Seeking

I was reading the Bible along with those who are doing the Bible recap and I found myself deeply, deeply meditating on what I read. I would like to have you join me in that mediation through my sermon today.

I’m handing you a 3*5 card with an assignment.

What are you doing today or this week? What are your plans?

I’m not going to look at it but I want you to think about it, write it down. What are you doing this week.

TIMER

I’m going to ask you to do something that a lot of the times we never do. I want you to ask yourself a question about all of what you are doing. It’s a big question.

Why?

If you were honest, and no one else needs to look at this so you can even include the stuff you didn’t want to include, I just want you to ask why? Why are you doing that.

I can hate time off because I often wake up and do not know what I want or why I want to do something for today. I think a lot about why do I want to do what I want to do. And this week I was confronted by a truth of Jesus when it comes to why and what I do.

I know that A lot of what you do is good or makes sense.

The going through the day working on getting things done

I love finishing tasks. I love it when students leave for break because than I am finished. I even love emptying a box of oatmeal packets or toothpaste because it is finished.

I understand those of you that are seeking accomplishment, finishing.

There are more of you are that are different than me, what do we call it, oh yeah, Sane. You actually go through life looking to get to something enjoyable. Whatever it is you enjoy. A co-worker who loves to go to concerts, some of you it’s the weekend or even the daily sitting down and doing whatever it is you like that tv show, hobby or scanning through your phone.

- You are seeking happiness, fun

Some of you have a lot of tasks on that list because you are trying to get enough money to eat, to take care of your responsibilities.

- You are seeking money to get stuff.

Jesus thought a lot about what we want to do and why. If Jesus did it, and we want to follow Jesus, we claim to be followers of Jesus, that we should think about what we are doing and why too. It’s wild that what he then taught us about why we do back 2,000 years ago still is true today.

This is what Christian mediation is, it is the entering into relationship with God through His words and listening and looking for God in our life. So can we ask of ourselves and hear from God on Why we are doing what we are doing because according to Jesus it is incredibly important.

Matthew 6:31–32 NLT

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

Matthew 6:33 NLT

33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

What is it like to seek something above all else? Ever have to be somewhere in 10 minutes and you can’t find your car keys?

Things get tossed about and I don’t know about you but I get annoyed when others aren’t helping me. I go everywhere looking for those things.

Want an even more focused search.

Even been out shopping and suddenly realize you need a toilet right now!

Everything else seems to fade away. Who cares about a shopping cart maybe even whomever your with, you could care very little, when you are about to mess your pants and walking with dignity doesn’t matter as much as walking to keep everything in.

You seek a toilet above all else.

It’s a search with a lot of clarity. Laser focus. When we need something and truly desire it, not much else matters.

Jesus relates a lot of bodily stuff with the desperation of how we should live our lives, He gets even more focused the importance of the why we are doing what we are doing

Matthew 5:6 CSB

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

When you have a desperation for eating, drinking, like remember Jesus said this before grocery stores and water in houses, hunger and thirst were even more common but even so if you have ever gone without food for a long time you know that even sleeping becomes incredibly difficult. We are to desire living right just like that. Remember here it is hunger and thirst and in the first one it was just seek it

Matthew 6:33 CSB

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

I know, surprise, surprise you encouraged to seek God and doing the right thing instead of the wrong thing at church. Can you believe it?

Of course, you can. It’s only shocking when someone encourages something outside.

Yet, this is vital! Vital for any follower of Jesus to know and do.

The author A. W. Tozer said,

“As God is exalted to the right place in our lives, a thousand problems are solved all at once.”

Sounds pretty wise to do then doesn’t it.

Seeking God first and His Righteousness comes with a promise, you will “arrive.”

This is what Google maps says when you reach a destination.

Recently google maps has taken me everywhere.

In texas I was driving in residential neighborhoods and felt sure I was going to have to stop a car to help a cow give birth or something, end up at someone’s door and just say “Google”

In the foothills, Kenny, Jesse and I are bumping up and down on a road that isn’t a road, while I’m going where am I, Kenny is telling me about the trees, I am yelling look at the map on the phone, and Andrew is back in the back seat laughing like crazy, while Jesse is sitting there in ultimate coolness saying this is cool.

