Lifelong Seekers

Well, good afternoon, everyone. It’s good to be with you on this day. A little bit cooler outside, and fall is definitely in the air. The first thing that I usually notice with fall is when you begin to see literally the leaves falling, and we’ve started to see that this week. So, not just the chill weather in the air, but also you can see those leaves beginning to blow in the wind.

Brethren, as I begin to start this message, I just wanted to ask you a question. Do you consider yourself to be a seeker, somebody that search and seek? Now, we all are. That’s maybe a word that we don’t often use, are you a seeker? But thinking about searching and seeking, you should see yourself as somebody that is searching. Now, if we draw the line a little bit wider from ourselves and just look in general, people are in general seekers. What do they seek?

People in the world God has given that inherit desire to man to seek, to search. People search naturally for knowledge and understanding just to understand the world around them. People seek security. That’s something that people seek today. What about love or the meaning or purpose of life? Many people seek that, brethren. It’s not just us that seek purpose and meaning in life. People seek that and think about that in different ways.

Growth and development. People want to grow and develop themselves. They develop themselves, their talents. They develop themselves in their job. That’s what people seek. Other times, people survival depends on seeking. What about food and water? Today, there are millions and even billions of people that just have to go out each and every day and seek for water and for food. That’s all that they’re seeking for that specific day, just to survive. Employment and a career, friends and family, those are things that people seek in general.

But in many cases, brethren, what people seek is questionable. People seek wealth and riches at all costs. It’s not wrong to seek for wealth and to sustain yourself, but they do it at all costs. What about drunkenness? Just at the end of the day or the end of the week, people go out and they seek alcohol to numb themselves just from the things that they have experienced, maybe that day or that week. Maybe attention. Today, young people, sadly, everyone, to a certain degree, in life, seek attention. But so often, we see that young people will go as far as committing suicide just to seek attention.

What about worldly lusts and desires, corrupt entertainment and power? Those are things, brethren, that people seek, the wrong things in the wrong places. And they stem from the four things that we know from pride, lust, jealousy, and greed. But brethren, what about us? You and I are called to be seekers. We are actually commanded by God to search and to seek.

Let’s go to a very simple, straightforward verse, and that is in Matthew. Right in the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they give us the basic scriptures that we can go, brethren, and seek for in this specific verse, specifically speak about it. Matthew chapter seven and verse seven, a straightforward verse today. If you are there in Matthew seven, verse seven, it says, “Ask, and it shall be given you, seek, and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Very, very straightforward. God says to ask. He says to seek, and He tells us it will be opened to you if you and I knock.

Today, we’re going to just focus, everyone, on that part that’s about seeking, and you shall find. That’s a promise that God made: “seek, and you shall find.” That’s the part of the verse that I wanted to focus on. Brethren, as Christians, our lifelong journey is to seek and to find the things of God and to find God Himself. Today, we will see why God calls us to be lifelong seekers, what it truly means to seek God, and how seeking transforms our lives for eternity.

So, brethren, you are there in verse seven of chapter seven. We’re just going to go through a couple of points this afternoon to make this simple. Why God called us to be lifelong seekers, what it truly means to seek Him, and then, brethren, how seeking transforms our lives for eternity, not just for the here and the now, but for eternity.

The first point that you can write down is seek with the goal of finding. That’s the reason why we are seeking. We are focusing a little bit more on the finding part, not starting with seeking, but actually with finding. Seek with the goal of finding. That’s the reason why we are seeking, because we want to find something. That’s our goal. So, brethren, to do that, you and I have to know what we are looking for. I can give you a very simple example.

My family and I traveled to South Africa, a place that’s really close to me, and we had an opportunity to go there, is the Kruger National Park. And I just wanted to give you a little bit of a story that happened. We were traveling, and, you know, people go to the Kruger National Park to see the Big Five. They want to see elephant and rhino and African buffalo, lions, and leopards. Leopards are those cats that are very elusive. We had the opportunity to go twice, two days, into the park. It’s a very big park. It’s relatively the size, if you think about the nation of Israel, that’s almost the size of the Kruger National Park. So, we wanted to see those animals.

