God is a Seeking God

Have you ever thought about the fact that we are made in God’s image? Have you ever thought about the magnitude of being made in the image of God? I’m not sure that we can really even wrap our minds around this – at least I can’t. God made us in His image!

Genesis 1:26-27 says: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. God created us in His own image. And how do we respond to this? We rebel against God. Adam and Eve rebelled against Him in the garden of Eden and we have all rebelled against God too. That doesn’t seem like the right response, but we’ve all done it. We were all born in iniquity and we all have sinned against God – every last one of us mere mortals have rebelled against our Creator.

So how does God respond to our rebellion? He seeks us out! How amazing is that? We rebel against God and He seeks us out to bring us back into a right relationship with Him. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they hid themselves. Genesis 3:8-9 states: And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called to Adam, and said to him, Where are you?

Did you catch that? Adam and Eve had already sinned by eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and then when they heard God’s voice, they hid themselves. They tried to hide. But while Adam and Eve are adding sin upon sin, God calls out to Adam. He is seeking them.

God is a seeking God. We see this throughout the Bible. It starts here in Genesis and then all the way in the book of Revelation; Jesus is calling the churches to repent. He too is calling them to get back in a right relationship with Him.

Over and over again in the Old Testament, God sent prophets to warn the Israelites to turn from their wicked ways. 2 Kings 17:13 says: Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.

Jeremiah 7:25 states: Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt to the this day I have even sent to you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. In Jeremiah 35:15 the LORD says: I have sent also to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and you shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but you have not inclined your ear, nor harkened to me.

Ezekiel 34:7-16 states: Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; As I live, says the Lord God, surely because my flock became a prey, and my flock became meat to every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my flock; Therefore, O you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord; Thus says the Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them.

For thus says the Lord God; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.

I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, says the Lord God.

I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.

Our God is a seeking God! He admonished the wicked leaders of the Israelites and He said that He would search out and seek His people. He said that He would seek that which was lost. Do you understand huge this is? Our God is a seeking God! He seeks after us. And this isn’t just true in the Old Testament; it’s also true in the New Testament. In Luke chapter 14, Jesus tells the parable of the wedding feast. It is a story about Jesus calling His bride another name for the church, to Himself. In the parable the master sends the servants out to tell the wedding guest that the wedding is about to take place. But the guests all had lame excuses. So in Luke 14:21-23 the master tells the servants to: Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind. And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room. And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

Oh don’t you see that our God is a seeking God. He sought people in past times and He is still seeking people today. If you still have any doubts, listen to Luke 19:10 where Jesus says, For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He came for you. He is seeking you tonight! He sent us out here tonight to tell you the Good News; that He came to seek you. Not only to seek you, but to save you!

Do not reject Jesus. He suffered horribly on the cross where He died, then He rose from the grave. Jesus paid your sin debt. You owe it. We all owe it. We have all sinned against our Holy and righteous God. We have all violated God’s Law. We are all guilty. But the Good News is that Jesus took that sin debt that we owe, He took it upon Himself. He paid the price. You can be freed from the bondage of sin. You can be freed from the judgment of eternal damnation. You can be set free tonight.

Look to the cross. Look to Jesus. He was bloodied and bruised for our iniquities – for our sins. He took our unrighteousness and He freely offers us His righteousness. But you must receive the free gift from God. It is free, but it was so costly. It cost Jesus Christ our Lord dearly. But receive the gift of salvation. Do this tonight. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

In Isaiah 45:22, the LORD states: Look to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. God still saves and that salvation is found only in Jesus Christ. Look to Jesus. Come to Jesus. Be saved tonight. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Jesus is still seeking and saving the lost. Psalm 34:18 says: The LORD is near unto them that are of a broken heart; and saves such as be of a contrite spirit. God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

Humbly come to Jesus. Surrender your life to Him. Jesus is seeking you tonight, but you must receive salvation. You must repent and believe the Gospel. Are you ready to surrender your life to Jesus? Will you come to Him? Will you bow your knee and confess with your tongue that Jesus Christ is Lord?

Jesus sought you tonight. He sent us out here tonight to share the Gospel with you. Yes, we are all made in the image of God. Yes we all have sinned and our sin has separated us from God. There is nothing that you or I can do to get back in a right relationship with Him. So God sought us through the sacrifice of His own precious Son. Put your trust in Jesus’ finished work on the cross. Turn from your sins and put your faith in Him. Do this tonight and be saved. You say that you are not ready to submit to Jesus? You say that you have plenty of time? Oh, do not be deceived. You don’t know when you will take your last breath. It could be tonight. You could die in a car crash before you get home tonight. If Jesus Christ is not your Lord and Savior and you die as an unrepentant sinner; then you will go to Hell as soon as you die.

The only way of escape is through Jesus. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He is seeking you tonight. He is offering you everlasting life, but you must receive the gift and you do this through repentance and faith. The Bible says that we are to have repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Put your trust in Him. Be saved tonight. Stop running from God. He is seeking you. God is a seeking God. Will you surrender your life to Jesus? Will you repent and believe the Gospel? Will you do this tonight and be saved?

(This message was proclaimed in the open in downtown Springfield, MO on November 14, 2014)