SEEKING GOD?
(A Message from Pastor Tim Boynton)

Guess what? God is seeking you! In Isaiah 62:11-12 we read:

See, your Savior comes!
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
They will be called the Holy People,
the Redeemed of the Lord
and you will be called Sought After.

Did you catch God's special name for you? Sought After. Have you ever been sought after before? If you have, you know how special that is. But nothing compares to the truth that you are sought after by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And he'll keep searching for you until he finds you. That's why Jesus made the impossible journey from heaven to earth. He came looking for his lost children. He came looking for you. He said so himself. In Luke 19:10 Jesus said:

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

How is it that we got lost in the first place? Is. 53:6 says:

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

We all have gone astray, we all have wandered away from God to follow our own way. The problem with our way is that it is always the wrong way because it's not God's way. So try as we might, we can't find our way back to God on our own. We're lost without God and we need him to find us.

In Ezekiel 34:11-12, God compares Himself to a good shepherd who rescues wayward sheep.

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness."

In Luke 15, Jesus talks about the all out search God goes on to find lost people. And guess what analogy he starts with? A Shepherd and a lost sheep. Jesus begins in verse 4:

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?"

Any Good shepherd would, and Christ, being the Best Shepherd does nothing less than make it his life's mission to find lost sheep. Is it any wonder that the Son of God saw things as His Father saw them, and felt about people as His father felt about them? There is a telling scene in the gospel of Matthew. In chapter 9, verse 36 we read:

When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Sheep without a shepherd are lost sheep, harrassed and helpless and destined for real harm and death. Jesus came to find lost people, people wandering around in their sin and confusion and loneliness, stumbling ever closer to the precipice of eternal darkness and death.

As Jesus looked at human beings who are so lost in their sin, He had compassion on them. Jesus uses this word, compassion, to describe what was going on in the Father in the story of the Prodigal Son. In Luke 15, Jesus tells us:

“But while [the son] was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."

Some people are afraid of coming home to God because they think He will either slam the door of heaven in their faces, or He'll throw all of their sin, shame and mistakes back at them. But that's not going to happen because God is a compassionate God and He is head over heels in love with them. He's head over heels in love with you. He saw you even while you were far away from Him in your thoughts, attitudes and lifestyle, and He came running to you because you are His Sought After One.

Have you been found by Jesus Christ? Have you heard Him calling your name? Have you seen the joy in His face as He comes running to your side to rescue you? Have you been surprised by his welcoming hug?

If you haven't yet, I want to tell you that today that can all change. Like the prodigal son, you don't have to be lost anymore. You can come home! You can be found! In John 1:12, God tells us:

To all who receive [Jesus], to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

Jesus has come for you. If you are ready to receive Him and put your trust in Him, then you can do so right by praying to Him:

Lord Jesus, without you, I am hopelessly lost and I cannot find my own way to God. I confess that I have made a mess of my life living on my own terms. I have not obeyed you. I have broken your laws and for that I know that I deserve to be cast away from you. But you came after me anyway. I am so grateful that I am your Sought After One. You have found me today in my sin and you offer me forgiveness. You have found me today in my lonliness and you offer me love. You gave your life to save me, so there is no one else I could trust more than you. Today, with your help, I give my life to you. Today, with your help, I embrace the life you have for me as I follow you all the way home. Thank you for coming after me. Amen.

If you just prayed that prayer, I want to tell you something. You're not lost anymore! You've just been found by Jesus. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). Today you can celebrate because you can know that He's going to get you home!

If you still have questions, you can email me or one of the people below. We would love to meet with you and share with you how Jesus Christ has changed our lives.

If you are interested in any of these opportunites, just drop us an email, call the church office at 897-3031, 
or fill out a Communication Card at a Sunday Morning Celebration Service.