Title: What Does It Mean to Seek Christ? Meta: What is it to seek? Seeking is to set the mind and heart on something. We go to Scripture and read it and our brain processes the ideas being communicated and we let our heart and mind be fixed on those realities. You seek Christ by calling upon Him and pleading with Him. When someone is seeking Christ, one question to ask is what they're seeking Him for. Are they seeking Him to be saved from sin or to just be saved from trouble they find themselves in? Tags: Tim Conway,Christ,Seek,repentance,faith,believe 1 00:00:05,221 --> 00:00:08,710 This one is from Jeremy. 2 00:00:08,710 --> 00:00:10,868 He asks this: 3 00:00:10,868 --> 00:00:16,867 "What does seeking Christ look like? 4 00:00:16,867 --> 00:00:19,819 I've been unsaved for quite awhile, 5 00:00:19,819 --> 00:00:22,744 but I know that in the Scripture 6 00:00:22,744 --> 00:00:24,336 that if we seek Him, 7 00:00:24,336 --> 00:00:25,980 we will find Him. 8 00:00:25,980 --> 00:00:28,323 And I'm just wondering what it means 9 00:00:28,323 --> 00:00:30,731 to truly seek Christ 10 00:00:30,731 --> 00:00:32,702 to where I find Him 11 00:00:32,702 --> 00:00:35,571 and He saves me from my sins. 12 00:00:35,571 --> 00:00:37,912 Thank you for your help, Pastor Tim." 13 00:00:37,912 --> 00:00:40,790 Now, again, I want you to think here. 14 00:00:40,790 --> 00:00:43,322 You're sitting across from this guy. 15 00:00:43,322 --> 00:00:48,142 What does seeking Christ look like? 16 00:00:48,142 --> 00:00:51,252 Listen, we ought to have an answer for that 17 00:00:51,252 --> 00:00:53,685 for Christians. 18 00:00:53,685 --> 00:00:55,522 "I've been unsaved for quite awhile, 19 00:00:55,522 --> 00:00:57,152 but I know that in the Scripture, 20 00:00:57,152 --> 00:00:58,867 that if we seek Him we will find Him 21 00:00:58,867 --> 00:01:00,677 and I'm just wondering what it means 22 00:01:00,677 --> 00:01:01,846 to truly seek Christ 23 00:01:01,846 --> 00:01:03,541 to where I find Him and He saves me 24 00:01:03,541 --> 00:01:04,721 from my sins." 25 00:01:04,721 --> 00:01:07,653 You know, I don't know everything 26 00:01:07,653 --> 00:01:12,033 that's going on in the guy's life, 27 00:01:12,033 --> 00:01:15,659 but there's no better questions than this. 28 00:01:15,659 --> 00:01:16,656 (from the room) 29 00:01:16,656 --> 00:01:18,049 I think of the verse where 30 00:01:18,049 --> 00:01:19,969 it does talk about seeking the Lord 31 00:01:19,969 --> 00:01:22,347 in Isaiah 55. 32 00:01:22,347 --> 00:01:25,061 Like literally the next verse... 33 00:01:25,061 --> 00:01:28,605 "Seek the Lord while He may be found. 34 00:01:28,605 --> 00:01:31,286 Call upon Him while He is near." 35 00:01:31,286 --> 00:01:32,810 And the very next verse says, 36 00:01:32,810 --> 00:01:34,773 "Let the wicked forsake his way 37 00:01:34,773 --> 00:01:36,670 and the unrighteous man his thoughts. 38 00:01:36,670 --> 00:01:37,926 Let him return to the Lord 39 00:01:37,926 --> 00:01:39,772 that He may have compassion on him, 40 00:01:39,772 --> 00:01:40,815 and to our God, 41 00:01:40,815 --> 00:01:42,883 for He will abundantly pardon." 42 00:01:42,883 --> 00:01:44,637 Tim: Well, here's the thing. 43 00:01:44,637 --> 00:01:47,146 Listen to his question. 44 00:01:47,146 --> 00:01:53,407 He's asking: "I'm wondering what it means 45 00:01:53,407 --> 00:01:57,656 to truly seek Christ." 46 00:01:57,656 --> 00:02:02,279 So start in about (Isaiah) 55:4 or so 47 00:02:02,279 --> 00:02:05,007 and just start reading. 48 00:02:05,007 --> 00:02:07,643 "Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples, 49 00:02:07,643 --> 00:02:09,742 a leader and commander for the peoples. 