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This is a sermon that was part of a series of messages on the Sermon on the Mount. This particular message was based on the text found in Matthew 7:7-12.
Written Excerpts:
Introduction:
How should a person live his / her life to adequately prepare for the common adversities that most people face in life? What principles are vitally important for a person to learn in order to be ready to meet the challenges of everyday life with all of its trouble?
Jesus said at the end of His Sermon on the Mount that if we would listen to and practice the principles found in His sermon then we would be like a man that had a rock solid foundation under his house that would be able to withstand the severe storms.
Today we continue looking at the principles and topics presented by Jesus in His sermon. I have chosen the general term “prayer” to refer to the topic that we will be discussing today. We did not do a sermon on the Lord’s Prayer found in chapter six, because I had already done a verse by verse study of it in our Wednesday evening Bible studies. But, here we are in chapter seven looking at another passage that is related to the same topic, so we’re going to address the subject of prayer in this context.
Prayer is a very intriguing topic. The Bible has a lot to say about prayer, and Jesus said a great deal about it as well. Perhaps you heard about the little boy who was praying and he said, “Dear God, thank you for the baby sister, but what I prayed for was a puppy.” Sometimes we adults feel the same way don’t we? But, let me ask you this question, “Aren’t you glad God doesn’t always give us what we ask for?”
Let us consider the message found in verses 7-12 to see what God would have us learn about the practice of prayer in order to be prepared for the adversities that await us in the future. As we consider the words of our Lord concerning prayer in this passage, I would like to have us think about the attitude of the petitioners, the response of the Grantor, and finally the consequence of the prayers.
I. The Attitude of the Petitioners
A. The one who prays should use every form of prayer.
Each of these three terms implies a little different emphasis in prayer. Taken as a whole, they share some similarities in meaning, but they also carry some distinctions.
I believe that Jesus is emphasizing that our prayers should involve:
· asking for that which we wish for or want, but most importantly, for that which we know we need;
· seeking for that which we have lost or missed; and
· knocking to gain entrance to every opportunity God has designed for me.
B. The one who prays should be persistent.
(Barclay) In the Greek language, there is a couple of different ways a command could be expressed. In one way (aorist imperative), the command is given once. For example: “Shut the door behind you.”
In the other way (present imperative), the verb implies repeated commands. For example: “Always shut the door behind you.”
Each of these verbs – ask, seek, & knock – are given in a Greek verb tense that indicates a repeated command. Therefore, Jesus is literally saying:
Always ask and keep asking; always seek and keep seeking; always knock and keep knocking.
In other words, don’t give up praying.
The parallel passage in Luke 11:5-8 includes the story of the friend who comes at midnight asking for bread because he has had a friend come to visit and he has no food to set before him.
C. The one who prays should have pure motives.
This point is not specifically mentioned right here in chapter 7. However, if we take into consideration the context of prayer with the Lord’s Prayer back in chapter 6, we understand that the focus and goal of our prayers is for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
This understanding should impact us and the real motives for our prayers. Are we selfishly dictating to God what we expect Him to satisfy our desires, or are we truly seeking His will to be done?
I’m convinced that all of us often pray for things that are so far below what God truly desires for our lives.
The Apostle James stated it like this, “You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss that you might consume it upon your own lusts [desires].” (Jas. 4:3)
II. The Response of the Grantor
The second main point that I see Jesus making in these words on prayer has to do with the response one can expect to receive from God.
William Barclay said, “Every man who prays is bound to want to know to what kind of God he is praying. He wants to know in what kind of atmosphere his prayers will be heard. Is he praying to a grudging God out of whom every gift has to be squeezed and coerced? Is he praying to a mocking God whose gifts may well be double-edged? Is he praying to a God whose heart is so kind that he is more ready to give than we are to ask?”
Jesus presents this subject in a way that demonstrates an appropriate response. The one asking will receive. The one seeking will find. And the one knocking will have it opened to him. But, more than that, Jesus goes on to describe the infinite benevolence of the God to whom we pray. He does this by describing how fallible, fallen, error-prone earthly fathers would naturally respond to a request from one of his children, and then He basically says your heavenly Father is infinitely more gracious than any of you could ever be. Wow!
Think of it. If you’re a parent, think of how your heart yearns to bestow the very best gifts upon your own children, and then imagine that God is even more benevolent. His heart yearns just as much for us. A loving parent desires to not only provide gifts that the child wants, but most importantly, desires to bestow the gifts that are best for the child.
III. The Consequence of Prayer
Some people do not think that verse 12 is really about the same subject.
Many think that this is a principle (we call it the Golden Rule) that Jesus just sticks into the sermon as a stand-alone rule for living the Christian life. But, notice one little word – “therefore.” There definitely is an intentional link to what He has just been saying. I don’t know for sure if I have got it right, but it seems to me …
Jesus is saying that the ultimate goal God has in mind for us when we pray this way is for us to develop a heart and attitude toward others that is just like God has been and continues to be with us.
Golden Rule – goes farther than simply forbidding harm to our “neighbor”. It is requiring that we do the positive good that we would want others to do for us.
Conclusion:
There is so much more in God’s Word on the topic of prayer. We’ve barely scratched the surface today.
The closing thought that I would like to leave with you relates to the point we discussed earlier regarding the “response of the Grantor.”
God delights to answer prayer. He better than the best father we can ever imagine.
So, KEEP ON PRAYING!
Our closing hymn is a very familiar and loved song:
What a Friend We Have in Jesus. (#63)
I’m glad that we can take every need and every burden to the Lord in prayer and have the confidence that He will answer.
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