Paul Daugherty - God Seekers
Revelation 2, I wanna title this message, God Seekers, God Seekers. Any God seekers in the room today? Come on, our nation seeks a lot of things. We chase after a lot of things. We pursue a lot of things, and you could see it with where our nation spends money. You could see it where you spend money. If I was to ask you, you know, what are you seeking right now? You might say, God, but my question is, you know, what does your search history say?
And so in Revelation 2, God has this word for the church. He says, "To the church in Ephesus, this is the message from the one who holds the seven stars in his right hand, the one who walks among the seven gold lamp stands. I know all the things that you do. I've seen your hard work. I've seen your patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate wickedness. I know that you've examined those who say they're apostles, but they're not. And you've patiently suffered. You've walked through persecution and you haven't given up". But then he says this, "I have one thing that I need to tell you".
There's one thing that you've missed, and that is, "you don't love me like you did at first". You've lost that passionate pursuit after me. You've drifted, you've gotten cold in your love for me. You've become content with how far you've come. It's almost like someone who says, you know, I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. I know all there is to know. I know everything there is to know. And Jesus says, "you've stopped looking for me". You've stopped pursuing me. You've stopped wanting to get to know me. And then he says in verse five, consider the distance between where you are and where you once were when you were passionately pursuing me.
Consider how far you've fallen from that first love, repent and start seeking God again. Repent and start seeking God again. Because on the other side of seeking God is the plan, the purpose, the power, the provision, the protection, the favor that God has for you. In fact, Hebrews 11:6 says, "it requires faith to seek God. And those who seek God, they will be rewarded faithfully by God". Here's one thing I know about God seekers, they never go without a reward from God. If I seek God, there's gonna be a reward on the other side. Jesus said, "blessed are those who hunger and thirst".
Another word for seek is to hunger. It's to thirst, it's to desire. I need, I want, I pursue, I'm coming after that. Why? Because if I do, I will receive what I'm pursuing. Jesus said, if you pursue it, you'll receive it. If you hunger for it, you'll be filled with it. If you're thirsty for it, you're gonna get it. So my question for you is, what are you seeking right now? Who are you seeking? David in the Bible, he was a God seeker. The Bible says he was a man after God's own heart. The second king of Israel, not the first king. First king was Saul, the second king was David. And you might go, yeah, yeah, David killed Goliath, but he also committed adultery and murder, and he was a bad king. And yet God says, no, this was a man who sought my heart.
God's not looking for perfect people. He's looking for seekers after him. David said one thing, somebody say one thing. One thing that I'm asking from the Lord, one thing, if you could ask God for one thing, some of y'all would, if you're single, you go, one thing I'm asking for is a good spouse, a hot, handsome, beautiful, whatever. You know, you've got that one thing. You got that one thing. Some of y'all are, the one thing for you is children. If we could ask God for one thing, it's children. For others, it's that my kids would stop being rebellious. That they would be obedient. If there's one thing you could ask from God, what is it?
David had this one thing, he had journaled about it. He had written down this over and over. He said, here's the one thing, I wanna seek God. I want to know God. I want to live in his presence. I want to pursue His presence. I want to gaze on the beauty of the Lord. I want to seek Him first. His one thing was not benefits from God. So many people want the benefits of a relationship without the willingness to pursue and commit to the intimacy of a relationship. A relationship where we stop pursuing one another, it becomes just business transactions. It becomes just a partnership.
Okay, we gotta do this. But a real intimate, organic relationship, it requires pursuit. It requires seeking, searching, wanting to know, what do you like? What do you wanna do? What's on your mind? What's on your heart? Here's what happens, when you seek God, you get to know God's heart. And you start to know what is God's will for your life. You start to discover the voice of God. God wants to speak to you. God wants to give you songs of victory. God wants to give you favor. He wants to give you strength. I don't know about you, but as a dad, I get impatient at times with my kids. I love my children, in case they're watching online. They asked me like, "Dad, do you love us"? I was like, "yes, of course I do. I tell you this every day". They're like, "yeah, but you tell stories about us at church sometimes".
And there's times where I just, I want to scream. And in fact, I took the boys here the other night. We had a boys night out, I took Liam, Benny, and Mack, and you know, they're nine years old, seven years old, and four years old. We came in this room, they were cleaning the room, getting ready for y'all. So the lights were on, and I said, boys, let's do a Nerf gun war. So we brought our Nerf guns and we're like, shooting Nerf guns, and we thought we got all the Nerf darts out, in case you find one behind a row. I'm sorry, it's just signs of family time. But we were playing the Nerf gun war. And Liam, after the game was over, he comes up, as Benny's collecting the darts, and he pulls his Nerf bow and arrow back and just shoots Benny in the head and hurts him really bad.
