Hope: Seek Out Hope

Introduction

So many people are looking for hope.

In the last few weeks we’ve talked about making sure that we place our hope in the right place.

It’s not about circumstances or comforts. It’s about Christ!

We’ve also looked at praying in Hope and calling out with the assurance that God hears us and that He cares.

This week we will explore what it means to seriously seek out hope.

Jeremiah 29:11–14 ESV

11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

4 Ways People Seek God

1) The Cynical Seeker…

Too often many will “seek” God as a way to seek being God rather to actually discover God.

They will ask questions or seek out God with an ulterior motive of self-exaltation.

They “seek” so they can say, “I looked for God and He is not there. I sought and he was not found. What I did find was vast emptiness. It’s not worth my time to seek a Maker. It is rather more worthwhile for me to be self-made.”

Biblical Example of this: The Pharisees and Sadducees.

They went to seek out Jesus, but it was always to entrap or to dishonor him so they would be seen as great in the eyes of the people.

They’re hope was not to genuinely find God, it was to find more self-empowerment and influence over people.

If you and I embrace doubt and seek God with a disingenuous heart, then what we are really doing is in our own pride, seeking to put God on my level.

We seek to build ourselves up and to bring God down to where we can place him in a box of our own making.

We must remember, though, that God “opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

On the Day of the Lord, the cynic will finally see God revealed in His full glory. On that day, the cynic will have no choice but to bow the knee and declare that Jesus truly is Lord.

It is far better for us to genuinely seek God now, than to have our prideful cynicism be on a collision course with King Jesus.

2) The Curious Seeker…

Unlike the cynical seeker, the curious seeker has a genuine interest in something of God but not truly captivated by God Himself.

They wish to seek something about God, but aren’t quite sure they want to encounter God.

A Biblical example is the Rich Young Ruler (Luke 18) and Nicodemus (John 3)

Both were curious about God but not really interested in all of who God is.

The curious seeker isn’t afraid of discovery, but is not too keen on embracing what is discovered.

People who are curious about God will give some attention to God but are more interested in a “burning bush” type of experience that solicits emotional spark than a full on embracing all of Jesus.

They will observe and ask questions, but when the answers aren’t exactly what they were hoping for they walk away. They may start the journey towards faith and hope, but give up before reaching the glorious destination.

3) The Casual Seeker…

The casual seeker is a lot like the curious seeker, but without the effort.

It’s kind of like when you are looking for something in a hurry. You’ll give a quick “once over” but when something doesn’t just jump out at you, you move on.

The casual seeker may say they want to seek God, but in reality they like the thought of seeking God more than actually taking the time to seek Him.

The casual seeker sees connecting with God as just another something in their life added to all the other somethings going on. If something doesn’t just jump out in the moment, then it’s off to the next thing.

Biblical example of this: The crowds that followed Jesus from various villages and many of the men who hear Paul in the Aeropagus in Athens (Acts 17).

The vast majority of people in our local, Jesus-saturated culture are in danger of being casual seekers.

They will shoot up a quick prayer, maybe look to see if God will jump out at them, but if nothing immediately catches their attention then they go on about their business as usual.

They have too much to do in their lives to spend too much time seeking God.

They’re mindset is that of, “Let’s keep this seeking God thing to a Sunday or two a month if I have time and if nothing ever interferes.”

4) The Committed Seeker…

The committed seeker seeks God with all of their hearts, that is with all of their lives.

The first thought on their minds when they wake up and the last thing on their minds when they go to sleep is about God. And most of the thoughts in between are about God and connecting with Him.

They humble themselves before the Lord.

They do not wish to merely see God, they wish to connect with God. They don’t want to water God until he fits in their box. They shed their self-pride until they fit the mold God is shaping them into.

They wait on the Lord. They have the mindset of: I will not move from this place until God moves. I will not abandon hope.

There are numerous biblical examples but a few immediately come to mind:

The disciples of John 6: “To where shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

The apostles in Jerusalem after Jesus ascended (Acts 1)

Zacchaeus (Luke 19)

We must be humble, committed seekers if we are to encounter our Holy and Loving Father.

When we are seeking hope, hope is found in God, but we must seek Him on His terms, not ours. Our hearts must be in the right spot. That spot is “all-in”. No holding back: realizing that we have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

CLOSING

Friends, our world is looking for hope and I will tell you unashamedly that hope is available. Hope can be found in God, but we must find Him and His hope His way. He does not want to hide hope from you. He very clearly shows you the way. You will seek Him and you will find Him when you seek Him with all of your heart.

Will you find Him today? Will you come to the realization that you live in a broken world and you had a part in breaking it. You have a broken life and you have a big part in breaking it. Will you realize this evening that when you are apart from God you are on a highway to hell, but praise God that He has given you a one-way exit ramp. It’s exit John 3:16 and it leads directly to Jesus.

Seek Him with all of your heart and you will find Him. Seek Him with all of your heart and you will find life and you will find HOPE.