$5 Dollar Pursuit

Announcements

no service next week

baptisms this sunday

Chili cook off with wagon rides

youth camp

alright, now listen up

befroe we get into the message

i have a little challenge for you

somewhere in this room

i have hidden 7 $5 bills

when i count the three

you have 60 seconds to look

who ever finds them gets to keep them

there are 7 $5 dollar bills

underneath 7 chairs

One. two. three. go

why did you look for the money?

… some of you pushed for it….

…ran and even got a little loud

…some of you wanted more than just one $5

you looked for the money

because you actually believed me

and wanted what i offered

now some of you are too cool

and you choose not to look

but you also didn’t expect to find the money

those of you who searched

you searched because you believed

something valuable was there

you didn’t sit back

and hope it would fall into your lap

you either went after it

hoping to find it

or you sat back

and expected nothing

i’ve titled this message

The $5 Dollar Pursuit

Jeremiah 29:11–13 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

some of you

were more in on that $5 dollar search

than you ever have been for God

when it comes to God

we give Him our left overs

we fit Him in when we can

maybe the depth of our pusruit of God

is coming to church

and we expect Him to move in our lives

we expect God to just show up

when we are not seeking Him

but that’s not how it works

listen God has a plan for your life

not a random plan

not a backup plan

not an “if-you-dont-mess-up-too-bad-plan

a real plan

that is good

and filled with purpose

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

see God isn’t making up your story as you go

He already has a figured out

he already has your future planned

but in order for you to live out the plan He has for you

the plan that is good not for disaster

the plan for your future

the plan that makes you hopeful

and excited if you knew it

in order for you to live out the plan He has for you

the future He hass for You

you have to follow His plan

following God is not optional

if you want to walk in His plan

if you want to step into your purpose

if you want to live the life He designed for you

you have to seek Him

we all have ideas

we should all have goals

we all want to be something some day

and thats not wrong

its good to dream

its good to plan

its good to think about our future

Proverbs 16:9 “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.”

you can plan out your whole life

but the closer you get to God

the more sensitive you will be to His heart

and God will be able to direct your steps

to the plan He has for you

now that may look like the plan you thought out

or it may look different

but you can be sure

God’s plan will always be better

than the one you came up with on your own

God is for you

He is not against you

He desires the best for you life

but here is they key to it all

more than anything that God wants to do for you

He desires you

God desires you

more than anything He wants to do for you and through you

the plan he has for you is a by product

of Him having your heart

you can’t have the plan

and God not have your heart

first and formost

God wants your heart

Matthew 6:33 Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

God wants your heart

everything else is added

when God has our heart

and when we are seeking Him

He does have a plan

He is a good God

and good Father

but more than the plan

He wants a relationship

Gods plan for you starts with relationship

He says seek first

not second

not last

but first

Jeremiah 29:13 “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

God desires you

the good plan

the future

your life’s success

is a result of knowing Him first

so if God has a plan for your life

and if that plan starts with seeking Him

then the question is this

How do you seek God?

what does it look like to seek God?

because thats a real question

we talk about seeking God

we talk about God’s presence

we talk about intimacy with God

but what does all that mean

and how do we start?

Jesus made it pretty simple

Matthew 7:7-8 Keep on seeking, and you will find. …Everyone who seeks, finds.

so how do you seek God?

im going to break it down

and give you 4 points

on how to seek God

and what that looks like

you seek God with your heart

seeking God starts in your heart

with your motivations

not for other people to see you

not for the reward He can give you

but from the inside of you

wanting and desiring Him

Jeremiah 29:13 “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

not for pretense

not for the image of being a christian

but when no one is around

your heart is set on knowing Him

it begins on the inside not the outside

before your actions

before your habits

before anything else

where is your heart at?

seeking God starts in the heart

your motivation is everything

God isn;t playing hide and seek

and He isn’t hard to find

but with the wrong heart

we wont see Him

Matthew 5:8 “God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.”

