Sunday 1st Service / Title/Scripture: God Who Gives Good Things (Matthew 7:7-12) / Speaker: Pastor Ryu Gwang-su / Date/Location: January 16, 2022, Immanuel Seoul Church
Matthew 7:7-12
07 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
08 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.
09 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
11 If you then, who are 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 So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Summary
“I am a child of God — so why am I living like this? God is almighty — so why do I have no power like this?” He truly prayed this prayer, and God answered it. Right now, a time of prayer is needed — one of grasping the exact covenant and making a decision. A prayer that grasps the exact covenant will always be answered.
▣ Introduction_ Two things to take note of
1. Matthew 7:6
He said not to give what is holy to dogs, nor to cast pearls before swine. This word means not to give holy things to dogs who do not know “value,” and to swine who know nothing but “eating.”
2. Matthew 7:9-11 (Luke 11:11-13)
“If your son asks for bread, will you give him a stone? If he asks for a fish, will you give him a serpent? If he asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion? If even evil men know how to give good things to their children, will God not give good things?” He said this.
▣ Main_ The important things to pray for as shown in the text
1. The first prayer to understand is the prayer of a child of God
If you do not know this, it is like giving pearls to swine and holy things to dogs, He said. The first prayer to understand is the prayer of a child of God (John 1:11-12). When you become a child of God, what changes?
1) 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are God’s temple” — this means you are God’s throne. “and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” Because God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — the Triune God — dwell within us in spirit, completely invisibly, we absolutely cannot be ruined. We must hold onto this covenant.
2) Galatians 2:20 All our curses, the me who deserved condemnation from the past, is completely crucified and dead on the cross, and Christ lives within me.
3) 2 Corinthians 5:17 The old has passed away; the new has come.
4) Genesis 1:27 God created us in His own image.
5) Genesis 2:7 God breathed the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils. We must pray this prayer.
▷ Because the Holy Spirit of God dwells within you who are saved children of God, God’s throne has come upon me. This is the prayer that seeks this. You must pray this prayer. Other prayers are not important. “Lord, let the blessing of the throne come upon me. Let the power of the Triune God come upon me.” The prayer of having become a child of God is immense. If you truly understand this prayer correctly, there will surely be a work of God.
2. The prayer through which the 9 powers of the throne are delivered to me
▷ “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” This means that not only the power of the Triune God is within me, but the 9 powers of the throne are to be delivered to me. Seeing this — God who gives even better things. God who gives answers that the world absolutely cannot give. And so, we must hold onto three certainties.
1) A child of God with whom the Triune God is present
2) The 9 powers of the throne, prepared for us, that save the world
3) Seeing this prayer being prayed — “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
3. The prayer that delivers this power to the world
1) Matthew 7:12 “Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” The Law and the Prophets — this means this is the Scripture.
2) This is saying to begin the prayer that saves the dying, because there are so many who are dying.
3) This is saying to serve others.
▷ Recover prayer anew. Recover the prayer of a child of God. The prayer of enjoying and conveying the power of the throne — that better thing which the world cannot give, that God has given — must begin. Many people are waiting; begin the prayer that will save them.
▣ Conclusion_ All things are contained within these three prayers.
1. In Jesus’ first sermon, He continually spoke of prayer (Matthew chapters 5, 6, 7)
2. Answers received after beginning this prayer
The thirsty souls waiting for the gospel begin to be seen, and the answer of delivering the gospel comes. Within this, the upper room movement in the Scripture begins to be seen.
3. The path to healing the rapidly increasing mental illness in the world
1) Not a simple gospel, but the gospel must enter completely
2) The part that the Triune God fundamentally heals must enter into me
3) Now the 9 powers of the throne that truly receive answers must work within me
4) And so the truth of “Ask, seek, knock” must be conveyed
4. Begin this prayer during worship and throughout the week.
“God, work upon me with the power of the throne. Let the Triune God heal my soul. For there are so very many sick people throughout the whole world. Let me be a person of mission who saves them.” Only this prayer is needed. No other prayer is necessary. When you pray this prayer, all answers are set to be recovered.
Transcript
This happened forty years ago. I was troubled for a moment, but the answer came greatly. It was not some other prayer — I asked the question: “I am a child of God, so why am I living like this?” Anyone could ask that question, but I truly prayed it. “God is almighty, so why do I have no power like this?” That is how I asked. This was about forty years ago. And God answered that prayer.
Right now, you need a time of prayer — grasping the exact covenant and making a decision. You must not grab hold of a wrong covenant. A prayer that grasps the exact covenant will always be answered. This text is one you know well. And yet, beyond expectation, it is easy to miss.
▣ Introduction_ Two things to take note of.
First, in the introduction, there are two things to take note of.
