"THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW" The Virtue Of Perseverance (7:7-11)

"THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW"

The Virtue Of Perseverance (7:7-11)

INTRODUCTION

1. Why do some people...
   a. Succeed in having their prayers answered?
   b. Have a greater understanding of the Bible?
   c. Reach more souls for Christ?
   -- Is it skill, genius, or luck?

2. The answer is suggested by Calvin Coolidge:

   "Press on! Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance.
   Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with
   talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
   Education  will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."

3. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus talked about the virtue of perseverance...
   a. Especially in its relevance to prayer
   b. Giving us motivation to persevere in our service to God

[Our text is Mt 7:7-11, in which we find Jesus teaching about...]

I. THE PRINCIPLE OF "PERSEVERANCE" (7-8)

   A. PERSEVERANCE IS IMPLIED IN THESE VERSES...
      1. By the tense of the Greek
         a. It is the present tense, which most often stresses "continuous action"
         b. Literally, then, Jesus is saying:
            1) "keep on asking," and it will be given to you
            2) "keep on seeking," and you will find
            3) "keep on knocking," and it will be opened to you
      2. By the progression of the terms themselves
         a. "asking" is one level of inquiry
         b. "seeking" suggests a step up, as one goes about to find 
            what they ask (asking plus action, Hendricksen)
         c. "knocking" is another step up, as one persists in finding
            that which they seek (asking plus action plus persevering, Hendricksen)

   B. PERSEVERANCE IS PARTICULARLY RELEVANT...
      1. To the matter of "prayer"
         a. As later implied in Mt 7:11
         b. Jesus often stressed persistence in teaching on prayer
            1) In the parable of "The Persistent Friend" - Lk 11:5-8
            2) In the parable of "The Persistent Widow" - Lk 18:1-8
      2. To the matter of "Bible study"
         a. Many people give up too soon in their Bible studies
         b. But those who persevere in their studies are the ones who
            benefit from the blessings God's Word provides - Ps 1:1-3;119:97-104
      3. To the matter of "evangelism"
         a. Many do not bear fruit because they give up too soon
         b. But we reap what we sow; the more persistent we are in 
            sowing, the more we will eventually reap

[If we desire success in any venture, but especially in prayer, Bible
study, and evangelism, then we must adopt "The Virtue Of Perseverance."
To encourage us to do so, Jesus goes on to provide...]

II. A MOTIVE FOR PERSEVERANCE (9-11)

   A. GOD DELIGHTS TO GIVE GOOD THINGS TO HIS CHILDREN...
      1. To illustrate, Jesus gives a simple argument (from the lesser to the greater)
         a. I.e., men give good gifts to their children who ask
         b. How much more so, will our Father in heaven!
      2. Jesus stressed this Fatherly attribute of God in His sermon
         a. In regards to our physical necessities - Mt 6:31-32
         b. And now in regards to things that are good for us - Mt 7:11

   B. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IN REGARDS TO PRAYER!
      1. As Jesus promised to His disciples in Jn 15:7
         a. Conditioned upon our abiding in Him
         b. Conditioned upon His words abiding in us
      2. As the apostle John wrote in 1Jn 5:14-15
         a. Conditioned upon our asking according to His will
         b. Which assumes we know His will for us (i.e., His word is abiding in us)
      3. And as James wrote in Jm 4:3
         a. Presuming we are not asking for personal and selfish gain
         b. But many do not enjoy God's favor, simply because they do not ask!
         
CONCLUSION

1. To persevere, then, is a noble virtue, especially in regards to prayer...
   a. We have a Father in heaven who is not untouched by the persistent
      pleas of His children
   b. Providing we do not ask amiss, persistent prayers will not go unanswered!

2. If we desire to receive, find, and have doors opened to us, then let us...
   a. Keep on asking
   b. Keep on seeking
   c. Keep on knocking
   ...not only in regards to prayer, but in all ventures worthy of 
   Christians (e.g., Bible study, evangelism)!

