Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19960303.htm

MATTHEW: JESUS AS ISRAEL'S MESSIAH AND HIS MESSIANIC KINGDOM
Part VII: Discerning True Kingdom Righteousness From Mere Religiosity
D. Christ's TRUE Righteousness As Contrasted With Religiosity's Bankrupt Practices
4. Contrasting The TRUE Expansion Provision For The Kingdom With Religiosity's False One
(Matthew 7:7-11)
  1. Introduction
    1. The Pharisees knew that the Kingdom of God needed to be extended around the world.
    2. However, extending God's kingdom in a material world takes material provisions that we humans need to function in this life. Accordingly, the Pharisees went even to sinful lengths to coerce widows to give up properties to acquire the funds needed to expand the kingdom of God as they saw it, cf. Mtt. 23:14-15.
    3. Jesus offered a completely different MEANS of gaining needed possessions to that end in Matt. 7:7-11.
  2. Contrasting The TRUE Expansion Provision For The Kingdom With Religiosity's False One.
    1. Dr. Alfred Edersheim treats Matthew 7:7-11 as a critique on the false external MEANS Israel's Pharisees used to try to extend the kingdom of God on earth, The Life and Times of Jesus, the Messiah, v. 1, p. 531.
    2. Jesus offers God's means of acquiring the material means needed to extend God's kingdom on earth:
      1. God's people are to pray persistently for the provisions they need to do God's work, Mt. 7:7a,8a.
        1. The command to "ask" is a present imperative in the Greek New Testament, cf. UBS Greek N.T., p. 22; The Analytical Greek Lexicon (Zondervan), p. 10.
        2. This present tense emphasizes repeated action, being better translated here as "Continue asking," cf. J. Gresham Machan, N. T. Greek For Beginners, p. 180.
        3. Thus, Jesus called upon His disciples to keep on praying and God would provide material needs, 7a.
      2. In addition to praying persistently for divine provision, God's people are to SEEK persistently for God's provisions around them as His answer to their prayers, Mtt. 7:7b,8b.
        1. Many treat "ask" and "seek" and "knock" as only prayer requests. Yet, expositor, G. C. Morgan states "we have the mingling of dependence AND effort" with these verbs so that one's whole life is in touch with God regarding the meeting of his needs, Morgan, Matthew, p. 75. Since verses 9-11 elaborate only on the verb "ask" in describing God's role, it is credible to take the actions of "seeking" and "knocking" as man's effort in conjunction with "asking" for God's intervention.
        2. "Seek" is also in the pres. imper. tense, Ibid., UBS Gr. N.T.; Ibid, Anal. Gr. Lex., 182; Ibid., Machan
        3. Accordingly, in addition to continually praying for divine provisions, God wants His people continually to be on the lookout in the world AROUND them for His answers to those prayers.
      3. In addition to praying persistently for divine provision and seeking persistently for God's provisions in the world about them, God's people are to KNOCK persistently at apparent doors of opportunity in the world around them they perceive may be God's answers to prayer, Mtt. 7:7c,8c.
        1. Again, like "ask" and "seek," the verb "knock" is present imperative, Ibid., UBS Greek N.T.; Ibid., The Analytical Greek Lexicon, p. 241; Ibid., Machan.
        2. Accordingly, as we are in the process of praying for provisions, and seeking for God's answers in the world around us, once we find a potential door of opportunity that may contain God's provision , we are constantly to be busy knocking on it in case it opens as God's answer to our request!
      4. Summary: In this way, the believer is properly diligent in his work ethic for his livelihood but not sinful in relating to others regarding obtaining life's necessary material possessi ons.
    3. The confidence we have that this method of meeting material needs will work are as follows: (1) God is good, (2) He knows what we need, (3) and He is able to provide for our needs. Though an imperfect earthly father knows how and is motivated to give good gifts to his children, our perfect heavenly Father cares about us and knows how to give us what is exactly what we need regarding possessions, Mtt. 7:9-11.
Lesson: God does not want us to try extending God's program on earth like the Pharisees did by sinning to get the material things needed to that end. Rather, we are to involve our heavenly Father in meeting these needs. The WAY to do so is by (a) persistently praying for specific material needs (b) while also persistently seeking God's answers in the world around us (c) and, upon finding possible doors of opportunity to those potential answers, our persistently knocking on those doors.