how to seek God

2. You seek God with your time

im not saying every moment of every day

you have to be in your Bible

and on your knees praying

im saying

whatever you give your time to

is what you value

if He only gets 30 seconds before bed

or a prayer over your food

thats not seeking God

and that will show your value of Him

seeking God with your time

looks like

reading your Bible consistently

and thinking about what it says

spending time in prayer

praying prayers that line up with His Word

because your learning His Word

when your seeking God with your time

you will catch yourself throughout the day

thinking about God

and thinking about the things your have read in your bible

you will start to notice

how real life

is impacted by your relationship with Jesus

seeking God looks like

giving Him your time

you seek God with your heart

you seek God with your time

3. you seek God with your ears

you can’t follow God if you can’t hear God

and you can’t hear God

when everything else in life is so loud

seeking God means turning down

the noise

the distractions

the chaos

remove all the voices in your life

and giving God space to speak to you

true intimacy with God

is created in this space

create a habbit of getting alone with just you and God

create a space where He can reset your heart

where He can remind you

of who He is

allow yourself to be covered by the presence of God

in the quietness of those moments

if you will give God a quiet space to speak to you

consistently

you will notice your intimacy with God

and your relationship develop in ways

that it would not be able to develop in otherwise

meaning quiet time with God

is one area that you can’t really learn about

you experience

everyones quiet time looks different

because it is a personal time with the Lord

its intimate and special and will transform your heart and life

the more you cultivate this

the more special to you it becomes

thats why we have alter calls

because im wanting you to be able to take those moment with you

get alone with just you and God

put some worship music on

and allow Him to wash over you

these are intimate moments

that God wants to have with you

alone in your own quiet space

so how do you seek God

you seek God with you heart

you seek God with your time

you seek God with your ears

and you seek God with your actions

it looks like this

the things you say begin to change

the way you joke begins to change

the habits you have begin to change

seeking God looks like action

stepping toward Him in Worship

stepping toward Him when you feel conviction

stepping away from sin

stepping into obedience

notice i talked about steps a lot

God directs your steps

but you have to be willing to take them

because seeking God looks like action

He has a plan for your life

he directs your steps

but you have to follow

you have to take the step

if you want His plan to unfold in your life

God has more for you than you could ever imagine

and its starts with pursuing Him

but listen to right now

because Here is where some of you check out

you hear all this about seeking God

about giving Him your time

about praying and reading your bible

you hear about stepping towards Him with your actions

and away from sin

and then you think

because im struggling right now

because im going through a lot of emotions

or i have this sin in my life

or i can’t get this or that right

and you feel like your struggle

or because your not perfect

God is holding back His plan from you

you feel like

because you don’t have it all together

God is holding back from you

and one day it will be different

but thats not the case

you don’t have to be perfect

you don’t have to get everything right

you don’t have to be struggle free

or free from depression or fear

no one is perfect

everyone struggles

no one has it all together

not me

not any of the leaders

no pastor is perfect

my wife is the only perfect one

but God’s plan for us

is not based on our perfection

its based on our pursuit of Him

all the struggles we face

that will work itself out

as we seek Him

dont let what you are facing

or going through

hold you back from seeking God

because He is the answer

He is the answer to everything

maybe you didn’t grow up in church

or maybe you learned to be half way in

because you did grow up in church

God doesn’t want passive christians

He wants fully committed people

he wants us to bring our sin to Him

he wants us to being our foul mouth

he wants us to bring our addictions

and depression our doubts

our fears to Him

He doesn’t want us to stay away

because we are not pure enought

or not good enough

we don’t know enough

he doesn’t want us to feel like

we can’t walk in His plan because we don’t have it all figured out

He just wants you

and He already knows eveything already anyways

and He still said i have a plan for you

with all your hurt

with all your heavyness

with all you strengths

with all your weight

with all your stuggles

there is nothing you have or have gone through

or even are currently going through

that God doesn’t want

because He can use it all

in this plan He has for you

the most important thing

is continueing to come to Him

when life gets hard go to Him

when life is good

build on Him

thats what He wants

for you and i to seek Him

and He promises we will find Him

because it is in His Word

and His Word does not lie

watch this

Matthew 6:33 “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and everything else will be added to you.”

thats a promise

seek God and everything else will work itself out

now listen to me

we talked about

seeking God with your heart

seeking God with your time

seeking God with your ears

seeking God with your actions

God isn’t asking you to be perfect

He’s asking you to come to Him

He’s wanting you to seek Him

to take that next step

to move toward Him

to follow Him

some of you have had the thought

when i get it together then i’ll go after God

when i stop messing up, then God will want me

When i know more, then i’lll seek Him

But thats not the gospel

thats not God’s heart

and thats not even what the Bible says

what is in the Bible

Jeremiah 29:13 “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

Matthew 7:7 “Keep on seeking, and you will find. ”

Matthew 6:33 “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and everything else will be added to you.”

God is telling you tonight

let go of what you think

let go of not being good enough

let go of not having it all together

let go of shaming yourself for making the same mistakes

just seek me

just come to me

just make the step

and i will handle the rest

so heres my question tonight

are you willing to take the step

not a perfect step

but a step

are you willing to say God i want you

i want your presence

i want your voice

i want your plan for my life

are you willing to say

God i dont have it all together

but im coming anyway

are you willing to seek Him

the way you went after that $5 dollar bill?

with urgency

with movement

with desire

with expectation?

if thats you tonight

as the music beings to play

with prayer partners ready to pray with you

if your in this room and your ready to seek God

if your ready to make Him first in your life

not perfectly but willingly

i want you to get out of your seat

and come to this alter

don’t wait on your friends

dont worry about looking around

seek Him

with action

take the step

and lets worship together