And we had been playing hide and seek, and they'd been searching for me and searching for each other. And when I'm playing these games with them, God's always showing something to me, right? Because the Bible says God wants us to seek him, not because he's trying to stay hidden from us, but he wants us to pursue him. Just like when I play hide and seek with my kids, I want them to find me. I want them to discover... I'm not trying to stay hidden for hours and hours. You know, like, go look for me, and I go hide somewhere and hang out on my phone and watch movies or something. I want them to find me. We're building relationship. God wants to be found. Well, when Liam did that, I was so frustrated. I said, "Liam, why did you just hurt your little brother"? He's like, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I won't do it again".
Then he does it again to his other brother, Mack. So now I'm really like, I am angry. And Benny and Mack are like, "Daddy, what is his consequence"? And I go, "Liam, you're gonna get hit by your brothers. Line up, right? Stand right here". And he was like, "What, what? What is this"? And I go, "Liam, you're gonna feel what you caused them to feel". Now this might be bad parenting, so don't practice this. I said, "Liam, you hurt your brothers, and there's a consequence". He goes, "What about forgiveness"? I said, "forgiveness and consequences are two different things". I said, "I forgive you, but there's gonna be a consequence".
And so, you know, we're talking through it, and he's like, "what are you gonna do? Am I gonna get hit by them? And, you know, Nerf guns shot at me and all that"? So I'm like, in the moment, my flesh is wanting Liam to get hurt. And then I had this, now, I'm not always like, this wise, but I had a wise moment and I just stepped back and I said, "God, I need help right now. I'm getting frustrated with the boys". And God gave me this idea. And I said, "Liam, there's a consequence". I said, "there's gonna be pain". And he was like, "oh, no, no pain".
You know, just so dramatic. I don't know where he gets it from. And so he was like, "Daddy, please, please forgive me". I said, "I do". I said, "there's gonna be a hit". And he was like, "Where, is it gonna be here? Is it gonna be here? Am I gonna take it here"? You know? And I go, "No". I said, "Daddy's gonna take it". He goes, "What"? And I said, "Benny and Mack". I said, "instead of hitting Liam, I want you to get your Nerf guns". They're like, "okay". And they pulled their, they were like, totally fine with it. I was like, "don't be so excited about it". And so I turned around and I said, "you guys can hit me". And Liam goes, "wait, wait. Well, why are you doing this, Daddy? I'm the one that caused the pain".
I said, "I know, but Daddy's gonna take the consequence for you". And he said, "no, that doesn't make sense. That doesn't make sense". He said, "I deserve to be hit". And I said, "Liam, I'm gonna take it for you". And so, you know, Benny and Mack pull back and hit me hard. It hurt bad. And Liam jumped in front of me, he said, "please, let me take it". And he's like, "Daddy, I deserve it, let me take it". I said, "no, Liam," I said, "this is what Jesus did for us. He took the hit for us. We deserved it". And he starts crying. He gets it. The gospel came alive to Liam.
Now, I'm not saying I'm like a really spiritual, great dad, 'cause I have moments where I don't get it right. But in that moment, when I'm seeking God, I'm a better parent. When I'm in tune with the voice of God, I have better wisdom and moments. And after I did it, Liam goes, "I'm gonna hurt myself now". I said, "Liam, there's not two payments required, just one payment, and I paid it. I took the hit". And he said, "well, I wanna feel the pain too". I said, "no, you don't have to, I did". I said, "just don't hurt your brothers when they're not looking, don't do that". And he said, "I get it now, I get it. I caused that". And it was like a revelation.
David, when he was in a crisis in I Samuel 30, it says "he sought the Lord". He didn't run to anyone else, didn't run to anywhere else, didn't go to the bar. In, 1 Samuel 30:6, when he's attacked, his wife's been taken, his kids have been kidnapped. His men are talking about stoning him. In the middle of his crisis, it says he sought the Lord and he strengthened himself in the Lord when he was stressed out. When's the last time you handled a crisis with just God? When's the last time when you were stressed out, you just went to God? And this isn't a message to condemn. This is just a message to call us back to seeking God. In Psalm 63:1, David said, "my soul thirsts for you," my body needs you, it's like I'm in a dry, parched desert. And God, I need you, I'm pursuing you.
The word seek appears 313 times in the Bible. It means to aggressively pursue. David said, I'm searching for you, I'm desperate for you. Why, because the stronger I am in God, the weaker temptation has a hold over me. And the weaker I am at seeking God, the stronger temptation gets in my life. I've never seen a good, vibrant, powerful relationship with God that happened on accident. I've never seen someone develop a good, powerful, vibrant relationship with their spouse accidentally. It always happens on purpose. The result of a powerful, vibrant relationship comes from spending time pursuing God.
