Keynote

SEEKING HIM

Hebrews 11:6-13

 

Every year I ask the Lord to give me a theme that becomes the emphasis for the year.

 

It is not that I preach every message on that theme

 

Or even that we mention the theme often.

 

The purpose for the theme is simply a direction for spiritual travel through the year.

 

  • I generally pray with the theme in mind
  • I consider it in the series of messages I plan for the year

 

Back in August of this year I took several days to get away and during that week I believe the Lord gave me as an emphasis for 2008 the theme

 

Seeking Him.

 

The Bible encourages people to seek the Lord all the way from Deuteronomy 4:29

But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. (KJV)

 

From then on over and over in both the Old and New Testaments we read verses teaching us to seek the Lord

 

1 Chr 16:11

Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually. (KJV)

 

 

There are promises relating to seeking Him; like…

2 Chr 7:14

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (KJV)

And

Ps 34:10

The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing. (KJV)

 

Prov 28:5

Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things. (KJV)

 

And Isaiah 55:6 warns us

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: (KJV)

 

The idea of seeking the Lord appeals to me. It stirs serene visions in my head

Ps 42:1

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. (KJV)

 

I want to seek the Lord.

 

I have been thinking a lot about the story of Martha and Mary

Luke 10:38-42

Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. (KJV)

 

The Lord loved Martha.

 

And I thank the Lord for her spirit of service

 

But

  • Martha didn’t help anoint Jesus body to burial
  • Martha wasn’t there early in the morning on the third day when Jesus arose
  • Martha didn’t see the risen Saviour

 

We emphasize serving the Lord perhaps too much.

 

We might be much better off if we emphasized seeking the Lord and sitting at His feet, and let Him then motivate our service as He pleases!

 

I have spent a good deal of time meditating on seeking the Lord.

 

The Bible does say that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him…..

 

But what does that mean?

How do we do that?

 

I decided that the best course of action for this message would be to find our answer within the text.

 

Notice with me first that there is a connection between faith and seeking God.

 

Faith always seeks God

  • Works will often attempt to serve God but

Faith always seeks God

 

Faith will seek God in what it does

  • But faith will place seeking God ahead of doing for God.

 

So every example of faith in Hebrews 11 is also an example of seeking God.

 

It is not possible for me to preach the whole chapter so I just want to give you what is found between verse 6 and verse 13

 

Faith seeks God

I. BY HEEDING GOD’S WARNING

Heb 11:7

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. (KJV)

 

I see four things in this passage

 

A. Noah heeded a warning

being warned of God of things not seen as yet

 

Nobody understands the Bible who does not understand that it is first and foremost a warning.

 

Prov 1:7

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (KJV)

 

We live in such an arrogant and prideful world today.

 

  • People who do not believe in God
  • People who do not believe God could judge
  • People who do not believe that God could over rule in their lives

 

Seeking God means as much as anything else – heeding the warnings of the Bible!

 

B. Noah saved his house

… prepared an ark to the saving of his house

 

I am among those that believe anyone could have gotten on that ark.

 

But the Bible sadly tells us that only Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives were saved from the Flood.

 

Seeking God means leading my family to seek the Lord too.

 

I praise God for the testimony Noah had.

 

He had quite a task –

  • Preaching righteousness (2 Peter 2:5)
  • Building that ark and
  • Gathering the animals on it

 

But none of that interfered with his first priority – saving his family.

 

Notice that I did not just say his family but saving his family.

 

Imagine if Noah had been a great dad in the sense of

  • Supporting his kids interests
  • Attending his kids activities
  • Forgiving his kids offenses

But did not give them the truth about the Lord….

 

Noah’s influence was so strong that when it came time to get in the Ark, his daughters in law forsook their own parents and got in the Ark, knowing they would never see their parents again!

 

How different is the story of Lot who, when judgment came, his daughters and their husbands mocked his warning and died in the fire and brimstone of Sodom and Gomorrah.

 

C. Noah “condemned” the world

by the which he condemned the world

 

I only bring this up because we have to realize that seeking God is offensive to the people of this world.

 

Seek God means choosing the Lord over the world and the people of it.

 

That leads us right into the next point,

 

Faith seeks God

II. BY LEAVING THIS WORLD

 

Heb 11:8-10

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (KJV)

 

A. Abraham obeyed God

obeyed; and he went out

 

Abraham’s obedience was specific;

  • He left what he knew and
  • He left what he loved

 

In complete obedience to the Lord.

  • He did not know if he would receive better in this lifetime
  • He did not know if he would like the place better in this lifetime

 

But he did obey God anyway

 

Seeking God means leaving the things we

  • Know,
  • Love and
  • Are comfortable with

 

Knowing that God himself is a better prize than anything we have or could have anyway.

 

I think of the Apostle Paul who said

Phil 3:7-10

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (KJV)

 

Paul left

  • An important religious  position
  • The wealth and security it offered
  • The comfort and possessions it provided

 

But he said none of it was worth possessing, “the excellency of the knowledge of Christ”

 

B. Abraham dwelt in tabernacles

he sojourned in the land of promise…. dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob

 

Abraham was a wealthy man in cattle and herds.

 

But in his lifetime

  • He never built a home and
  • He never bought a piece of property

Except the one he buried his wife on.

 

Seeking God means making no friendship with this world.

James 4:4

…. know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (KJV)

 

C. Abraham looked for a heavenly city

he looked for a city… whose builder and maker is God

 

Seeking God means looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of that great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ

(Titus 2:13)

 

 

Faith seeks God by heeding God’s warning

Faith seeks God by leaving this world

 

Finally

Faith seeks God

III. BY EMBRACING GOD’S PROMISES

Heb 11:11-13

Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. (KJV)

 

I just want to point out one thing about Sara….

 

  • She could not have willed herself to conceive
  • She could not have worked hard enough to conceive
  • She could not have believed strongly enough to conceive

 

She conceived and gave birth to a child at the age of 99 completely by the power of God.

 

Listen this is exactly the same truth about salvation

 

  • Salvation is not because we decided to follow Jesus
  • Salvation is not because we have been really good Christians
  • Salvation is not because we have served the Lord better than anyone else

 

Salvation is completely based

  • On the promise of God
  • By the grace of God and
  • In the mercy of God

 

The wonderful thing about that is that because it is based on the promise of God and not my good works – I can have it.

 

  • If I had to be good enough
  • If I had to seek the Lord the right way
  • If I have to stay good enough once I got good enough

I could never be saved.

 

I would mess up somewhere along the way.

 

But since it is based on the promise of God – I can know I can be saved.

 

The fearful thing about it is….

I am not saved just because I say I am.

 

  • I am not saved just because I go to church
  • I am not saved just because I preach on Sundays
  • I am not saved just because I try to do good things

 

  • I am not saved because I want to be saved

 

If Christ hasn’t save me….

              Then I am not saved.

 

1 John 5:12-13 says

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (KJV)

 

I said that faith seeks God by embracing the promises.

 

The promise of salvation is in Jesus Christ…

  • Not on religion
  • Not in good deeds

 

But in Jesus Christ.

 

Seeking God means embracing Jesus Christ.

 

Seeking God means letting go of

  • Any other hope,
  • Any other religion,
  • Any other philosophy or wisdom

And embracing Jesus Christ alone.

 

Conclusion

Faith seeks God by heeding His warning

Faith seeks God by leaving this world and

Faith seeks God by embracing God’s promises

 

 

 

Hit Counter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For further information contact Pastor Marvin McKenzie at marvinmckenzie@bbcpuyallup.org