Seeking God

Introduction

I have a question to ask you. Have you ever lost anything important to you? [Keys, wallet, phone, maybe leaving a credit card by accident at a restaurant]

Was it important to you? Something that you cared about, something that you placed great value on? And when you lost it, or when you realized that you had lost it, and your heart sank because you felt the loss of it?

And then you began to seek it. I don’t mean casually moving stuff around and looking under what was near you. I mean sincerely, diligently, and earnestly seeking that what was lost.

I remember when I thought I lost my kids. When Lukas was around three, he would sleepwalk out of the house and somehow climb into a tree and then cry until you woke up, looking for him.

Last year, I lost Tessa and Andrew during a mall ministry where they got into Claire's but did not tell me, and they were gone. I looked everywhere, and that dread and fear came over me.

I am not the only one who knows that fear when you think a child has been lost. I remember running around frantically, looking everywhere and fearing what I could lose and what was potentially lost.

Fearing what is missing. When I say 'seeking,' I mean putting time and effort into the process and feeling restless, anxious, and losing peace until what was lost is found. It is as if everything you trust in your whole system is unsettled.  Like a wave of crippling anxiety until what was lost has been found.

This is where our message starts today: In Luke 15:8–9 “Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth/does not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seeking diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost.”

o First, she lit a candle, which means to fasten fire to an object, setting it on fire or to kindle a fire.

o To kindle means to bring items close to the fire intentionally, items that are flammable, in other words, that will catch fire.

o Next, she starts sweeping, which means brushing or moving dirt so that a surface can be clean.

How many of us need to clean something in our lives?

There is an emphasis on this passage for cleaning. We see a brushing away of dirt, and we see a sweeping of dirt. We see a candle lit; why? Because dust and grime can hide something precious. What is on the outside of something does not always reveal the inside of something.

Then the Bible says that this woman starts seeking, which means to look for something or attempt to find it. We all do this every day, and we have all done it at times. We’ve looked for something, and after a while, most of us even give up. And we tell ourselves, it will show up later. I know it is here, so why bother?

Why bother? What a phrase that has done more damage to the Kingdom of Heaven than help.

o However, this woman exemplifies what God is looking for.

o God desires those who seek him. Seek his face, seek his presence.

John 4:24 - God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

o With spirit [gk – is pneuma], which means with vitality, with a rational soul, it means mental disposition, i.e., your mind, it means with life. With our lives, we worship. With our soul, we worship. With our minds at full capacity, we worship. We have been given power, love, and a sound mind so that we can defeat the spirit of fear. Scripture says the perfect love of Christ eliminates all fear. With our complete spirit, we are to worship him!

o In truth [gk – is alaythia], which means from depths of sincerity and veracity. Veracity is validation or confirmation tied to a truth. In other words, my God is a discerner of our hearts, and His Word divides asunder joint and marrow, soul and spirit. That is like me saying I place high confidence in this truth claim. But my God does not claim anything. Let me say that again. My God does not claim anything; his word does not return void.

o My God is a God of promise, presence, and power. His promises move mountains in our lives. His presence soothes the fiercest storm, and his power conquers death!

Seeking the Lord

As I have been reading and studying the Psalms, I find David speaking about seeking the Lord. The more you read these passages, the more you realize that for many of us, we have lost something very critical in our lives. We have lost the heart, the fire, and the passion of the Seeking Christian.

To the church in Ephesus, Jesus, through Revelation, uses John to address this church that has lost their first love. But we have to persevere in seeking with passion, with fire, with heart. The sad truth is that so many of us become satisfied with our salvation, and we become comfortable in our experience that we lose the seeking heart. Is that the pinnacle of our spiritual career? Like an Olympic athlete winning a gold medal.

What are the highlights in your life? How many have you brought to Jesus? Have seeds been sown in the lives closest to you? In these moments, I want to assure you. I want to caution you. I want to comfort you, that you have not reached the pinnacle of knowing God. In the moments of salvation, superseding grace, unmerited favor, has freed you from the dominion of flesh and law.

