“WHAT SEEK YE?”

“WHAT SEEK YE?”

Excerpts of Pastor Idowu Iluyomade's Message on Sunday, January 15, 2017

Bible Text: John 1:35-39

In the reference text, Jesus Christ asked His disciples, ‘WHAT SEEK YE?’ Jesus is also asking you the same question. What are you looking for? Why do you go to Church? Jesus is asking because people go to church for various reasons.

During the time of our LORD and Master, Jesus Christ, people came to Him and followed Him for various reasons. Some came because they were curious to see who the Messiah was. Some followed Jesus because of food and Jesus testified to this in John 6:26 which says "Jesus answered them and said, verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." Some came to Jesus for healing, some came to study Him so that they could set Him up, and some others came to Him so that they could carry out their plans to kill Him. While some came to Jesus for what they could get from Him, others came to Him for an office title and honour (as seen in the controversy amongst the disciples as to who would be the greatest or number one). When you go to church, what are you looking for? Some people go to church to steal, some go to church to look at the opposite sex; some can't stand the sermons preached but prefer the good music, while some don't even like the music. Some go to church because they were invited, others go to church to ridicule what they hear; others are just cynical and critical. The question Jesus asked His disciples 'WHAT SEEK YE?' is still very relevant today.

SEEK

The word 'seek' means to search, to pursue, to chase, to go after, to track, to hunt for something, etc. Seeking is deliberate, it is intentional. If you are looking for something, you are deliberate. Seeking is a choice and when you seek something, you are focused.

Some of the things people seek for in church are; healing, prosperity, connections, breakthroughs, a life partner, fruit of the womb, etc. It is good to want these things, but if you are asked what your number one priority in life is, you don't need to think or pray about it, because Jesus Christ has told us what it is in Matthew 6:33, and it says "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." This Scripture is a commandment from Jesus Christ.

The word 'first' means initial, inaugural, the earliest, prior, the foremost, supreme, and beginning. Jesus Christ is telling you to pursue God first. It is critical to ask, what is the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning? For some people, they turn on their TV, others check their phones for emails, text messages, WhatsApp chats, or for social media platforms. While some drink tea or eat immediately they wake up in the morning. God is saying that you need to set proper priorities. God wants to be number one in your life; He wants to take the first moment of everyday of your life, He wants the first part of your pay cheque - your tithes. God wants to be the King of your heart.

You need to make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. You need to seek to know and promote the interest of the Kingdom. When the things of God's Kingdom are not going well, you should be bothered. What matters to God must matter to you. You should not have a nonchalant or ‘I don't care’ attitude towards God's work; you must be involved in the things of God. Being involved in God's Kingdom is a commandment. You need to give priority to the things of God over the things of the world; there is no excuse. In Luke 9:59-62, we see that some people who Jesus told to follow Him had wanted to carry out one or two personal duties, but Jesus told them that there was no looking back.

In Psalm 63:1, David said "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;" And in verse 8, he said "My soul followeth hard after thee..." That is why David was called a man after God's heart, and he had some special privileges. Jeremiah 29:13 says "And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart." Your number one priority this year should be putting God first, going after Him and pursuing His agenda. You need to ask yourself, what has my priority been? On what do you exert your energy, time and money? Scriptures tells us in Matthew 6:21 that "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." The amount of time, thoughts, energy and money you devote to something will reflect where your heart is. Is God number one in your life?

Jeremiah 10:23 says "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps." And Psalm 37:23 says "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way." These Scriptures imply that God is telling you how to walk and how to live. You can't do everything on your own because Proverbs 20:24 says "Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?" And Proverbs 14:12 says "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."

SEEK THE KING

You cannot first seek the Kingdom without first seeking the King. In John 1:38, after Jesus asked the disciples what they sought Him for, they replied: "Where do You dwell?" And they abode with Him that day.  The disciples were seeking Jesus, not the handouts they could get from Him. The Bible talks about some most admired persons in life who had great qualities, were intelligent, rich, strong, beautiful, but Jeremiah 9:23-24 [AMP] says "Thus says the LORD, “Let not the one who is wise and skilful boast in his insight; let not the one who is mighty and powerful boast in his strength; let not the one who is rich boast in his temporal satisfactions and earthly abundance; but let the one who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me and acknowledges Me and honours Me as God and recognises without any doubt, that I am the LORD who practices lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for in these things I delight,” says the LORD." You need to understand God and know Him personally. Paul was an aristocrat and a great achiever (Philippians 3:4-6), but his heart desire was to know Jesus, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10). Nicodemus also felt an emptiness, hence his need to know Jesus (John 3:1-36).

