Matthew 7:7-12 (feb. 9,2022))

http://www.rayfowler.org/sermons/matthew/god-wants-you-to-ask/

So Jesus has already taught us how to pray and what to pray. Now he just flat out encourages us to pray. And what an amazing encouragement it is! God wants you to ask! That is the message of this part of the Sermon. Jesus knows that the Sermon on the Mount is impossible to live on our own, so he invites us to pray.

I. God’s promise to answer prayer (7-8)

And he begins with God’s promise to answer prayer.

    A. Ask, seek, knock
        – Matthew 5:3,6, 6:8-13,33; John 16:24; James 4:2-3

Look at verse 7: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) What a wonderful encouragement to prayer! It is an amazing promise, remarkable in its scope. Jesus sets no conditions here other than asking, seeking, and knocking – and then he assures us that God promises to answer.

There is nothing more exciting than knowing that the God of the universe hears and answers your prayers. I still remember as a young Christian when I first realized that God was answering my prayers. God was actually listening to me – a nobody – and using his power to answer my prayers. That is amazing! It’s no wonder Jesus says elsewhere, “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.” (John 16:24)

But let’s return to our verse here in Matthew. Ask, seek, knock. Three times in three different ways Jesus teaches us that God promises to answer prayer.

Asking is simply expressing your need to God. Ask, and you will receive. What a beautiful promise!

The word “seek” intensifies the process. We seek when we don’t know where something is. In seeking we understand that there is concentrated time and effort involved. So yes, prayer is asking, but it is not a hit and run. We spend time seeking God in prayer and in his word. Seeking is a process, and it doesn’t happen all at once.

The word “knock” intensifies the process even further. Whereas seeking implies that you haven’t found something yet, knocking implies that it is shut off from you. It’s the picture of the closed door that stands in your way. Have you ever had a closed door in your life? Some doors are shut so tightly, we could never open them on our own, but our God can open any door.

So asking in prayer happens when you know what you need and you present your requests to God. Seeking in prayer happens when you don’t know what you need. You don’t know the answer, and so you seek God in prayer. Knocking happens when there is a closed door in your life that you cannot open and so you turn to God in prayer. (Repeat)

And what is it that we are to ask, seek and knock in prayer? Jesus has already told us earlier in the Sermon on the Mount. In the Beatitudes he taught us: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) The poor in spirit desperately know their need for God and so they are not afraid to ask. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) The Sermon on the Mount has shown us how far we fall below God’s standards, and so we ask, seek and knock for righteousness that we may be filled.

In the Lord’s Prayer we learned that we are to pray for God’s concerns first, and then for our own needs. So we ask, seek and knock concerning God’s name, God’s kingdom, and God’s will, and then we pray for our three main human needs: our physical needs, our need for forgiveness, our need for spiritual victory.

In Matthew 6:33 Jesus taught us, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) So we are to seek God and his kingdom, trusting that God will provide everything else that we need.

Prayer is not a blank check to pray selfishly for whatever you want. We read in the book of James: “You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:2-3)

Why then is the promise phrased unconditionally here in Matthew 7? Because God wants you to ask! It is an encouragement to prayer, real prayer that seeks God and his kingdom first.

    B. Everyone who asks, receives (seeks – finds; knocks – opens)
        – Jeremiah 29:13; John 3:16, 6:37

And then as if verse 7 wasn’t enough, Jesus repeats it all over again in verse 8! “For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:8) Jesus repeats it all over again. That’s now six times in two verses Jesus tells us that God answers prayer!

Here he opens it up even wider. “Everyone who asks receives.” This is not a promise restricted to a few special believers, a few people who really know how to catch God’s ear. No this promise is for all believers everywhere, no matter how young or old you are in the faith.

“He who seeks finds.” There are no exceptions. If you seek God, you will find him. God promises in Jeremiah 29:13: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13)

“To him who knocks the door will be opened.” This especially true when it comes to salvation. Salvation is a closed door that no one can open on their own. But we read in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Or again in John 6:37 Jesus says: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” (John 6:37) Whoever! Anyone! Everyone! Salvation is open to all who come to Christ, and he has never turned anyone away.

What do verses 7-8 teach us about prayer? God wants you to ask! It’s okay to bring your requests to him. He wants you to ask, seek, and knock. In fact you could even translate verse seven as “Keep on asking! Keep on seeking! Keep on knocking!” You might bother your neighbor or your friend if you kept on asking all the time, but not God. God wants you ask!