50 00:02:09,742 --> 00:02:11,423 Behold, you shall call a nation 51 00:02:11,423 --> 00:02:12,903 that you do not know, 52 00:02:12,903 --> 00:02:14,723 and a nation that did not know you 53 00:02:14,723 --> 00:02:16,543 shall run to you 54 00:02:16,543 --> 00:02:18,364 because of the Lord your God 55 00:02:18,364 --> 00:02:20,142 and of the Holy One of Israel, 56 00:02:20,142 --> 00:02:22,295 for He has glorified you. 57 00:02:22,295 --> 00:02:24,363 Seek the Lord while He may be found. 58 00:02:24,363 --> 00:02:26,648 Call upon Him while He is near." 59 00:02:26,648 --> 00:02:28,743 Ok, stop right there. 60 00:02:28,743 --> 00:02:34,443 Seek ye the Lord while He may be found. 61 00:02:34,443 --> 00:02:38,142 Call ye upon Him while He is near. 62 00:02:38,142 --> 00:02:40,597 That's one that we sing. 63 00:02:40,597 --> 00:02:41,872 We sang it at Community. 64 00:02:41,872 --> 00:02:43,950 We'll have to introduce that one here too. 65 00:02:43,950 --> 00:02:46,269 But here's what's interesting: 66 00:02:46,269 --> 00:02:50,126 Both those phrases 67 00:02:50,126 --> 00:02:52,279 are relatively synonymous. 68 00:02:52,279 --> 00:02:54,981 They're two ways of pretty much 69 00:02:54,981 --> 00:02:57,068 saying the same thing. 70 00:02:57,068 --> 00:02:59,408 Seek ye the Lord while He may be found. 71 00:02:59,408 --> 00:03:02,036 Call ye upon Him while He is near. 72 00:03:02,036 --> 00:03:04,206 Maybe be found; when He's near. 73 00:03:04,206 --> 00:03:07,498 You basically have kind of a parallel statement; 74 00:03:07,498 --> 00:03:08,751 just a repetition. 75 00:03:08,751 --> 00:03:11,845 If you take it that way, 76 00:03:11,845 --> 00:03:14,258 what does seeking mean? 77 00:03:14,258 --> 00:03:16,065 What's the parallel to seeking? 78 00:03:16,065 --> 00:03:19,354 Calling. 79 00:03:19,354 --> 00:03:23,694 Listen, what does it mean to seek the Lord? 80 00:03:23,694 --> 00:03:26,450 You know, in the days of the rich, young ruler, 81 00:03:26,450 --> 00:03:28,330 blind Bartimaeus, 82 00:03:28,330 --> 00:03:34,407 it may mean I'm waiting for Him to come. 83 00:03:34,407 --> 00:03:36,170 If you're blind Bartimaeus, 84 00:03:36,170 --> 00:03:38,454 He happens to be coming through my town today. 85 00:03:38,454 --> 00:03:39,649 Or if you're Zacchaeus, 86 00:03:39,649 --> 00:03:41,140 I'm going to climb up in a tree 87 00:03:41,140 --> 00:03:43,241 and I'm going to see Him. 88 00:03:43,241 --> 00:03:44,909 Or you're the rich, young ruler 89 00:03:44,909 --> 00:03:48,090 and you take off running to where He is. 90 00:03:48,090 --> 00:03:52,162 How do we seek? 91 00:03:52,162 --> 00:03:55,749 How do we seek now? 92 00:03:55,749 --> 00:04:01,900 Is seeking not to set the mind 93 00:04:01,900 --> 00:04:04,969 and the heart on something? 94 00:04:04,969 --> 00:04:11,052 Is that not how we seek now? 95 00:04:11,052 --> 00:04:18,547 In fact, open your Bibles to 1 Chronicles. 96 00:04:18,547 --> 00:04:23,156 Somebody look at 22:19. 97 00:04:23,156 --> 00:04:26,806 But to set the mind and the heart on Christ, 98 00:04:26,806 --> 00:04:29,738 that's what it is to seek. 99 00:04:29,738 --> 00:04:31,930 Or you think about how John put it. 100 00:04:31,930 --> 00:04:34,850 Here's all these signs. 101 00:04:34,850 --> 00:04:37,560 Here are these miracles that Jesus did, 102 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:39,377 and I've given you these 103 00:04:39,377 --> 00:04:40,745 that you might believe 104 00:04:40,745 --> 00:04:42,911 that Jesus is the Son of God 105 00:04:42,911 --> 00:04:45,700 and that in believing in this Christ 106 00:04:45,700 --> 00:04:47,704 revealed in Scripture, 107 00:04:47,704 --> 00:04:50,126 you might have eternal life. 108 00:04:50,126 --> 00:04:52,569 Well, how do we seek that Christ? 