God Is Seeking You

God Is Seeking You – Just As You Are The Twofold Search of the Seeking Shepherd Michael Delaney Scripture Reading: Luk 15:4 What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost until he finds it? Story of girl who loses way and goes to jail……how God sought her there! The beginning of God’s “search” for us began LONG AGO! HOW LONG AGO??? God the Father and Jesus the Savior were seeking us before we were created! Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ; Eph 1:4 according as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, Eph 1:5 having predestined us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, When Jesus became one of us, He also became All of US (explain briefly the In Christ motif) in the mystery of the incarnation, He found us in a most terrible situation: Earth about to self destruct – describe slavery and Roman death games and debauchery (vomitoriums and suicide of the elite).

Christ came at the exact – right time!!!! Just when we needed Him most! He is coming again…..again at the EXACT RIGHT TIME! 1

Rom 5:6 For we yet being without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. Rom 5:7 For one will with difficulty die for a righteous one, yet perhaps one would even dare to die for a good one. Rom 5:8 But God commends His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Rom 5:10 For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

(Describe the actual contact of Jesus with the most dreaded outcasts - the lepers – and how rather than getting leprosy Himself, He imparted healing, joy and hope to them!! Mat 8:2 And behold, a leper came and worshiped him, saying, Lord, if You will, You can make me clean. Mat 8:3 And Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, I will; be clean! And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

When Jesus came to this world, He was seeking the one “lost sheep” that had “left the fold.” According to the Word of God, there is no record of any other created world that yielded to the temptation of Satan. We, this planet, are the “lost sheep” of the universe that God so loved… Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Lets consider some Biblical evidence for this fact: According to the Book of Job, the devil had access to the different parts of the universe where he constantly tried to tempt and seduce the other unfallen beings of creation to yield to temptation as Adam and Eve did here on earth. 2

Consider Job 1:6&7 Job 1:6 And a day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah. And Satan also came among them. Job 1:7 And Jehovah said to Satan, From where do you come? Then Satan answered Jehovah and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. (I WANT YOU TO REALIZE THAT):

After the cross event, the devil was totally exposed for the evil murderer and liar that he is. He was no longer allowed access to the other worlds and was confined to only the earth. (Mention the idea that even the evil angels who followed Satan into rebellion may have turned in anger and hatred towards the original deceiver at the cross event…..but…it was too late!!! CONSIDER Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. At the cross, Satan was totally confined to this planet – EARTH. No longer could he visit the rest of the unfallen universe! Satan is trapped here like a rat on a sticky paper trap….he will never again leave this earth but will ultimately perish in the lake of fire. So far we have seen the Seeking Savior in His Divine and loving search for us from eternity past through the Advent of Jesus coming to be the Savior of the world. This is one dimension of the twofold reality of Jesus as the Seeking Savior Who searches for us JUST AS WE ARE! Let us now take a look at the other dimension of the Seeking Savior and how He is anxious to receive us JUST AS WE ARE! 2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 3

Luk 19:10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. Jesus told His disciples that the time would come for Him to leave them. He also promised them that Another would come to them Whom He called the Comforter (Paracletos) Joh 14:12 Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes on Me, the works that I do he shall do also, and greater works than these he shall do, because I go to My Father. Joh 14:13 And whatever you may ask in My name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Joh 14:14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. Joh 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments. Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, so that He may be with you forever, Joh 14:17 the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you. Joh 14:18 I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. Joh 14:21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him. Joh 14:25 I have spoken these things to you, being present with you. Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you. Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Joh 14:28 You have heard how I said to you, I go away and I am coming to you again. If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, I go to the Father, for My Father is greater than I. This means that we must believe like little children that there REALLY IS a Jesus in me that LOVES the Jesus in you! When the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you, He represents both the Father and the Son! Consider John 14:22-23 Joh 14:22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself to us and not to the world? Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, If a man loves Me, he will keep My Word. And My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 4

Just think of it! All three Members of the God-head ----the Father, Son & Holy Spirit----are seeking to dwell in us who receive the unspeakable Gift of Christ and His righteousness through faith by His grace!!! The Seeking Shepherd is still seeking to save that which is lost……but in this 2nd of the twofold dimension of seeking to save the lost, He is working THROUGH US! Now, since Jesus left this world physically and sits at the right hand of the Father to make intersession for us, He is still SEEKING TO SAVE the lost THROUGH US!!! 2000 years ago Jesus, came seeking to save the lost as 1 person in Whom dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily! Col 2:9 For in

Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

When we “abide IN HIM,” HE, the “fullness of the Godhead bodily” abides in us and thus through our WITNESS, the SEEKING SAVIOR reveals Himself to those WE COME IN CONTACT WITH! Jesus called us the salt of the world! The salt is salvation to a dying and rotting world and the only way the salt can accomplish its purpose is to COME IN CONTACT WITH those who need it! Is He abiding in you today? Are you allowing the Seeking Savior to accomplish His divine work of seeking and saving the lost THROUGH YOU? (APPEAL FOR POSSIBLE NEW BELIEVERS) (APPEAL FOR MEMBERS OF THE BODY TO WITNESS) Are you willing to follow the formula for Christian living found in GALATIANS 2:20????

Gal 2:20 I have been put to death on the cross with Christ; still I am living; yet no longer I, but Christ is living in me; and that life which I now am living in the flesh I am living by faith, the very faith of the Son of God, who in love for me, gave himself up for me. 5