Man’s search for God.

Man’s Need for of God – What is evident from: 

That there is a time of opportunity to seek God, but this opportunity is limited:

Isaiah 55:6  

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

God will be found by seeking man when God takes first place in his heart:

Jeremiah 29:13  

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Seeking God involves a response in deed as a necessary consequence of a response in heart:

Proverbs 1:23-27 

23 If you had responded to my rebuke, I would have poured out my heart to you and made my thoughts known to you.

24 But since you rejected me when I called and no one gave heed when I stretched out my hand,

25 since you ignored all my advice and would not accept my rebuke,

26 I in turn will laugh at your disaster; I will mock when calamity overtakes you—

27 when calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.

Refusal to respond to God in time of opportunity may bring a consequent silence of God in time of need:

Proverbs 1:28-30

28 “Then they will call to me but I will not answer; they will look for me but will not find me.

29 Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD,

30 since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke,

God might give to others the opportunity which we reject:

Isaiah 65:1  

1 “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’

2  All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations—

Nehemiah

Nehemiah possessed five characteristics that helped him avoid becoming spiritually lazy...

1. He was COMMITTED (1:4-11; 2:4)

A. He was committed to call upon God.

B. He was committed to confess to God.

C. He was committed to continue for God.

2. He was CONCERNED (2:1-5)

A. He was concerned about the situation around him.

B. He was concerned for the people around him.

C. He was concerned for the country around him.

3. He CARED (2:17)

A. He cared about his reputation.

B. He cared about God’s reputation.

4. He was CONFIDENT (2:10, 19-20; 4)

A. He faced opposition, but was confident God would intervene.

B. He faced opposition, but was confident God would prevail.

5. He was CONSUMED (3; 4:6)

A. He was consumed with obeying God.

B. He was consumed with following God.

C. He was consumed with giving his all for God.

Evangelism:

“Let us lead a soul to Christ – any person, anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances.”

Why to read the Bible books?

Jonah

God uses prophets to deliver messages of both doom and hope. But what happens if the prophet disobeys God and falls to deliver these important messages? Read Jonah and find out.

Micah

What does God want more than anything else? Read Micah to find out what happened to the people of Israel when they forget the answer to this important question.

Nahum

You’ve probably heard it said, “I hope that bully gets what coming to him (to her)! Read Nahum to find out what harsh words God’s prophet had for a powerful nation that “bullied” God’s people and many other nations as well.

Habakkuk

How do you keep trusting in God whens it seems that God’s ways make no sense? That’s what the prophet Habakkuk wondered. Read this book to find out how God answered Habakkuk’s questions.

Zephaniah

What can one person say or do to change the hearts, minds, and actions of society’s most powerful people? Armed with God’s Word, a young prophet named Zephaniah faced this question.

Haggai

Life is filled with choices. As you read Haggai think about the choices the people of Jerusalem were making and how this affected their relationship with God. What can you learn about the choices you make?

Zechariah

A person with “vision” understands how to make plans for a better future. The prophet Zechariah was a person “Vision”. In fact, he actually had visions about Israel’s future. Read Zechariah to find out what he had to say?

Malachi

How does the LORD respond to those who grow careless about how they worship, break important promises, fail to make proper gifts to God, and ignore the needs of their neighbors? Read Malachi to find out.

Uses of the Word “How” in Psalms

Psalms 83:2  

See how your enemies are astir, how your foes rear their heads.

Psalms 84:1  

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!

Psalms 89:46  

How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?

Psalms 92:5  

How great are your works, O LORD, how profound your thoughts!

Psalms 94:3  

How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked be jubilant?

Psalms 104:24  

How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Psalms 116:12  

How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?

Psalms 119:9  

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.

Psalms 119:40  

How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness.

Psalms 119:84  

How long must your servant wait? When will you punish my persecutors?

Psalms 119:103  

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Psalms 137:4  

How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?

Psalms 139:17  

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Any member of the body

1 Corinthians 1:7

Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.

We should be filled with the Spirit

Ephesians 5:18

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

We must be desirous of being used in this way

1 Corinthians 12:31

But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.

We should not be ignorant

1 Cor 12:1

1 Corinthians 12:1

Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.

We must be desirous of Spiritual gifts

1 Corinthians 4:1-6

1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God.

2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

3 I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself.

4 My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.

5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.

6 Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.

We should seek to excel

1 Corinthians 14:12

So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.

His right hand and Holy arm

His right hand and Holy are figurative of His great power.

Exodus 15:16

terror and dread will fall upon them. By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stone— until your people pass by, O LORD, until the people you bought pass by.

Deuteronomy 4:34

Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

Deuteronomy 5:15

Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

Deuteronomy 7:19

You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the miraculous signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.

Deuteronomy 9:29

But they are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm.”

Deuteronomy 11:2

Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm;

Deuteronomy 26:8

So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders.

1 Kings 8:42

for men will hear of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm—when he comes and prays toward this temple,

2 Kings 17:36

But the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt with mighty power and outstretched arm, is the one you must worship. To him you shall bow down and to him offer sacrifices.

I the Lord do not change.

Isaiah 44:6 

“This is what the LORD says— Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.

Isaiah 43:11-12 

11 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.

12  I have revealed and saved and proclaimed— I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “that I am God.

Isaiah 42:5-8 

5 This is what God the LORD says— he who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and all that comes out of it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it:

6  “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles,

7  to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

8  “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols.

Isaiah 41:13 

For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.

Isaiah 40:28-31 

28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

29  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

30  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;

31  but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Facts about God’s Throne

It is called His throne:

Psalms 97:2 -Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.

Psalms 103:19 -The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalms 132:12 -if your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever.”

Daniel 7:9 - “As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.

Revelation 1:4 -John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,

Revelation 3:21 -To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Revelation 12:5 -She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.

It is called the throne of God:

Matthew 23:22 -And he who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the one who sits on it.

Hebrews 12:2 - Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Revelation 7:9 -After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

10 And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,

12 saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them.

16 Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat.

17 For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Revelation 21:1 -Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.