109 00:04:52,569 --> 00:04:54,171 Well, you go to Scripture, 110 00:04:54,171 --> 00:04:55,413 and you read it, 111 00:04:55,413 --> 00:04:58,115 and you let the truth in those words 112 00:04:58,115 --> 00:05:00,570 come up off that page into your eyeballs. 113 00:05:00,570 --> 00:05:03,619 Your brain processes those ideas 114 00:05:03,619 --> 00:05:05,164 that are being communicated, 115 00:05:05,164 --> 00:05:07,284 and your heart and your mind 116 00:05:07,284 --> 00:05:09,654 fix on those realities. 117 00:05:09,654 --> 00:05:10,705 Somebody read there. 118 00:05:10,705 --> 00:05:14,128 This is Solomon here. 119 00:05:14,128 --> 00:05:15,908 1 Chronicles 22:19. 120 00:05:15,908 --> 00:05:17,890 Somebody read that. 121 00:05:17,890 --> 00:05:19,560 "Now set your heart and your soul 122 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:20,888 to seek the Lord your God." 123 00:05:20,888 --> 00:05:22,296 Tim: Isn't that interesting? 124 00:05:22,296 --> 00:05:23,734 Set what to seek? 125 00:05:23,734 --> 00:05:25,848 (from the room): Your heart and soul. 126 00:05:25,848 --> 00:05:26,985 Right. 127 00:05:26,985 --> 00:05:30,618 So we see in Isaiah 55, 128 00:05:30,618 --> 00:05:32,324 there's a calling aspect. 129 00:05:32,324 --> 00:05:36,604 We see here that there's 130 00:05:36,604 --> 00:05:40,437 a heart and mind aspect. 131 00:05:40,437 --> 00:05:42,651 Something you do with your heart, 132 00:05:42,651 --> 00:05:43,761 your mind, 133 00:05:43,761 --> 00:05:45,288 you do it with your intellect. 134 00:05:45,288 --> 00:05:49,768 You do it thinking on Christ. 135 00:05:49,768 --> 00:05:52,798 Calling on Christ. 136 00:05:52,798 --> 00:05:55,281 You're communicating with Christ. 137 00:05:55,281 --> 00:05:57,408 That's how you seek. 138 00:05:57,408 --> 00:06:00,698 You seek Him by calling, 139 00:06:00,698 --> 00:06:05,284 by pleading. 140 00:06:05,284 --> 00:06:10,164 There's a text in Job 8:5. 141 00:06:10,164 --> 00:06:12,003 You can see the connection 142 00:06:12,003 --> 00:06:17,321 between seeking and pleading. 143 00:06:17,321 --> 00:06:18,683 Somebody have that? 144 00:06:18,683 --> 00:06:19,734 "If you will seek God, 145 00:06:19,734 --> 00:06:21,718 and plead with the Almighty for mercy." 146 00:06:21,718 --> 00:06:22,730 Tim: See right there? 147 00:06:22,730 --> 00:06:26,189 The seek and the plead? 148 00:06:26,189 --> 00:06:29,755 Anyway, why do we not seek the Lord? 149 00:06:29,755 --> 00:06:31,994 You know, in my devotions this morning 150 00:06:31,994 --> 00:06:34,960 I read Psalm 10. 151 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:38,358 Somebody look at Psalm 10:4. 152 00:06:38,358 --> 00:06:49,956 We're told why a person doesn't seek. 153 00:06:49,956 --> 00:06:51,268 "In the pride of his face, 154 00:06:51,268 --> 00:06:53,171 the wicked does not seek Him; 155 00:06:53,171 --> 00:06:57,389 all his thoughts are, 'There is no God.'" 156 00:06:57,389 --> 00:07:00,664 Tim: So, it's pride that leads us 157 00:07:00,664 --> 00:07:03,051 not to seek the Lord. 158 00:07:03,051 --> 00:07:04,709 Now look, is it possible that 159 00:07:04,709 --> 00:07:06,291 people might have the wrong idea 160 00:07:06,291 --> 00:07:09,695 about what seeking is? 161 00:07:09,695 --> 00:07:11,410 It's very possible. 162 00:07:11,410 --> 00:07:13,170 Is it possible that people may 163 00:07:13,170 --> 00:07:15,467 seek Him for the wrong things? 