Matthew 7:7-13

Sermon On The Mount

Persistence and The Golden Rule

Matthew 7:7-13

1. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has been telling us what is expected of a Christian

1. We are to forgive our enemies

2. Keep our egos out of our religious acts

3. Not to be hypocritical in Prayer. Fasting, & Charity

4. First part of this chapter we are told to humble ourselves when we want to criticize others

5. It seems the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount would almost be impossible to accomplish

6. The only way to accomplish anything taught in the Sermon on the Mount is by the power of God

7. Which brings us to today’s study Matthew 7:7-13

2. Verse 7, The Virtue of Perseverance

1. When asked what his secret to success was. Calvin Coolidge responded with the following statement

“Pressing on! There is nothing in the world that can take the place of perseverance, not talent, not intelligence, and not even education. The world is full of highly educated people with tons of talent living as derelicts. No, only perseverance will get you what you want.”

2. Jesus used the present tense for the words “ask, seek and knock”, which stresses a "continuous action"

1. Jesus is literally saying

1. "keep on asking," and it will be given to you

2. "keep on seeking," and you will find

3. "keep on knocking," and it will be opened to you

2. By the progression of the terms themselves

1. "asking" is one level of inquiry

2. "seeking" suggests a step up, as one goes about to find what they ask

3. "knocking" is another step up, as one persists in finding that which they seek

3. Jesus often stressed that one should be persistent in praying

1. In the parable of "The Persistent Friend" Luke 11:5-8

2. In the parable of "The Persistent Widow" Luke

4. We should also be persistent in our studying the Bible

1. Many people give up too soon in their Bible studies

2. Those who persevere will receive blessings from God's Word Psalm 1:1-3 Psalm 119:97-104

5. Then we can see the effect perseverance has on evangelism

1. Many do not bear fruit because they give up too soon

2. But we reap what we sow; the more persistent we are in sowing, the more we will eventually reap

3. Verse 8, A motive for perseverance is the promise from God to answer our prayers

1. Jesus tells us that we can trust God to answer our prayers

2. This is God putting His reputation on the line

3. Just as He told the people to test Him on His word to bless them for tithing Malachi 3:10

4. We need to constantly keep our focus on God because too easily we get our focus back on our problems and forget about God for the moment. If we desire success in any venture, but especially in prayer, Bible study, and evangelism, then we must adopt "The Virtue of Perseverance."

5. Jesus says that our hope in prayer rests not with ourselves or in the power of positive thinking, but in the very character of God who is our great Father in heaven.

6. It is hard for us to imagine that God will give us what we want if we ask him. That means He gives us our desires if it is His will to give it. It is not about getting every material thing that we want

1. We think of ourselves as not deserving blessings from God, or that God is not capable or interested in answering our prayers. Therefore, we hesitate to ask

2. By the way, it is ok to ask for material things. That is what “give us this day our daily bread” illustrates. Just remember God gives us the “yes answer” when it is His will to give it to us

4. Verse 9-11, We are told God's love for us is greater than our parents love for us

1. Jesus uses the illustration of a loving father (human perspective) wanting to give good gifts to their children

1. To illustrate, Jesus gives a simple argument (from the lesser to the greater)

1. I.e., men give good gifts to their children who ask

2. How much more will our Father in heaven give good gifts to us?

2. This is especially true when it comes to answering our prayers

1. As Jesus promised to His disciples in John 15:7

1. Conditioned upon our abiding in Him

2. Conditioned upon His words abiding in us

2. As the apostle John wrote in 1John 5:14-15

1. Conditioned upon our asking according to His will ”Your will be done”

2. Which assumes we know His will for us (i.e., His word is abiding in us)

3. So when we ask for “good gifts from God”, we should be asking to live the life Jesus expects from us. That request will be fulfilled by God, it is given as a promise to us

4. James tells us we ask for the wrong motives ames 4:3

1. Many do not enjoy God's favor, simply because they ask for the wrong reason!

2. If we are not asking for personal and selfish gain then God will smile upon our petition

5. Our prayers need to focus on God’s will for our lives; “Your will be done” , “The Lords Prayer”

6. It is all about bringing glory to God and not ourselves

3. Jesus challenges us, “Who are evil”, to see how much more good things our Father in heaven will give us. He says, “if you then though you are evil, can give great gifts for your kids, imagine how much God the Father, who is not evil, and loves you unconditionally, is able to give you”