Have you asked, sought, or knocked today...?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2016

Jesus Is Coming Soon? by Dave Miller, Ph.D.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=1701

Jesus Is Coming Soon?

by	Dave Miller, Ph.D.

One hymn which has attained considerable popularity over the years is R.E. Winsett’s “Jesus Is Coming Soon.” Since the New Testament teaches that we are to “sing with the understanding” (1 Corinthians 14:15) and to refrain from speaking or singing falsehoods (Ephesians 4:25; 5:19), it behooves us to be conscious of the meanings and biblical significance of the lyrics which pass from our lips.

The New Testament teaches that Jesus could come at virtually any time (Matthew 24:42-44). It teaches that time is nothing with God, to the extent that even a delay of hundreds of years amounts to nothing (Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8). In this sense, Jesus may be thought of as “coming soon.” But the Bible also teaches that no one knows when Jesus will actually come again (Matthew 24:36). To give the impression that one is certain that Jesus will return “soon,” i.e., in the next few months or years, is to make a claim that cannot be sustained by Scripture. It is perfectly within the purview of biblical thought for Jesus to delay his coming for another thousand years or even much longer.

The real problem with the song is seen in its second verse. If there was any doubt about the song’s millennial leanings, the lyrics of verse two clearly betray the author’s eschatological misconceptions. The phrases “love of so many cold,” “evils abound,” and “when these signs come to pass” are undeniable allusions to Matthew 24:12 and Luke 21:28,31. While the lyricist applies these conditions to the end of time and Christ’s second coming, Jesus applied them to the destruction of Jerusalem which occurred in A.D. 70. When Christ comes again, there will be no signs to herald the fact (Miller, 2003). It will come completely by surprise with no signals to warn people even of the approximate time (Matthew 24:36-44; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; 2 Peter 3:10).

It is not easy to admit that a song that is so emotionally and aesthetically satisfying possesses inherent flaws that render it spiritually unacceptable. But if we truly love and respect God and His Word, we will adjust our practice, loyalties, and sentimentalities to fit God’s will—not vice versa. After all, when Jesus returns, we want Him to find us humbly submitting to His will.

REFERENCE

Miller, Dave (2003), “There Will Be No Signs!” Apologetics Press, http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=937&topic=83.

Jesus Gives "Church" Meaning by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=835

Jesus Gives "Church" Meaning

by	Eric Lyons, M.Min.

The Greek word ekklesia, translated as “church” in most English Bibles, simply means “assembly.” In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “I will build my church (ekklesia).” Hence, we could read this verse, “I (Jesus) will build my assembly.” Paul wrote, “The churches of Christ salute you” (Romans 16:16). Again, this world translated “churches” could be translated “assemblies.”

Interestingly, the same term used in the two verses above (ekklesia) also is used at times in reference to secular assemblies. For example, in Acts 19:32 the term ekklesia is used to speak of the mob at Ephesus. The text reads: “Some therefore cried one thing, and some another: for the assembly (ekklesia) was confused.”

One might ask, “How do I know if the text is speaking about a secular assembly or the church?” Answer: The modifying words in the context of a particular passage are what make it possible to distinguish the kind of assembly to which the Bible writers were referring. We know that the assemblies Paul mentioned in Romans 16:16 are churches because ekklesia is modified by the phrase “of Christ.” Likewise, in Acts 20:28, we know the assembly mentioned is the church because it is modified by the phrase, “of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood” (emp. added). The word “assembly” is set apart from secular assemblies in these passages because the context points to a group of people owned by Christ.

The religious world needs to understand that Jesus is the one who gives ekklesia meaning. When mere human names and terms are placed alongside “church,” then the name no longer possesses the meaning that God intended for it to have. Christians should wear the name of Christ (and Christ only) because He purchased the church (Acts 20:28) and said it was His (Matthew 16:18).