164 00:07:15,467 --> 00:07:17,536 Look, the guy in the foxhole 165 00:07:17,536 --> 00:07:20,502 under fire, bombs are coming in; 166 00:07:20,502 --> 00:07:23,533 a lot of those guys call on the Lord. 167 00:07:23,533 --> 00:07:26,002 The Lord spares them. 168 00:07:26,002 --> 00:07:28,089 A lot of guys get sick. 169 00:07:28,089 --> 00:07:29,073 People get sick. 170 00:07:29,073 --> 00:07:31,140 People get in very difficult situations; 171 00:07:31,140 --> 00:07:32,456 very traumatic situations. 172 00:07:32,456 --> 00:07:33,573 They call on the Lord. 173 00:07:33,573 --> 00:07:35,147 They make all sorts of promises 174 00:07:35,147 --> 00:07:37,523 and then what happens? 175 00:07:37,523 --> 00:07:40,226 God delivers them 176 00:07:40,226 --> 00:07:41,389 and they never fulfill. 177 00:07:41,389 --> 00:07:42,847 They never go through. 178 00:07:42,847 --> 00:07:46,831 (Incomplete thought) 179 00:07:46,837 --> 00:07:50,513 What went wrong? 180 00:07:50,513 --> 00:07:53,887 What goes wrong in situations like that? 181 00:07:53,887 --> 00:07:54,674 (from the room) 182 00:07:54,674 --> 00:07:56,333 God helps them in that situation 183 00:07:56,333 --> 00:07:57,609 and then all of a sudden, 184 00:07:57,609 --> 00:08:00,263 they start to feel better 185 00:08:00,263 --> 00:08:03,497 or get whatever they asked the Lord for. 186 00:08:03,497 --> 00:08:08,015 Tim: Well, what were they seeking? 187 00:08:08,015 --> 00:08:10,650 They weren't seeking salvation. 188 00:08:10,650 --> 00:08:12,395 They weren't seeking God's honor. 189 00:08:12,395 --> 00:08:14,694 They weren't seeking Him 190 00:08:14,694 --> 00:08:17,096 for salvific purposes. 191 00:08:17,096 --> 00:08:19,073 They were seeking to be delivered 192 00:08:19,073 --> 00:08:21,341 from the incoming bombs. 193 00:08:21,341 --> 00:08:23,019 They were seeking to be delivered 194 00:08:23,019 --> 00:08:25,040 from pain, from suffering, 195 00:08:25,040 --> 00:08:30,121 from the traumatic, from the fear. 196 00:08:30,121 --> 00:08:34,717 But the true genuine seeking; 197 00:08:34,717 --> 00:08:36,250 we don't see Christ, 198 00:08:36,250 --> 00:08:37,783 but we know He's here. 199 00:08:37,783 --> 00:08:39,197 We know He hears us. 200 00:08:39,197 --> 00:08:42,792 We know He even knows our thoughts 201 00:08:42,792 --> 00:08:45,161 from afar off. 202 00:08:45,161 --> 00:08:48,035 Whether we're sitting or rising 203 00:08:48,035 --> 00:08:50,345 or running or walking. 204 00:08:50,345 --> 00:08:52,382 He knows us. 205 00:08:52,382 --> 00:08:54,674 And He knows our thoughts. 206 00:08:54,674 --> 00:08:57,459 He's close to every one of us. 207 00:08:57,459 --> 00:09:00,319 We can speak to Him in the thoughts. 208 00:09:00,319 --> 00:09:01,788 But one of the things is 209 00:09:01,788 --> 00:09:04,577 there is a false Christ. 210 00:09:04,577 --> 00:09:06,745 There is such a thing. 211 00:09:06,745 --> 00:09:10,270 We want to be dealing with the true Christ. 212 00:09:10,270 --> 00:09:12,201 As much as we know of Him. 213 00:09:12,201 --> 00:09:14,108 And I think that's where John writes, 214 00:09:14,108 --> 00:09:15,631 I've written these things 215 00:09:15,631 --> 00:09:20,094 so that you can know Who this Christ is. 216 00:09:20,094 --> 00:09:22,870 What we want is people going to Scripture 217 00:09:22,870 --> 00:09:25,649 and finding the true Christ 218 00:09:25,649 --> 00:09:29,262 and crying out to Him and calling upon Him. 219 00:09:29,262 --> 00:09:33,527 It's pride that keeps people 220 00:09:33,527 --> 00:09:36,337 from seeking His face. 221 00:09:36,337 --> 00:09:38,537 They're self-sufficient. 222 00:09:38,537 --> 00:09:40,467 They really don't need Him. 223 00:09:40,467 --> 00:09:41,711 You see, the thing is, 224 00:09:41,711 --> 00:09:42,843 the guy feels his need 225 00:09:42,843 --> 00:09:44,841 when he's in the foxhole. 226 00:09:44,841 --> 00:09:46,342 But the need that he's feeling 227 00:09:46,342 --> 00:09:48,600 is he can't control the flight of the bombs. 