Matthew 7:7-12
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Intro: Welcome my Friends
BIBLE TEXT: Matthew 7:7-12 ““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
If you then, being 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!
Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Sermon Title: God Knows Your Heart
Joke:
GOD is good. The problem is that many of His children are ungrateful—quick to complain about what they don’t have but slow to give thanks for what they do.A little boy went grocery store shopping with his mother. They were in the checkout line and the grocer asked the mother if he could offer her son some candy. The mother agreed. As the grocer held out the jar, encouraging the boy to reach in, the little boy shook his head. The man stretched the jar out a little further and told the boy he could take as much as he would like. The boy continued to say no. With a confused look on his face, the grocer gave one last effort. The boy finally said, “I want you to give it to me.” The grocer happily took some candy out of the container and handed it to the boy who quickly offered his thanks.When he and his mother were in the car and on their way, she curiously asked, “Why wouldn’t you take the candy? Why did you tell him to give the candy to you?” Her son replied, “Because, Momma, his hands were bigger than mine!” Smart boy. He understood that the hands of the source were bigger.If God’s children would simply let Him be God, they would soon discover that His hands are bigger than their own.
Title Points: God Controls Everything
Outline 1
Bible Text : Matthew 7:7-8 ““Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”
One Teaching Idea: (1 Sentence or Less)
Jesus’ followers can keep on asking, keep on looking, and keep on knocking, indicating the importance of persistent, consistent prayer in their lives. Only through prayer can believers stay in contact with
God, know what he wants them to do, and then have the strength to do God’s will in all areas of life. God will answer believers who persistently ask, look, and knock.
Believers, however, must not take Jesus’ words as a blank check; prayer is not a magical way to obtain whatever we want.
Cross Reference: Matthew 6:5-6 ““And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
1st Point: Ask God with a sincere Heart
One Application: Jesus had already explained some conditions on this promise: His followers were to show mercy and forgiveness to others (5:7; 6:12), avoid praying in order to get attention (6:5–6), and be willing to persevere in prayer. Our requests must be in harmony with God’s will (“your will be done,” 6:10), accepting his will above our desires.
Personal Story: God is like 7-Eleven used to be. 7-Eleven used to be open 24/7. If you ran out of milk, you could run up to 7-Eleven. If you ran out of bread, you could go to 7-Eleven. The idea would be that when everyone else is closed, a convenience store would be open to meet your needs. When the normal suppliers had gone home to go to bed, you could always go to the convenience store. They were going to be open 24/7.
The reason why we’ve lost sight God as our provider is we’ve gotten too used to the Wal-Marts in our lives. We’ve gotten too used to the big chains. We’ve gotten too used to the big boys. But the goodness of God is that He is the convenient one. He’s there when everybody else shuts down. He’s open when everybody else has closed down or run out. He’s got more than enough and He’ll be available, whether you show up or not. He is your convenience center and He is there to meet your needs. We can go to Him in prayer at anytime.718
Outline 2
Bible Text: Matthew 7:9-11 “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
If you then, being 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!”
One Teaching Idea: (1 Sentence or Less)
If sinful people would not think of giving a child a stone that looked like a loaf of bread or a dangerous snake instead of a fish, then how much more will a holy God acknowledge and answer our requests?
In these words, Jesus revealed the heart of God the Father. God is not selfish, Not a grumbler, or stingy; his followers don’t have to beg or pleal when they come with their requests.
Cross Reference: Psalm 84:11 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.”
2nd Point: God Gives Good Gifts
One Application: He is a loving Father who understands, cares, comforts, and willingly gives good gifts to those who ask him. If humans can be kind, imagine how kind God can be.
Personal Story: I married my wife and she already had 2 kids. We tried to have kids but didnt work. But God gave us a great gift
Outline 3
Bible Text : Matthew 7:12 “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”
One Teaching Idea: (1 Sentence or Less)
This is commonly known as the Golden Rule: Do for others what you would like them to do for you. Many religions teach a negative version of this statement. Confucius said, “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.” By stating this positively, Jesus made the statement even more significant. It may be easy to refrain from harming others, but it is much more difficult to take the initiative in doing something good for them. This is the key to the radical discipleship that Jesus wants
Cross Reference: Luke 6:31 “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”
3rd Point: Do What God Wants You To Do
One Application: The Golden Rule is the foundation of active goodness and mercy—the kind of love God shows to us every day. This rule sums up all that is taught in the law and the prophets. When we follow the Golden Rule, we keep the rest of God’s commands.
Personal Story: I had the chance to give a gift to the gym owner that kicked us our