Than in LA I’m trying to get from Anaheim to Stockton, and Google starts taking me “down a faster route” But doesn’t warn me that I will need to change lanes in 0.3 seconds while trying to get through bumper to bumper traffic, and that some detours should come with a warning to bullet proof windows, and others are so far out there, Did you guys know that there is a road on top of the Grapevine? You know the Grapevine that takes you from the Bakersfield side of I-5 to the LA side of I-5. Yeah there is a road much higher than that. Goes through a nice residential neighborhood. Marie says Hi, or at least Google told me to tell Marie Hi. Anyway, Google takes me all kinds of weird places but it ends with “You have arrived.”

Seeking God and His righteousness is sort of like that.

When one of Jesus disciples met Jesus, Nathaniel, he was so surprised because Jesus said,

John 1:47–48 CSB

47 Then Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said about him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” 48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered.

Now there was no way that Jesus could have just naturally saw this interaction so Nathanael said,

John 1:49 CSB

49 “Rabbi,” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!”

Jesus replied

John 1:50–51 CSB

50 Jesus responded to him, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” 51 Then he said, “Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

When we seek God and His righteousness we will be taken to many different places we never thought we would. We will experience great joys of being part of lives completely changed.

But most importantly we will get to know God. Because when we seek after God and His righteousness God will reveal Himself to us.

Yet can we trust God like we would trust navigation or do we turn him if off half way thinking, I know the way. It can work with google but it doesn’t work with God.

A relationship though is not a carnival prize. A relationship with God is not a product. We have to seek God and his righteousness first, in season and out of season. When it is bad times and when it is good times. When we are desperate and when we are at the party.

Matthew 6:33 CSB

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

It isn’t so simple.

All kinds of things are distracting you from seeking God and His righteousness

look at your list of this week and see all the normal everyday reasons people forget.

There are the things that most know are distracting: seeking money, addictions, and power over others.

But I bet your list has more about the normal of family, jobs and rest. These can be distracting from God too. Many a family have sought just making it through life and left God for the crises of life.

Jesus told us this would happen. Because life doesn’t just cruise along, hardships happen. Which then leads those who have been cruising through life to seek God for a time, like God is an ER, so that we can get back to seeking what we want to seek.

Some of you might be here because something isn’t right in your life. In fact you walked in theses doors because something might be dreadfully horrible. First, God loves you and we desire to as well. I have a promise and a warning, this crisis is going to pass one way or another it will end.

At the end will you know God, will you have a relationship at the end of it?

Jesus told us a story about a farmer who spread seeds. He said the seeds fell along four different types of soil.

Matthew 13:19–23 NLT

19 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. 20 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 21 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 22 The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced. 23 The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

If I told you that all the problems you walked in here with were washed away, gone. Would you come back next week? Might, because you will have new problems.

But what if I told you that your problems will remain all you will have is a relationship with God. Would you come back next week? every week?

Some of you can right now say yes. You still might be in the middle of a new trial but you know Jesus. Because if it isn’t one thing it’s another. But God is in the another too.

Seek God and His right ways for Him not for something. That is seeking God second

An author of many books wrote this:

… so many professing Christians just want to get things from God. Anyone can write a book now that will sell—just give it a title like, Seventeen Ways to Get Things from God! You will have immediate sales. Or, write a book called, Fourteen Ways to Have Peace of Mind—and away they go by the ton. Many people seem to be interested in knowing God for what they can get out of Him.

They do not seem to know that God wants to give Himself. He wants to (give of) Himself with His gifts. Any gift that He would give us would be incomplete if it were separate from the knowledge of God Himself.…

I feel that we must (reject) … seeking God for His benefits. The (all-powerful) God wants to be loved for Himself and honored for Himself, but that is only part of what He wants. The other part is that He wants us to know that when we have Him, we have everything—we have all the rest. Jesus made that plain when He said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).

I Talk Back to the Devil, 24, 25.

A. W. Tozer

Seek God and His right ways for Him not for something

Ever felt used by someone? I have. Once you were not able to give them help to get better at something, or get out of something they disappeared.

