What are you seeking?

What Are You Seeking?

What Are You Seeking? 

John 3:16-17: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

·        When Jesus Christ came down from heaven’s pure glory to walk among us, His perfect soul never knew any wrong thoughts, nor any impure motives.

·        He was God come in the flesh and He was perfect in every way.

·        Those who followed Jesus were the prostitutes, the drunks, the pagans, the thieves, the criminals, the deaf, blind, and lame…the sick and the infirm.

·        Those that were against him were the priests, the pastors, the churchy people, the legalists, rulers, and teachers. The “religious people.”

Luke 15:1-2: Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”

·        The religious people thought they were too good and moral to be around the “unclean.”

·        Religion without love is a dangerous thing! History is filled with examples of the things done by religious people who did not have love… they’ve given Jesus a bad reputation.

·        And it is still happening today, people killing each other in the name of God.

Matthew 14:14: And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.

·        Jesus was love walking around on the earth—healing, blessing, teaching, drawing the people to Himself, for those who wanted to listen.

·        When He came to the sick or those suffering—He healed them.

·        There were always those who could not hear, or could not see because they did not want to. Nobody is as blind as the man who refuses to hear.

·        When He healed people, the religious people glared at Him while he made others’ pain disappear, they glared at Him when blind eyes were opened, they glared at Him when He made the lame walk and the lepers were cleansed.

·        Jesus loved the people, and loving them was more important to Him then rules regulations, and traditions.

·        He loves plain people, sick people, tired people, old people—He even loves people who are drunk and high

Luke 13:10-17: Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. 12 But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” 13 And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.

14 But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

15 The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16 So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” 17 And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

·        The religious people hated Him because he exposed them as hypocrites. He saw through all of their religious schemes. He saw how they walked around “holier than thou.” He saw how their hair was just right and their clothes were impeccable.

·        But Jesus looked beyond their clothing and saw the maggots in their hearts and the serpents squirming through their souls, and the darkness in their minds.

·        You see, he loved them too! He told them the truth because they thought they were holy but they were headed to hell! There are many like that today, they think they are good enough but they aren’t! Don’t be one of those.

·        He confronted the priests boldly and told them the truth about their condition before God.

·        But they knew that if they didn’t do something about Him the people would see what hypocrites they were and they would be thrown out completely.

·        Therefore they plotted against Him and used His healing on the Sabbath as the reason to kill Him. But He knew what they were planning.

John 2:18-22: So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?” 19 Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body. 22 Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said.

·        The religious people said that Jesus was a “blasphemer” but in their own blindness, darkness, and self-righteousness they didn’t see that God had given them “Himself” as a temple.

·        Jesus knew they would kill Him, but He would be raised again from the dead and He would come out of the tomb after three days.

·        Through His death and resurrection He would establish eternal life, and bring it to life through the gospel so that a dying world could live forever. They would rise again just like He rose again.

·        But the religious people didn’t understand what He meant so they took Him out and nailed Him to a cross for claiming He would raise the temple again in three days.

·        Let’s review; the religious people hated Jesus because He loved sinners, His love healed people, He healed on the Sabbath, and He spoke about His death and resurrection.

Matthew 27:38-43:  Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, 42 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. 43 He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

·        Now the religious leaders and the sinners turned against Him, the beat Him, put a crown of thorns on His head, spit on Him, and crucified Him. Jesus willingly went to the cross, bled, and died for those who crucified Him and spit on Him.

·        Humility, repentance, and fear of the Lord are “sweet incense” unto the Lord, but a moral superiority stinks to Him.

·        Their own self-righteousness kept them from recognizing God Himself as he stood before them. His only crime was to love sinners and heal on the Sabbath. Do you recognize Him today?

John 1:1-5: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

·        I cannot put myself in the hands of anybody that isn’t God. As long as I am in my right mind, I cannot ever bow to any man.

·        But there is a Man, who was born of a virgin, who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, and rose from the dead on the third day to ascend to the right hand of god the Father Almighty, and from there will judge the quick and the dead.

·         That Man said, “I and the Father are One.” I believe Him and I will bow my knees to him!