“Ask, and it will be given to you.” That is what it says. “Seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Is this not something everyone knows?
1. Matthew 7:6
But here an important word appears. It is a part we have not read just now — there is only one verse set apart, and that is verse 6. In verse 6, this is written. Before saying these words, He said: “Will you give what is holy to dogs?” And also: “Will you throw your precious pearls to pigs?” That is how He began, you see? To put it simply: “Will you give what is holy to a dog that does not know value? Will you give pearls to a pig that knows nothing but eating? If you give it, won’t they just trample it with their feet, damage it, and destroy it?” And then right after that: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” — saying it like that. Within this, there is now a tremendous answer.
Today, even without great fasting prayer, He has given a very important answer right here for receiving answered prayer in a short time. No matter how much you may love your dog, you would not hang a very expensive necklace on it. A person who raises pigs would just give them slop — no matter how beloved those pigs may be, you would not go and bring them a big jewel or give them something special like that.
2. Matthew 7:9-11 (Luke 11:11-13)
And then He said this: “Who would give a stone to a son who asks for bread? Who would give a serpent to a child who wants to eat fish? Who would give a scorpion to one’s own child who wants to eat an egg?” In Luke chapter 11, one more appears. “Who would give a scorpion to one who asks for an egg? Does not even an evil person want to give good things to his own child? Will God not give good things?” Today, within this text, are the important things you need to pray.
▣ Main_ The important things to pray for as shown in the text
1. The first prayer to understand is the prayer of a child of God
First. You need to know what the prayer of a child of God is.
The prayer of a child of God is something tremendous. Can you afford not to know this? That is what I am saying. If you do not know it: “Is it not like giving pearls to swine?” That is what He says. Jesus was not comparing people to swine or dogs. He is saying, “Is it not just like that?” The first prayer you need to understand is the prayer of a child of God.
In John chapter 1, verse 11, it says, “Jesus came as the light.” And then the word that follows is: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” That is something tremendous. When you believe in Jesus and become a child of God — what happens? There is no other visible sign. You need to know that. When you become a child of God, what changes? The Scripture gives many important explanations.
1) 1 Corinthians 3:16
In 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 16: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” That is what it says.
2) Galatians 2:20
And in Galatians chapter 2, verse 20: “All our curses and our past died on the cross, and it is Christ who lives within me.”
3) 2 Corinthians 5:17
2 Corinthians chapter 5, verse 17: “A new creation.” Today you must simply remember this. What is the first thing? The throne of God’s kingdom — that blessing — comes to me first and foremost. This is that prayer.
If you do not know this — “Is it not like giving holy things to a dog?” That is what this says. “Does a pig not know nothing but eating? Then if you give pearls to a pig, will it understand?” That is the heartbreaking message. Most people do not know. A saved child of God — because the Holy Spirit of God dwells within you — the throne of God has come upon me. This is the prayer that seeks this. Pray that prayer today.
4) Genesis 1:27
Genesis chapter 1, verse 27: “God created us in his own image.”
5) Genesis 2:7
Today, what prayer must you pray? “God breathed the breath of life into Adam’s nostrils.” That is what it says. This is receiving that power. Your other prayers are not important. This prayer of having become a child of God — it is immense.
Something happened before. Those people know it — they saw it. Our team went to Taiwan to evangelize. The car unknowingly drove into a large Buddhist temple in Taiwan. And the head monk was no ordinary person. The moment he saw our team, he knew right away. And so our team shared the gospel with the head monk. This head monk had so much spiritual difficulty and could not find resolution — and he received Christ. Ah, a monk.
Something amazing happened. To this person, the moment he received Christ — the evil spirit that had been oppressing him and pressing him down his whole life — it fled. And so this caused a great commotion. What do you think happened? This monk immediately could not let it go, and went into a back room — doing the upper room here. Our team kept going. Later it became known, and there was an uproar in the temple. “Why is our monk studying the Bible in the back room?” That caused the commotion. That person will not be shaken. What it means to be saved — that person experienced it.
I mentioned this before. When you have this amazing experience, the experience of being saved, you change — your prayer changes.
The person herself was a shaman. Her mother-in-law was a shaman. Her own mother was a shaman. She contacted me. And her own mother and her mother-in-law had arranged the marriage and they were wed. But a child of about ten or so years old had fallen ill with a strange disease. The hospital could do nothing, so they said: “It would be better to go home.” And so they brought the child home. The hospital had said something like: “It might be today or tomorrow.” This person was so desperate that she looked at the bulletin and called — she called my house. I was a deacon at the time. I had truly done nothing. I felt somewhat awkward. Looking at the child’s face, it seemed strange. I thought to myself, “I need to get out of this house quickly.” I did only one thing. I told the exact gospel. This child — a child who had been dying — prayed together with me to receive Jesus. Even I did not believe it. I just went and did that. I myself had done nothing. That night, this child got up. Remarkable, isn’t it? So I thought, “Ah, this spiritual problem — it is this serious.”