1. This Fatherly attribute of God, is often mentioned by Jesus in His ministry

1. In regards to our physical necessities Matthew 6:31-32

2. In regards to our spiritual necessities Luke 11:13

3. In regards to our eternal destinies John 6:40

2. So, to persevere is a noble virtue, especially in regards to prayer

1. We have a Father in heaven who is not untouched by the persistent pleas of His children

1. Providing we do not ask amiss, persistent prayers will not go unanswered\

2. So if we desire to receive, find , and have doors opened to us, then let us persevere in our

1. Asking

2. Seeking

3. Knocking

5. Verse 12, “The Golden Rule”

1. Jesus tells us to ask ourselves, “Are we treating others the way we want them to treat us?”

1. This Sermon focuses in on our internal behavior, “The inside is where our outside behavior comes from”

2. If we can keep God in charge on the “inside”, His light will shine through to the outside for others to see

2. Imagine a world where people treat others with attitudes and principles taught in the Sermon on the Mount?

1. magine people who consider you their enemy, yet they forgive you your sins against them & vise versa

2. Imagine people giving in church without making a big fuss about it

3. Imagine people “turning the other cheek” when you do them wrong

4. This rule is saying in effect, “what goes around, comes around”

5. It doesn’t start with others (i.e., “why don’t you change?”), it starts with us

6. Jesus is saying, “I want you to be the first to change”. Never mind what others are doing, you just do what I command you to do, and I’ll take care of the rest

1. When a man pleases the LORD, He makes his enemies live at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7

3. Jesus says that this rule “Sums up the law and the prophets”

1. Later Jesus was asked, What is the greatest commandment, He replied that “LOVE” is a big part

1. Love the Lord your God with, your heart, soul and mind Matthew 22:36-38

2. He added that what the second greatest is also, Matthew 22:39-40

3. Jesus is quotingDeuteronomy 6:5and Leviticus 19:18

4. In essence, Christ is saying, If we are willing to love God with all of your heart, mind soul and strength, and are willing to treat others as you want them to treat you, then we would be obeying Gods Law

1. What do you really want others to do for you?

1. Love and accept me

2. Help me with material needs

3. Help me with spiritual needs

2. If we want these things for ourselves, we must extend them to others

1. Regardless whether they are Christians or not

2. Regardless whether we like them or not

3. This attitude is practiced by many - but it is the Law of God

1. This must eliminate prejudice

2. This must eliminate racism

3. This must eliminate judging others

4. This teaching must not be taken lightly

1. It is the foundation of grace

2. It is the foundation of salvation

3. It is the foundation of love

6. Verse 13-14, Narrow way

1. These two verses are widely used in evangelism. They remind us that relatively few people choose the narrow path of Christianity

2. Notice that it is a wide gate and wide road that leads to destruction

1. The term and “gates of hell” is used here in Matthew Matthew 16:18

2. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says he is the gate leading to eternal life John 10:9

3. If God has a “wide gate & road” leading to hell, God must know there are a lot of people taking that path

4. If lots of people are going down the wrong path, it must be appealing

5. The “path to destruction” has lots of appeal. One can see material benefits in this lifetime, with personal power/prestige coming from “the wrong path”

1. Recent poll of young teens, they were asked what they want from life. First time family and good job not the number one answer

2. Number one answer was fame and fortune

6. The problem is the eternal perspective. If one only cares our life here on earth, that the “wide” path is the logical choice

7. Look at this illustration used by Jesus of the rich man and his wealth Luke 12:19-2

3. One of the scariest aspects of the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus words, “only a few find it”

1. In comparison to the population of the world throughout history “only a (relative) few find the way to eternal life”. That is humbling thought

2. It is only those who put their trust in Jesus as one who is ruling over their lives who make it to heaven. We are only saved by what Jesus did for us. If we truly believe that, our actions will naturally follow and our lives will change

3. The best illustration I’ve heard regarding the “narrow path” is to think of a lighthouse off the coast of a harbor. Let’s say it is foggy and you can’t see the land. The way to survive and not crash the boat is to keep our focus on the lighthouse. If we focus on that homing signal, we will go the right path. It is all about keeping our focus on Jesus, similar to Peter walking on water until he takes his eyes off Jesus.

1. Let us do what the author of Hebrews suggested, keep our eyes on the light, Jesus Hebrews 12:2