Seeking Jesus

This is a sermon that was given on March 8, 2015 and is the first of four sermons during Lent taking us up to the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.

Psalm 107:9 (NKJV)
⁹  For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Introduction:

About 1 ½ weeks ago we entered into the season of Lent on the church calendar. Lent starts with Ash Wednesday and concludes on the day before Easter. It is a period of 40 days (not counting Sundays, because Sunday is always considered a celebration of the resurrection), and it was a period devoted to repentance, prayer and fasting. Some believe that 40 days was designated as the length of the Lenten season in order to correspond with the 40 days Jesus fasted in the wilderness before the beginning of his ministry.

You may or may not know this, but for three different Sundays I have attempted to preach a sermon titled, “Loving Jesus.” Obviously God had other plans. I was beginning to wonder if I should scrap that message! Instead of scrapping the sermon, I have decided to postpone it for another couple of weeks. (If we get a snow storm on that Sunday, then you know what’s going to happen to that sermon!)

I feel that the Lord gave me an idea for a short series of topical messages to use during the Lenten season leading up to Easter. The message I had planned to use before will now be a part of that series.

The series will begin today with the title “Seeking Jesus” and will also include messages on “Knowing Jesus;” “Loving Jesus;” and “Serving/Worshiping Jesus.” All of these messages will focus on the idea of taking time and putting forth the effort to draw closer to the Lord in this season leading up to the celebration of the resurrection.

There are three observations about seeking Jesus that I want to focus on today.

1. Spiritual thirst/hunger is the beginning of our search.

a. Man was created with a spiritual hunger.

Perhaps you have heard others make reference to the idea that we humans were created with a “God-shaped hole in our hearts” that cannot be adequately filled or satisfied with anything else but Him. I don’t know of any verse in the Bible that teaches that specific concept, but we do know from Scripture that every human being is created with a soul and a spirit.

Theologians believe that it is the spirit of man that enables him to have contact/communication with God, and distinguishes him from animals. On that basis, we would conclude that God created man with the capacity and the desire for a spiritual connection that is higher than himself.

b. Man was created with the gift of choice.

The story of creation includes the fact that God gave our very first parents the ability to choose whether they were going to obey Him or not. The privilege of choice is accompanied with great responsibility. Every one of us will be judged according to what we have done with our opportunities to choose God’s way or our own way. Every one of us will be accountable for our responses to each opportunity God has provided for us to satisfy our God-given spiritual hunger.

c. Man has a history of fighting against the created hunger.

Psalm 14:2-3 (NKJV) The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. ³  They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

In reference to these words of the Psalmist, the Apostle Paul concludes: Romans 3:11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.

Paul uses these convicting words to argue for the fact that every human being is guilty of sin and stands before God without excuse.

Dear friends, God created us with a spiritual hunger and that hunger must be nurtured in order to seek the Lord. Regardless of what your level of spiritual hunger and thirst may be at this time, it can get stronger and this season of Lent is a great time to stimulate that appetite and develop a greater hunger for God.

2. Intensity of search determines success.

The Bible is full of examples that demonstrate God’s activity in seeking fallen humanity. The whole story of redemption and the coming of Christ into our world is nothing more than God doing everything necessary to “seek and save that which was lost.” Yet, He gives us the responsibility to seek Him. And we have evidence in Scripture that it is only whole-hearted seeking that will be rewarded.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NKJV) And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

When Jesus Himself was teaching and preaching during His earthly ministry, we are told that He often spoke in parables. Some of His parables were simple to understand and “get the point” while others were rather vague. In fact, when asked by some of the disciples why He spoke in parables, Jesus responded by saying,

Matthew 13:13-16 (NKJV) Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴  And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: 'Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; ¹⁵  For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.' ¹⁶  "But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear;

This answer seems to indicate that Jesus deliberately framed His messages at times to appeal more to the ones in the audience who possessed a strong enough desire to seek God and seek the truth that they would earnestly inquire to know more and understand more. But, to the people who were only half-hearted in their quest for spiritual truth, His messages seemed uninteresting or too deep and too confusing.

In my years of ministry I’ve met people who admit that their spiritual understanding was very limited and it was very hard for them to grasp biblical truths and concepts. There is nothing wrong with that and it is a fairly normal condition. The thing that often frustrated me and saddened me was the fact that many of those same people demonstrated little or no desire to get serious or diligent about trying to understand or trying to learn.

They seemed completely satisfied to shrug it off and go on their way, seeking satisfaction in everything else except the one Person who could satisfy their longing – Jesus Christ.

As we approach the time when we once again commemorate the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, let us all purpose to get serious about seeking Christ and all that He desires to bestow upon those who desire Him.

3. Satisfaction of desire is the result of diligent seeking.

I’m so happy I can proclaim on the authority of God’s Word that “…he that asks receives, and he that seeks finds and to him that knocks it shall be opened.”

Psalm 107:9 (NKJV) For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

Jesus said, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled.”

In our Scripture reading earlier in the service we heard,

Psalm 34:10 (NKJV) The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV) 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.

Luke 11:13 (KJV) If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit [i.e. Jesus Himself] to them that ask him?

Hear it!

Believe it!

Live it!

Amen.

Let’s close the service by singing a hymn that is a prayer for God to fill us with His Holy Spirit.