A.S.K. and again

In Matthew 5-7 so far, we've covered some tricky texts. Jesus' preaching style has left us at times with questions, and often that seems to have been his goal - to make us work a little. But in Matthew 7:7-11, the meaning is simple, and the challenge comes in believing it and living it out. Here we go, but we're gonna try to move through it very slowly. 

MATTHEW 7:7-11

7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

VERSE 7

• COMMANDS - Notice that verse 7 contains three commands. What are they? How are they the same? How are they slightly different?

• PROMISES - Look at the "and" that follows each of those commands in verse 7. Do you see how after the "and" we find three promises that are given if the command is obeyed? What are those promises? Does it seem clear when the(se) promise(s) will be fulfilled? Does it seem clear how the(se) promise(s) will be fulfilled? Does not knowing the when or how make the promises untrue?

• OBJECTS - After the command, the and, and the promise is the recipient of the promise. Who is it that benefits from Jesus' keeping His promise? (Hint: it's the same word, repeated three times).

• A.S.K. - Some people have summarized this verse with the acronym "A.S.K." - any idea why they'd chose that one? (What do A. and S. and K. stand for?)

VERSE 8

• PRINCIPLES - In they next verse, Jesus seems to "double down" on his promise by re-stating it as a principle. What are the three (clearly related) principles he lays out in verse 8?

• REPETITION - So, it's obvious that there's "nothing new here" ... if so, why would Jesus be so "redundant" by repeating Himself?

• TAKING IT PERSONALLY - Re-read Matt 7:7-8 again (and now again). How would you evaluate your levels of expectation in prayer against the way Jesus seems to be "stoking the fire"? What has happened to dwindle or dampen your enthusiasm?

VERSES 9-11

• COMPASSION - Turning to the parents among them, Jesus asks them to consider two scenarios in verses 9-10. What are they? Is the similarity between them for purposes of adding more to the point or of accenting the overall reality?

• COMPARISON - Look at verse 11 now. Jesus doesn't begin with a compliment of us as parents, does He? In fact, Jesus calls us "bad" parents - in fact in the ESV it feels even worse! What word does He use to label us? Why does He begin here?

  • For some of us, this passage should bring real comfort. You may look back at the home you were raised in (or a parent who raised you) and feel sad or even angry. That's normal, and it's helpful that Jesus acknowledges it. But also notice that having a rough background (or even being a failed parent) doesn't prevent us from expecting to be heard by God in prayer. There's a LOT more to say about this, but anything else we say will never erase that encouragement.

• TURNING OUR EYES - There are three words in verse 11 though that turn our gaze from the disappointments in our rearview mirror to the grace ahead of us: "how much more". Can you find them in verse 11? What is God "better" at than we are? What does this mean we should expect if we seek God consistently? 

FOR APPLICATION - As I said in the beginning, this is a pretty straightforward text to understand, but hard to live out. Sadly, being hurt and disappointed in life leaves us jaded and dejected - assuming that God our Heavenly Father is disappointing and unfulfilling. But what if He isn't? What if His character was instead accurately described in the Bible, rather than by our understanding of what is good? What might change in your prayer life if we truly believed that our loving Father has good things in store for us, if only we would ask Him?

Looking forward to Sunday,

Pastor Darren