The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 7 Part 3 Asking, Seeking, Knocking While Praying

Matthew 7:1-2  Judge not, that ye be not judged. 2  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. 

In the first paragraph of Matthew 7, Jesus taught us about how to judge rightly by examining our own heart and confessing sin.

He did this to expose hypocritical Pharisees who had a hateful spirit when they judged and condemned other people.

Those who pronounce harsh judgment on others are in danger of receiving the same harsh judgment on themselves that they measured out. 

Jesus compared the Pharisees harsh judgment of others to a man having a large beam in his own eye and trying to remove a small speck from another person's eye.

The beam represents our own flaws and sins and the mote represents small flaws in another person. 

Psalm 139:23-24  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: 24  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

We must examine ourselves, ask God to search our heart and confess our sins so that we can receive forgiveness and cleansing.

King David gave us an example of self examination.

He invited Jehovah to search his heart to uncover any wicked ways that he might confess and forsake it.

Next, the king asked the LORD to lead him in the right path day by day and this is good for us to pray as David did each day.

Only then can we be used of God to help a brother or sister in Christ see where they have erred, that they might be brought to repentance and restoration.

Thus, Jesus taught that we must remove the beam (our sins) by confessing them to our Father so that we can be cleansed and used to restore an erring brother or sister in Christ (See Galatians 6:1-3).

The next section of Jesus' teaching is connected with prayer.

Jesus gave us four actions to help guide our prayer life.

Matthew 7:7-8  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

Jesus gave three actions for His disciples to pursue in prayer time.

We are to ask, to seek and to knock. What do these actions entail and how do Christ's instructions apply to prayer?

Asking is based upon a need for something we lack and the word refers to a beggar destitute of the necessities of life and going door to door asking for help. 

We are asking God alone to supply our temporal and spiritual needs as He has promised to do.  

Jesus taught us to ask with confidence and humility.

Jehovah tells us to examine ourselves and then ask for the old path and the good way of God.

Jeremiah 6:16  Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. 

Jehovah sent His prophet Jeremiah to preach a message of judgment to Israel because the nation was so idolatrous.

In every prophet's message of judgment there is also a call for Israel to repent and a promise from God to restore them.

In this text, the LORD tells His people to stand in the ways, comparing the ways of the world with the way of God.

One way is marked by pride, selfishness and corruption while the other way is marked by pursuing holiness.

The idea is that the sharp contrast between the way of God and the depraved ways of the world will prick hearts such that they cry out for the old path God marked out for us to walk on from the beginning.

As Jesus put it, we need to enter at the straight or restricted gate and walk on that narrow way of holiness that leads to eternal life.

The broad gate leads to a wide path that the world is pursuing and it leads to eternal destruction.

Thus, we are to ask God to help us find the old path marked out in His Word and to walk on it so that we find rest for our soul.

Seeking is based upon a need to find something that was lost.

Psalm 105:1-4  O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon his name: make known his deeds among the people. 2  Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him: talk ye of all his wondrous works. 3  Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. 4  Seek the LORD, and his strength: seek his face evermore. 

Jesus taught that we are to seek with care and diligence by applying our whole being to the holy action of praying.

We are seeking that which was lost due to the fall of mankind into sin which is restoration with God and reconciliation with Him through faith in Christ.

All prayer includes calling upon the name of the LORD and giving thanks to Him for our salvation, for His grace, mercy and love to us.

Prayer helps us express the glory of God that fills our hearts when we know Him through faith in Christ.

Prayer can be sung to the LORD as we talk about His wonderful works recorded in scripture as well as what He has done in our individual lives. 

The Psalmist tells us to seek the LORD and His strength that we need in order to live for His glory and rightly serve Him.

We should seek the LORD every day at all times, which means applying ourselves to seek God with care and diligence. 

We are born separated from God by sin and we must seek to be restored to God through repentant faith in Christ.

The idea of knocking on the door of God's throne of grace is earnest persistence on our part.

Revelation 3:20  Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 

When Jesus concluded His message to the seven churches of Asia, He demonstrated the heart of God is wide open for communing with us.

Christ stands at the door of our heart, and it is up to us to open the door and He promises to enter into close fellowship with us when we do open our heart to Him.

This connects with Jesus' instruction about knocking at the door of the throne of grace to bring our needs, our burdens and care to the LORD because He will help us.

Knocking demonstrates sincerity and persistent in bringing our cares and concerns to the Lord in prayer.

Knocking is to be done with an earnest and fervent heart. 