See, God seekers, they spend time in his presence. They spend time in the Word of God. David said, "your Word is like honey on my lips". Your word is the bread that I need. It's what my soul craves. God, I wake up in the morning and I want to praise you. What's the first thing you do when you wake up? How do you know what you're seeking? What are you doing when you go to bed at night? What are you doing when you wake up? What are you searching for during the day? David said, "Lord, I want to know you". Psalm 42:1, he says, "as the deer panteth for the water, my soul thirsts for you".
In Exodus 33:11, Moses would seek God. And it wasn't in a church building, it was in a tent. And today the presence of God is anywhere and everywhere that you just pause and you can enter into his presence. At your house, in your car, in your bedroom. Why? Because Jesus died on the cross. Rose from the grave, poured out his Holy Spirit for you and I to receive his presence. And it's not contained to one building, one place, one group. There is no junior varsity Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit that's poured out on adults is poured out for children.
The presence of God that's in here can be felt over there in the children's church, in the youth room, in the nursery room. It's not contained to just a space or a generation or a certain group of people or one nation. It's open to everyone. But during that time, it was just in one place. It was the Old Testament. Moses would meet with God face-to-face as a friend. God wants you to know him as a friend. He wants to have a friendship with you. He doesn't wanna just be a business partner with you. He doesn't just wanna be that guy that you go, okay, I put my tithe in now, I'm expecting an increase. No, God says, I wanna have a friendship with you. I want you to hear my voice. I want you not just seeking what's in my hand, I want you to seek my face. I want you to study my face, I want you to know my eyes.
Right now, they just did a study on Christians and they asked, how many Christians read their Bible daily? How many Christians are engaged in an active, daily relationship with God? 58% said, "no, I'm not, I don't read it daily". I don't even read it weekly. I'm rarely engaged in scripture reading or in church going or connect group or a discipleship group. I rarely interact. I'm a believer, I'm just not engaged. This is what God was speaking to the church in Ephesus. You're a believer, you've pressed through hard times. You conquered cancer, you walked through some difficulties. You went through the divorce. You sought God in that one crisis in that valley.
You met Jesus at 19 years old. You saw him at camp. You were there as a child. You got baptized when you were eight years old, but now you're 47. And when's the last time you fasted and prayed? And when's the last time you went to an altar and cried? And when's the last time you cracked open your Bible and read the scriptures? Not just because you're in a crisis, but because you need his presence every single day as a dad, as a grandpa, you're 67 now, when's the last time you passionately pursued God?
Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, "seek first the kingdom of God". He didn't say seek it second, he didn't say seek it third. He didn't say, seek it after the volleyball tournament. Seek it when you get time to show up to church once or twice a year and it's all gonna work out. Open your Bible once or twice a a month and it'll all, he says, "seek first the kingdom of God". Seek his will, seek his agenda, seek his presence. Like, invite God into your finances, into your marriage, into your family as a husband, as a wife. In Psalm 14, "the Lord looks down from heaven". David says, "the Lord looks down from heaven". And he asks this question, 14:2, Psalm 14:2, "are there any people seeking God"?
That's the question God's asking. He's not saying, is there anyone that knows scripture? Is there anyone that can sing the latest worship song that's on the charts? He's saying, is there anyone that's seeking me? Is there any pastors that aren't just seeking another sermon but are seeking the Word of God? Are there any fathers that need help? Is there any mothers that are sick and tired of being sick and tired and are just on their knees saying, God, I need your help as a mom. Are there any teenagers that are desperate for revival in their school? I remember I was in the Grand Canyon years ago, first time to go down there. I went all the way to the bottom.
And by the way, when you see the Grand Canyon, you realize there is a God. He is so real, there's no way a human could have made this. There's no way apes figured this out. There's no way a big bang just made the, like, I'm telling you, God is real and he's worth your pursuit and he's worth getting to know. And when you walk through the Grand Canyon, it's so gorgeous. And I remember just sitting down there looking at the stars, and I just felt the presence of God. During the conference last week before anyone preached, man, I just was on the front row. And the first night before Darius Daniels got up to speak, the worship team started playing. And they showed this video of these horses running, and I just started weeping. I just fell on my knees. And I just said, "God, thank you so much for your presence".
I'm just thankful to be alive. I'm just thankful for the presence of God. I'm thankful for the covering of God. When I was down in the Grand Canyon, this older man came into this, you know, they have like a little cabin down there where they make dinner for everyone who makes it to the bottom. And I was so excited, they made a steak for me. And so I'm sitting there and I'm, you know, I'm leaning in by the way, a sign of a seeker is, they're leaning in, they're leaning in, they've got an appetite, I need God, I need God, I need the Holy Spirit. I need his help. I don't care who wins the Super Bowl this year, I just need Jesus, like, I'm so tired of just being obsessed with pointless activities. Like, I want purpose in my life every single day. And I was sitting there and I'm about to eat the steak.
