Ask and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who
knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for
a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a
snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!
Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and
the Prophets. (Matthew 7:7-12)
A number of years ago, I became aware of a unique approach to reaching people which,
being a former broadcaster, was fascinating to me. It was the story of how KBIQ, an
easy-listening radio station in Seattle, developed an innovative outreach ministry. They
began running "God commercials" during their regular programming. During these
commercials, they would address a contemporary problem. Somewhere towards the end, they
would introduce the idea that perhaps a relationship with God could solve that problem.
Finally, they would say something like: "If you would like to know how Christ can
relate to your life in this practical way, call 546-6551. 'People Who Care' are standing
by to talk with you and you can call right now." Counselors were standing by to
receive the calls. And many lives were changed as a result of this ministry. In fact, a
book was written to share the testimonies of those who found Christ as a result of this
unique ministry.
While I was fascinated by the details and effectiveness of this ministry, one of the
most powerful challenges to my own personal life came from the name itself. The ministry
was called, "People Who Care." It struck me that this describes the kind of
people we, as Christians, ought to be. We should be people who care.
When Jesus calls us to love our neighbor and to live by the golden rule, He is calling
us to be people who care. The Sermon on the Mount is all about caring. You cannot live by
the Sermon on the Mount and refuse to care about others.
But why should we care? A man was walking down a dark street when he met a very rough
looking character who said, "Sir, could you help a poor, hungry, homeless man who has
nothing in the whole world to call his own, except this loaded 38-special revolver which I
hold in my hand?"
We live in a society where everyone seems to be concerned about themselves. If we care
about others, who will care about us? Too often the motto in our society is: "Do unto
others before they do it unto you." So, what should motivate us to really care?
The text before us, as we shall see, gives us a Biblical motivation to care. It points
us to our relationship with God and His care for us. And it reveals that only from this
perspective can we truly live by the Golden Rule.
Ask and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who
knocks it shall be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)
Jesus points us to the relationship we have with God in terms of God's promises. One of
the most important truths that can impact our lives is the fact that we, as believers, are
the beneficiaries of the promises of God. Because we are adopted into the family of God,
we are now the recipients of the privileges of the Kingdom. All of the promises of God
have been given to us.
We read in 2 Peter 1:4, "For by these He has granted to us His precious and
magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine
nature . . . ." We also read in 2 Corinthians 1:20, "For as many
as may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes . . . ." In other words,
all of God's promises have been given to us in order to make us partakers of the divine
nature, and all of these promises are positive for believers.
So then, Jesus tells us that we have permission to ask, seek, and knock.
Now this in itself is not the promise. Certainly anyone can do these things. You really
don't have to have permission to ask, seek, and knock. The promise comes in the qualifying
phrases. He tells you that if you ask, that it shall be given to you. If you
seek, then you shall find. When you come to heaven's door and knock,
then that door shall be opened. And He doesn't just say this once. He goes on to
reinforce this truth by repeating it. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks
finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.
God has promised us His provision. He has promised us that He would give us what we
need. He has told us that the door of opportunity would be opened to us. These are His
promises.
Now, of course, this is not a license to greedy and self-centered asking. We must do
these things within the context of the Christian life. If we are living for
Jesus, then we will receive from Him. We read in 1 John 3:22, "Whatever
we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are
pleasing in His sight." If we abide in Christ, then we place ourselves in a
position to receive from Him.
Of course, our motive must be right. God has not obligated Himself to grant every
selfish desire we have. In fact, James 4:3 tells us, "You ask and do not
receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your
pleasures."
But if we are seeking Him and His Kingdom first, then our desires will be controled by
His life in us. We will find ourselves desiring and asking for the things that are in
concert with His will. And we read in 1 John 5:14, "This is the confidence
which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears
us." God hears and answers the prayers of those who ask for what He wants to
give us. This is His promise.
This means that we will have all that we need, both for our lives, and for whatever the
Lord calls us to do. He has promised us all the provision we need to fulfill His purposes
for our lives. God cares for us by giving us all that we need.
Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a
stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then,
being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father
who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:9-11)
Jesus next points us to the reality of God's love. God loves us as His children. He is
revealed as our Heavenly Father. And He has true father's love for His children.
He pictures a son coming to his father and asking for food. What father, when his son
asks for a loaf, would give him a stone? Or what father, when his son asks
for a fish, would give him a snake? No father in his right mind would do
that. No father who loved his son would do that.
Even though we are selfish people, we love our children enough to give them good
things. And this is the point Jesus makes. He says, "If you then, being evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven
give what is good to those who ask Him!" We know how to give good gifts to our
children and we are imperfect, selfish, and full of sin. God, however, is not like that.
He is not evil in any respect. He is not tainted by sin or selfishness. How much more
does God love us than we love our children? He loves us perfectly. And that kind of love
is predisposed to give good things to those who ask Him!
We must not only see that the promises of God are ours, we must also see that they are
ours because God loves us so. Of course, the epitome of God's love was His giving His
beloved Son Jesus to die for our sins. And Jesus manifested His love toward us by laying
down His life. When you picture those three crosses standing on the hill called Calvary,
you are beholding the greatest demonstration of love the universe has ever seen.
Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law
and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12)
Now comes the challenge. It is commonly known to us as the Golden Rule. It simply
states that you shall treat others as you want them to treat you. Now this
may sound easy. I assure you it is not. It is one of the most powerful challenges that has
been ever issued to us. In fact, if the world would live by this rule, most of the
problems among people could be resolved. And the fact that we do not live by the this rule
is everywhere evident in society.
A little fellow in the ghetto was teased by one who said, "If God loves you, why
doesn't he take care of you? Why doesn't God tell someone to bring you shoes and a warm
coat and better food?" The little lad thought for a moment and then said, "I
guess He does tell somebody, but somebody forgets."
To rise to this challenge is to become people who care. Indeed, you must care in order
to live by the Golden Rule.
And Jesus has given us the motivation to care by revealing to us the Father's heart and
the Father's provision. We are freed to care for others because God has revealed His care
for us. Knowing that our needs will be meet as we ask, seek, and knock frees
us to reach out to help meet the needs of others. Being recipients of the father's love
frees us to love.
The bottom line is that we can become people who care because we are growing into the
image of Christ. As we become like Him, we become people who care. And this is the goal
for every Christian. Our purpose in life is to be conformed to the image of God's Son,
Jesus.
Our commitment to Christ will determine if we care and how we respond to others in
their need.
A man fell into a pit and couldn't get himself out.-
May God make us like Jesus - People Who Care.
Copyright (C) 1995 J. David Hoke. This data file is the sole property of the copyright holder and may be copied only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain the above copyright notice.
This data file may not be copied in part (except for small quotations
used with citation of source), edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any
commercial publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other products
offered for sale, without the written permission of the copyright holder. Requests for
permission should be made in writing and addressed to J. David Hoke, Pastor, New Horizons
Community Church, 2303 Evesham Rd. Voorhees, NJ. 08043.