Seeking God by Ed Pruitt

Matthew 6:33-33

Seeking God
Sunday Evening
October 20, 2002
Pastor Ed Pruitt

We are going to take our text this evening from Matthew 6:33

Believe it or not, many good people who are involved in doing wonderful things will not make it to heaven.

Worse yet, many who consider themselves Christians and who are convinced they are going to heaven will be shut out, even though they aren’t indulging in gross sin or bad things of any kind!

The Christians I’m referring to do not use drugs or alcohol.

They don’t gamble.

They don’t indulge in pornography or sexual perversion.

In fact, you may find many of them in church on Sunday morning.

And they spend most of their free time with friends and family, enjoying good things.

They are family people, with family values.

Yet some may be in danger of losing their very soul, even though they sit in church, absolutely convinced they are on their way to heaven!

Some believers will be shut out of heaven not because of the bad things they have done.

But because they have become so preoccupied with doing good, legitimate things they neglect the things that really count, eternal things, Seeking God First in their life!

Their zeal for good things has pushed aside the things of God!

People have become so engrossed in the here and now that they literally have no time for the deeper things of the spiritual life.

The Bible tells us to Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

These are Christ’s own words, they are not a suggestion, but a commandment!

Jesus means what he says here, promising,

If you seek the Lord first, he will take care of all the things you’re toiling over, career, business, home, and family.

But you must make Him your primary focus!
Paul told us in Colossians 3:2
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Again, this is not a suggestion, but a commandment.
God, does insist on being the center of our lives, around which everything else revolves.

He demands that His interests, His church, His things take priority.

He has to be the center!

The greatest indignity any Child of God can commit against the Lord is to put him in second place.

That is a slap in God’s face.
You may think you are not guilty of doing that sort of thing to God, but how do you prioritize your time?

For instance, how many times have you missed church to conduct business?

I realize you cannot help missing church if you have a job that prevents your attending.

But I’m talking about people who do have a choice!

The Bible warns in, Hebrews 10:25
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

What takes priority in your life?

Let’s look at what the scripture tells us in, Luke 17:26-30
26 “When the Son of Man returns, the world will be like the people were in Noah’s day.

27 In those days before the flood, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came to destroy them all.

28 “And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—

29 until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

30 Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the hour when the Son of Man returns.

Look again at this list Jesus gives us, and consider the things people were doing during those times.

We know there was violence such as the world had never seen, along with gross immorality such as sodomy and homosexuality.

But Jesus doesn’t talk about any of those things here.
Nor does he bring up alcoholism or perversion.

Rather, note carefully what he says people were doing just before judgment fell: eating, drinking, yet he doesn’t mention drunkenness, marrying, getting engaged, buying, selling, planting, building.

There is not one sin on this list.

These are all good, legitimate things.

Why, then, does Jesus focus only on the good, legitimate things people were doing in the days just prior to judgment?

It is because He is trying to tell us something vital:
He is warning us of our total inattention to his word while we have become completely absorbed in our own interests!

It is because people are wrapped up in their own plans for marriage, children, home, job.

They have no time to listen to messages about the coming of the Lord!

Many people are convinced they are on their way to heaven.

Week after week, they neglect God’s house, God’s word, prayer, and worship.

Yet they do not see their behavior as sinful:
People may be doing good, legitimate things, but the Lord is not first with them!

He is not the center of their lives.

If he were, they would not brush him aside.

They would find time to be with him!

Jeremiah chided the people for gadding about.
Everyone was running around, doing good things, busying themselves with legitimate works, even religious things.

But they were neglecting God.

They had no time to seek the Lord, no time to sit at his feet and learn.

People can be so busy running around for God that they don’t have time to seek him.

Too many can’t sit and heed His word because they’re constantly gadding about!

When Jesus spoke of his return, why didn’t he talk about the crime rate?

Why didn’t he refer to our present immorality?

He said nothing of our drug epidemic, our overcrowded jails, our sins of abortion.

No, he only said, "Just as it was in those days, people will be buying, selling, eating, marrying, preoccupied with good things.

And they will be so busy, they will neglect their very soul!

Many attend churches that hold one-hour meetings on Sunday only, with a twenty-minute sermon that has no conviction.

How God must hurt over people’s rejection of him?

Have you given Jesus the cold shoulder?

He will never understand, nor will he ever accept, our putting him second to anyone or anything:

He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:18).

Jesus must have priority!

Consider the Man Who Made A Great Feast -- But Whose
Invited Guests All Turned Him Down (Luke 14:16-24).

This parable is important, because Jesus is the man who is giving the great feast!

The feast being spoken of here is the gospel, and the table being spread is the cross.

And Jesus’ invitation is for everyone:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

Simply put, our Lord is inviting us to intimacy with him.

We have been urged to come into his presence to sup with him, to get to know him, to enjoy his company.

He says, "Come and find a table spread for you.

All things are now ready.

You will find full satisfaction in me!"

Indeed, Jesus has already accomplished everything necessary to give us full satisfaction in this life.

All our hunger, everything having to do with holiness and godliness, is wrapped up in him:

His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue (2 Peter 1:3).