And this older man walks in and he's gotta be in his 70s. And you know, he had been out in the sun too long, like his skin had just been like really touched by the sun. And he walks in there, but he was so happy. And he goes, "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy"! You know, there was like 10 of us in this, you know, cabin and there's a chef and he made the steaks. And this older gentleman, he goes, "oh man". And he just, you know, slams his backpack on the table. And he goes, "this is the greatest place on earth".
And I said, "man, it's awesome". And he goes, "no man, it's more than awesome. It's amazing," you know? And he starts describing it. And he said, "this is my 70th time down to the Grand Canyon". He said, "every year I come down here, at least three times a year". He said, "I started coming in my 30s, and I just, I fell in love with it". I said, "70 times? You've walked down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and then walked out"? He said, "70 times". And he said, "I'm gonna keep doing it till the day I die, and I'm not dead yet, baby". And I was like, "awesome". And he said, "every time I come down here, there's a new side of it that I haven't seen. There's another angle when the sun hits the rocks. There's another part of it that I haven't seen yet". And I just wonder if believers have who said, "yeah, I read through the Bible. I know it, there's nothing new you could teach me".
What if we got that same appetite that older man had and said, "man, there's just more to it. 2023, and God, He's opening this up to me in ways that I've never seen before". I want to know, Joshua lingered in the presence of God. He wanted to know God more. Psalm 10:4, says, "the prideful in their heart say, I don't need God". The pride, in the pride, a wicked person does not pursue God. There's no room in his thoughts for God. I got my mind on so many other things, there's no room for God. David says, make room, make room for God. Feed your spirit. Psalm 27:8, says, "Lord, I will seek your face". I will seek your face. This is what I want, I want to know you. I want the band to come out.
Jeremiah 29:11 says, "I know the plans that I have for you. Plans to prosper you, to give you hope, and a future. And when you call on me," see, we always stop at the plans to prosper. We're like, yes, he's gonna prosper me. He's gonna give me hope in the future. He's gonna bless my year. And God says, when you seek me, when you pursue me, when you pray, when you desperately call out for me, I will listen to you. God does wanna prosper you, but not at the expense of you living a life without purpose. God's not just trying to prosper your agenda. He wants to prosper his agenda in your life. So he says, you seek me with all of your heart. Not half of your heart, but all of your heart.
In 2 Chronicles 26:5, King Uzziah was anointed and appointed to become king. And he was young, and yet God had called him to be the king. He was anointed for it, he was appointed for it. He was given the baton. And it says he sought God during the days of the prophet of Zechariah. And he would pursue God, and as long, look at this in verse five, "as long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success".
As long as he sought the Lord, God blessed his company, as long as she sought the Lord, God helped her as a mom. As long as she sought the Lord, God led her to the right man to marry. As long as he sought the Lord, God blessed him with the right wife to marry. As long as they sought the Lord, God blessed their nonprofit. As long as he sought the Lord, God grew the church. As long as he was seeking God, as long as he was seeking God, as long as they were seeking God, they succeeded. The key to success in 2023, seek God, seek God. As long as they sought God, God made them powerful. God actually destroyed their enemies. In verse nine, at verse eight, it says, "he became very strong," he became wealthy.
And then in verse nine, he began building his dreams, he began building new buildings. And verse 10 and 11, enemies were conquered. He was marvelously blessed and he had favor. In verse 15, it says, "he had favor". He was strong, he became an inventor. In verse 15, he started inventing things. He was like, he was the Elon Musk of his day. He was the Steve Jobs. By the way, I believe the the future Elon Musk is sitting in the in the room today, of victory. I believe the future inventors of tomorrow's major game-changing things that will shift society, I believe it'll come out of the local church. But as he was seeking God, he had innovation, he had creativity. And then it says at the very end of verse 15, it says, "he had favor". He was helped until he became strong. How the mighty fall.
The most dangerous place a Christian can be is when you are blessed, you're strong, you're wealthy, and you're not in a battle. When you get strong, that's when the danger starts to come. When you think, I don't need God's help, I don't need to fast this year, I don't need to pray. I don't need to show up to church. I don't need to seek God. I don't need accountability. I don't need discipleship. I don't need any elders or pastors speaking into my life. Don't ask me to ask you to pray for me. I don't need your prayer, I'm doing good. I'm strong right now. The most dangerous place is to be a strong believer thinking that you don't need God's help.