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This is a message that is related to the story of the wise men in Matthew 2 and the amount of effort they expended in order to seek for the Christ child. The message discusses the need to diligently seek the Lord.
Introduction:
The message today is sort of a sequel to the message I gave a couple of
weeks ago regarding the Wise Men.
In my previous message we tried to provide a number of different
insights regarding the details of the story to help us understand it better.
It is intriguing to me to consider the amount of effort it must have
taken for the Magi to seek for the new King.
No author that I checked seems to know for sure which country the wise
men would have journeyed from. Suggestions have included Chaldea ,
Persia (east of Babylon ) and Parthia
(northeast of Babylon
We do know from the implication of the story in Matthew 2 that the wise
men first saw the star two years prior to the meeting in Jerusalem
Let’s consider for a moment the text verse that I have chosen for this
message, just for the purpose of using the last part of the verse… “Whom seek
ye?”
As you may know, the verse is taken from the narrative about the arrest
and crucifixion of Jesus. So, it is taken from the end of his life rather than
the beginning, but I wanted to emphasize the question that Jesus poses to the
officers, “Whom do you seek?”
As we tie this question in with the Christmas story of the magi, who came
to Jerusalem
I want to propose to you the idea that we need to follow the example of
the wise men and seek diligently for the Christ in order to find Him and enjoy
the benefits of knowing Him.
There are many references in the Bible about seeking the Lord. I would
like to use several of those references today to admonish us to engage in an
earnest seeking for God.
As we approach this subject today, I want us to consider three
important points about seeking the Lord.
I. Our seeking must
have God as the object.
II. Our seeking
must be diligent.
III. Our diligent seeking will be rewarded.
I. Our seeking must have God
as the object.
Psalm 27:8 (NKJV) 8 When You said, "Seek My
face," My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek."
The Psalmist had a positive response from the
depths of his own heart when he understood God to be calling him to seek Him.
From that heart-felt response, there was a
determined willingness to follow through with earnest seeking after God.
Psalm 34:10 (NKJV) 10 The
young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall
not lack any good thing.
In this reference, the Psalmist is emphasizing the fact that one of the
by-products of seeking the Lord is that God will provide the other important
needs in our lives if we seek Him first.
Cf. Matthew 6:33 “Seek ye first…”
It is true that this reference specifically mentions the “kingdom of God.
People in the world have always sought for various things to satisfy
their inner longings and desires. They may seek for happiness, wealth, fame,
and numerous other “objects” that they believe will satisfy the deepest desires
of their souls.
Yet, we’ve heard and read story after story of those who did achieve
great wealth, fame or prestige, but still did not find satisfaction in their
soul. It is because we are spiritual beings, created in the image of God and
with a inborn desire to know God.
We must learn early in life that what our soul truly desires is to know
God, and by seeking and finding Him, we can find happiness and contentment.
II. Our seeking must be
diligent.
Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) 6 But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh
to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him.
A. Diligent seeking involves
one’s entire being.
Deuteronomy 4:29 (NKJV) 29 But from there you will seek the LORD
your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart
and with all your soul.
To seek with all the heart and all the soul
implies seeking with our entire being. It is intense and purposeful. It implies
singleness of mind and objective.
This kind of seeking is consumed with finding
and is passionate about it.
B. Diligent seeking is not sporadic or hap-hazard.
1 Chronicles 16:11 (KJV) 11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his
face continually.
Luke 11:9-10 (NKJV) 9 "So
I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks
receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be
opened.
You have probably heard me say this before and others as well… the
tense of the verbs in verse 9 indicate continuous action. Thus, “keep on
asking; keep on seeking; keep on knocking.”
C. Diligent seeking includes:
1. Searching the Scriptures
2. Prayer
Daniel 9:3-4 (KJV) 3 And I set
my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with
fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: 4 And I
prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O
Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that
love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
No one has ever obtained what they needed from the Lord by trying to
convince God how good they are; how worthy they are; or how it would be in
God’s best interest to respond to them.
3. Fasting
Ezra 8:21 (KJV) 21 Then I proclaimed a fast there,
at the river of Ahava
“afflict” – trans. “humble” in several places.
Seems to carry the idea of self-denial and self-chastening.
III. Our diligent seeking will
be rewarded.
2 Chronicles 15:1-4 (NKJV) 1 Now the Spirit of God
came upon Azariah the son of Oded. 2 And he went out to meet
Asa, and said to him: "Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin. The LORD is with you while you are with Him. If
you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will
forsake you. 3 For a long time Israel
has been without the true God,
without a teaching priest, and without law; 4 but when in their
trouble they turned to the LORD God of Israel
Ezra 8:21-23 (KJV) 21 Then I proclaimed a fast there,
at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to
seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our
substance. 22 For I was ashamed to require of the king a band
of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we
had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them
for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them
that forsake him. 23 So we fasted and besought our God for
this: and he was intreated of us.
This verse references Ezra’s return from
captivity with a large group of exiles and they sought the Lord for protection
from their enemies.
Jeremiah 29:13 And you
will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all
your heart.
See Luke 11:10 above
Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) 6 But
without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh
to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them
that diligently seek him.
God doesn’t mock the person who diligently
seeks for Him. He doesn’t play games with us. He gladly responds with a
“reward.” That is, whatever He sees is the need of our heart and life.
Conclusion:
2 Chronicles 12:14 (KJV) 14 And he
did evil, because he prepared not his heart to seek the LORD.
A short but sad commentary on the life of king Rehoboam, the son of
Solomon.
Failing to seek the Lord resulted in all kinds of evil.
Seeking the Lord is not just for the unsaved, the non-Christian or the
wicked. All of us who claim the name of Christ need to also seek the Lord for
repeated revival and refreshing from His Holy Spirit.
The prophet Daniel and other
godly servants of the Lord had times when they earnestly sought the Lord.
Our closing song emphasizes the
testimony of those who have found what they were seeking for.
Hallelujah I Have Found Him! (Satisfied
)
Let us all purpose this morning
that we will be people who are seeking the Lord with all our hearts and all our
souls.
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