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Sermon on the Mount, 16th Sermon
The Twenty-First Sunday After Trinity
October 20, 2002
 
TEXT:  NKJ Matthew 7:7 " 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 he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 "Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 "Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 "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! 12 "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
 
Last Sunday we discussed judging others—the believer with a plank in his eye—trying to judge another man by removing the splinter from his eye
 
            Jesus was teaching us to examine ourselves before judging and criticizing others
 
As we examine ourselves—we find that we are humans—with human natures—full of mistakes—full of sin
 
Undeserving of being in the presence of God—much less being worthy of God’s love
 
Therefore—as we examine ourselves—we realize our shortcomings—just as Paul realized his—even though he was a Pharisee—knowing the Bible (O.T.) as well as any man
 
NKJ Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
 
Jesus—the Son of God—was also a man standing on that mountain—knowing that we all fall short of the gory of God—that none of us could ever stand before God and be judged—and live
 
Yet He speaks to the 12—average men like you and me—about asking God to let us into heaven
 
            And this comes immediately following His discourse on examining ourselves
 
To put this in terms we can directly relate to—we once again go to Paul—and his discussion on this very subject
 
NKJ Romans 6:19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
Jesus continues His teaching in this sermon with today’s text
 
TEXT: 7 " Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
 
Jesus is telling the 12—the multitudes that followed Him to the mountaintop—and us Christian believers today—to pray
 
We as men are weak—we need the strength of God to defeat Satan and the world—and we can gain that strength thorough prayer
 
As has become our practice in our study of this sermon—let’s go back to the Old Testament and examine prayer
 
First—who do we pray to—God of course—we learn that from one of the many Psalms concerning prayer
 
NKJ Psalm 115:1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth. 2 Why should the Gentiles say, "So where is their God?" 3 But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men's hands.
 
Our God is the God of heaven—the Creator of all things—the living God—the God who answers prayer—we give Him the glory—because He is mercy and truth
 
Now let’s look at the most dramatic example of God answering prayer in all of Scripture
 
NKJ 1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 "Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. 24 "Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God." So all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken." 25 Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it." 26 So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made. 27 And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened." 28 So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them. 29 And when midday was past, they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down. 31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "Israel shall be your name." 32 Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33 And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, "Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood." 34 Then he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time; and he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time. 35 So the water ran all around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water. 36 And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. 37 "Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!"
 
What faith Elijah had—what power God brought forth—and that is what Jesus is saying on the mountaintop—God is God—He is the same God as Elijah called out to—and we can and should call out to Him too
 
TEXT: 8 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
 
Ask—seek—knock—you can sense the urgency in Jesus’ words—He repeats the idea for emphasis
 
·        Ask—and it shall be given—“it” is God’s grace and mercy—our salvation is by God’s grace
·        Seek—and you shall find—seek good things from God—the things that are promised in His Holy Word—and you shall never seek in vain—it will be given to you—He promised
·        Knock—and it shall be opened—knock to gain entrance to God’s home—heaven—and Jesus promises it will be open to you—He should know—He opened the way
 
TEXT: 9 "Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 "Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 "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!
 
We can look at a similar exchange of Jesus’ in the Gospel of Luke—and learn a little more specifically what Jesus is trying to tell us
 
NKJ Luke 11:11 "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 "Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
 
Therefore—our prayers should request the power of the Holy Spirit—and the Holy Spirit will give us the power to defeat the devil—and the Holy Spirit dwells within us Christians
 
TEXT:  12 "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
 
We know this as the Golden Rule
 
Jesus here summarizes His sermon in this one statement—clear—concise—and easy to understand and apply
 
It takes a good teacher to condense this sermon like this—in a way that each of us can remember the application without much effort
 
Let’s close this lesson with one more summary written by John in his first epistle
 
NKJ 1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death. 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 19 And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. 20 For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. 22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. 23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment. 24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.
 
A short summary of our lives as Christians—read it often—live it forever