Everyone, you are nearly all missing this blessing of being saved. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple” — this means “you are God’s throne.” “and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” Because God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit — the Triune God — dwell within us in spirit, completely invisibly, we absolutely cannot be ruined. You must hold onto this covenant. And so Paul confessed it this way: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” “The me who deserved condemnation has been completely crucified and is gone. It is Christ who lives within me.”
Right now, Jesus is moving through Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7, continually explaining. Today, begin your prayer. “Lord, let the blessing of the throne come upon me. Let the power of the Triune God come upon me.” If you truly understand your prayer correctly, there will surely be a work of God.
2. The prayer through which the 9 powers of the throne are delivered to me
Today, here: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” What does this mean? For the one who is saved, it is not only the power of the Triune God that is within me. As you keep seeing, the 9 powers of the throne are to be delivered to me. Seeing this, what was said? God who gives even better things. Not just the kind of answers we have been talking about until now, but God who gives good things. God who gives answers that the world absolutely cannot give.
There was once a pastor in America who was criticized a bit as “a mystic.” He could not speak well from birth. So his family gave him a name. Since he could not speak well from birth, they named him Oral Roberts. “Oral” — as in, speak well. Like how we Koreans, when a child has a mole, might nickname them “Jeom-soon-i” to wish the mole away. That is how they gave him the name.
And yet, strangely, while he could not speak well, he could pray. So he went to seminary. He went to seminary and became a pastor. But his ministry was not working. In the testimony he wrote, he said he was in some rural place and nothing could come of it. That is when he first came to understand. He truly began to pray before God. “God, give me the truly prepared answer — the blessing of the throne — the true answer that God has prepared. Give me that power.” He prayed this. This was a real person, and certainty came to him.
And then he thought, “Ah, I must heal many sick people and deliver this power of God.” He rented a theater even larger than this place (Immanuel Seoul Church) — enough to make others worried. “Can someone who couldn’t even revive a church really do this in such a large theater?” they said. But he gathered people into that large theater-like place and held a meeting. In the middle of the meeting, the fire of prayer broke out intensely. It was so overwhelming that the pastor collapsed in prayer.
He was lying in the hospital when newspapers reported on it. The newspaper covered the meeting of Pastor Oral Roberts. An unbelievable story. Three trucks of wheelchairs were taken out. Wheelchairs alone. In America, people were astonished. The people who had come in wheelchairs had left them behind and walked away. And three trucks full of wheelchairs alone. One or two trucks full of walking sticks only. The newspaper wrote: “This pastor’s sermon has not yet finished — because he collapsed in the middle of it. On the day the sermon finishes, America will be saved.” That was the article. And because so many of those things happened, the American church community apparently has records of people saying, “That person is strange.”
What I am saying right now is not that particular point. The answers to prayer that we should receive are not just at that level. As you begin this year, you must hold onto certainty. You must hold onto three certainties.
1) A child of God with whom the Triune God is present
A child of God with whom the Triune God is present.
2) The 9 powers of the throne, prepared for us, that save the world
What is the second? God has surely prepared for us — the 9 powers of the throne that save the world. You are to pray for those.
3) Seeing this prayer being prayed — “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Seeing that — “Ask, and you will receive. You are God’s child, so seek. Knock, and it will be opened to you.” You must begin this prayer.
3. The prayer that delivers this power to the world
Do you know what the last third thing is? It is delivering this power to the world.
1) Matthew 7:12
Today, verse 12 has this word. Although it may seem out of nowhere: “Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” Now — what does the Law and the Prophets mean? It means this is the Scripture. The ancient law and prophets — this is the Scripture. That is what it says. Some theologians say of this part that “He explained the highest ethics.” But it is not merely that.
2) This is saying to begin the prayer that saves the dying, because there are so many who are dying.
“Because there are so many who are dying — begin the prayer that saves the dying.” That is what it says.
3) This is saying to serve others.
Right now, even if people do not say so, there are so many people who are full of wounds. And so — truly, you must do this, there is no other option. There are so many wounded people. And so, it gets to the point where almost everything seems mentally off. Everything and everyone looks bad to them. Everything appears to be going wrong. That is mental illness — that is what it becomes. And people are filled with it. So go quickly to save them — save them.
Today, verse 12 may seem unrelated, but it says: “Serve others.” That is what it says. “For this is the Law and the Prophets.”
Today, you must recover prayer anew. You must recover the prayer of a child of God. What is the better thing that God has given, that the world cannot give? The prayer of enjoying and conveying the power of the throne must begin. Many people are waiting. Begin the prayer that will save them. That is it.