228 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:52,339 He can't control if he gets shot or not. 229 00:09:52,339 --> 00:09:53,961 But he's really not concerned 230 00:09:53,961 --> 00:09:56,534 to have his sins pardoned 231 00:09:56,534 --> 00:09:59,205 and to be delivered from its dominion. 232 00:09:59,205 --> 00:10:01,643 So many people are seeking God 233 00:10:01,643 --> 00:10:03,292 for the same kind of reasons 234 00:10:03,292 --> 00:10:05,697 that they seek Him when the bombs are coming in, 235 00:10:05,697 --> 00:10:08,246 and they're in the foxhole. 236 00:10:08,246 --> 00:10:15,297 They don't like the thought of hell. 237 00:10:15,297 --> 00:10:22,164 But look, we've already heard some of these. 238 00:10:22,164 --> 00:10:25,174 One thing I know about this, 239 00:10:25,174 --> 00:10:29,027 that if you're seeking the Lord 240 00:10:29,027 --> 00:10:31,600 and He has not answered 241 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:35,329 and He doesn't answer, 242 00:10:35,329 --> 00:10:37,084 we have to ask ourselves 243 00:10:37,084 --> 00:10:39,209 who we're seeking 244 00:10:39,209 --> 00:10:41,228 and what we're seeking him for. 245 00:10:41,228 --> 00:10:44,764 If we're seeking the God of Scripture; 246 00:10:44,764 --> 00:10:47,530 if we're seeking the Christ of Scripture, 247 00:10:47,530 --> 00:10:50,369 and it's because we truly want to be saved 248 00:10:50,369 --> 00:10:51,704 from our sins; 249 00:10:51,704 --> 00:10:53,105 we truly want to be pardoned; 250 00:10:53,105 --> 00:10:54,549 we truly want to be rescued 251 00:10:54,549 --> 00:10:57,532 the way Christ rescues, 252 00:10:57,532 --> 00:11:00,511 can you tell me any verse 253 00:11:00,511 --> 00:11:03,612 (and we've already heard some of these) - 254 00:11:03,612 --> 00:11:05,635 give me a verse that promises 255 00:11:05,635 --> 00:11:08,594 that if you seek, you will find. 256 00:11:08,594 --> 00:11:11,157 (from the room): Jeremiah 29:12-13 257 00:11:11,157 --> 00:11:17,948 Go ahead and read it. 258 00:11:17,948 --> 00:11:19,576 "Then you will call upon Me 259 00:11:19,576 --> 00:11:20,864 and come and pray to Me, 260 00:11:20,864 --> 00:11:21,976 and I will hear you. 261 00:11:21,976 --> 00:11:23,348 You will seek Me and find Me 262 00:11:23,348 --> 00:11:25,173 when you seek Me with all your heart." 263 00:11:25,173 --> 00:11:27,053 Tim: You will seek Me and find Me 264 00:11:27,053 --> 00:11:32,485 when you seek Me with all your heart. 265 00:11:32,485 --> 00:11:33,750 What else? 266 00:11:33,750 --> 00:11:38,249 We heard Isaiah 55:6-7. 267 00:11:38,249 --> 00:11:40,485 Seek ye the Lord while He may be found. 268 00:11:40,485 --> 00:11:44,441 Call ye upon Him while He's near. 269 00:11:44,441 --> 00:11:46,787 Somebody look up Deuteronomy 4:29. 270 00:11:46,787 --> 00:11:52,941 Somebody else look at 2 Chronicles 15:4. 271 00:11:52,941 --> 00:11:55,509 (from the room): Romans 10:13 272 00:11:55,509 --> 00:11:59,224 "For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" 273 00:11:59,224 --> 00:12:01,581 Tim: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, 274 00:12:01,581 --> 00:12:02,750 will be saved. 275 00:12:02,750 --> 00:12:03,534 (from the room) 276 00:12:03,534 --> 00:12:05,674 "Draw near to Me and I'll draw near to you." 277 00:12:05,674 --> 00:12:08,004 Tim: Draw near to Me and I will draw near to you. 278 00:12:08,004 --> 00:12:09,293 How about Luke 11? 279 00:12:09,293 --> 00:12:11,222 Can anybody think of anything in Luke 11 280 00:12:11,222 --> 00:12:13,270 where it just talks about prayer? 