Most people traveling there from different countries all over, visitors come to see the Big Five. But there was a man, we were traveling almost the end of the day, a couple of hours before we had to head out of the park, and he stopped me as we crossed each other on a detour. And he rolled down his window, and he stopped me. And that’s what people would do if they’ve seen, let’s say, lions or leopards or cheetah. They would stop people and say, “Go there and look for them.” And it was strange to us because he said, it’s actually forty minutes ahead of us now. He had traveled forty minutes to get to us, and then he said, where we were and met each other, it was another forty minutes to drive there.

He said that people saw leopards. If you know leopards, they are so elusive. You see them and then suddenly they are gone. So thinking about eighty minutes of traveling time, they were probably not there anymore. And so we were joking in the car while we were traveling. And when we got to that spot, we said, there were a lot of cars. Now, typically in the park, if there’s a lot of cars, you know people are seeing something that’s special to see, so we realized, “Wait a minute, those animals must be there.” And sure enough, we couldn’t see them. There was a huge ditch to our right side, and people said those leopards were down there.

Now, the point that I want to make, brethren, is know what you’re looking for. So we knew that there were leopards there, but we couldn’t see them. Most people started to roll down windows, and they say they were down there. But they said initially there were two, but we couldn’t see them, and they couldn’t see them at that point anymore. So I was sitting there and thought, what to do? And I grabbed my binoculars, and about fifteen yards in front of me, fifteen meters, fifteen yards roughly, was a thicket, a bush. You couldn’t see anything through it.

I just decided to take my binoculars, and when I threw my binoculars in a specific direction, all I could see was the thicket. About another fifteen yards through that was an incline. And the moment I put my binoculars in a direction, I could see a little bit through the thicket, but I could see immediately the spots of a leopard. I was surprised. The point that I want to make, brethren, I wouldn’t be able to see a leopard if I didn’t look for one and if I didn’t know how a leopard looked like.

I was surprised to see through that thicket. And we waited a couple of minutes, and they came out. They actually had a catch, and you could hear the growling and all of that going on. But that stuck in my mind as I prepared this message: “What you’re looking for?” I was looking for a leopard, and I was able to find one. They were there at that spot, and we were glad to see them. But think about the things of God, brethren, what you and I are seeking today. We didn’t know the things of God before He called us. He had to show us. He had to show us certain things.

We are in Matthew chapter seven, and we’re just going to... It’s on the same page in my Bible, in chapter six verse thirty-three. We didn’t know the things of God when God called us. Just the example that I’m going to use here, everyone. Verse thirty-three of Matthew six, it says, “But seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”

For you and me, brethren, when God called us, we didn’t know about the kingdom of God. We didn’t know about God’s righteousness. We might’ve had an idea depending on how you came and eventually came into God’s church, but the kingdom of God to be part of God’s family, you and I did not know about it. But now that we are seeking the things of God, we need to know what it is. We need to know what righteousness is and what the kingdom of God is. What about peace?

The Bible says you and I should seek after peace. We should even seek after correction. Those are things the Bible speaks about. We’re not going to go necessarily deep into the things that we are seeking, like the kingdom of God or peace or correction, but I’ll mention them throughout the message. We’re more focusing, brethren, on seeking itself, the act of seeking. And at this point, seek with the goal of finding. Our goal is to find the kingdom of God, our goal is to find correction, our goal is to find peace. When we know how it looks like, we want to search for it even more, we want to find it even more, but we have to know what it looks like.

I want to give you a physical example, a practical example of seeking with the goal of finding. On a daily basis, how can you apply seeking with the goal of finding? Let’s say you are looking for employment. You’re searching and seeking employment. Now, what you must do is you must first know what you are looking for. You need to know what that job that you are applying for entails. You cannot be a plumber and then apply to become an astronaut. That will not work. You need to know what the application is about.

