MATTHEW 7:7-12

IMPACT, AM 8/3/03

#21 - SERMON ON THE MOUNT

 

Have you heard of Dawson Troutman?  He lived from 1903 to 1953.  After getting saved at the age of 20, he found an organization called “Navigators”.  Troutman’s passion was bringing people to Christ and discipleling them to grow in their Christian walk.

 

Mark Senter said, “In 1950, Billy Graham asked Troutman to develop a follow-up program for his crusades. After declining three times because of the extensive commitment of time required, Troutman finally agreed. Acceptance of this project proved to be a turning point in the Navigator ministry, for many evangelical churches and ministries adopted the methods, emphases and strategy which Troutman developed.”

Dawson Troutman had impact.

 

I know a man named Bill Magnuson who is about 80 years old.  When I was a student at Glassboro State College Bill had a very positive influence as the advisor to Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship.  Bill helped to train me and others in the Christian life.

Bill Magnuson had impact.

 

I am sure, if you think about it, there are Christians who have impacted your life. Perhaps it was a parent, a friend, a brother or sister, a member of this church, or some other person who influenced you positively for the cause of Christ.

 

What about you?  Does your life have impact for the Lord Jesus? Does it count in a positive way for Him? In order for it to have impact, you first know Jesus as your Savior.

 

You are a sinner, who can’t earn your way into Heaven.

 

Isaiah 64:6 - But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

 

The very Son of God, came to earth, lived a sinless life, and died as your sinless substitute, paying for your sin.

2 Corinthians 5:21 - For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

 

Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your only hope for Heaven gives forgiveness and everlasting life.   

Ephesians 2:8-9 - For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.

 

If you have not made a reservation in Heaven, I strongly urge you to do so. It is a matter of Heaven or hell!   

   

When you trust Christ as Savior, He expects you to have an impact for Him.

 

John 15:16 - Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain…

 

Colossians 3:17 - And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

 

Ephesians 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

 

Now you might be asking, “How can I have impact for the Lord Jesus?  I’m not a speaker. I’m not a Bible teacher.  I don’t consider myself to be very gifted.”   

 

As we continue in the Sermon on the Mount this morning, I believe that the Lord Jesus shows us two ways to have impact for Him.

 

We find in this brief passage, we can be

IMPACT PRAY-ERS and

IMPACT PLAYERS

 

IMPACT PRAY-ERS – Vss. 7-11

 

Let me ask you a question.

We have been studying the Sermon on the Mount since December 29, 2002.  Yes we have taken breaks from the study, but in all, this is the 21^st message on the Sermon on the Mount.

 

The question is, How obedient are you to the teachings on the Sermon on the Mount?

 

·        Are you more humble, totally reliant on God, poor in spirit since we started?

·        Are you a better peace maker, since we started?

·        Are you obviously acting as the salt of the earth and the light of the world?

·        Have you sought forgiveness from those who have something against you?

·        Have you truly forgiven everyone who needs forgiveness?

·        Are you as pure on the inside as you appear to be on the outside?

·        Do you go about your religion without trying to make it obvious to others that you are religious?

·        Are you praying sincere prayers, using the Lord’s Prayer as a pattern?

·        Are you laying up treasure in Heaven instead of on earth?

·        Are you seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness?

·        And just last week we talked about being judgmental.  How are you doing not passing judgment on others, especially fellow Christians?

·        We also talked about taking 2 by 4’s out of our own eyes before we try to take splinters out of the eyes of others.

·        And in a few minutes we will talk about treating others as we want to be treated. How are you doing at that?

 

We can’t impact our world for Christ unless we are living by the Sermon on the Mount.  How are you doing?

 

Believe it or not, I am not trying to lay a guilt trip on you.

I have a long way to go in my own practice of this sermon.

As other pastors have pointed out, Matthew 7:7-11 are located here for a reason.

 

Jesus knew how difficult it would be for you and I to live by the Sermon on the Mount, so He tells us how to obey it.

 

We are to ask for help.

Matthew 7:7 - Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

 

You already know to pray for the physical needs of others and your own physical needs.

During this year we have been encouraging you to pray for the Spiritual needs of others using prayers in Ephesians 1 and 3, Philippians 1, and Colossians 1.   

 

But how much praying do you and I do concerning our own Spiritual development?

You know that God tells us to ask according to His will, and He will grant us our requests.

 

1 John 5:14-15 - And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: [15] And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

 

Jesus tells us in John 14:13-14 - And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [14] If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

 

Every one of Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount is God’s will for your life.  He wants you to obey these teachings, not to earn your way to Heaven, but because as a Christian, you are a citizen of Heaven!   

 

Because these teachings are God’s will for your life, you can ask God to empower you to obey.