281 00:12:13,270 --> 00:12:14,797 That everyone who asks, 282 00:12:14,797 --> 00:12:16,262 everyone who seeks - 283 00:12:16,262 --> 00:12:19,502 Ask. Seek. Knock. 284 00:12:19,502 --> 00:12:23,438 What does Scripture say there in Luke 11:9-10? 285 00:12:23,438 --> 00:12:24,281 "And I tell you, 286 00:12:24,281 --> 00:12:25,970 ask, and it will be given to you; 287 00:12:25,970 --> 00:12:27,330 seek, and you will find;" 288 00:12:27,330 --> 00:12:29,343 Tim: There it is. Seek and you will find. 289 00:12:29,343 --> 00:12:30,192 Keep going. 290 00:12:30,192 --> 00:12:32,069 "Knock, and it will be opened to you. 291 00:12:32,069 --> 00:12:33,624 For everyone who asks, receives, 292 00:12:33,624 --> 00:12:35,172 and the one who seeks finds..." 293 00:12:35,172 --> 00:12:36,906 Tim: The one who seeks finds. 294 00:12:36,906 --> 00:12:37,845 There it is. 295 00:12:37,845 --> 00:12:42,394 You have promise. 296 00:12:42,394 --> 00:12:45,179 I've actually heard some people 297 00:12:45,179 --> 00:12:46,459 in the reformed camp 298 00:12:46,459 --> 00:12:48,445 that say God's not under any obligation 299 00:12:48,445 --> 00:12:49,374 to save you, 300 00:12:49,374 --> 00:12:51,423 and just because you ask, 301 00:12:51,423 --> 00:12:53,281 He's not under any obligation. 302 00:12:53,281 --> 00:12:56,886 It's like pretty prominent figures 303 00:12:56,886 --> 00:12:58,514 in the reformed circle, 304 00:12:58,514 --> 00:13:00,362 I've heard make statements like that, 305 00:13:00,362 --> 00:13:01,503 and it's like what? 306 00:13:01,503 --> 00:13:04,254 Where are they getting that from? 307 00:13:04,254 --> 00:13:07,571 God has obliged Himself 308 00:13:07,571 --> 00:13:10,117 to save all who call upon Him. 309 00:13:10,117 --> 00:13:13,239 No, initially, He was under no obligation 310 00:13:13,239 --> 00:13:15,214 to provide a way of salvation. 311 00:13:15,214 --> 00:13:17,295 But He Himself has promised 312 00:13:17,295 --> 00:13:19,885 that if we seek, we will find. 313 00:13:19,885 --> 00:13:22,313 And did anybody look up the text in Deuteronomy? 314 00:13:22,313 --> 00:13:25,989 Or 2 Chronicles? 315 00:13:25,989 --> 00:13:30,266 Deuteronomy 4:29 316 00:13:30,266 --> 00:13:31,863 "But from there you will seek 317 00:13:31,863 --> 00:13:32,899 the Lord your God 318 00:13:32,899 --> 00:13:34,604 and you will find Him, 319 00:13:34,604 --> 00:13:36,712 if you search after Him with all your heart 320 00:13:36,712 --> 00:13:37,993 and with all your soul." 321 00:13:37,993 --> 00:13:42,507 Tim: Yeah, 2 Chronicles 15:4 is similar. 322 00:13:42,507 --> 00:13:44,823 Can you think of a place where it says 323 00:13:44,823 --> 00:13:51,238 that you ask and you do not receive? 324 00:13:51,238 --> 00:14:13,966 Somebody go to James and dig that one up. 325 00:14:13,966 --> 00:14:19,565 You ask and you do not receive. 326 00:14:19,565 --> 00:14:23,254 I'll give you this. It's in James 4. 327 00:14:23,254 --> 00:14:24,813 "You desire and do not have, 328 00:14:24,813 --> 00:14:25,666 so you murder. 329 00:14:25,666 --> 00:14:27,878 You covet and cannot obtain, 330 00:14:27,878 --> 00:14:29,635 so you fight and quarrel. 331 00:14:29,635 --> 00:14:31,697 You do not have, because you do not ask. 332 00:14:31,697 --> 00:14:33,155 You ask and do not receive 333 00:14:33,155 --> 00:14:34,775 because you ask amiss 334 00:14:34,775 --> 00:14:36,894 that you may spend it on your pleasures." 335 00:14:36,894 --> 00:14:38,092 Tim: Ok, right there. 336 00:14:38,092 --> 00:14:40,324 You may spend it on your pleasures. 337 00:14:40,324 --> 00:14:44,110 Or you may spend it on your what? 338 00:14:44,110 --> 00:14:45,948 Passions. 339 00:14:45,948 --> 00:14:48,110 So here's the thing, 340 00:14:48,110 --> 00:14:49,818 what we're told in Scripture 341 00:14:49,818 --> 00:14:51,934 is we're given promise. 