A teacher cannot apply to become a lawyer. We can have a little bit of fun, brethren, but you understand the point. Does this job fit your experience, your skills, and your training? So you begin to do research to know what this job entails. Before you find it, you need to know what you’re looking for and you’re doing your part. You’re actively doing your part to begin to find that job. You seek with the goal of finding.

What is the job description like? Is it close to where you live at the moment, or do you have to drive a long distance? Again, everyone, you get the point. You need to know what you are looking for. The more you know about that job opportunity, the stronger your desire will become to find it and go for it. You have all the information, you know it, now you’re ready to go out and find it. Brethren, the same principle applies to everything God instructs us to search for and find in His word.

Another thing with the goal of searching and finding is, brethren, seeking means we crave, we beg and desire for what we are looking to find. Why is that? Again, I mentioned that God, when He called us, we didn’t know about His righteousness or really about peace or how to properly be correct. But God showed us, brethren, He showed us a little bit of each thing that we are searching for. Let’s go to Matthew thirteen. The things that we are seeking for, we didn’t know about, but we are now, we do know now.

Let’s go to Matthew thirteen. Stay in the book of Matthew. Seeking, brethren, means to crave. It’s not just a search, it’s a craving, a desire. Even the word can mean to beg for, when we read in Matthew seven. But here in chapter thirteen, and we will pick up in verse forty-four, thinking about the kingdom of God, thinking about the parables that Christ gave us. Let’s read here in verse forty-four, Matthew thirteen and verse forty-four. It says, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field that which when a man has found it, he hides and for joy thereof go and sell all that he has and buy that field.”

Let’s continue in verse forty-five. Another parable. “Again, the kingdom of heaven,” the kingdom of God, that example of something that we are searching for, everyone, “...is like unto a merchant man seeking goodly pearls...” So he knew what he was seeking. He was specifically seeking for goodly pearls, “...who, when he found it, one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and he bought it.” So he didn’t have it, he was seeking for it, but he knew and he understood the value of that pearl. The man that was looking for the treasure initially, he also didn’t know that there was a treasure, but when he found it, he realized the value and the importance of what he was seeking.

So, when God called us, brethren, we didn’t have an idea of the value of the things which we are seeking, but God actually gave us a taste. He gave us a glimpse of what salvation is, what His spirit is all about, eternal life, His truth, His kingdom, what it looks like, and what He called us to. He gives us a glimpse and a taste initially, and then there is a desire in us that begins to grow. It ignites in us, brethren, a desire, that zeal in us, that hunger and thirst, a craving for what we are seeking. And that starts the process.

When you know what you’re seeking, there is a desire, a craving that begins, and we all have that, brethren. God has given that to us. That’s why we are here, that’s why we are walking God’s way of life on a daily basis. Another example would be seeking God’s will. The more you know His will in any given situation or circumstance, the stronger that desire becomes to seek it and to want to do it. You want to know God’s will and do it. So that’s the first point, brethren, time that we spent around that is just simply seeking with the goal of finding.

Another point is seeking is an active process. Think about that. If you know, that’s why I started with know what you’re finding. Seeking is an active process. When we have that desire now, and we have that, that craving, that we come before God and begging for the things that we are seeking, it becomes an active process. God wants you and me involved, brethren. It’s not just about finding. Seeking and finding is connected. It’s not just about getting to the end of the journey. It’s how you get there. He wants you and me directly involved each and every day.

Now, when you look at the Old Testament words for seeking and in the New Testament, the Old Testament written in Hebrew, as you know, and the Greek in the New Testament, I just wanted to sum up, summarize what those words... There are so many words in Hebrew speaking about seeking different things, seeking God, seeking God’s way of life, the things that I mentioned already. But the Greek also, there’s many words in the New Testament that we can go to, but I wanted to summarize that for you.