However, the reality is that we can diligently and passionately pursue God.  With every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day, through the seasons of change, storms, and rest, through the mountains and valleys, through the valleys of baca [the valleys of weeping] valleys of achon [valleys of sin], and the valley of shadow of death as we walk the narrow roads, winding paths taking into darkness and bringing us into light.

We are to seek God! Seek him in our passion, our worship, our praise, our prayers, and in the still moments where we tarry. Patience leads to experience, and experience leads to understanding!

As a Pastor, I believe the Holy Spirit has a very real concern, possibly even feels grieved, that there is a void in churches lacking fire for God, seeking the face of God, seeking the heart of God! Seeking the move of God! Seeking the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. I am talking about dead churches, with dead pastors, preaching dead topics, and there is no move of God in their lives. No transformation, from image to image and glory to glory.  

Matthew 7:7 says Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you. This was not spoken to us, just so that when we get in trouble, we can ask, seek, and knock so that we can get out of trouble. No! This was meant to impart to us the spirit of a seeker. One who lives life always asking, seeking, and knocking.

Jeremiah 29:13 "And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." Most of us think that it is referring to finding Jesus and being saved. But it is far beyond that. It is speaking about the everyday life of our lives. Every day of our lives is a new journey, seeking out the heart, the mind, and the will of God. Seeking out the way into his presence. Seeking the way into the waymaker!

Psalm 91

Psalm 91 “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. [That means there is no greater protection than being under the shadow of the Almighty God]

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome [evil] pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. [No trap can keep us bound. My Bible says that my God sends His angels to open prison doors. His truth defends and protects us.]

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all”

David had the heart of a seeker in the face of great adversity. David diligently sought and found the presence of God. David illustrated his search for the presence of God in Psalm 42:1, As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. A deep, intense longing for God. There is a yearning found in David’s relationship with God.

Has his presence become that important to you, to us? I wonder if we have that seekers heart like the woman in our text, and like David? You know there is a scripture that really stirs me, and it also puts a fear in my heart, it's found here... Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: That scripture is a calling, and a wonderful invitation. But it is also a warning. The warning is... God is not always going to be near, and there will come a time that even though you call, and you search, you won't find him. The Bible says... God's Spirit will not always strive with man.

Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.

James 4:8 “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

Conclusion

Our hearts must burn with urgency for the souls around us to press into the presence of God.

We must be relentless in our pursuit. In a world full of distractions and hollow promises, the invitation remains the same: seek the Lord with everything you have, and you will find Him as you pour out your heart before Him.

Psalm 91 calls us deeper into the holy pursuit of God's presence. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the Almighty. When we seek Him above all else, we discover a refuge no storm can shake, a fortress no fear can breach, and a peace that carries us through the darkest night.

This is not a casual stroll; it is a desperate act of our spirit. Seekers of God must rise each morning with a single question burning on their lips: “Where are You, Lord? Show me your face. Reveal Yourself in my weakness.” As we press in, the Living God promises to draw close, transforming our every agony into an anthem of grace.

Charles Spurgeon once declared:

“He who would find Christ must seek him with all his heart, in unwearied, unwavering pursuit.”

Let that truth sink in. The Almighty does not hide in some distant galaxy; He waits in the secret chambers of your soul, ready to cloak you in His righteousness and fill you with His power.

As our hearts align with this promise, we must answer the call of Jesus Himself: “Seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” Today, in this very moment, you can step into that promise. If you feel the tug of the Holy Spirit, do not resist it. He is calling you out of the shadows and into His marvelous light.

If you long for shelter, if your spirit is weary, and if you want the assurance that you are never forsaken, then make this your prayer now: “Lord Jesus, I confess my need of You. I seek you with all my heart. Come into my life, be my refuge, be my strength, and carry me into everlasting life.”

Romans 10:9 tells us that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved.

Let’s pray together.

Heavenly Father, we come as seekers. We lay down our anger, our pride, our doubt, and our fears. We ask You to reveal Yourself, to shelter us, and to give us newness of life through Your Son, Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. In His name we pray, Amen.

Matthew 26:26–28 “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”