Seeking Your Father & Trusting His Name | Matthew 7:7-11

Scripture

• Matthew 7:7–11

About this sermon

Introduction: The truth of God not only requires forming judgments. The truth of God makes us conscious of our need. We form judgments. We desire that our judgments be godly. To whom will we look for the wisdom needed for those godly judgments? The answer is that we should look to God. And more than the knowledge that we should look to God for that wisdom, is the knowledge that God has already anticipated that in Scripture and has called us to seek Him for that very wisdom. More than that, God has given promises regarding that wisdom, promises that apply to EVERYTHING else in the Christian’s life. We have all sufficiency in Jesus Christ, yet our Father has designed that we access that sufficiency, we experience all that God has supplied for us for life and godliness, by SEEKING Him for it. PRAYER IS NECESSARY TO THE LIVES THAT WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE AS BELIEVERS. Prayer IS AN ORDAINED MEANS by which God supplies for us what is needed every day, in every situation. The result of a prayerless life is a lean life. THAT IS TRUE OF THE INDIVIDUAL. THAT IS TRUE IN OUR FAMILIES. THAT IS TRUE IN OUR CHURCHES. That is true in matters of judgment, matters over which we make decisions, the daily needs that we have in the physical realm, and any other realm we want to consider. WE HAVE NOT BECAUSE WE ASK NOT. It is not surprising, then, as Jesus brings this sermon to a close that immediately after He tells us that importance of judging in a way that is not judgmental — including the need to discern where our ministry efforts are not to continue to be invested — that we are taught to seek God for what we need. Does your knowledge of all that you have heard in this sermon — including what we have just been taught about a judgment that is not judgmental — including what have just been taught about the need for discernment — DOES THIS DRIVE YOU TO SEE HOW INADEQUATE YOU ARE IN YOURSELF? DOES IT IMPART TO YOU AND ALMOST DESPARATE SENSE OF THE NEED FOR HELP? If it doesn’t, you really haven’t heard it rightly. If it does, then Jesus now tells us what to do about that. HE TELLS US THAT WE MUST SEEK GOD FOR ALL THAT WE NEED. This morning we see that our Lord gives us three reasons why we must seek our Father for all that we need and trust His name for our supply. • GOD COMMANDS US TO SEEK HIM BASED ON HIS FAITHFULNESS (vs.7) Something that should encourage us is the fact that God doesn’t just INVITE us to seek Him for what we need. He COMMANDS us to seek Him for what we need. These are imperatives. Can you imagine anything more gracious? The God who needs NOTHING, commands His creatures who depend on Him for EVERYTHING, to seek Him for what they need. That is, He commands us in love. He doesn’t command us because He needs us, but because we need Him. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT SATAN HAS LIED ABOUT FROM THE VERY FIRST TEMPTATION. He wants us to believe that God’s commands to the creature are for the purpose of impoverishing the creature. He wants us to believe that God is keeping something from us that we would benefit from. In truth, our God is generous with His creatures. His commands represent what is best according to His glory, but at the same time, what is best for His creatures. His commands enrich us, they don’t impoverish us. HE IS COMMANDING US TO SEEK HIM IN FAITH BECAUSE HE IS READY TO GIVE. Obedience to these commands REQUIRES FAITH. We don’t seek God rightly, and we don’t seek God EFFECTUALLY, unless we seek God TRUSTING HIM. If we know His character, then we know He’s trustworthy — He’s faithful. ESV Psalm 9:10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. Our Lord gives us three imperatives — each imperative referring to the exact same thing (prayer), followed by three important words. “Ask, and it will…” “Seek, and you will…” “Knock, and it will…” Our Lord is not putting obedience to these commands into the category of something that MIGHT follow our obedience, but rather, into the category of something that WILL FOLLOW our obedience. IF WE PRAY, AS HE COMMANDS US TO PRAY, WE WILL RECEIVE WHAT WE ARE SEEKING. In fact, there are three things about these commands we need to take note of. • THESE ARE COMMANDS LIMITED TO A PARTICULAR PEOPLE The larger context, looking at the Sermon on the Mount and this section, makes plain that these commands, and therefore the promises, are limited to the children of God — to true disciples. Earlier, when our Lord taught us not to be anxious, He made a distinction between what we KNOW OUR FATHER KNOWS ABOUT OUR NEEDS, and the Gentiles who seek eagerly for all these things. These promises do not belong to the whole human race. These promises belong to the redeemed human race. Question: Do these promises belong to you? Do you have the capacity, because you are a child of God, to obey these commands? • THESE ARE COMMANDS LEADING TO PROMISED RESULTS

Topics

• Faith
• Prayer
• Parenting