#12. March 30, 2015
2015 Devotional. These passages are taken from: “100 Verses Every Christian Needs to Know” by Freeman-‐Smith. All passages are from the NIV.
Matthew 7:7-8
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Chapter 7 is part of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount, Chapters 5 through 7. According to the NIV Bible the Sermon on the Mount is the first of five major proclamations in the Gospel of Matthew. 1. Mt. 5‐7. 2. Mt. 10, Jesus sends out His disciples. 3. Mt. 13, the chapter on Jesus’ Parables. 4. Mt. 18, “The Greatest in the Kingdom” and a parable to demonstrate it, also forgiveness and a parable to demonstrate it. 5. Mt. 24-25, the End times and two parables to demonstrate it.
The Sermon on the Mount includes the Beatitudes, ethical admonitions, Jesus’ teachings, and ends with a parable about the importance of listening to Jesus’ Words. (Mt. 7:24‐29) Chapter 7 sets direction for personal actions consistent with the Kingdom of God. The verses we are memorizing v. 7‐8 are part of a larger section v. 7 ‐12 that demonstrates God’s goodness when we ask Him for what we need. When our children ask for something we do not give them what is harmful to them. How much more does God in his goodness give us all the good hings we need?
Getting back to v. 7‐8, what does it mean to ask? It means to pray, it means to fast and pray, and it means to pray every day with the expectation of God’s answer. What does it mean to seek? Seek what? That means to seek God’s will and in our actions to seek God’s favor. In our daily lives we seek His Grace, which he gives freely in Christ Jesus. What door will be opened for us? The door of our hearts to let Christ and His light in. (Rev. 3:20) The Spirit opens the door and we open the door responding to His urgings. Are we asking for physical needs, are we asking for spiritual needs? Is this verse about both? I believe it is about both. James says: “you have not because you ask not” (Jas. 4:2). Asking is a function of our faith. This is physical and spiritual because James says you do not ask “God”. I believe that we must not separate the physical from the spiritual. What Jesus is saying to us here is to ask Him for what we need spiritually and physically. God will give us good gifts, gifts that help us to glorify Him in all we do. This sections ends with the Golden Rule, v.12. God’s gifts flow though His people. My Dad used to say: “If it is going good for my neighbor it is also going good for me”. That brings v.12 into focus because our attitude to others projects God’s gifts and a bad attitude to others rejects God’s gifts. It is the positive action of faith, this Golden Rule, because Jesus says: “this sums up the Law and the Prophets”. It sums up all of the Old Testament in Matthew’s day but today this includes the whole Word of God. We cannot ask, seek, or knock in a vacuum but with: “In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you”. Amen!
Heavenhigh 