What God expects of us
Part 3---Pray and seek
We have talked for the past 2 weeks about what God wants us to do. We discussed dedication and sacrifice and even humbleness. Today we are going to continue with that thought about what God wants us to do, then next week we will go into what God will do for us, if we do our part.
2 Chronicles 7:4-6
4Then the king and all the people offered sacrifices before the LORD. 5And King Solomon offered a sacrifice of twenty-two thousand head of cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all the people dedicated the temple of God. 6The priests took their positions, as did the Levites with the LORD’S musical instruments, which King David had made for praising the LORD and which were used when he gave thanks, saying, “His love endures forever.” Opposite the Levites, the priests blew their trumpets, and all the Israelites were standing.
Shows us about dedication
2 Chronicles 7:14-16
14if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
Shows us about what we need to be doing
Acts 17:24
24“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
Shows us that the temple we need to dedicate is ourselves.
Romans 12:1&2
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Shows us that we are the sacrifice god wants
Galatians 5:22-25
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
This gives us the best description of humbleness. How we can know by our actions if we have become humble.
Philippians 2:12-16
12Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, 13for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.
Another good description of humbleness
Colossians 3: 1-14
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. 6Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. 7You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.
12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
And this gives us a way of life, LOVE!!!!
But we are told to pray as well. How do we pray?
Lets see what scripture says.
1 Thessalonians 5:17&18
17pray continually; 18give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Matthew 6:5-8
5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
WOW pray humbly and quietly not showing off.
Matthew 6:14
14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
When we pray we are to forgive them who sin against us, you know what that means? Don’t hold a grudge or even trying to get even. AND IF WE DON’T FORGIVE GOD WILL NOT FORGIVE US ---OUCH
Romans 8:26&27
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
Pray even when we do not know what to say because the spirit of God will pray for us, He knows what we need to say, and how to say it to God when words can not be expressed by us.
Psalm 66:18-20
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.
20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!
Pray with out sin in your heart, pray with an open heart to God not a closed one.
Luke 18:1-14
1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4“For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!’”
6And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about£ himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
13“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
14“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Here it shows we need to pray with perseverance and humbleness.
Luke 11:5-10
5Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’
7“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
When we pray we are to be persistent and seek God’s face and be willing to ask god for what we need, I did not say what we want.
But praying is not the only thing God wants us to do. He wants us to truly seek Him with all our hearts.
Jeremiah 29:11-14
11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
God promises if we seek Him with all out hearts we will find Him. He can be known and He will listen when we call on Him.
Hebrews 11:6
6And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
We must seek God with faith. A faith that says God I don’t know how things will work out but you do and because you do I will follow you anywhere and everywhere. When we do this God will reward us, scripture says He will.if we earnestly seek Him. That takes effort and time.
Matthew 7:7&8
7“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
God says He will give us what we ask, if we seek we will find what we are looking for and when we knock on His door, He will answer us.
Matthew 6:33&34
33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
But when we seek the first thing we must seek is God’s kingdom, not our own. We need to stop worrying about tomorrow because today has enough problems of its own. When we are doing God’s work and concentrate on that our problems will go away. When we seek our own power, authority or kingdom we have a lot of problems and worries.
Acts 17:27
27God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
God wants us to find Him when we seek Him because He is never far from us no matter what is going on in our lives.
Will you do what God wants?
Will you dedicate your self to Him again if you need to?
Will you offer yourself as a sacrifice to Him everyday?
Will you humble your self before Him and others?
Will you Pray to Him, for what He wants and not what you want?
Will you truly seek His face, every day until you find Him?
It’s your choice, what will you decide?
As for me and my family we will serve the Lord, How about you?
