Quest For The Presence Series

Quest for the Presence

Matthew 2:1-12

12/27/09

INTRODUCTION:

How many of you recognize this.

Space

The final frontier

These are the voyages of the Starship, Enterprise

Its continuing mission

To explore strange new worlds

To seek out new life and new civilizations

To boldly go where no man has gone before

For 178 episodes spread over seven seasons, the crew of the star trek enterpirse carried out the objectives of their mission. They were on a quest to "To explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Imagine how our walk with Jesus would change if we viewed our calling like this.

God

The ultimate being

These are the stories of the followers of Jesus

Their on going mission

To explore grand new truths

To seek out new life and new calling

To boldly follow where one man has gone before.

The Key Questions: What do you do when you craved more presence but didn’t discover anything that made a difference this Christmas Season?

What if craving more presence led to a quest rather than an encounter?

T.S. For at least a few individuals in the Christmas story, Christ’s birth led to quest rather than a simple encounter.

Matt 2:1-12

2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

6 "’But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’"

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

NIV

THE STORY OF THE MAGI, REVEALS WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’VE CRAVED MORE PRESENCE BUT DIDN’T DISCOVER IT THIS CHRISTMAS.

T.S. What is the difference between an encounter and a quest?

• Encounter -- To meet; to confront, either by chance suddenly, or deliberately.

• Quest -- a search or pursuit made in order to find or obtain something.

Both could be the outcome of craving more presence.

There is a big difference between bumping into someone you know at Sheri’s Coffee House and looking for a friend that you have lost touch with ten years ago.

There is a big difference between bumping into you teenager at Wal-Mart and looking for a lost child at cedar point.

Still Craving? Then let’s look at what it will take to make 2010 a year of questing for his presence.

T.S. Quest for the Presence

I. Admit you’ve missed out on something.

2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem.

The first step for the magi was in admitting that if they did not undertake the quest, they would be missing out on the event.

Picture yourself walking through the Sandusky mall one day and leaving your bank card behind in a store. You go from store to store, browsing in the windows, examining the wares. Maybe you even stop for coffee. Eat some lunch. The whole time your card is lost.

Eventually you are in borders bookstore and after reviewing a few titles you’ve decided on a book to purchase. At the check out line you discover that your bankcard that you used earlier at JC Penny’s is missing. You recognize that it’s missing and everything changes. You drop everything in pursuit of your bankcard.