Without the work of Jesus, nothing would separate us from man-made assemblies. He gave ekklesia a new meaning in the first century, and continues to give it meaning today when we wear His name.

Jephthah's Daughter, the Levites, and Symbolic Sacrifices by Eric Lyons, M.Min.

http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=5543

Jephthah's Daughter, the Levites, and Symbolic Sacrifices

by	Eric Lyons, M.Min.

Most Bible students recall the brief story of Jephthah and his daughter in Judges 11:29-40. Upon becoming Judge of Israel, “the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah” and “he advanced toward the people of Ammon” (11:29). “And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, ‘If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering” (11:30-31). According to Holy Writ, Jephthah defeated Ammon, and his daughter was the first to meet him when he returned home (11:32-34), which meant she was to “be the Lord’s,” offered as “a burnt offering.” Judges 11:39 states: Jephthah “carried out his vow with her which he had vowed.”

Is it possible that Jephthah literally sacrificed his daughter as a “burnt offering” (Judges 11:29-40)? Yes, it’s possible. (Sadly, many children in ancient history were sacrificed at the hands of powerful leaders, including some evil kings of Judah; 2 Chronicles 28:1-3; 33:6-9). But if Jephthah actually sacrificed his daughter, he committed a grave sin, since literal human burnt offerings were condemned by God (Deuteronomy 12:31; 18:10). Furthermore, if Jephthah actually burned his daughter in sacrifice to the Lord, he did so without God ever approving his actions (and such silence on God’s part cannot reasonably be interpreted as approval).¹

A much better explanation to the Jephthah question centers around the fact that sometimes a “sacrifice” is offered in a figurative sense. In addition to modern man often speaking metaphorically of “sacrificing” money, sleep, time, energy, etc. for good causes, consider that such figurative sacrificing also took place in ancient Israel. In fact, hundreds of years before Jephthah’s day, ever since the Israelites escaped Egyptian bondage following the tenth plague (the death of the firstborn of Egypt), the people of Israel “offered” both man and beast to God. Jehovah “consecrated…all the firstborn, whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it is Mine,” says the Lord (Exodus 13:2).

There is a sense in which “all males that open the womb” were “sacrificed to the Lord” (Exodus 13:15). But exactly how were all the firstborn males offered in a special way to God? Were they all literally sacrificed as a burnt offering? All the firstborn males among clean animals/livestock were literally burned, but not among the unclean. Unclean animals, such as the donkey, were “redeemed” with a lamb (Exodus 13:13; Numbers 18:15). That is, the donkey was to be delivered or rescued from a sacrificial death with a replacement.² Similarly, “all the firstborn of man” among the Israelites were redeemed.

Rather than literally sacrifice the firstborn male children of the Israelites (as they did their livestock—Exodus 13:2,12-16; 22:29-30), God set apart the Levites for Himself for religious service (“that they may perform the work of the Lord,” Numbers 8:11).

God said: “I Myself have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of every firstborn who opens the womb among the children of Israel. Therefore the Levites shall be mine, because all the firstborn are Mine. On the day that I struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast. They shall be Mine: I am the Lord” (Numbers 3:12-13).

How were the clean animals given to the Lord? In literal sacrifices. How were the firstborn male humans given to the Lord? Not in literal burnt offerings, but in sacrificial service to God (cf. Romans 12:1).

Interestingly, Numbers 8 indicates that the consecration of the Levites was a type of offering—a symbolic wave offering. After God instructed the Israelites to “lay their hands on the Levites” (as they were “offering” them as a sacrifice to the Lord; cf. Leviticus 4:13-15), He said:

Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord as a wave offering from the people of Israel, that they may do the service of the Lord. Then the Levites shall lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, and you shall offer the one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to the Lord to make atonement for the Levites. And you shall set the Levites before Aaron and his sons, and shall offer them as a wave offering to the Lord.

