The Exposition of Matthew 7:6-12

September 22, 2020

(Sermon on the Mount)

Questions to be answered in this study

1. We live in a dangerous and wicked world; what is the only thing that can change that?
2. What is the believer’s first responsibility to the world?
3. What is “IT” that Jesus says will be given 100% of the time if we ask?
4. What is the only way that we can live a godly life that pleases God?
5. What are some of the things God is willing to give the believer who is seeking to live a godly life?
6. Is requesting God’s help in living godly any different from praying in general?
7. What is our responsibility if we want to receive the help of the Lord?
8. For you who are seeking to live a godly life, Jesus has a beautiful promise for you; do you know what it is?

Introduction

We have come to chapter 7 in our verse-by-verse study of Matthew, the conclusion of “The Sermon on the Mount.” Jesus is directing His disciples to remain strong and united with His help in facing an unrighteous world. Our previous study covered verses 1-5, which was on judging fellow believers. Judging others attempts to decide what they should do to please God without knowing their motives or circumstances. A better solution is, teach God’s word and let it be the judge. Jesus’ message on judging is in two parts: In verses 1-6, Jesus was talking to believers judging other believers in the body of Christ, and in verse 6, he turns the attention to believers judging unbelievers of the world. We learned that Jesus was not saying that we should never judge, but that we should not judge as to the Pharisees who judged others but failed to consider their failures. They were attempting to remove a speck from the eye of others while they had a log in their eye. We also learned that judging others should be avoided unless done out of the heart of love to help them, which means other believers and never unbelievers.

We do not like the world’s direction concerning same-sex marriage, abortion, and other issues, but we will never change that by judging symptoms; we have to treat the disease, which is sin. The only cure for the sins of the world is the gospel. We waste our time by trying to force our way of living on a world steeped in sin. That is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 7:6: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.”

At the heart of the problem people are dead in spirit because they know not the Lord. We have the cure, which is the gospel of Jesus Christ. What is meant by dogs and swine in verse 6? Verse six compares the world to dogs and swine. In the time of Jesus, dogs were wild, dirty, and dangerous, and in some cases, so were swine. Every person born into this world is depraved, unholy, sinners, and not interested in the truth of the Bible. The result is the filth, immorality, killing, and danger that is in the world today. So, Jesus compares it to dogs and swine. The only thing that changes the conditions of the world is faith in Christ.

Paul clearly describes the condition of the world: Romans 3:10-12 (KJV), “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” According to those verses, the world does not know God and is incapable of discerning the truth of God on its own; this we see in 1 Corinthians 2:14 (KJV), “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” We should never expect unbelievers to live by Christian standards because they are slaves to sin and don’t have the internal directives to live a godly life. Therefore, judging their behavior is useless since there is no way they can abide by our advice since they don’t have the spiritual compacity.

We sometimes occupy our concern with the world’s bad behavior without understanding that they are just doing what comes naturally and will never change unless there is a change of heart. The advice Jesus is giving is, do not throw your pearls before swine. In other words, don’t use the precious Word of God to try to fix the problems of the world by treating the symptoms; it does not work. The heart, the basis of sin, must be changed through faith in Christ. I’m not talking about withholding our convictions concerning sin. We have a right to stand firmly on what we believe concerning the teaching of the Bible. However, coaching sinners concerning how they should live without knowing Christ is throwing your pearls or holy things before swine to be trodden under by them. Our first responsibility to the world is to share the gospel; no amount of our well-meaning advice can make another person righteous without placing their faith in Jesus.

Matthew 7:7-12, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 12Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets;” this might seem like an abrupt change in course, but it is connected to the central theme that Jesus has been addressing. Jesus will summarize the article in verse 12, as we shall see in a few minutes, but first, let us know the context of what Jesus is saying about what He has already said.

The illustration Jesus uses here is about asking, seeking, and knocking. We see in verse 7; it is required first to question: “Ask, and it shall be given you.” When we see Jesus speaking about asking the Father and the Father giving something in return, we may assume Jesus is once again teaching a lesson on prayer. Most commentaries refer to this verse as public prayer, but that does not quite meet the context in which Christ has been speaking, which is living a righteous life.

So, what does Jesus mean in verse 7? What is it that Jesus says will be given 100% of the time if we ask? What was Jesus promising? Jesus does not specify in this verse what it is. Jesus says ask and “it” shall be given, seek and “it” shall be found, knock and “IT” shall be opened. So, the “IT” here is something particular, so specific that it shall be given 100% of the time just as parents give their children the good things for which they ask. The keywords here are “good things.” I believe that Jesus is talking about the good things God is willing to provide to that person who is sincerely trying to live a righteous life. That is what Jesus has been teaching in this chapter. It is a request for God’s help living the godly life, which God is always willing to do. Jesus, in the previous verses, has been talking about Holy things, righteousness, and how to please God; now He is giving us the way.

