Purpose: To teach a person how to pursue a relationship with God by developing a seeker's heart and by coming to know Jesus as revealed in God's Word, the Bible.
ACTS 17:26-28
Ever ask yourself: "What on earth am I here for?" You aren't alone! Why did God create you and bring you to this very point and time in your life? So that you would seek him and find him in order to have a personal relationship with him. Who takes the initiative in seeking this relationship? Because God loves us and desires a relationship with us, he has been actively determining times and places long before we ever thought about seeking him (Psalm 14:2-3).
Why do so few seem to be seeking today? God is unknown and the image many have of him is distorted. To seek God, we must be willing to change our ideas about who God is to match what has been revealed to us in the Bible. There is nothing more important or exciting in life than to seek and to find our Creator God.
JEREMIAH 29:11-14
We will find God if we seek Him with all our heart. Have you ever done something with all your heart? What will it mean for you to seek God with all your heart?
MATTHEW 7:7-11
What does God promise those who diligently seek? Prayer is the means by which we can make our requests known to God. Do you pray? As you seek to know God better, take him at his word that he truly listens and responds to our prayers as a loving Father.
ACTS 8:26-40
What do we know about this seeker? He is important and therefore certainly busy, but still finds time for God. He reads the Scriptures himself and asks questions about what he is reading. He is humble and sincere enough in his search to ask for help. What he learns he acts on right away, as seen with his baptism. How did he feel after coming to know God better? The burning questions he had about God were answered in an afternoon.
ACTS 17:10-12
What was it about these Berean seekers that made Luke refer to them as having "noble character"? What does "great eagerness" imply? Why was it important for them to "examine the Scriptures every day" for themselves? What was the result of this eager yet diligent attitude? As with prayer, reading the Bible is vitally important to knowing God.
JOHN 1:1-18
Jesus has made God known. Where do we begin our search for God? We begin by getting to know Jesus. To the degree that we know Jesus, we will know God.
JOHN 20:30-31
The Word of God produces faith in Jesus. What will we find if we seek God by coming to know Jesus through God's Word? Finding God begins with coming to faith in Jesus which promises true life now and eternal life later! As we take a closer look at Jesus, are you willing to make a heartfelt effort to draw closer to God by praying and reading the Bible?
HOMEWORK:
-As you begin this journey in truly seeking God, I challenge you to begin consistently reading in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Begin in the book of John. Reading a chapter or 2 or more (If you're up for it) each day. Doing so will help you to better understand the life and ministry of Jesus.
TRUE STORY: I grew up knowing of Jesus my WHOLE life, but I never knew WHO he really was. I never not once read anything but the book of Psalms, because that is all I knew and that is all my family knew coming from a Catholic background. We never read the gospels which are the most important part of God's word that EVERY believer needs to not only read but study to understand the foundation of the Christian faith. I FELL IN LOVE with Jesus when I learned more about him. I couldn't believe I had a Bible sitting on my shelf collecting dust and I never truly read and studied it. This is how MOST believers live because they are not taught any better. If you are already a believer, here is your chance to be and do better.
Get to studying!
ADDITIONAL HELPFUL SCRIPTURES:
Deuteronomy 4:28-31
2 Chronicles 15:1-4
Matthew 6:25-33
Matthew 7:13-14
Matthew 13:44-46
Hebrews 11:6