3/17/10 “The Quest” Part 2: People Seeking After Christ
The Quest Series Part 2 – People Seeking After Christ
3 17 10 HT PM
Matthew 16:24-26 NKJV
Last week I left you with this question – “are you looking for God or was God looking for you”?
The Quest in Christianity must begin with a rediscovery of loving God with ALL your heart, soul, mind and strength. You may want to think of this in modern language as compassion, wonder, curiosity and energy. In essence we are speaking here of a love worth dying for.
Matthew 16:24 NKJV Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Matthew 16:25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
Matthew 16:26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
Definition of Quest = the act or an instance of seeking or pursuing something; a search.
Last week we looked at five considerations about Christ;
Critical considerations about Christ -
1. Jesus claimed to be God.
2. Jesus performed miracles.
3. Jesus never sinned.
4. Jesus came do die.
5. Jesus rose from the dead.
If you do not embrace the significance of “who” you are seeking – you will not embrace the significance of the quest nor the discovery.
Four separate stories of people and their Quest for Christ.
1. The Apostle Paul -
2. Women with Issue of blood
3. Jarius daughter –
4. Rich young ruler –
Every quest begins with an outcome, need or desire in mind – what were you looking for when you came to faith in Jesus Christ – when all of these went in search of Christ they were looking for something.
Lets look at this top list of four people in reverse order.
1. The Rich Young Ruler
Matthew 19:16 NKJV Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”
Matthew 19:17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Matthew 19:18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’
Matthew 19:19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”
Matthew 19:20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?”
Matthew 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Matthew 19:22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
The RYR sought comfort in his mind about his eternity
2. The women with the issue of blood
Mark 5:25 NKJV
Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years,
Mark 5:26
and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.
Mark 5:27
When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.
Mark 5:28
For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”
Mark 5:29
Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.
Mark 5:30
And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”
For The Woman with the 12 year hemorrhage
Because of her condition, this woman was continuously unclean according to Lev 15:25-31. She could not go to the temple to worship. She could not touch anyone or they would be unclean for the rest of the day. If she sat in a chair, it was unclean for the rest of the day, etc. So she was basically cut Mark wants you to know that the doctors couldn’t help her. He says, “She suffered much at the hands of many doctors, had spent all her money and was not helped at all.”
This women felt a compelling to Christ – for herself – she had a condition.
3. Jarius daughter -
Mark 5:35 NKJV
While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”
Mark 5:36 As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”
Mark 5:37 And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
Mark 5:38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.
Mark 5:39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.”
Mark 5:40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.
Mark 5:41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi ,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.”
Mark 5:42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement.
Jarius was compelled to Christ on behalf of someone else
For The Synagogue Ruler
Jairus is the leader of the local synagogue. It could very well be the synagogue in Capernaum. We don’t know what his reaction to Jesus was prior to this. Perhaps he witnessed the casting out of the demon in the synagogue and the healing of the man with the withered hand in the synagogue. Since he is one of the leaders, and the leaders didn’t typically respond well to Jesus, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jairus didn’t think too highly of Jesus prior to this. But now that his daughter is dying and he is desperate, He comes to Jesus. I wonder if it was difficult for him to kneel before Jesus? We can only speculate, but I doubt that Jairus’ faith was that Jesus was the Messiah—only that He could heal people and might be able to heal his daughter.
Jairus’ daughter was at the point of death. He wanted Jesus to hurry and come to his house to heal her. Jesus consents to go with Jairus, but soon after they get started, there is a delay. A sick woman comes up and touches Jesus’ garment. I can imagine that Jairus is probably frustrated at the delay. And the delay adds to the drama of the story. It also shows us that Jesus did not neglect the needs of a lowly woman to impress an influential religious leader.
4. The Apostle Paul
Suggest that you read all of Philippians 3 ☺
Philippians 3:8 NKJV Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
Philippians 3:9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
Philippians 3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
Philippians 3:11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Philippians 3:12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
Philippians 3:13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
Philippians 3:14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:15 Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you.
Philippians 3:16 Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind.
Philippians 3:17 Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.
Philippians 3:18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:
Philippians 3:19
whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things.
Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
Philippians 3:21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
In Paul’s conversion in Acts, he was not looking for Christ, rather Christ found Him. He was called!
• Rich Young Ruler – Comfort
• Jarius – Compelled (by the need of another
• Woman with 12 year condition – Compelled (by the a need for herself)
• The Apostle Paul – Called – (he was pursuing Christ as Christ pursued him).
Of the above four stories – which one of the above had the most impact for God? Which one do we know the most about?
• Comfort seeker
• Compelled seeker
• Called sought after
Revelation 12:11 NLT
And they have defeated him by the blood of the
Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love
their lives so much that they were afraid to die.
Are we looking for God or is He looking for us?
1 John 4:1 NKJV
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
1 John 4:2
By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,
1 John 4:3
and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
1 John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:5
They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.
1 John 4:6
We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
1 John 4:7
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:8
He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:9
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.
1 John 4:10
In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
1 John 4:11
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1 John 4:12
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us.
1 John 4:13
By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.
1 John 4:14
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.
1 John 4:15
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
1 John 4:16
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:17
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
1 John 4:19
We love Him because He first loved us.
1 John 4:20
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?
1 John 4:21
And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.