The Hebrew and the Old Testament basically seeking means to pursue with your whole heart, with everything that you have to obey and seek God’s will. That’s to summarize. It’s a pursuit. You and I are involved in that. It’s an active process. The New Testament, it says to prioritize God and the things of God earnestly and continually with persistence. Again, earnestly and continue. You can see that it’s an active process. You and I are doing it on a daily basis.

Now, how does seeking look like and feel like? I can give you an example. Brethren, let’s turn again, staying here, right in the Gospels, in chapter five of Matthew, Matthew five. And Christ gave us an example, how it feels like, how it looks like, that desire, that desire to seek. Matthew five verse six, as we go through the Beatitudes. Christ said, “Blessed, happy are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, and they shall be filled.” Again, if you seek, that principle is there again that we read in Matthew seven, that says you will find. God calls us blessed. You and I are blessed. We are happy if we are part of that pursuit, but He says there that hunger and thirst after righteousness.

Now, brethren, we all know how it feels to be hungry and thirsty. It happens on a daily basis. Some people, we can use a little bit of humor, when they get hungry and thirsty, you’ve probably heard the term before, “angry.” People get angry when they get hungry. They just want to sit at the dinner table or the lunch table. They are ready to start to eat. They know that feeling, and it has to be filled immediately. We all know how it feels to become hungry and thirsty. That’s an example that Christ, God put in us. To hunger and thirst after what? After His righteousness. That’s something that we seek. But that feeling, that desire that we have to be hungry and thirsty on a daily basis, God used that physical example for you and me to understand what we are actually feeling and craving when we are seeking after the things of God and God himself.

Let’s go to John, John chapter six, just tying a little bit further here, in John chapter six and verse thirty-five. Yes, chapter six, verse thirty-five, just this one verse here, everyone. “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that comes to me,” comes to God, come to Christ, come to His word, he “...shall never hunger, and he that believes on me shall never thirst.” Meaning that craving will be full, brethren. As we said in the beginning, people go and search everywhere.

The things that you and I search for is to go to God’s word, to find God, to search for Him and find Him in His word. That’s the things that you and I search for, brethren, are not the things of this world. We also search, we also crave, we also desire, but the things of this world never satisfies, brethren. The things of God satisfies. That hunger and thirst can be filled and satisfied on a daily basis. And then it starts again. Don’t think about, I can throw in a caution, just don’t think that hunger or searching or craving is that you have to be hyped up every day, just running around, and I’m searching for God. And in every moment, you spent all your time searching and...

Somebody is just like a rubber ball hyped up. I’m searching. I’m hungry and thirsty. Now, just like physical hunger and thirst, brethren, it comes and goes that that’s something that is consistent. It comes again. It will come in the morning after you’ve slept. You’ll have breakfast and then probably lunch and dinner again. Those are things that come and go the same way that desire... It’s constant, it’s always there, it’s daily there, but it doesn’t mean that we have to be hyped up, so to speak, to say that’s the way that I’m searching or seeking to find that craving that I have. Seeking is a lifelong process, not a once-off. It requires patience and persistence.

I want to give you here, everyone, as we think about seeking as an active process, an example of seeking as an active process. In the first point, I used a practical example. Here, I want to give you another practical example. You are looking or searching and seeking a mate. There are many of those that are doing it right now, seeking a mate, men and ladies. Let’s go to Proverbs eighteen. Proverbs chapter eighteen. There are those that already found a mate, but there are many of us seeking a mate, a husband or a wife.

As you turn to chapter eighteen of Proverbs, and I am going to read verse twenty-two, verse twenty-two of Proverbs eighteen. It says, “Who so finds a wife finds a good thing...” What a truth, brethren, “...and obtain favor from the Lord.” I can stand here in front of you and say that verse is true, that says he that finds a wife found a good thing. It’s interesting that the verse says it twice, find and find. What does it imply when it says to go and find? It implies you search for it. You search for a wife.

So what does that mean? How does that look like? You go on dates, you are searching. That wife, that lady, that good thing is not just going to fall in your lap. In the world, people, we said that’s something where they search for an evening and they find and believe they found that mate the next day. But that’s not how it works, brethren. Again, something that’s lifelong, a marriage. You have a date. You go and date widely, different people. You prepare your finances.

