Ask, Seek, Knock

Pastor Bill Nichols - May 16, 2010

Today's Scripture reference is Matthew 7:7-12

Introduction

Matthew 7:7

"Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

At first glance, this sounds like such a wonderful and powerful promise from Jesus concerning prayer. Ask and it will be given to you! Awesome! Hey God, how about a raise in my paycheck next week. God, I'd really like a new car. Father God, I am asking for peace in the world.

Seek and you will find. Lord, I am seeking your guidance concerning what school to go to. Lord, I am seeking a companion to share my life with. God, I am seeking to know your perfect will for my life.

Knock and the door will be opened to you. Lord God, I am knocking on a door of opportunity with this job interview today, please open the door to this great job.

Have you ever asked God for something, and you did not receive it? Have you ever sought something that you did not find. Have you ever knocked and the door remained shut?

Of course! I think anyone who has been a Christian for any length of time realizes that God is not a vending machine dispensing everything we want whenever we want it.

But don't you find it a little confusing when you read your Bible and you come across a passage like this one? Ask, Seek, Knock, and it will be done. Add to that Jesus comparison of God the Father with earthly father's giving good gifts to their children and it sure sounds like Jesus is saying pray for what you want and God will provide.

Let us take a deeper look at this passage this morning.


Consider the Context

As I have been pointing out all along during this series on Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, you have to examine Jesus' words within the context of who He is talking to and what His purpose was. Jesus is talking with would be followers, but I believe that He is specifically addressing the religious leaders, the Scribes and the Pharisees.

And the context of what He is speaking about is living as kingdom people. Jesus is calling them all to live a higher life than what the law required. The Scribes and Pharisees were self-righteous because they kept the letter of the law without even considering the intent of the law.

Look at verse 12 with me and maybe a light of understanding will shine on us this morning.

Jesus says; "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Bam! Pow! Kaching!

Jesus lowers the boom on the religious elite. Instead of exalting themselves above the people as they were doing, instead of condemning others for not living up to the demands of the law, Jesus tells the Pharisees and Scribes, "in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, that's the meaning of the Law and the Prophets."

Can you see them seething at Jesus. Can you just picture the steam coming out of their ears and noses and the lightening bolts shooting out of their eyes? Who is this uneducated carpenter from Nazareth to tell us the meaning of the Law and prophets? How dare Him lecture us!

So the context of this passage tells us that Jesus is addressing the crowd in general, but the real target of His words are the religious leaders. And in doing so, Jesus gives us a valuable principle to live by called the Golden Rule. "In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you."


Ask, Seek, Knock

Having established the main reason for this section of Jesus sermon, we still are left wondering about Jesus words, ask, seek, and knock. It still looks like Jesus is giving us a blank check concerning prayer. And, like we established before, we have all experienced the disappointment of asking, seeking and knocking and not receiving what we asked for, what we sought, what we knocked on the door about. Right?

Before we get to the real intent of Jesus words here, let me share with you a few thoughts concerning unanswered prayer.

John MacArthur in a sermon on this passage states that there are three conditions for God to answer prayer. The first condition is that you have to be a child of God. The second condition, based on 1 John 3:22, is you must be living your life in obedience. First John 3:22 states; "and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him." The third condition is "to have a totally selfless motive in asking. James 4:3 states; 'When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.' All you want is to fulfill your own desire."

So even if Jesus was giving us instruction concerning prayer in Matthew 7, unless we are living up to the other conditions we find in the Scriptures, we are going to find ourselves frustrated when we do not receive the answer we are looking for from God.

One other thing, before I move on to my final point. These three words in this passage are present imperatives in the Greek. An imperative in the Greek is a command. A present imperative speaks of perseverance. A better translation might be, keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. I would say that if you examine all the conditions to answered prayer and find that you meet them, by application, you should be persistent with your prayers to God until He gives you a definite yes or no answer.


Pray for the Holy Spirit

The Scribes and Pharisees had a head knowledge concerning the law of God. The law had really become their God. What they lacked was an intimate knowledge or a heart relationship with God the Father. I believe that Jesus was here trying to break through to them by giving them the key to such a relationship.

Once again, to help us understand what Jesus is saying here, we need to look at one more passage of Scripture where Jesus was teaching on the same subject. Turn to Luke 11: 9-13. The setting is different. There is no mention of the religious leaders being present. One of Jesus disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, and Jesus instructs them with the Lord's Prayer. Luke records it a little differently than Matthew does. Then Jesus gives them lesson on perseverance in prayer, and then He concludes with the same words we see in Matthew 7, Ask, Seek and Knock.

He again compares God, our heavenly Father with an earthly father. He states that if an earthly father who is evil by nature will give good things to his children, how much more will your heavenly Father give, and here is the key to this sermon, "how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

What is it that God wants to give to those who ask, seek and knock? The Holy Spirit!

The Scribes and Pharisees had a head knowledge about God and His law, what they lacked was a heart knowledge. That comes when you allow the Holy Spirit to enter into your life and change your heart.

In Matthew 7, Jesus, in my opinion, is making a direct appeal to the religious leaders to open up their hearts and let the Spirit of God come in and change them. Thus the concluding words, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets." Verse 12

The only way the could really comprehend the law would be through the eyes of the Holy Spirit in their lives.


Conclusion

There is one thing that you can ask for and it will always be given. There is one thing that you can seek and you will always find. There is one thing that you can knock and the door will always be opened to you. That one thing is that God will forgive you your sins and grant you eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ. When you do, God will send the Holy Spirit into your life and will change your heart immediately. In John 14:26, Jesus said;

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

That is what Jesus wanted to do for the Scribes and the Pharisees. That is what Jesus wanted for the crowd that was listening to Him teach on that day. That is what Jesus wants to do for you. He wants to change your heart by the power of the Gospel and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.

The Pharisees rejected Jesus offer. What about you? Jesus went to the cross and paid the penalty of your sin. What are you willing to give Him in return? All He asks for is your heart. If you believe that Jesus died for your sin, was buried and on the third day He rose from the grave. If you are willing to repent and turn to God, to confess Jesus as Lord, then God will change your heart and make you a new person in Jesus Christ.


Prayer and Invitation

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