Seek God Like Hidden Treasure

Today we continue with the Sermon on the Mount: Are you in or Out? sermon series. I know God is at work and in fact have spoken with a couple of you about what God is laying on your hearts. Do not be a hearer only as James tells us be a doer. Don’t just hear the call God is placing on your life be a doer and answer the call.

Our scripture this morning is Matthew 7:7-12 and is a great section of scripture but again something that many of us, Christians miss in terms of the true meaning of the scripture

Matthew 7:7-12

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“Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Who among you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him. Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

I believe there is a lot going on in this section of scripture and today I felt called to look at 4 things here.

First

God loves to give to His children

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I wanted to start here because I believe to grasp the overall truth you have to begin here.

As humans when your kids approach you with a request you don’t give them the opposite.

Here in Matthew asked for bread but given a stone?

If you child is hungry you feed them not give them a rock

It goes deeper than that.

Many scholars believe that Jesus was pointing to the evil in the world here as well.

The loaves of bread at that time were the same size and shape of large stones in the area....

Jesus could have been pointing to evil men whose son asks for bread and the father intentionally tries to trick their son by giving them what looks like bread but is really a stone. There are those who mock their kids for asking for things.

I want you to understand that God will never mock you or lead you astray or try and trick you when you seek Him.

Jesus goes further

As parents how many times have your kids asked you for something that you know would hurt them?

You know better but they do not. God will also never give you something that will hurt you.

I remember growing up and in high school there was a very popular song by Garth Brooks and the chorus said:

Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

Sometimes you are really asking God for a snake but think you are asking for a fish so because He is perfect and all-knowing He doesn’t give you that snake

Many people see this scripture and think whatever I ask for I will receive.

That is no the truth of this scripture.

That is not God.

God will never go against His Character.

I have heard so many times....this or that is an answer to prayer.

The problem is this or that they claim to be an answer to prayer from God is a sin or is sinful.

It is not something that honors God

It is not something that shines the light of Jesus into the lives of the lost.

It wasn’t from God.

Things such as:

I have been praying about it and feel God telling me to have sex with my boyfriend or girlfriend.

I was so lonely in my marriage and was praying about it and God brought me another man or woman.

I am so down and ashamed of myself and in praying I feel God telling me I am a different gender.

God loves everyone and in my prayers He showed me that being in a homosexual relationship was just fine.

I can’t afford this baby and God showed me in my prayers that I should abort it.

I have been praying for a new job and God opened a door but that job will require me to miss church and Bible studies and cost me much more time with my kids taking the spiritual leader out of the home.

Those are not answers to prayers but justifications for sinful attitudes and actions.

Sex before marriage is always as sin.

Adultery is always as sin.

Claiming a different gender than the one God created you is a sin.

Homosexual lifestyles and relationships are a sin

Putting a job and career ahead of God is always a sin.

Those things will never come from God.

Psalm 37:4

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“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.”

Many people today want the second part of this verse but not the first.

You want the desires of your heart but refuse to take delight in the Lord.

That is where asking, seeking and knocking come into the picture.

Many people think, some believe, very strongly believe, that asking, seeking, and knocking consists of seeing the daily verse on the youversion app or facebook,

coming to church when it works in your schedule and there is nothing better for you to do,

praying when you are in trouble but no other times.

That is exactly how many Christians live their lives thinking they are asking, seeking and knocking.

Some say I don’t need church, I need Jesus.....correct but most of the times people say that is to justify them refusing to make church a priority

I would say this to you who justify missing church on the regular,

Jesus went to church...

But today’s church is full of hypocrites.

So was the temple but Jesus still went there, taught there, ministered there.

Hebrews tells us not to give up meeting together.

You can seek Jesus on your own and should dig very deep into God’s Word on your own but that is not the only place you are called to do that.

God never calls you to isolation for long periods of time.

He may call you into isolation in the secret place or maybe even a weekend but not long stretches…God created you for community

I believe strongly that scripture teaches scripture which is what I experienced this week.

This week’s message took many forms in fact many messages.

Today’s version is the third attempt.

What I realized was I was chasing the message and not chasing Jesus.

I was reading in the old testament this week and God said to me as I was reading there is the meaning to Matthew 7:7-12

It was awesome and I knew right then and there I needed to rewrite the message for today.

Turn with me to

Proverbs 2:1-9

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My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,

listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding;

furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,

if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He stores up success for the upright;

He is a shield for those who live with integrity so that he may guard the paths of justice and protect the way of his faithful followers.

Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity—every good path.”

So there are many things to take from this but here is what God pressed into my heart

You Must Accept God’s Word

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God’s Word is the only authority in this life. It is absolute truth meaning it is always true, never changes and there is never a time when it is not true.

Society and culture change but God’s Word does not change.