Gentlemen, this is something that you can do as you think about it. It takes time. Have a stable income. Work on developing yourself, your skills, your employment in different areas. The things that we mentioned in the first point, those are things that you can do. And now the ladies might think we are excluded from this. I’m not a searcher in this area, Mr. Viljoen. I’m the one that will be found. Now, that’s certainly what the verse is saying, but it applies to both men and ladies.

Ladies, you should make yourself seekable, ready, and prepared to be found. That’s your goal. Develop yourself. How do you, how do you do that? You, again, develop just as the men should develop themselves. You should develop yourself, develop your attractive personality to be, want to be found. If you work on who you are, your personality, there’s so many aspects that you can go into and seeking to develop that, searching out how you can develop. God has given you talents. He’s given you skills. He’s given you a personality that you can build up, that you can improve. Again, I use the word seekable, but just to be found. We can have a little bit of fun with that. Learn to bake and to cook. Learn to manage a budget and your household.

Think about ladies, the Proverbs thirty-one women. If you are one of those ladies that want to be found, go and read that. There’s so much in that, in that chapter of Proverbs thirty-one, and God see every one of you, young ladies or older ladies that want to be found, He see you as becoming that lady. That’s who you can become, but you have to seek that, you have to search for that, you have to be actively involved. And that’s exciting. That’s part of the journey. That’s part of the process that we are talking about, everyone. It’s not just spiritual things, it’s also physical, daily things that we can do to seek the things of God, to search for it.

Now, everyone actively seeking more of the fruit of God, spirit of love, peace, and joy, as I mentioned earlier, correction, these are the things that we are seeking for, even truth. Those things as we actively seek for them has great benefits. There’s a lot of benefits. I would like to go through just a couple of benefits for us, side benefits that you might not even be thinking about as you search, as you seek to find. Seeking the things of God, brethren, shows desire and commitment. God wants to see you commit.

The fact that you’re searching and seeking and craving shows Him that you are serious, and He will be able to give you those things that you are asking. The verse in Matthew seven didn’t just list the things that I mentioned here that we’re seeking. You have to go in different verses to see God speaking about things that we should be seeking. That verse is open. Anything within God’s way, within His law, you can go and ask for those things, and He says He will give it to you. That’s exciting, brethren. That’s completely different from the things that the world seeks after. They do not always find it all in the right way, in the right places. But you and I, brethren, have that promise.

Another point, seeking leads to spiritual growth. That’s just a summary of the two examples that are already used: finding employment, finding a mate. But there are many other things that we can think about, brethren, that will help us if we seek. Ultimately, that leads to spiritual growth. Seeking brings blessings and God’s guidance. That’s something to be excited about. There’s going to be blessings from just simply seeking, seeking God, seeking the things of God, and God’s guidance.

Seeking is an expression of our faith. God says we have to seek, and when you do that, you express that you believe that He will help you to find what you’re seeking for. If you know how it looks like, if that desire becomes greater and greater, brethren, think about the prophecy series, just thinking about the kingdom of God. When I was called, I heard for the first time about the kingdom of God. That’s just the word.

Christ came as the messenger of the kingdom of God. “Wow, I’m going to be able to be in the kingdom of God.” Now, over many years that picture is becoming clearer and clearer in our mind. We know more about it than what happens. That desire that we have are getting stronger and stronger, and it’s an expression of faith as you and I search and seek that we say to God we are committed and we are serious.

Seeking God is against spiritual neglect. Let’s turn to Psalm chapter thirty-four. Seeking, brethren, protects us. It’s a benefit. It protects us from spiritual neglect. You know, it’s a lifelong journey that we mentioned. At one point, that desire can cool down just like when we satisfy hunger and thirst. At one point, you are not hungry and thirsty. If you were hungry and thirsty for a piece of steak, if you had that steak, you’re not... Somebody can give you the nicest piece of steak with all the garlic and all the herbs, and you will just put it aside and say, “Thank you. I had enough.”

