Back to the Bible: Matthew 7:7-12

The standard of righteousness to which Jesus calls us in the Sermon on the Mount is a high calling. How can I ever measure up?

Jesus says that if we will ask, seek, and knock, we will find and the door will be opened. Through a constant pursuit of God’s help, we can be what Christ calls us to be.

Jesus illustrates. If my little boy asks me for some bread, I’m not going to give him a rock am I? If your children ask for fish, you’re not going to hand them a snake! Right?! Well, you and I are not perfect parents. But, we still know how to give our children what is good for them. How much more true is that about our Father in heaven! He will always give good to those who ask Him. We could summarize what Jesus calls us to by “the golden rule.” What we want for ourselves, we should do for others.

Notice that following Jesus isn’t just a list of “don’ts” (though they are there!) It is characterized by a life of doing.

Loving your neighbor as yourself. Notice Jesus does not say treat people the way they treated you. It does not depend on how they treat us, but how we want to be treated. We should reflect the way Jesus loved us (Jn. 13:34; Eph. 5:1-2). This was the basis of all of the instructions about how to treat others in the Law and Prophets (see Lev. 19:18; Rom. 13:8-10).

Lessons to Learn: When my prayer is for God’s will to shape my life, the answer is always yes. When we are asking, seeking, and knocking to be more like what Jesus calls us to be, there is never a “no” or a “not right now.” We are promised that prayer to be really righteous always receives the right answer from our good Father (see James 1:5, 16-17). We do not always get what we ask for. But, if our sincere prayer is always, in all things, for God’s will to be ultimately accomplished, then the answer is always yes.

Real righteousness is active. It is more than not causing trouble. It is more than minding our own business. It is about considering others in light of what we would want and need in that situation. Sometimes that is generosity. Sometimes it is a word of encouragement. Sometimes it is a word of direction or correction. Sometimes it is forgiveness (see Mt. 6:14-15). It’s not just about being “nice” but about doing for them what we’d want done for us. We’re thankful to share these considerations of God’s word.

It’s best if you have a Bible close to evaluate what we say. We want to go “back to the Bible” for all we teach.

Reach out with your questions, comments, or requests for personal Bible study at backtothebiblepodcast.com or at info@backtothebiblepodcast.com.