▣ Conclusion_ All things are contained within these three prayers.
1. In Jesus’ first sermon, He continually spoke of prayer (Matthew chapters 5, 6, 7)
Jesus is now in His first sermon, and He is continually speaking of prayer. In Matthew chapter 5 as well: “Be reconciled with your enemy and come and worship.” In Matthew chapter 6: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
2. Answers received after beginning this prayer
Then one day — I had just started praying this prayer fervently — two young women came walking into the church. They came in and said: “We came looking for the Unification Church meeting here.” So I asked, “Why are you looking for the Unification Church?” I truly could not understand. They said they had come all the way from Gimhae. In Busan, Gimhae is quite far even for us. “Why did you come?” I asked. They showed me a piece of paper and said: “It says there is a meeting here, so we came.” And there I shared the gospel with these two young women.
I shared the gospel, and of course they received it — but that was the first time I felt it. “Ah, there are souls this thirsty.” Their eyes — to some degree, they were moving around searching for something. At that moment I thought: “Ah, I am a fake believer — practically a fake believer.” There are people like this out there.
At the early days of the meetings, I shared that testimony. I went to Busan Jungang Church — I still remember it. A person named Lee Gyeong-suk came up and gave a testimony at the Friday all-night prayer meeting. I received it and was greatly shocked. Right in front of it was the Busan Bank headquarters. She had worked there for 14 years. This was her testimony. She was a new believer. She had received grace and when someone asked her to share at the Friday all-night meeting, I heard her testify.
She said she had wanted to go to church since she was young. But her parents said, “You absolutely cannot go to church.” She said that as a child, she loved even just the sight of a church building. And so she always thought in her heart: “Ah… I need to go to church. I need to believe in God.” She always had that thought. While working at Busan Bank for 14 years, an elder who worked at the same bank never once said to her, “Let’s go to church.” She said she simply could not understand it. She was too embarrassed to say anything herself. But that elder and the other church members — throughout her 14 years of working there — not one of them ever said, “Come to church.” Let alone sharing the gospel — they never even said, “Come to church.”
And so one Sunday, she simply went out and found a church on her own. At that time I was a deacon — there was a revival meeting, and a banner had been hung in front of the church. I didn’t even know I had written it, but I had written: “Anyone is welcome.” She saw it and came in. As the church members were going in, she asked: “Can I also come — to church?” And they just said, “Come in.” So she went in. In one sermon, this person was completely transformed.
At that time — I cannot speak for others — but I thought to myself: “Wow… I am truly a fake deacon.” There are so many people out there searching so desperately, and I have never gone to them even once. That is when I started going out. Ah… there are so many people waiting for this gospel. Actually, my life changed from that moment. Ah, those who are waiting — this gospel and nothing else will do. This must be delivered. And then the upper room movement in the Scripture became clear to me — I suddenly saw what it was. Well, from that point to this day, not missing a single day, the answers kept pouring in, to the point where I have no time to worry. I have no time to worry. God just keeps giving answers. Since I have no ability, I have no time to talk about others. Because the answers God keeps giving are so great, I am busy just keeping my eyes on them. And forty years passed like that.
3. The path to healing the rapidly increasing mental illness in the world
Right now, in America and all across the world, mental illness is suddenly rising. These days it is occurring at an extraordinary rate.
1) Not a simple gospel, but the gospel must enter completely
What can heal them is not a simple gospel — the gospel must enter completely.
2) The part that the Triune God fundamentally heals must enter into me
The part that the Triune God fundamentally heals must enter into me.
3) Now the 9 powers of the throne that truly receive answers must work within me
Now you must truly receive answers. The 9 powers of the throne must work within me. That is it — the second reason.
4) And so the truth of “Ask, seek, knock” must be conveyed
And so: “Ask, and you will receive. You are God’s child, so seek. Knock, and it will be opened to you” — this truth must be conveyed. All things are contained within these three.
4. Begin this prayer during worship and throughout the week.
As I came to understand why Jesus, at the very beginning of His ministry, explained prayer with these words — the answers began.
Today, I pray this will be the best week. Throughout the week, I hope you will begin this prayer. During worship today: “God, work upon me with the power of the throne. Let the Triune God heal my soul. For there are so very many sick people throughout the whole world. Let me be a person of mission who saves them.” Only this prayer is needed. No other prayer is necessary. Everyone, when you pray this prayer, all answers are set to be recovered. I bless you in the name of Jesus Christ that this blessing will begin for you. Let us pray.
Prayer. We thank you, God. Ask, and it will be given; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened. Before you, God who gives good things, let the answers that save the world and save me begin from this moment. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.