Our Christian walk, everyone can be the same. We can also cool down in that desire. But if we do it as a way of life, God says here in… you are in Psalm thirty-four and I’m going to read verse ten. It says, back to examples of the Kruger National Park here, “The young lion do lack and suffer hunger...” How is that possible? Lions, how can they lack? They sometimes do lack. They don’t have and get what they need, what they are seeking for. “...but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.” If you and I seek God, brethren, we will not lack. That’s if we are part in that process, part of that, involved in that, actively seeking, you and I will never lack any good thing.

Think about anything that you find in God’s Word that He wants to give to you, and He says you will not lack that if you are just busy to seek God. Sometimes, brethren, we are seeking in one area, diligently seeking, and God is willing to give us something else that we asked maybe a long time ago or didn’t even ask for. But just because He is God, just because He’s generous, He can give us certain things that we need that we might not have asked for, but we are busy seeking in another area, diligently seeking to grow, seeking to overcome. Without God, the strongest and most capable people, brethren, also suffer lack, but those that seek God shall not lack any good thing. That’s a promise that God made in that process that we seek Him.

Everyone, a final benefit that I just wanted to mention to you is seeking teaches perseverance. We want to persevere. We are called to persevere. Just the act of seeking and searching will help us to do just that. That’s a lifelong journey. At the end of that journey, we will be able to say, “I’ve persevered. I’ve done what God has called me to do, and I went even above and beyond.”

Brethren, I want to, with the time that we have, give you some practical steps. If Christians are called to be lifelong seekers, searchers, from Matthew seven, seven, then to become better and more effective seekers is essential for us, isn’t it? So I want to, just as we continue throughout the message, give you, as we wrap up certain practical steps that you can follow, that you can take home and do to become better and more effective seekers and searchers.

The first one here is, we already touched on it, but just know, learn as much as you can about the thing you are searching for. Learn as much as about that, brethren. It’s easier with physical things, but it’s more difficult with the spiritual things. God give us physical things. We use physical examples of finding employment and finding a mate. Those things are difficult to do, but it’s more easy to understand. Sometimes it’s a little bit more difficult to understand peace or faith or joy, but God gave us those physical examples, but the same principle apply.

If you know what you’re looking for, then, brethren, if you understand it better, see it better, then you will more diligently seek after it. With time, it take time, diligence, and experience to find the things that you are looking for, but you have to first know. Another thing to do is ask yourself questions. That’s so much part of the Christian life, everyone, is to ask questions. Ask yourself questions, finding those answers. Why am I looking for this or that? Do I need it? Why is it important to me or to God? We have to prioritize.

You’ll remember we mentioned about seeking in the Greek means to prioritize. There are things in the beginning of our calling that we have to prioritize and keep them at the forefront of your mind. Sometimes they slip, and you have to put them back into priority, everyone. There’s so many things going on in our daily lives that want to take our attention, that you have to ask yourself questions. Is this really important? Why am I spending so much time to seek for this? If you look at the bigger picture, the thirty-thousand-foot view, you realize, “No, I don’t need this really. I can stop seeking for that, but this thing, I have neglected. I need to seek more about to know about that.” But also, searching for it, ask yourself simple questions. It’s as simple as that, brethren, that will help you to prioritize and know what you’re seeking; the importance, the value of what you seek.

This leads us to the next thing that you can do. Matthew six, going back to Matthew. Matthew chapter six and verse twenty-one. Matthew six and verse twenty-one. I turn to Mark. Let me turn back to Matthew six and verse twenty-one. Very simple and straightforward verse here, everyone. It says, “For where your treasure is...” We already read a little bit about the value and the treasure of things that God wants us to seek. Where your treasure is, when you know what our treasure is, the value of our treasure, “...there will your heart be also.” So the point is, put your treasure into heaven.