Yet, the parable tells us that when suppertime came and the table was spread, nobody showed up.

When the servants looked down the road, they couldn’t see anyone coming.

The master had hoped his invited guests would drop everything to be there early and expectant,
anticipating fellowship with great joy.

But nobody had come.

I ask you: How would you feel if you’d cooked a wonderful meal, invited guests who’d said they would come, but when everything was spread on the table, no one showed up?

Wouldn’t you take that as total rejection -- as meaning your invited guests had no interest in you?

This master decided to send out a servant to remind his invited guests that all was ready.

It was a last call: "Supper is ready.

Why haven’t you come?

But, Scripture says, “They all with one consent began to make excuse..." Luke 14:17-20
17 When all was ready, he sent his servant around to notify the guests that it was time for them to come.

18 But they all began making excuses. One said he had just bought a field and wanted to inspect it, so he asked to be excused.

19 Another said he had just bought five pair of oxen and wanted to try them out.

20 Another had just been married, so he said he couldn’t come.

What was the sin of the three men in this parable?

It was that land, oxen and family interests all pushed aside the call to intimacy and fellowship with the master.

Don’t mistake me, the things they were doing were all good and perfectly legitimate.

But they became sinful, unforgivable, when they robbed these men of time with and reverence for the master!

Now let me make another important statement:

You are not truly a lover of Jesus if you are not protective of your time with him!

You have to come to a place where you consider everything an intrusion if it robs you of precious time in Jesus’ presence.

Once you put him off or give something else priority, it can easily become a habit.

And you will end up as Jeremiah said -- neglecting him days without number (see Jeremiah 2:31- 32).

What happens when a master is neglected?

He becomes upset just like you and I do!

The master in this parable said, Luke 14:24
24 For none of those I invited first will get even the smallest taste of what I had prepared for them.’ ”
In other words,

All right, gentlemen, you have shown me you’re all too busy for me.

You’ve put your work, your families, your land, your cattle before me.

You don’t want to drink with me and get to know me.

Now I tell you, you will never know me.

You will never enter my gates!

Likewise, many will come to Jesus, saying, Lord, we did mighty works in your name.

We cast out devils and healed the sick, all for your glory.

But he will answer,
Those are all good things, but I never knew you!

You were too busy to be intimate with me.

You never put everything aside and tried to get to know Me.

Now all your busy works have proven to be in vain.
Depart from me!

You are a stranger to me!

Finally, a Large Number Who Ought to Be in the Bridal Procession Will Be Left Out (Matthew 25:1-13).

Jesus gives us a powerful parable in Matthew 25 -- the parable of the ten virgins.

Only five of the virgins had their lamps filled with oil when the bridegroom came for them.

The other five were shut out of the bridal party, because they were out trying to find oil when the bridegroom arrived.

Since the ten virgins in this parable represent the church, does this mean only half of all Christians will enter the marriage supper?

I don’t know.

But I do know we had better take heed to what Jesus is telling us here.

I have no trouble with the fact that all ten
virgins slumbered and slept to midnight.

First of all, those who had oil could sleep in peace, because they had enough to see themselves through till morning.

Second, the oil is not the heart of the parable.

Yet we usually become so focused on it that we miss a very important aspect.

You see, once the five foolish virgins replenished their oil, they came back and began knocking on the door, saying,

Lord, Lord, open to us.

But what did the bridegroom say to them?

He didn’t ask them where they’d been.

He didn’t reprove them for having lacked oil.

He didn’t mention their being late.

He didn’t list any of these things.

No, he said very plainly, "Verily I say unto you, I know you not" (Matthew 25:12).

He said, I don’t know you.

And that is the heart of the parable!

Certainly, Jesus knows who we all are.

But that’s not the kind of knowing he’s talking about in this parable.

Jesus is saying, "You’ve never taken me seriously.

You’ve never put me first.

And that is not what my bride hood is about.

Your heart is not in this relationship.

You have neglected me.

And I cannot recognize your spirit, your kind of walk.

I cannot acknowledge you as part of my bride hood!

Friends, do you know Jesus in your secret closet as well as in church?

Do you talk with him as you’re driving to work?

When the church doors open, are you there as often as possible?

When that final day comes, will Jesus know you?

Pray that the quality of love in your life would be more and more as God wants it, and less and less as the world exhibits it.

Ask the Lord to make you a thinking Christian, one who can discern between the good and the best.

Pray for a specific issue in which you need guidance and wisdom to choose the best option.

A true believer is never falsely content with what he has in Christ, but is continually seeking to know Him better.

Thus, we could say: Keep seeking the kingdom of God and as you do He will continually provide your needs.

When our priority is spiritual, God will take care of the material, for where God guides, He provides.

Let your care for your souls and another world take the place of all other cares.

And let all the concerns of this life be made subordinate to those of the life to come.

We must seek the things of Christ more than our own things; and if ever they come in competition, we must remember to which we are to give the preference.

Seek God first every day!

Let every waking thoughts be of God.

Let this become our way of life!

To do that first which is most needful, and let him that is the First, be first.

We need to be as the scripture tells us in Matthew 5:48

Be ye perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect.
 

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