I was reading Oswarld Chambers and this is a referenced verse:
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, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?
10 “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
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 what is good to those who ask Him!
These are some of my favorite verses and favorite “promises” of God. I like to be reminded of God’s generosity, and what could be simpler? Ask, Seek, Knock and Receive!
Don’t we just love easy?
Then, for some reason, my eyes were drawn to the verses preceding Matthew 7:7
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“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. Matthew 7:6
I wonder what this has to do with “Ask, Seek, Knock, Receive”? Surely, Matthew 7:6 has nothing to do with Matthew 7:7, regardless the positioning of the verses.
Could it?
Then I was drawn to the next preceding verses
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Matthew 7:1 ¶ “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
Now I notice, these verses start with “Do not“. Why the “Do not?” And, does that relate to the “Promise” that follows?
I wonder if perhaps Matthew 7:7 is the verse at the end of a teaching and not a “promise” alone? Could Matthew 7:7 be the culmination of yet another Great Mystery revealed and I had missed this, all these years?
Are we seeing a pattern in this teaching of Jesus.
So, searched for the beginning of this teaching. I started at Matthew 5:17 and read forward, and ask myself “is this the correct sequence of this Truth taught by Jesus?”
I began to notice the preceding verses, all the way back to Matthew 5:17, issue cautions – no, they issue warnings. Many start with the words “DO NOT” or warn the reader (The potential Disciple) to avoid certain behaviors. Behaviors that spring from certain attitudes.
“while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:18
(Please note: I have selected the main or topic verses for brevity)
It would seem that, first, Jesus reminds us that His Words and God’s Law is Eternal. A proper and fit beginning!
Matthew 5:17 ¶ “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
18 “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
Jesus telling us of the obstacles and stumbling blocks we must avoid
and what we must do
in order to Receive
His Great Promise
It would seem that Jesus is reminding us that ‘sin’ can separate us from God, and these sins are particularly troublesome.
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“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
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“Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
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but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. “If your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
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but I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
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¶ “Again, you have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FALSE VOWS, BUT SHALL FULFILL YOUR VOWS TO THE LORD.’ “But I say to you, make no oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
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“But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. “If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. “Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. “Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.
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¶ “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
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Matthew 6:1 ¶ “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
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Matthew 6:7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 ¶ “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
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¶ “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
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Matthew 7:1 ¶ “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
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“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.
Is Jesus telling us that we are to prepare our hearts and our minds, that is, to wash our hearts and minds with the ‘Blood of Jesus’, before we can enter His Presence? Before we can RECEIVE His Promises?
As the Psalmist tells us, we are to approach His Throne, with clean hands and a pure heart: Psalms 24:3 “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully.”
This is a Great Mystery of God. What is seen comes from that which is unseen.
Let’s walk in these steps He has already prepared for us – and LIVE!!!
So, Let’s indeed, “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, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?
10 “Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
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 what is good to those who ask Him!
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
PS – Please don’t think that this ‘devotion’ or study is all about what we are TO DO and what we are NOT TO DO, or we will have missed a great opportunity. This is about The Secret Place of our heart and our minds, being made clean so we can RECEIVE from God. THIS IS HUGE for the Believer and especially in these days. Let’s GO and get this done, together!!
Whitestone Fellowship 