So many look to this scripture and point to sinful behavior and thoughts in other’s lives such as adultery, homosexual lifestyles, gender confusion, abortion, drugs, alcohol…i could go on and on

it is true all of those things are sins but most don’t want to accept God’s Word on things that are personal.

Matthew 6:14-15

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For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.”

This is but one example of God’s Word that many Christians justify away and don’t truly accept.

You will be forgiven as you forgive....this includes forgiving yourself.

If you have truly tasted of Jesus pure forgiveness and His pure grace and mercy you will never want to withhold forgiveness and grace and mercy from anyone!

Accept God’s Word

Listen Closely To Wisdom

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When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior you receive the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is wisdom....listen to Him.

God speaks audibly to some but most of the time you hear him speak through scripture and other Christians.

He also speaks through that still, small voice

Listen closely also depicts being intentional....blocking out all the noise around you and listening for something specific.

Seek wisdom like silver or hidden treasure

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If I gave you a secret treasure map that led you to a billion dollars worth of gold,

you would put all your effort and money and time into finding that treasure.

You would justify putting everything else in your life

work

family

hobbies

church

on hold until you found that money.

That is life changing money

That is generational changing money

That is the love of money coming out in your life showing you serve money not God.

You are to ask, seek and knock....just like you would for that gold.....you would stop at nothing to find it.

Asking, seeking and knocking must be top priority in your life.

You would spend every moment and dime you had to find that gold, however you can’t make time to dig into God’s Word.

Christian it is a choice…you have to make it a priority.

In verse 5-8 God then tells you what you will find when you seek

You understand the fear of the Lord

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how to respect God as God.

You see as you seek God in His Word you find Him and the more you understand Him the more you respect Him

You discover the knowledge of God.

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How many of you are desperate for God’s knowledge of how to handle…

how to overcome....

how to defeat....

how to change something in your life?

Seek Him like silver or hidden treasure

Here are the other things God tells you that you will find when you seek Him like silver or hidden treasure

Lord Gives You Wisdom

From His mouth comes knowledge and understanding

He stores up success for the upright

He is a shield for those who live with integrity

He guards the paths of justice

He protects the way of His faithful followers

That is why you dig deep.

Listen Close.

Accept God’s Word.

He shows you exactly what you need when you need it.

Proverbs 2:9

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“Then you will understand righteousness, justice, and integrity—every good path.”

When you commit to seeking God.

When you make him a priority. When you seek Him like you would seek that billion dollars worth of gold THEN you will understand righteousness, justice and integrity…every good path.

Seek like you were seeking for hidden treasure....when you seek like that you find eternal treasure!!!!!

JESUS!!!!!!!

All of that leads us to then understand the truth Jesus teaches in

Matthew 7:12

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“Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

We see the word therefore again.

All of this leads up to what you must have to be able to live out the golden rule…do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

This truth doesn’t make sense to the world.

The world says do whatever is best for you.

Step on whomever you need to step on to get ahead.

You do you boo.

Look out for #1 first and foremost.

No that is not Godly.

Jesus says whatever you want done for you do that for others.

Put others ahead of yourself.

Christians struggle with this.

If you were hungry what would you want?

Fed.

Feed the hungry.

If you were homeless what would you want?

a place to stay,

care for the homeless.

If you were naked what would you want?

Clothes.

Clothe the naked.

If you were disadvantaged and overlooked by society what would you want?

To be seen.

See those cast away by society.

It goes even deeper than that however.

Many Christians demand for justice for other people’s sins, especially the sins committed against them and their families

however when it comes to their own sins they want nothing to do with justice.

Justice demands your death and eternity in hell because of your sin.

Many Christians get so mad at the state of our country and rightfully so.

Our politicians want to kill babies in ways we haven’t seen since Herod.

They want to celebrate and force sinful lifestyles upon everyone.

They even go as far as calling Christians evil for holding to God’s standards on gender and marriage and sexual purity.

You get so angry about that but you skip the secret place and don’t give it a second thought.

You make excuses to not be in church and bible study instead of making excuses to be here.

You see someone that God says go help and you refuse to help them

You refuse to grant forgiveness when God says you are to freely forgive as you have been freely forgiven

You want forgiveness and mercy and grace but so many times refuse to give those exact things.

When you seek for God like hidden treasure you will begin with you in terms of accountability and the more God shows you grace and mercy

The more you will give grace and mercy and forgiveness to those around you it will shine a spotlight on Jesus!!!!!!!!

As Stephanie comes I want you to pray and ask God to show you your heart here and I want you to respond accordingly.

If you don’t know Jesus today is the day to accept Him.

If you realize through God’s loving conviction that you have work to do here,

begin that work by coming and confessing you sins to God.

Asking for prayer,

spend time with Jesus.

Church I want you to understand something

For the righteous as soon as they realize they have sin in their lives they sprint to the altar to confess it and seek a right standing with God.

The choice is yours here this morning.