Thus you shall separate the Levites from among the people of Israel, and the Levites shall be mine. And after that the Levites shall go in to serve at the tent meeting, when you have cleansed them and offered them as a wave offering. For they are wholly given to me from among the people of Israel. Instead of all who open the womb, the firstborn of all the people of Israel, I have taken them for myself. For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself, and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel (Number 8:10-18).³

Like the Levites, who were symbolically offered before the Lord, it is very likely that Jephthah similarly “sacrificed” his daughter. She could have been “sacrificed” as a “burnt offering” at the tabernacle in the sense that she became one of the “serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle” (Exodus 38:8; cf. 1 Samuel 2:22). Perhaps like Anna centuries later, Jephthah’s daughter was “offered” to serve God “with fastings and prayers night and day,” never again to leave the area of the tabernacle (cf. Luke 2:36-38). Such a figurative offering makes perfect sense in light of the fact that Jephthah’s daughter and her friends never lamented her death. They mourned—just not her death. What was their sorrow? They “bewailed her virginity” (Judges 11:38). In fact, three times her virginity is mentioned (11:37-39), the last of which is noted immediately following the revelation that Jephthah “carried out his vow with her which he had vowed. She knew no man” (11:39).

If Jephthah sinfully killed his daughter as a literal burnt offering, the repeated bewailing of her virginity makes no sense.⁴ As Dave Miller concluded, such statements are “completely superfluous and callous…if she had been put to death.”⁵ On the other hand, if Jephthah’s daughter was about to be “offered” to God to serve perpetually at His tabernacle, and to live the rest of her life as a single, childless servant of the Lord, it makes perfect sense that she and her friends would lament her lasting virginity. When we allow the Bible to explain the Bible, the symbolic offering of Jephthah’s daughter makes perfect sense.

Endnotes

¹ Admittedly, Judges 11:29 indicates that “the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah” prior to his journey through Gilead, Manasseh, and Mizpah. Having “the Spirit of the Lord,” however, does not mean a person could never sin and do foolish things (e.g., Samson). This phrase is found seven times in Judges. It can indicate God’s consecration of a judge, such as in Othniel’s case, when “the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel” (Judges 3:10). At other times, it refers more to the courage and superhuman strength that the Lord provided them, such as in Samson’s case (Judges 14:6; 14:19; 15:14). Jephthah was a courageous leader, but he was not without sin (Judges 11:3; Romans 3:23).

² If the owner of the donkey did not want to redeem the donkey, he then had to “break its neck” (Exodus 13:15). However, he could not sacrifice it. In short, the donkey had to be redeemed or killed.

³ ESV, emp. added.

⁴ If someone was about to kill your unmarried daughter, would you feel the need to mourn her virginity or her imminent death?

⁵ Dave Miller (2013), “Jephthah’s Daughter,” Reason & Revelation, 33[8]:95, August, http://apologeticspress.org/apPubPage.aspx?pub=1&issue=1131&article=2179.

NEW COVENANT SALVATION by steve finnell

http://steve-finnell.blogspot.com/2017/03/new-covenant-salvation-by-steve-finnell.html

NEW COVENANT SALVATION by steve finnell

All men are saved by the New Covenant and the New Covenant alone. When was the New Covenant applicable?

Hebrews 8:12-13 "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." 13 In that He says , "A new covenant ," He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. (NKJV)

Hebrews 9:16-17 For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. 17 For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has  no power at all while the testator lives.(NKJV)

The New Covenant was not in force until after the death and resurrection of Jesus.

The New Covenant terms for pardon were preached on the Day of Pentecost. Luke 24:46-47 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day 47 "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (NKJV)

TERMS OF NEW COVENANT SALVATION

 Day of  Pentecost preaching by Peter (Acts 2:22-38)
1. Faith: John 3:15 "that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.(NKJV)

2. Repentance: Acts 3:19 "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out....(NKJV)

3. Confession: Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus  and believe in your heart  that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (NKJV)

4. Water Immersion: Mark 16:16"He who believes and is baptized will be saved...(NKJV)

Men are only saved under the New Covenant terms of pardon today.