In verse 7, I believe that Jesus, is saying that anyone interested in living a godly life should asks for God the Father’s help, and he shall give it. We cannot live in God’s way without His strength and His help; so, when we ask for his help, He will give it every time without exception. We are to ask for God’s strength to overcome the temptations of Satan. We are to knock on heaven’s door; we are to seek the Lord in all things; this is the “IT” that Jesus is talking about “Ask and it shall be given.” It is the ingredient for living the righteous life Jesus has been teaching; this is a request to God for direction and strength to do something beyond our ability about honest living.

Here are several things God is ready to give to the believer seeking His help to live the righteous life:

• Forgive me my sins. 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.”
• Give me the wisdom to do your will. James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…and it shall be given him.”
• Help me to know you better. 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ….”
• Help me to glorify your name. Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father….”
• Give me strength to obey you. Psalm 28:7, “The LORD is my strength…”
• Help me spread your gospel to the lost. Matthew 28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the ….”

Now, if it were just a general prayer, we know that God does not give us 100% of our desires. This verse is guaranteed by the word “shall”: “It shall be given.” When God says it shall be, there is nothing that will keep it back. James 4:2 (KJV) gives us an example of someone who is not asking, knocking, and seeking: He says, “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” The theme of the chapter is living a righteous life. As Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all these things shall be added to you.” Jesus already spoke on general prayer in chapter 6. Is requesting God’s help living godly any different from praying in general? There is a very subtle difference in that we are not asking for things in general but for those specific things that help us live a righteous life.

The verse says that we must seek, knock, and then God opens the door. It includes action. It took me a long time to understand that if I wanted doors to be opened, I must go around knocking on doors rather than waiting around for them to open on their own. For example, if a person feels led to teach, he needs to knock on a door. In most churches, this would be on the office door of the educational director of the church. The verses are clear; our responsibility is to ask, seek, and knock if we expect to receive the help we want and need. In all, it is about total dependence on God and His righteousness to guide our lives. When we seek God’s help to live the way He instructs us, He will always answer and give the support needed. Verse 11 is about God’s children seeking Him and God helping them because they are His faithful children. These verses compare God the Father taking care of His children like parents take care of their children even though they are evil, and how much more the Heavenly Father will take care of His children being righteous. These Greek verbs, asking, seeking, and knocking, are conjugated in the present tense, indicating that we continually depend on God for everything.

Let’s take a few minutes more to consider why Jesus isn’t talking about general prayer in these verses. Public prayer does not meet the broad context of Matthew 7, centered on living a righteous life. Verses 1-6 focused on being preoccupied with fixing other people’s behavior problems, which is not a responsibility of believers. That certainly does not move into the subject of prayer as most commentaries interpret verse 7 to mean. Jesus summarizes what he has been teaching in the preceding verses: Matthew 7:12, “Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”

First, notice that the first word Jesus utters is “therefore,” which indicates that He is making this statement in reference to what He said before. This statement is not by any means coming out of a teaching on prayer. It would be what we call a “non sequitur” (a conclusion or information that does not logically follow from the previous), which Jesus wasn’t prone to use in His sermons.

Second, if we take this as another teaching on prayer, it contradicts other Scriptures. Jesus has already addressed general prayer earlier in His sermon, using the model prayer as an example. Therefore, for Jesus to take up prayer again while teaching on judging others and living the righteous life would be out of place. Jesus had already included what we need to know on prayer and didn’t need to add something else here that He might have forgotten earlier. Also, if you notice, the focus of the model prayer was different in its context. All our prayers should lend to the Father’s will and not our own. “Thy will be done….” Jesus set this example when He prayed in the garden right before his crucifixion: Luke 22:42 (KJV) saying, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.” That applies to all prayer, but asking God for His specific help to live a righteous life goes a bit further.

In verse 7, is Jesus telling us that everyone who asks for anything the Father will give it? We know that in general prayer, there are exceptions; God never provides everything that is requested. We pray for the sick, but God does not always heal them. That is true with many of our prayers; so, how can we conclude that here God is saying that everyone who asks shall receive anything they ask for, not sometimes but every time? If it was a general prayer Jesus was speaking of, this would be an incredible promise; for everything asked for would be done 100% of the time by everyone who asked Him. However, if that is the case, that would contradict other Scriptures because we know that God does things according to His own plan. Even good parents don’t give their children everything they ask; it would not at all be in their children’s interest. Neither does God give to us all for which we ask because that would not be in our best interest. Prayer is essential in the life of the believer. We are told to pray without ceasing, and when we pray, God is listening. However, from other Scriptures we know that God answers our prayers according to His will and not our will.

This verse is often used by false teachers who take this passage out of context. For example, prosperity preachers tell their listeners to “name it and claim it.” They maintain that Jesus said to ask, and you will receive it. Let me ask you: Why aren’t all Christians rich and living in luxury? Of course, Christians the world over are not living in luxury. Therefore, we know that Jesus is not referring to general prayer; so, once again, what is He referring to; He is referring to the needs we have to live a godly life.

What do you desire? Do you genuinely love the Lord and want to please Him in all things and live the godly life He commands you to live? If so, Jesus has a beautiful promise for you: John 14:23 (KJV), “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” If you have never received Jesus as your Lord and savior, I would like to give you step-by-step instructions on how from the Bible. Just Click Here.