is going to work out for our good.

i. No – what God gives to us…will never end up bad…and our perfectly heavenly father will only give us what is for our good and for his glory.

b. Looking back over the course of your life…aren’t you glad God didn’t give you everything you asked for?

i. There are many times I’ve asked God for something…even persistently asked – but he didn’t give it to me.

1. I know now that it was my heavenly Father working out what was best for me.

a. Imagine if God did give us everything we asked. Imagine if he answered “yes” without exception to every single whim and desire.

i. It would be like the scene in Bruce Almighty where Jim Carey’s character answered “yes” to everything for everyone…and absolute chaos ensued.

ii. If God gave us everything we wanted and everything we asked for all of the time…

1. God wouldn’t be God anymore…he’d be a genie in a lamp…

a. And we would become like Aladdin, where all we had to do was rub our lamp, make our genie come out, and our wish would be granted to us.

iii. Thankfully, that’s not the way God work – he only gives us things that he knows will be for our good.

1. The doors that aren’t good for us, even though we knock, he will not open them for us.

a. If we are seeking ungodly things, God will not help us find it…but he will reveal to us the good things he has in store for his people.

c. And if we think back over the course of our lives…and we think about those things God did say, “No” to…

i. What we must realize is that God denied us those things for our own good.

1. We may not always understand the why…but his ways are not our ways.

a. Often, we have a misconception of God – that somehow, he wants his children to be sad and miserable and despondent

i. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. God is a good heavenly Father who knows who to give us good things…and only he, in his infinite wisdom…knows what those good things are.

6. Children – And as we close this morning – focus on this. God gives good gifts to whom?

a. To everyone indiscriminately? Well…kinda…in a way.

i. But we need to differentiate between common graces and particular graces.

1. Oxygen, water, food, offspring, health, good weather…rain…these things are common graces…

a. God makes his sun shine on the evil and good alike….and people who never ever pray…still receive these common graces.

b. But what we talked about this morning – what we are to storm heaven’s throne room with are our requests for particular graces…

i. Graces that God gives to his children and his children only.

1. God gives to his children…to those who are saved, who have a personal relationship with him…who have had their robed washed by the blood of the lamb…to those who believe in his name…these are God’s children…and to his children God gives special gifts…spiritual blessings.

c. The grace to love our enemies, to not be judgmental, to not worry – he gives grace to be poor in spirit…meek.

i. These are the good gifts that our heavenly Father is ready, willing and able to give to his children.

d. And as his children, we must be asking him for these graces, we must be seeking God’s will, and we must be knocking on the door, so God will open it to the good things he has in store for us.