%% DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: start ```dataview TABLE WITHOUT ID this["sermon series"] AS "Series", location AS "Location", subjects AS "Subjects", takeaways AS "Takeaways", this["sermon link"] AS "Sermon Link" WHERE file.path = this.file.path ``` %% | Series | Location | Subjects | Takeaways | Sermon Link | | ------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- | --------- | ----------- | | \- | [[Topics/Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church.md\|Emmaus Orthodox Presbyterian Church]] | \- | \- | \- | %% DATAVIEW_PUBLISHER: end %% ## 💡Big Idea >- ### Takeaways and Next Steps - ## 📖Bible Passage >[!NOTE]+ [[Ps-105#v3|Ps 105:3-4]] >Glory in his holy name. Let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice. Seek Yahweh and his strength. Seek his face forever more. [[Ps-105#v4|]] ## Points - We are commanded in this verse to seek the LORD. - Calvin teaches that to seek God is the most important thing a Christian can and must do. ### God calls us to seek Him - ["] "**Let the heart of those who rejoice, seek the LORD.**" - The first thing we are commanded in our text today is to seek the LORD. - God calls us to seek Him throughout the Bible. - [[Deut-12#v5|Deut 12:5-7]] But to the place which Yahweh your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, you shall seek his habitation, and you shall come there. You shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the wave offering of your hand, your vows, your free will offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock there. There you shall eat before Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice in all that you put your hand to, you and your households, in which Yahweh your God has blessed you. [[Deut-12#v6|]][[Deut-12#v7|]] - [[1 Chron-16#v7|1 Chron 16:7-11]] Then on that day David first ordained to give thanks to Yahweh, by the hand of Asaph and his brothers. Oh give thanks to Yahweh. Call on his name. Make what he has done known among the peoples. Sing to him. Sing praises to him. Tell of all his marvelous works. Glory in his holy name. Let the heart of those who **seek Yahweh** rejoice. Seek Yahweh and his strength. **Seek his face** forever more. - [[1 Chron-22#v19|1 Chron 22.19]] Now set your heart and your soul to follow Yahweh your God. Arise therefore, and build the sanctuary of Yahweh God, to bring the ark of Yahweh's covenant and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built for Yahweh's name." - [[2 Chron-15#v12|2 Chron 15:12-15]] They entered into the covenant to seek Yahweh, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul; and that whoever would not seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. They swore to Yahweh with a loud voice, with shouting, with trumpets, and with cornets. All Judah rejoiced at the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire; and he was found by them. Then Yahweh gave them rest all around. [[2 Chron-15#v13|]][[2 Chron-15#v14|]][[2 Chron-15#v15|]] - [[Ps-14#v2|Ps 14:2-3]] Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God. They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is no one who does good, no, not one. [[Ps-14#v3|]] - [[Ps-22#v26|Ps 22.26]] The humble shall eat and be satisfied. **They shall praise Yahweh who seek** after him. Let your hearts live forever. - [[Ps-34#v10|Ps 34.10]] The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but **those who seek Yahweh shall not lack any good thing**. - [[Hos-05#v6|Hos 5.6]] They will go with their flocks and with their herds to seek Yahweh; but they won't find him. He has withdrawn himself from them. - [[Hos-10#v12|Hos 10.12]] Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to kindness. Break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek Yahweh, until he comes and rains righteousness on you. - [[Am-05#v6|Am 5:6-7]] Seek Yahweh, and you will live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel. You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth: [[Am-05#v7|]] - [[Zeph-02#v1|Zeph 2:1-2]] Gather yourselves together, yes, gather together, you nation that has no shame, before the appointed time when the day passes as the chaff, before the fierce anger of Yahweh comes on you, before the day of Yahweh's anger comes on you. [[Zeph-02#v2|]] - [[Acts-17#v27|Acts 17:27-28]] that they should seek the Lord, if perhaps they might reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live, move, and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'For we are also his offspring.' [[Acts-17#v28|]] - [[Heb-04#v16|Heb 4.16]] Let's therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace for help in time of need. - Here God gives us permission to rejoice, and he **promises** that we **shall** rejoice. - ⭐ All people are seekers. - Even the ungodly seek. - Our hearts are large but they are empty, and they are always seeking something more. We are always reaching out. Exploring. Discovering. Searching. - This is the way that God made us. - We are vessels that need to be filled. - But the problem is that sin has blinded us, meaning that now, we do not seek the LORD. - We seek vain pleasures and even wicked sinful things. - We ought to seek God who is an ocean of good an grace. - Jesus is our guiding light and we need to seek Him. - But in this world there are so many other distracting lights. Imposter lights. These lights lead to death whereas Jesus is the light that leads to life. - So Jesus calls the Church to be the light on the hill, shining to the world, so that the world may see Christ and be saved. - >Let your light shine. - Notice that God commands us three times to seek Him. - Why does God have to repeat Himself? Because we are so easily distracted and we need this reminder. - Three, also reminds us that God is triune and we must seek all three persons of the trinity. - God is one God, with One Name, but He reveals Himself in three persons. ### Seek the Lord and His Strength - God tells us to seek His strength - [[Ps-46#v1|Ps 46.1]] God is our refuge and **strength**, a very present help in trouble. - [[Ephes-06#v10|Ephes 6.10]] Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. - [[Ephes-03#v14|Ephes 3:14-17]][[Ephes-03#v15|]][[Ephes-03#v16|]][[Ephes-03#v17|]] - [[Ephes-01#v18|Ephes 1:18-21]] having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the **strength of his might** which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, authority, power, dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come. [[Ephes-01#v19|]][[Ephes-01#v20|]][[Ephes-01#v21|]] ### Seek His Face Continually - Our text calls us to seek Him three times but it uses His name only two times. On this last time, we are called to seek His face. - Why are we called to seek His face? - One reason, is to show us that God is not hiding from us. He is not hiding His face from us. - He **wants** us to seek Him. He wants to be sought. - The problem is not with God's face, but ours. - The problem is not that God's back is toward us. The problem is that **our back** is toward Him. - ⭐ What did Adam and Eve do after they sinned? They *hid themselves from the face of God*. [[Gen-03#v8|Gen 3.8]] - But despite the fact that they hid from Him, God was seeking them. - And God is still seeking you and I. - [[Num-06#v25|Num 6:25-26]] Yahweh make his **face** to shine on you, and be gracious to you. Yahweh lift up his face toward you, and give you peace.' [[Num-06#v26|]] - Another reason why He uses the word *face* is to assure us that He wants to have **fellowship and communion and intimacy** with Him. - It is not as though He only wants obedient servants with no relationship. No, He wants to be close to us. - A third reason, is because the Holy Spirit is teaching us about Jesus Christ. A face is a human thing. God, Himself is invisible, but Jesus has a face. - Jesus is the image of the invisible God. [[Col-01#v15|Col 1.15]] ## Application - We must turn to God, **through Christ**. Seek Him, through Jesus Christ. - Seek Him through His face, who is Christ. - We are desperately separated from Him because of our sin, but in Christ we can seek and find Him. - We must **only seek God in Christ**. - We can only know God through His son. - Christ is the meeting place where we meet with God. - Outside of Christ, God is a consuming fire. - It is a delightful thing to seek the LORD. We can and we must rejoice in Him. - In Song of Solomon, the Bride seeks *Him whom my heart love*. And this is what we must do toward God. - [[Jer-29#v13|Jer 29.13]] **You shall seek me, and find me**, when you search for me with all your heart. - God is our strength - Seek the LORD and His strength. - We find our strength in Him. - we cannot find our strength in ourselves or in anything else. - Jesus did not die in cowardice. In His strength, He faced death head on. Oh how great is His strength! - See His face evermore. - Seeking God is not something you only do on the day you are converted. - It is something we do continually every day. - True Christianity in its essence is **continually** seeking the LORD. - It is persevering without ever stopping. - To stop is to be not genuine. - Guard yourself from idolatry for it causes us to stop seeking Him, and to seek vain idols. --- ## Further Study - --- ## 💬Discussion Questions 1.