In chapter 6, Jesus spoke of prayer as a duty, by which God is honored, and when done aright, shall be rewarded. 

Here, Jesus speaks of prayer as the appointed means of obtaining what we need, especially grace to obey the precepts He gave us to live by.

Here is action in three words asking, seeking, and knocking that can be distilled into one word: “Pray." 

Jesus taught that we must pray often, pray with sincerity and passion and pray persistently. 

Although it may be difficult we must put time and energy into our prayer life. 

The Devil will fight us when we spend time in earnest prayer by trying to flood our minds with distractions.

We have the prayer life of Jesus as a model. Our Lord spent a lot of time in prayer, rejoicing in time spent with His Father when He prayed.  

We will enjoy great blessing when we spent more time in praying to our wonderful God.

King David provides a model for our prayer time that we can follow. 

Psalm 86:1-6  A Prayer of David. Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. 2  Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. 3  Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. 4  Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 5  For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. 6  Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications. 

King David spent much time in prayer throughout his life and many of his prayers are contained in the Psalms that he wrote.

Notice that David came before the LORD in humble dependency asking Him to hear his prayer and with confidence that God would indeed listen to his needs.

David's first petition was for the saving grace of God and his expression of his complete faith in the LORD.

David's heart was lifted up to heaven in his prayer time with the LORD and this is what we need to seek in our own times of prayer.

David stated what he knew to be true of God. 

God is always good, God is always ready to forgive and is always ready to bestow mercy when we repent and confess our sins to Him.

God's heart is open to His children coming to Him in prayer to ask, seek and knock to obtain help.

1 King 3:5  In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and God said, Ask what I shall give thee. 

The Bible is full of examples of God encouraging His children to pray to Him.

Solomon was young when we was anointed king of Israel, following the steps of his father, King David.

Most of us know that God blessed Solomon with great wisdom, riches and a peaceful reign.

Jehovah appeared to the young king one night in a dream and said "Ask what I shall give thee."

God told Solomon to ask Him for anything and this is what our Father tells us.

Solomon did not ask for riches or a lavish lifestyle. Rather, he asked for wisdom to rightly judge God's people Israel.

Jesus our high priest, secured a favorable audience for us with our Father in heaven.

Hebrews 4:14-16  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. 

Why did Jesus tell us to ask, seek and knock when praying?

Because after His resurrection and ascension into heaven to be enthroned at the Father's right hand and He is now our eternally interceding high priest.

Prayer to the Father is grounded upon the basis of Christ's redeeming work for mankind. 

Jesus is our High Priest and though He is in heaven, He lived on earth for 33 years and He experienced real suffering, emotions, heartaches, and rejection like we experience.

Jesus is a holy and fully sympathetic high priest who care for us and knows the depths of our hurts and burdens.

Because this is truth, we are told to come boldly to God's throne of grace in heaven, through Christ.

We are to enter into the Father's presence with unwavering faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior, God's Son and our High Priest.

When we pray by asking, seeking and knocking we are asking in order to obtain grace from God.

We are seeking to obtain mercy from God and we are knocking in order to receive help during our times of need, which are many.

The promise is that what we seek shall be given us. We must seek with a proper spirit, with humility, sincerity, and perseverance. 

It is implied that the things we ask God for are consistent with His will. 

God is willing to provide for us, to forgive our sins, to save our souls, to comfort us in death, to extend the gospel through us into all the world. 

A friend coming for bread at midnight is an example of being persistent in prayer. 

Luke 11:5-10  And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6  For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7  And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8  I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 

Luke's gospel adds some context to Matthew's account of what Jesus taught, and this helps us understand what Jesus meant by telling us to ask, seek and knock when praying.

Jesus gave an example of a man whose friend comes to him at midnight because he had guests show up and he had no bread to offer them.

The man would rather have stayed in bed and tell his to come back tomorrow. He was prepared to stay in bed because his family was asleep.

However, his friend shamelessly kept on asking, seeking and knocking trying to obtain three loaves of bread.

Because of his friend's persistence, the man got up and gave bread to his friend.

This is the context of Jesus telling us to ask, seek and knock.

I hope Jesus' words encourage each one of us to renew our efforts in prayer.

We have an eternal high priest in heaven who loves us and cares for us and He will help us.

We have a Father in heaven who has adopted us for His own children and He is ready to hear us when we pray and is ready to help us.

We have the Spirit of God living in us who comes alongside us to help us when we pray.

Let us do as Christ said and come boldly to the Father's throne of grace in the name of Christ asking seeking and knocking for grace mercy and help.

Bob