When I hear someone knocking on the door, there is a difference when I look out and see a salesman at the door or one of my children. If it’s a salesman, I will probably quietly walk away. But if it’s one my children, you know I’m going to open that door! I’m not going to leave them there knocking! In the same way, God will open the door when you knock.

When we get to heaven I believe we will be astonished at how much we missed out on simply because we did not pray. There are so many things we’ve missed out on in life because we did not ask God. As Archbishop William Temple said: “When I pray, coincidences happen; when I stop praying, coincidences stop happening.” Well, guess what? That’s not a coincidence! Our God hears and answers prayer, and he wants you to ask. “For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:8)

Now this verse does not contain everything Jesus taught about prayer. Jesus also taught about forgiving other people when you pray, praying in Jesus’ name, praying according to God’s will. But he does set the default expectation for prayer which is God promises to answer your prayers. God wants you to ask.

II. God’s principle in answering prayer (9-11)

Next Jesus moves from God’s promise to answer prayer to God’s principle in answering prayer. We find this in verses 9-11: “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:9-11) And the principle here is twofold.

    A. Human fathers give good gifts to their children

First of all, human fathers give good gifts to their children.

        1) illustration of bread/stone and fish/snake

And here Jesus uses the illustration of the bread and the stone, the fish and the snake. If your child is hungry and asks you for bread, you wouldn’t give him a stone instead. If they asked for some fish, you wouldn’t give them a snake. If your child asks you for something good, you’re not going to give them something bad instead. You wouldn’t do that because you love your child. Human fathers and mothers give good gifts to their children.

        2) human fathers are sinful, yet they give good gifts

But Jesus goes one step further in this illustration. He says, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children.” Human fathers are sinful, and yet they still give good gifts to their children.

Here Jesus shared God’s view of human nature as well Jesus’ own view of himself. Notice Jesus says, “If you, then, though you are evil.” Jesus knew that we are basically sinners, but he excluded himself from that category. We are sinners. He is not. He is the perfect Son of God.

Human fathers are sinful, yet they give good gifts to their children. We love our children, and we long to do and give good things to them.

I have a friend named Fred who likes to post on Facebook about his kids and his grandkids, and it usually goes like this. He starts with a question from the kids: “Can we go swimming, Papa?” Then he posts a picture of them all swimming in the pool together with the caption: “YES! Whatever you ask, the answer is always YES!!” Or the kids will ask “Can we go buy some ice cream, Papa?” And then he’ll show a picture of them at the store with gallons of ice cream on the counter with the caption: “YES! Whatever you ask, the answer is always YES!!” Or the kids will ask: “Papa, can we go eat at In N Out Burger?” And then he’ll show a picture of them at In N Out Burger with the caption: “YES! Whatever you ask, the answer is always YES!!”

Now Fred’s a great guy, but he would be the first person to admit to you that he is a sinner and saved by grace. Still, he loves his kids and grandkids, and he would do anything good for them. And that’s exactly Jesus’ point here. Human fathers are sinful, yet they give good gifts to their children. That’s the first part of this twofold principle.

    B. How much more will God give good gifts to those who ask him!

Here’s the second part now: If that’s how human fathers treat their children, then how much more will God give good gifts to those who ask him! The key words in this verse are “how much more.” If human fathers are sinful and still give good gifts to their children, then how much more will God do so.

        1) God is perfect, loving and righteous

First of all, God isn’t sinful. God is perfect, loving and righteous. If our sinfulness doesn’t get in the way of giving good gifts to our children, then “how much more” will God who is perfect, loving and righteous give good gifts to those who ask him.

        2) God is your heavenly Father

And secondly God is your heavenly Father. You are his precious child, and he loves you! He will not leave you knocking at the door like the traveling salesman. When you pray, he will be like my friend Fred, but even more so. “Will you do this good thing for me, Papa?” “YES! YES! Whatever you ask, the answer is always YES!!” Human fathers give good gifts to their children. How much more will God give good gifts to those who ask him!

    C. Two more principles in God answering prayer:

Two more principles in God answering prayer are your heart and God’s wisdom and love.

        1) Your heart (Psalm 66:18)

First of all, your heart. Psalm 66:18 says: “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18) What is the condition of your heart? Have you come to Christ? Have you repented of your sin? Have you confessed your sin to God? What is your motivation in asking? Are you asking selfishly to spend it on yourself? Or are you eagerly seeking the things of God?