One of the reasons Christ came in flesh is so that we may know Him. 1 John 5:20 says "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." People were saying they had not seen God, so the Word of God became flesh. Everyone wants eternal life and John 17:3 says "And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." You cannot say you have eternal life and you have never had an encounter with Jesus Christ.

BENEFITS OF THE PURSUIT OF GOD

When you pursue God:

1. You Will Find God: Malachi 3:1 says "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts." As you seek God, you will find Him in Jesus Name.

2. God Will Reward You: Hebrews 11:6 says "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." As you seek God, it will not be in vain because He will do much more than your expectations and prayer requests.

3. God Will Draw Near To You: James 4:8 says "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." Blessings are attached to you once you draw near to God.

4. Blessings Shall Be Added Unto You: Matthew 6:33-34 says "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." When you seek God first, all human concerns will be supplied to you. Don't be anxious about tomorrow because God does not want you to worry about tomorrow. Put God first and He will command blessings upon you. God will take care of your tomorrow, just make Him the object of your supreme choice and pursuit. God knows that you have needs (Matthew 6:32), hence the delay of the manifestation of your heart’s desire might be because God wants you to be more devoted to the things that matter to Him. That is why Isaiah 3:10 says "Say ye to the righteous that it shall be well with him..." In 1 Kings 3:11-13, we see that King Solomon did not ask God for riches, instead he asked for what mattered to God - he sought God first. God was impressed with King Solomon's request and God decided to bless him with abundant riches. This is how it works. Place priority on the things of God and once you get this priority right this year, every other thing will be added unto you because Scripture cannot be broken. Deuteronomy 28:1-2 says "And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God." Obey God, align with Him, and blessings shall pursue you, be upon you, and overtake you. When you take care of the business of God, God will take care of you. This year connect with God and pursue Him - this starts with what you first do when you wake up every morning, then you will see the good things that God will do for you.

5. You Will Know God's Will And Purpose For Your Life, And You Will Fulfil It: There is an assignment God has given to you, and it pays to serve the LORD. When you pursue God, you will know your purpose in life (Jeremiah 1:5). Every day of your life has been written in the book of God (Psalm 139:16), and there is an assignment and plan that God has for you. Moses knew his purpose in life at the age of 80. This tells us that it is never too late. Why are you here on earth? What are you supposed to achieve? You will account for every single thing that you have done here on earth (Matthew 25:14-30). If you know God, seek Him and pursue Him, He will reveal His will and purpose for your life. There is a good work that God has assigned you to do and when you die, the only thing that follows you is your works, because you will be judged from the Book of Life and Book of Works. Revelation 14:13 says "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the LORD from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them."

Peter was a fisherman but Jesus told him that his destiny was to be a fisher of men. Paul was a lawyer but his destiny was to be an apostle for Christ. Jesus was destined to among other things, preach. He said: “ The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised……. I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.”[Luke 4:18&43]. Ephesians 5:15-17 [AMP] says "Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honour, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil, not as the unwise, but as wise sensible, intelligent, discerning people, making the very most of your time on earth, recognising and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence, because the days are filled with evil. Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the LORD is." You need to live purposefully and be directed towards the goal of seeking God. When you seek God, He will reveal Himself to you, and everything you want will be accomplished.

Mark 8:36 says "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" My prayer is that as you put God first this year, God will answer you speedily in Jesus Mighty Name. Don't put anything before your salvation because the gateway to knowing God is to surrender your life to Jesus Christ, or else, everything you have done or lived for will be a waste.

The most important pursuit of your life should be to know God and know His Kingdom. Proverbs 13:21 says "Evil pursueth sinners, but to the righteous good shall be repayed." Do you know Jesus? If He speaks to you, will you recognise His voice? It is better to see Jesus before you meet death. Surrendering your life to Jesus Christ is the best decision of your life. Were you once a born-again Christian but you fell back into sin? Re-dedicate your life to Jesus and let your struggles end. If you are willing to repent and surrender your life to Jesus Christ, then pray this prayer right now: LORD Jesus, I come to You right now. I know I am a sinner, please forgive me my sins. With my mouth, I confess that Jesus, from today I accept You as the LORD of my life. Change my heart from a heart that is disobedient to a heart that will obey You. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I believe that it is because of me that You came into this world; You died for my sins, take away my problems also. Write my name in the Book of Life and make me brand new in Jesus Mighty Name.

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