Let’s go to Colossians. Your focus, brethren, that’s where our focus is. That verse spoke about even our physical treasure we can put into God’s work, and then our heart will ultimately follow. But if we go to Colossians chapter three and verse two, Colossians three and verse two. It says, “Set your affection on the things above, not on the things that is on the earth.” Our affection there, set means to search for. Search for the things that is in heaven, Brethren, where our treasure is, there our heart will be. That will help us and guide us to become more effective, effective searchers, is just to put our treasure in heaven.

Seeking, everyone, drives us to prayer and to Bible study. Let’s go to Psalm sixty-three. Psalm chapter sixty-three and verse one. Something that David teaches us, Brethren, these are not things that you never heard before. These are simple things that you and I can do. Seeking drives us to prayer and to Bible study. Chapter sixty-three, Psalm sixty-three, and verse one. It just says, “O God, you are my God. Early will I seek you. My soul thirsts after you, my flesh longs for you in a dry and a thirsty land where there is no water.”

David said early. That can mean early in the morning, or it can mean “with earnesty.” Earnestly, we go to God’s Word. We seek and find Him there. All the things that we need to find and search for is described in God’s Word. Brethren, seek God early in your personal prayer closet. That’s one other thing that we can do.

Be intentional in your daily life. Seek in the areas that pertain to daily life. We already talked about work and family, but what about your school and college and friends? Those are the areas where you can go and seek. And how you seek that will help you, brethren, to seek the spiritual things more effectively as well. And then the last one that I can mention, seek with your whole heart. Seeking God is not just an activity, everyone, but it’s a way of life. It becomes your identity, who and what we are, and that’s what we mentioned in the beginning, that we are seekers, we are searching. That’s what you and I as Christians are.

Brethren, every human being seeks something. Some chase after wealth and power and pleasure, but those things are fleeting and fading. They do not satisfy. Yet God has called you and me to a higher search. He has opened our eyes to a treasure that the world cannot give. The treasure, the things that we talked about already, the treasure of His truth, of His spirit, of His kingdom, even of eternal life. And here is the promise, brethren. It says, “Seek and you shall find.” It doesn’t say you might find, or you will perhaps find one day. It says, but you shall find. You have that promise, everyone.

When we hunger and thirst after righteousness, God Himself promises to full us. When we put His kingdom first, He guarantees that nothing good will be withheld from us. And when we seek Him with our whole heart, He assures us glory, honor, immortality, and then ultimately eternal life. Brethren, this is not a casual search, a half-hearted glance. It’s seeking is our calling. Again, our identity, who and what you and I are. So let us rise up each day with the heart of seekers, everyone, asking, knocking, pursuing with a persistence, knowing that our labor is certainly not in vain. For in the end, those who seek will find, those who knock, it will be open to you, and those that search for will find.

Brethren, as you and I seek God with our whole heart, and everything that we already mentioned, there’s one more thing that we can point out. Actually, the concluding point, the cherry on the cake, so to speak. If you can turn with me to Romans chapter two. Romans chapter two, what you and I are ultimately seeking. Again, these are not things from this world. Much higher, brethren, much more valuable that you and I are seeking just the physical things from the day-to-day life.

As you are in Romans chapter two and verse seven, just going to read this verse. “To them...” That means to you and me, brethren, you and I read God’s word. We are Christians. We are called. We are the only ones that read and understand these verses, all that we covered, and this final one. “To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory...” There you see, “seek for glory.” You and I are seeking glory, everyone, and honor. People do not find honor. They are seeking things, but they do not find honor. Part of what you and I are seeking is honor. Honor from God, receiving honor from each other, but ultimately from God. Immortality and eternal life. Imagine that, brethren. You and I never understood what eternal life entails.

So we wrap up. Now we know God has given us a glimpse, and every time you and I see, go to His word, and seek that picture of who and what you will be as part of the God family becomes clearer and clearer. That’s the ultimate goal that you and I seek after, brethren, and that is eternal life.