Ever used someone? I have. You can use someone to make yourself feel better. Use someone as a fall guy to take the blame for something. You can even think you are doing the right thing for someone but in reality you are doing it to make yourself feel like a good person.

People use God a lot.

How do we not use God?

Be Honest and seek God with an attitude of complete trust.

There is a story in the New York Times today about a woman who says her life was ruined by former Italian Prime Minister, the person who was like President of Italy, Berliscuoni which close to 15 years ago he hired her when she was 17 and many other women to dance for him. He paid her $30,000. There was alleged affairs and all kinds of other sexual immorality. It’s awful. She blames the trauma of her upbringing and being a minor at how awful it was for her. I don’t think any 17 year old knows the chaos and horrors that will come with being paid for sexual pleasures. Nor should they and how would any kid know?

While a middle aged Prime Minister of a country should know that paying women for dancing and alleged sexual immorality is wrong and inappropriate does he know all of the ramifications, problems, chaos, that will be unleashed into the world. No, how can any person know.

The former Prime Minister is long dead of natural causes so we don’t know what his justifications would be.

There is a whole lot of messed up here. We live in a world where if you can find someway that can explain motivation for addiction, sexual immorality, anger and rage than, in some people’s minds that makes them right or with no responsibility.

God doesn’t tell us that we have to know where we are going. He says seek Him and His right ways first.

We aren’t responsible for knowing what will come of what we are doing. We are responsible for seeking Him first.

Without God, I am not sure by what standard right and wrong would be judged. You can see that our culture changes this definition all the time.

Because in the eyes of a gossipy dinner conversation, most would have very, very strong opinions when I told them about this situation in the NY Times about an Italian Politician, the leader of all of Italy, and a now 31 year old woman and this scandal.

Maybe you see yourself in this situation or maybe you think you understand out of your own history. Or maybe you hate people in power, whatever.

But what did Jesus do when confronted by situations like this.

When Jesus met a woman, who was scandalized by her community he talked with her. She may or may not have been interested in wrapping Jesus up in her scandalous ways. Because they were talking to each other, which back in that day wasn’t a scandal but it was close.

Jesus asked for a drink of water from the woman but she reminded him of how scandolous it was for her to give him a drink. And He said, that he had living water and she would never thirst again. When she wanted that, Jesus said.

John 4:16–18 CSB

16 “Go call your husband,” he told her, “and come back here.” 17 “I don’t have a husband,” she answered. “You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’ ” Jesus said. 18 “For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”

This Jesus shouldn’t have known. He couldn’t know what she had really done. It was very, very scandolous then and it was true. But it wasn’t the end of the conversation. In fact Jesus didn’t dwell on the scandal anymore. They talked about religion and the truth about God. And Instead of harping on sin, Jesus revealed to her a truth he hadn’t told anyone else up to that point.

John 4:25–26 CSB

25 The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Jesus told her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”

The conversation ended because the disciples returned but we can see that Jesus invited her into a relationship with Him. She got to know who Jesus really was, but it required honesty. It required Her getting real with God.

God already knew. God doesn’t gossip about us and God doesn’t dismiss our sin even if it was prompted by years of things outside of our control, by years of trauma. We can be hurt badly and also hurt others badly. Instead, God acknowledges it, and invites you to know Him. Completely committed to Jesus.

Another Biblical writer said it this way,

Philippians 3:10–11 NLT

10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!

If we are to seek God, we need to go after knowing God as Jesus said to the woman

“In Spirit and Truth”

If there is one thing that I know about being a pastor for over 20 years is that some people are more interested in me believing their lie than in seeking God. They care more about me believing their sober than about the freedom Christ can bring. They care more about what I think about them than about the gifts God has for them. They care more about me liking them than the love they receive from God through obedience in loving others

Stop caring about what anyone in this room thinks of you

Seek God and we will all see the fruits of the Spirit grow from you

That’s right. God promises it.

Galatians 5:22–23a (CSB)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.

Let’s seek God. There is more to the how for sure. I can’t go into all of that in this one sermon. But if you, right now, take that schedule of yours, and over the top of it,

SEEK GOD AND HIS RIGHT WAYS