OUR FATHER WHO SENT HIS SON TO DO AND TO TEACH Part 20

Mathew chapter 7 verses 7 - 12 continues with the Lord Jesus explaining the mechanics of accessing the  kingdom God;

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, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 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 good things to those who ask Him! 

12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

After having faith that leads to salvation, the new believer needs to progress towards gaining citizenship in the kingdom of God for which our salvation qualifies us for.

In this passage, the Lord Jesus explains the principles of asking, seeking and knocking. The kingdom of God is only made accessible to those who want it enough that they repeatedly ask for access, look for access and knock on the door to be let in.

The Lord assures us that those who press for access to the kingdom of God will be granted access and for comparison, He asks us if any of us on earth, though fallen in nature, when pressed by our children for a piece of bread, would instead give them a stone? He then lets us know that God in heaven is all the more willing to grant the good things of His kingdom to His children who persistently pressure Him.

This line of thought ends with the Lord telling those of us who would seek the kingdom of God that the elementals of how to decide what conduct to cultivate are found within us. 

If we consider our own matrix of preferences on how we want to be treated, this is the acceptable standard on how we are to treat others. 

It is this baseline of our patterns of conduct that, when we have them established in our lives, we are prepared for access to the kingdom of God.

When we persistently ask and seek and knock, we will find ourselves being transformed in such a way that we begin to behave as we would have others behave towards us and this makes us ready to be admitted into the spiritual kingdom of God.

(Retroactively written after commenting on verse 13 - 14)

Amen.

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