        2) God’s wisdom and love (Psalm 34:10; James 1:17)

And then there is God’s wisdom and love. Jesus says God gives good things. So, are asking for a good thing? Is it good for you, good for others, good for God’s kingdom? James 1:17 says: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.” (James 1:17) God not only gives good things, he only gives good things, and every good thing comes from him.

Psalm 34:10 says: “Those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.” (Psalm 34:10) As Thomas Watson says on this verse: “If it is good for us, we shall have it; if it is not good for us, then the withholding of it is good.” (All Things for Good) Praise God that he knows the difference between our wise and our foolish requests. Can you imagine if God had answered all your prayers, even the foolish ones?

God gives good things to his children. He is full of wisdom and love, so don’t be afraid of what God will do if you start asking. Rather be afraid of what you will miss if you don’t ask. Human fathers give good gifts to their children. How much more will God give good gifts to those who ask him!

III. God’s positive rule for living – the Golden Rule (12)

We have looked at God’s promise to answer prayer. We have looked at God’s principle in answering prayer. And now finally Jesus closes out this section with God’s positive rule for living, what we often call the Golden Rule. (It’s not called the Golden Rule in the Bible; people started calling it that sometime during the Middle Ages.) Look at verse 12: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

Verse 12 not only sums up this section of the Sermon but really the whole Sermon on the Mount so far. But it is significant that it follows Jesus’ teaching on prayer. Just as God is generous to us in answering our prayers, so we should be generous to others in our love for them. Just as God gives us good things in answer to prayer, so we should do good things to others as we have opportunity. Don’t determine how you treat others by how they treat you but rather by how God treats you.

It is a simple command, so simple even a child can understand it. But it is a difficult command to keep and therefore easy for us to twist. When I was a kid I got in trouble for pushing another kid in the sandbox after he pushed me. I tried to get out of it by telling my mother: “I’m just doing to others as they did unto me!” But even as a kid I knew Jesus wasn’t teaching me to push kids back in the sandbox.

Verse 12 is a brilliant rule because it is so widely applicable. Bishop Ryle wrote: “It settles a hundred difficult points … It prevents the necessity of laying down endless little rules for our conduct in specific cases.”

Jesus tells you simply to put yourself in the other person’s place and ask yourself: “How would I like to be treated in this situation?” If you messed up at something, would you like to be yelled at? If not, then don’t yell at people. If you are engaging in a business transaction, would you like to be cheated? If not, then don’t cheat other people. If you’ve hurt someone badly, would you like to be forgiven? If so, then forgive other people when they hurt you. Jesus says, “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” (Matthew 7:12)

    A. Phrased positively rather than negatively

Let me make three comments on this verse in closing. First of all, notice that it is phrased positively rather than negatively. Many religions have a negative form of this rule. For example, Rabbi Hillel had a saying: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow creatures. That is the whole law. All else is explanation.” So many religions have the negative form of this rule, but Jesus was the first person ever to phrase it positively. This is important because in the negative form you could actually get away with doing nothing! But in the positive form you are commanded to action. This is God’s positive rule for living. So first of all, notice that it is phrased positively rather than negatively.

    B. Phrased absolutely rather than specific circumstances
        – “in everything”

Secondly, notice that it is phrased absolutely rather than according to specific circumstances. Jesus says, “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” (Matthew 7:12) “In everything” means there is no pick and choose according to people, mood or circumstances. This rule is binding on your behavior towards all people at all times under all circumstances.

    C. Jesus’ reason for following the Golden Rule
        – sums up the Law and the Prophets

And then finally notice Jesus’ reason for following the Golden Rule: “for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) You don’t follow this rule in order to get something back. You do not treat people well in order that they might treat you well. No, you follow this rule simply because it sums up the Law and the Prophets. It sums up all that Jesus has been teaching us about the Christian’s character, influence, righteousness, motivation and relationships. What is God’s positive rule for living? “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12)

CONCLUSION: This is a wonderful section of the Sermon on the Mount. It is a breath of fresh air. It is a strong encouragement to pray and to treat others as you would have them treat you. How do we approach other people? We approach each other as brothers and sisters who love rather than as judges who judge. How do we approach God? We approach him as children who ask for good things and receive.

God wants you to ask! And even more amazing God loves to answer! He is your Heavenly Father. And when you ask him: “Will you do this good thing for me, Papa?” his answer is: “YES! YES! Whatever you ask, the answer is always YES!!”

© Ray Fowler

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