You cannot be saved like the thief on the cross. The thief did not believe that God had raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus was still alive when the thief was saved. The thief was saved before the New Covenant was in force.

You cannot be saved like Noah by building an ark because of your faith. Noah was saved before the New Covenant.

You cannot be saved like Abraham. Abraham preceded the New Covenant.

You cannot have your sins forgiven by following the terms of John the Baptist. John's baptism was before the New Covenant was in force.

Here A Little, And There A Little by B. Johnson

http://www.oldpaths.com/Archive/Johnson/Edna/Elizabeth/1939/herealittle.html

Here A Little, And There A Little

Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little (Isaiah 28:9-10).

We all need to teach and teach and teach our children and grandchildren at every opportunity. Lessons must be seen as well as heard daily. These lessons must be illustrated and reinforced time after time – facilitating learning by rote memory at first, even by unconscious assimilation because it is lived daily in their homes, and finally by understanding.

One mother told about her experience with a person who did not comprehend how and why we teach our children at every opportunity. She said, "The other day I was in the grocery store checkout line and the lady behind me asked why I was getting little kid bicycle helmets so soon after Christmas, as if the only time we can get our children anything special is Dec. 25! I just told her that my four year old twins were learning the meaning of the word covenant, and that we had discussed about Abraham's covenant with God that morning. I further explained that this was my end of a covenant that I'd made with them to show them what a covenant was, and that they had to keep up their end in order to get the reward. The lady in the check-out line rather sarcastically commented, 'I bet they'll remember that for all of two minutes!'"

Responding more to herself than to the worldly lady, the Christian mother said, "Not if they understand what we teach them and we live it and use it and talk about it all the time."

Obviously, the lady in the grocery line did not care what that mother had to say at that point, but then she was not trying to please people of the world; she had a Lord to glorify and her children's souls to save.

Perhaps we might all better understand the principle by reading Deut 6:7-9 and analyzing it part-by-part to be sure we apply it correctly.

    · And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children,

    · and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house,

    · and when thou walkest by the way,

    · and when thou liest down,

    · and when thou risest up.

    · And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand,

    · and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

    · And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house,

    · and on thy gates.

Beth Johnson

 

Published in The Old Paths Archive
(http://www.oldpaths.com)

A word for this day by Gary Rose

If you watch the news, most of what you see will be negative things; riots, destruction, crimes of all sorts as well as reports about the Corona Virus infection and death rates.

Today, I thought I would post something beautiful, something to make everyone out there wish that they where this picture was taken. Basking in that light shining into the cave, listening to the babble of the incoming water, just enjoying the beauty of it all.

What could be better? Look at the picture again. Do you see it? No, well, turn your head to the right. I see a heart formed from the right side of the cave entrance and light reflected upon the water.

Today, forget about all the problems in the world; after awhile it gets quite depressing. Focus your mind on the beauty of that cave and the heart which is revealed in reflection. Sharply focused yet? No? How about I help you with just one word - LOVE. The Bible says…

1 Corinthians 13 ( World English Bible )

1 If I speak with the languages of men and of angels, but don’t have love, I have become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal.

2 If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but don’t have love, I am nothing.

3 If I dole out all my goods to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned, but don’t have love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud,

5 doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;

6 doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will be done away with. Where there are various languages, they will cease. Where there is knowledge, it will be done away with.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part;

10 but when that which is complete has come, then that which is partial will be done away with.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.

12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, even as I was also fully known.

13 But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three. The greatest of these is love.

I have often heard it said that a picture is worth a thousand words; this is true. But it is also true that one small word can cause you to relive the past and enjoy the present. That word is LOVE. Remember those you have loved as well as those who have loved you- especially God; read the Corinthian passage above and think about how you can reflect the love of God in both your thoughts and actions. If you spend a little “alone time” thinking about these things, then your day will be a better one for having done it.

PS. One more thing - Smile, God loves you!