Matthew 7 - Ask Seek Knock (ASK)
Matthew 7 - NIV Version
Judging Others
7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Jesus concludes his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7 teaching on various topics. First, he opines on why judging is wrong. The basic message is when we are judging others, we better be careful because with whatever measure we use it will be used for us. Further, he adds that when we judge we often point out something very minor in our neighbor's life, which he calls a speck of sawdust in their eye, when we have a "plank in our own eye".
This is why highly judgmental people often are hyper-critical of other, but yet have huge problems of their own. Jesus calls these types of people hypocrites, which essentially means those who consider themselves "above criticism". When we are spending all of our time judging and cutting down others, we usually are not taking time to look in the mirror at ourselves.
Our hypocrisy in these matters is almost always more evident to others than to ourselves. We may find a way to ignore the plank in our own eye, but others notice it immediately. - Guzik
Ask, Seek, Knock
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Jesus gives his disciples a short model for prayer. You could use the acronym. A.S.K. First, we need to ask. This seems simple enough, as we ask God for what we need. Seeking requires a little more effort. Seeking could mean a lot of things. Seeking advice. Seeking a scripture that speaks to the issue. Seeking a sign. Seeking is a good follow up to asking. Finally, we have knocking. We knock when we want to go through a door. Knocking signals a desire to take a step.
Sometimes prayer requires us to take a risk to discover an answer to our prayer. For instance, let's say your prayer was to find a job. You would start by asking God to help you find a job. But if that is all you did, your chance of finding you a job and dropping it in your lap is slim. Instead you would seek by putting together a resume, looking online, and/or networking with people who might have a lead for you. Finally, it might mean knocking on door or making phone calls with potential employers. Then, if you are granted an interview, one would need to be prepared for the interview, do the research, and be prepared to answer questions. You can see how prayer is more than just "asking".
Then, Jesus assures the disciples that as they ask God the Father to meet their needs, God is not aloof or distant. Like a father or mother cares for their son or daughter, our Heavenly Father, who is perfect, is ready to give us what we need in His way and in His time.
All this being said, there are times when we ask, seek, or knock, and we don't see God answering our prayers. Our faith is tested. Does God care? Once again, we trust our heavenly Father that He knows what is best for us. He knows things about us and our circumstances which might affect how He answers us. We have to trust that our heavenly Father knows best.
The Narrow and Wide Gates
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
It is not as if God specifically made the way to him narrow so not many people could find him. In another situation Jesus called his followers to "take up their cross and follow him." This seems like a narrow road as well, as taking up one's cross is a narrow road. But Jesus goes on to say, "Whoever loses their life will save it." In this passage Jesus says the broad road leads to destruction, but the narrow road leads to life. Jesus also called this life "abundant life" in John 10:10.
True and False Prophets
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
Jesus also warned the disciples that there would be those who purported to be speaking for God, but in fact were false prophets. They would even appear to be God's prophets, so they would have to have certain criteria to judge their character. Underneath the facade of being a prophet, these false teachers were like wolves seeking to destroy God's followers.
Jesus tells them that the way they judge a false or true prophet is by their fruit. The fruit reveals the substance of who they are. The fruit reveals the roots. Only a good tree can bear good fruit, but a bad tree will always bear bad fruit. And what is the fruit Jesus is talking about?
We guard ourselves against false prophets by taking heed to their fruits. This means paying attention to several aspects of their life and ministry.
i. We should pay attention to the manner of living a teacher shows. Do they show righteousness, humility and faithfulness in the way they live?
ii. We should pay attention to the content of their teaching. Is it true fruit from God’s Word, or is it man-centered, appealing to ears that want to be tickled?
iii. We should pay attention to the effect of their teaching. Are people growing in Jesus or merely being entertained, and eventually falling away?
Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit: This fruit is the inevitable result of who we are. Eventually – though it may take a time for the harvest to come – the good or bad fruit is evident, revealing what sort of “tree” we are. - Guzik
If someone were to observe your life, would they see good fruit?
True and False Disciples
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Just like there are true and false prophets, there are true and false disciples. It is easy to call yourself a Christian, but is their fruit in your life? If there is never any fruit in someone's life, which comes from a life of obedience to God's will, one would have question if they are really a Christian. Of course, only God knows that, but Jesus makes it clear that someone who claims to be a Christian may not be.
But there will be day when each person will be judged based on their relationship with Christ. Someone might have appeared to do a lot of good for God, but if it was not based on an authentic relationship with Him through Jesus. To know Jesus is to trust in Him and give your life to him, turning from what you know is wrong to follow His will for your life.
I pray that none of us would hear the words on the day of Jesus' return, "Away from me, I never knew you!"
Do you know Jesus? Jesus wants to know you! For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever would believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16. To all who have received Jesus, He gave them the right to become children of God. Children not born of natural descent but born of God! John 1:12
Jesus wanted to you to know how he loved you that he died on the cross for you so your sins could be forgiven and live a new life free of sin, death, and the power of the devil.
All you have to do is knock on the door and Jesus will open it and welcome you to the family of God! It is the most important decision you will ever make!
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