342 00:14:51,934 --> 00:14:57,295 If you seek Him, you will find Him. 343 00:14:57,295 --> 00:14:59,204 There's some that say if you seek Him 344 00:14:59,204 --> 00:15:00,758 with all your heart; 345 00:15:00,758 --> 00:15:03,666 there's others that say seek Him while He's near. 346 00:15:03,666 --> 00:15:08,775 There's other's that just say seek Him. 347 00:15:08,775 --> 00:15:14,631 Or call upon Him. 348 00:15:14,631 --> 00:15:18,374 You have promise that you will find Him. 349 00:15:18,374 --> 00:15:23,271 But, you ask and you receive not 350 00:15:23,271 --> 00:15:26,099 because you ask amiss. 351 00:15:26,099 --> 00:15:28,019 So that's the issue. 352 00:15:28,019 --> 00:15:30,377 Obviously there are people 353 00:15:30,377 --> 00:15:33,808 who want to deal with God - 354 00:15:33,808 --> 00:15:34,890 here's the thing, 355 00:15:34,890 --> 00:15:36,909 some people come to God, 356 00:15:36,909 --> 00:15:41,801 and they want to lay down the terms. 357 00:15:41,801 --> 00:15:43,364 They come and it's like, 358 00:15:43,364 --> 00:15:46,753 well, I'll be saved if - 359 00:15:46,753 --> 00:15:48,990 like the rich, young ruler - 360 00:15:48,990 --> 00:15:54,723 I'll be saved if I can keep this stuff over here. 361 00:15:54,723 --> 00:15:55,705 But you know what? 362 00:15:55,705 --> 00:15:56,757 He went away because 363 00:15:56,757 --> 00:16:01,327 whatever he wanted and why ever he wanted it, 364 00:16:01,327 --> 00:16:03,220 in the end, he was just looking 365 00:16:03,220 --> 00:16:07,949 to tack it on his lusts. 366 00:16:07,949 --> 00:16:10,561 One of the things to be saved 367 00:16:10,561 --> 00:16:13,143 is we need to be ready to be saved 368 00:16:13,143 --> 00:16:15,397 from all our lusts and all our idols 369 00:16:15,397 --> 00:16:17,369 and all the sins. 370 00:16:17,369 --> 00:16:20,687 Lord, save me. Whatever... 371 00:16:20,687 --> 00:16:22,555 How many times I've heard 372 00:16:22,555 --> 00:16:25,314 that people have come to the place where - 373 00:16:25,314 --> 00:16:26,983 Carlos was just telling me today; 374 00:16:26,983 --> 00:16:31,226 he was telling me about his salvation 375 00:16:31,226 --> 00:16:33,321 and reminding me years ago 376 00:16:33,321 --> 00:16:39,523 how he was in a certain situation 377 00:16:39,523 --> 00:16:42,581 and he had just met Stephanie 378 00:16:42,581 --> 00:16:44,488 not too long before that 379 00:16:44,488 --> 00:16:46,509 and he felt like Stephanie 380 00:16:46,509 --> 00:16:48,290 was becoming this idol. 381 00:16:48,290 --> 00:16:52,011 And he said he went in before the Lord 382 00:16:52,011 --> 00:16:53,067 and was like, 383 00:16:53,067 --> 00:16:56,505 "Lord, take her if that's what's necessary." 384 00:16:56,505 --> 00:16:58,515 That's where the person comes to 385 00:16:58,515 --> 00:17:00,589 that's seeking the Lord genuinely 386 00:17:00,589 --> 00:17:03,632 because they want the Lord. 387 00:17:03,632 --> 00:17:08,077 When you are seeking the Lord genuinely, 388 00:17:08,077 --> 00:17:10,902 then all your own passions, 389 00:17:10,902 --> 00:17:14,109 all your own pleasures 390 00:17:14,109 --> 00:17:18,165 are not in that equation. 391 00:17:18,165 --> 00:17:19,358 In other words, 392 00:17:19,358 --> 00:17:21,327 Lord, I'm seeking You, 393 00:17:21,327 --> 00:17:23,076 and I want You, 394 00:17:23,076 --> 00:17:25,443 and it doesn't matter what You take away; 395 00:17:25,443 --> 00:17:27,242 it doesn't matter what it costs; 396 00:17:27,242 --> 00:17:29,290 it doesn't matter about the pleasures; 397 00:17:29,290 --> 00:17:31,360 it does not matter about the passions; 398 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:33,859 it does not matter about my former loves. 