Seek the Praise of God

Intro

we are in our series, Seek and You Will Find, and we are taking the next number of weeks and unpacking the concept of seek. We saw last week that seek is not simply to look for something, but in the biblical context it is to give all of our effort, it is to crave or desire the thing that we are seeking. We are going to work for it.

Last week we left off with the question, “What are you seeking after?” This morning, I am going to give you something specific to seek after, and this may not be something new for you, but the implications of the thing we are to seek has a ripple effect that can not be ignored.

So to kick things off this, we are going to Romans 2:29

Romans 2:28–29 NLT

For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

Total Life Change

Paul is writing to a Jewish audience, and he is trying to get through to the Jews that simply being circumcised was not enough. The Jewish people had this misconception that they were the chosen people and that was enough to get them into eternity. But Paul tried to get their attention by saying it is not enough to simply go through the motions; there has to be a change of heart, a change of life.

At times I wonder if Paul would say the same thing to the church today. There is the misconception that simply saying a prayer once is enough to get you into eternity. The reality is that there shoud be a life change. Scripture tells us that you are made new, and everything is renewed.

In this passage, Paul tells the church in Rome that one of the evidences of this life change. When your heart is changed by the Holy Spirit, you seek the praises of God, not man.

Now that may seem like an odd thing to write, but I want you to see the different ways that God talks about different people through out Scripture. First David

Acts 13:22 NLT

But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’

then Job

Job 1:8 NLT

Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.”

Then the words that Jesus uses in Matthew 25

Matthew 25:21 NLT

“The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’

Matthew 25:34 NLT

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.

God loves to praise His people

this should not really surprise us because God is the good Father. How many parents in the room don't love to brag about their kids, especially when they do something awesome or cute? That desire to praise your kids comes from the fact that you are made in the image of a loving Father that loves His children deeply.

The other thing about seeking God’s praise is that He does not withhold it. We do not seek God because He is hard to find. If you are willing to seek Him, He is there to be found. If you want to seek God’s praise, it is there for the taking.

However, if you don’t want it, you won’t get it. In 2 Kings, when each king was introduced, they either did what was evil in the LORD’s sight, or they did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight.

those whose heart has been changed by the Holy Spirit seeks praise from God, and if you seek the Lord, you will find Him.

It is not just about God

Now as I was thinking about this, I realized this idea of seeking praise does not just apply to our relationship with God, but also applies to the other relationships in our lives, but there is a hierarchy.

So first comes God. We seek His praise by living a life worthy of God’s praise. This will often put you at opposition to pleasing people, but that is OK because your desire is to achieve God’s praise before anyone else’s.

So what other relationships should we be seeking the praise or adoration of someone above anyone else?

If you follow the layout in Ephesians 5, next would come your spouse. Men, you should seek the praise and adoration of your wife above any other woman. Women, you should seek the praise and adoration of your husband above all other men.

Then comes family. We’ve read in 1 Timothy that you cannot manage your own family, you shouldn’t be managing the family of God. You should care for and capture the adoration of your kids before you worry about everyone else’s kids.

Then comes church. This is your spiritual family. Once you’ve prioritized God, then your spouse, then your kids, then comes the church. You should be well thought of in the church, more so then the greater community. What gain is it if you have the greatest reputation in the town but you are not well respected in the church?

This is so important for us to get because it is contrary to what the society is telling us. If you just post the right thing or play the right game, you can gain popularity among thousands of people you will never meet. It is so easy to create a facade on social media that people gravitate to. It is easy to get connected through video games to groups of people you will never truly meet.

But the truth is that anything that comes too easy isn’t worth gaining. The best things in life, you have to work for.

If you are sitting there thinking about what I just said is impossible, that’s because it probably is. How can we possibly live a life that is honouring to God first, then to our spouse, then our kids, then the church? Who has time for all of that?

Two things. A) If you live a life that is worthy of God’s praise, it will probably be a life that honours your spouse, that loves your family, and gains you respect in the church. There’s quite a bit of overlap between those 4 areas. B) Jesus didn’t just die on the cross to take away your sin. He died on the cross so that the Holy Spirit could come into your life and give you strength in the areas that you are weak. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. Those 9 things are all necessary for any relationship you may have to be healthy.

So the question I have for you this morning is simply this: Whose praise are you seeking? As for me, I want to hear my heavenly Father say that I was a man after His own heart. I want my wife to be proud of me and the man I am. I want my kids to want to grow up and be like their dad. I want my parents to be proud of me. I want to stand before Jesus and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” The best part is that I don’t have to sit back and wait with anxious anticipation. I can live a life that moves towards that end.

Whose praise are you seeking?

Let’s Pray

1. What stood out to you from the message?

2. If you are honest, whose praise are you seeking?

3. Pick one of the 4 relationships (God, spouse, family, church). What can you do this week to honour that relationship?