 

And these verbs in the Greek, ask…seek…knock, actually mean, keep on asking…keep on seeking…keep on knocking.

 

The teachings in the Sermon on the Mount are so important  and impossible to obey in our own strength, that we need to be continually asking God for help.

 

Do you really want to obey the Sermon on the Mount?

When you really want something, you will ask more than once.

 

In Luke 11 you will find the same teaching about asking, seeking, and knocking.  And just before this teaching Jesus tells a story about a man who had surprise house guests, and no bread to offer.  He knocked on a neighbor’s door, and wouldn’t take “no” for an answer until the neighbor finally got up and gave him the requested bread.

 

When we know something is God’s will, we can keep on asking, knowing that the answer is not “no” but “yes”.

 

Matthew 7:8 - For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

 

Why do we fail to obey the Sermon on the Mount?

We fail to obey the Sermon on the Mount because we are not barraging Heaven with requests that we will have the power to obey.

 

Matthew 7:9-10 - Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? [10] Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?     

 

Jesus is giving an example here.

He mentions that there wasn’t a father among them that would give a stone to his child instead of bread or a snake instead of a fish!

 

Matthew 7:11 - If 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?

We as men have sinful natures.

We are sinners by birth and sinners by choice.

And yet we know how to do good things for our children.

 

Our Heavenly Father is sinless and perfectly righteous.

How much more will our Heavenly Father give good things to His children when they ask Him!

 

Christian, what part of the Sermon on the Mount do you struggle with the most?

What is it that you know is God’s will, but you are not doing?

MATTHEW 7:7-12 - PAGE 7

 

Your home work assignment this week is to continually asking God to help you obey that teaching, no matter how hard it may be.

Begin your day with asking God for strength to obey that teaching.

At breakfast time, give a silent prayer for help in obeying.

Do the same at lunch and dinner time.

And before you go to bed, pray again, asking for help.

 

There is another ingredient that must be part of your prayer.

That ingredient is faith.

 

Mark 11:22-24 - And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. [23] For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. [24] Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

 

Think of your disobedience to a teaching in Sermon on the Mount as a “mountain”.

By faith, ask God to remove that Mountain, and believe that He will.  

Make sure, as you pray, to confess all known sin to the Lord.

 

Psalm 66:18 - If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

 

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

Ask God to help you obey His teaching. Your prayers will impact your life.

 

BE AN IMPACT PRAY-ER and

BE AN IMPACT PLAYER – Vs. 12

 

In sports, and impact player is so influential that he changes the outcome of the game.

 

In his hey day Jerome Bettis was such a player as he would run for big gain after big gain.   

   

Christian, your life can have an impact on others for God.

 

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.

 

Notice what Jesus DOES NOT say:

 

He does not say, “Do unto others, because they did it to you.”

He does not say, “Do unto others before they do it to you.”

 

He DOES say, “Do unto others as ye would have them do unto you.”   

 

Jesus is saying, “Treat others the way you want to be treated”

And when treat others the way we want to be treated, we have basically fulfilled the law and the prophets, the Word of God.

 

Like all the other teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, this is impossible to do in our own strength.

 

We are selfish.

We want our own way.

We want to be comfortable.

We consider ourselves more important than others.

We are constantly “Looking out for Number 1”.   

We look out for what is best for ourselves, not what is best for our neighbors.

 

How can we ever treat others the way we want to be treated all the time?  That is, how can we treat others the way we want to be treated 24/7?

 

First of all, it takes prayer.  You need to be an impact pray-er!

Secondly it takes a servant’s heart. It actually takes the heart of Jesus!

 

Mark 10:45 - For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

 

Jesus came to serve!

Not only did Jesus wash the feet of His disciples in service to others.

But Jesus also healed in service to others.   

Jesus also taught in service to others.

Jesus also gave His life in service to others.

 

Philippians 2:5-8 - Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a

servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

 

To treat others the way we want to be treated we must see ourselves as servants.

 

Matthew 23:11 - But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.    

 

Philippians 2:4 - Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

 

A pastor I know was once called out at midnight by the mayor of the town that his church was in.  The mayor’s son had committed suicide, having shot himself in his bedroom.

The Pastor ministered to the family and stuck around.  After the body had been removed the mother wanted to see the room that he died in.  There was blood all over.  That Pastor and another friend cleaned up the blood the best they could before the mother went into the room.  A servant, treating someone the way they would want to be treated themselves.  

  

You need to be an impact player. One who let’s his light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in Heaven.

 

You need to be an impact pray-er, asking God to constantly develop specific areas of Spirituality in your life.  Begin this week by praying for some specific area you need to fulfill the Sermon on the Mount.

 

IMPACT PRAY-ERS and

IMPACT PLAYERS