399 00:17:33,859 --> 00:17:36,144 Lord, whatever it takes, 400 00:17:36,144 --> 00:17:39,288 save me. 401 00:17:39,288 --> 00:17:44,095 If you're there and you want to negotiate... 402 00:17:44,095 --> 00:17:48,045 There's only one reason people negotiate 403 00:17:48,045 --> 00:17:54,321 and that's because they're married to some sin. 404 00:17:54,321 --> 00:18:02,131 They're wickedly in bed with some idol 405 00:18:02,131 --> 00:18:04,440 and I don't want to get out of the bed. 406 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:07,083 That's the issue. 407 00:18:07,083 --> 00:18:10,852 They're wickedly wedded to their lusts. 408 00:18:10,852 --> 00:18:12,519 And you see that. 409 00:18:12,519 --> 00:18:14,094 Luke 14. 410 00:18:14,094 --> 00:18:17,543 Everything is prepared. Come. 411 00:18:17,543 --> 00:18:21,800 Well, you know, I would, but... 412 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:25,441 I've got a new team of oxen. 413 00:18:25,441 --> 00:18:27,280 I've got to go try them out. 414 00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:28,983 I just bought a new piece of land. 415 00:18:28,983 --> 00:18:33,738 I've got to go look at it. 416 00:18:33,738 --> 00:18:36,661 When people come and are just like 417 00:18:36,661 --> 00:18:38,217 Lord, I just need You. 418 00:18:38,217 --> 00:18:39,663 I need You to save me. 419 00:18:39,663 --> 00:18:41,173 See, that's seeking the Lord. 420 00:18:41,173 --> 00:18:42,846 Not just what the Lord can give. 421 00:18:42,846 --> 00:18:44,729 It's seeking the Lord. 422 00:18:44,729 --> 00:18:45,568 Right? 423 00:18:45,568 --> 00:18:48,390 Not just seeking something from Him. 424 00:18:48,390 --> 00:18:50,351 Lord, I want You. I need You. 425 00:18:50,351 --> 00:18:51,779 I need You as a Savior 426 00:18:51,779 --> 00:18:54,992 no matter what else is involved. 427 00:18:54,992 --> 00:18:57,927 No matter what it costs. 428 00:18:57,927 --> 00:19:00,592 Lord, no matter what else might be true. 429 00:19:00,592 --> 00:19:02,723 Lord, no matter if You take that girl away 430 00:19:02,723 --> 00:19:04,238 or that guy away, 431 00:19:04,238 --> 00:19:05,595 or You take my money away. 432 00:19:05,595 --> 00:19:07,122 Not like the rich, young ruler 433 00:19:07,122 --> 00:19:09,989 who, oh yeah, he would have taken heaven. 434 00:19:09,989 --> 00:19:16,998 If he could have tacked it on. 435 00:19:16,998 --> 00:19:19,741 Brandon Deveaux was telling me 436 00:19:19,741 --> 00:19:31,606 last week that in Nepal 437 00:19:31,606 --> 00:19:36,502 it's a bit more difficult to street evangelize 438 00:19:36,502 --> 00:19:37,869 than it was in India. 439 00:19:37,869 --> 00:19:44,351 He said the people are more violent. 440 00:19:44,351 --> 00:19:45,524 They're more resistant. 441 00:19:45,524 --> 00:19:47,353 He said they're handing out tracts 442 00:19:47,353 --> 00:19:51,816 that say that if you come to Christ, 443 00:19:51,816 --> 00:19:53,152 you've got to forsake 444 00:19:53,152 --> 00:19:55,186 your Catholicism, your Hinduism, 445 00:19:55,186 --> 00:19:57,127 your Buddhism, your Islam, 446 00:19:57,127 --> 00:19:58,885 and they hate that. 447 00:19:58,885 --> 00:20:04,949 Because they're a Hindu country. 448 00:20:04,949 --> 00:20:07,288 People don't get offended a lot of times 449 00:20:07,288 --> 00:20:08,904 if you just preach Christ, 450 00:20:08,904 --> 00:20:10,169 but when you say, 451 00:20:10,169 --> 00:20:12,612 no, you've got to forsake all that, 452 00:20:12,612 --> 00:20:14,620 that really heats things up. 453 00:20:14,620 --> 00:20:16,676 That's the issue. 454 00:20:16,676 --> 00:20:18,404 Seeking.