Seeking God
Seeking God
“God without man is STILL GOD but, man without God is NOTHING”
Background
We are called to transformed by God.
Christ Claims us as his own and calls us righteous.
That is only the beginning of the process of becoming Gods own.
We must have a righteousness that exceeds a self righteousness an like the Scribes and Pharisees.
We cannot be righteousness with our own efforts, we must seek God.
Romans 3:11-18 NIV
11 there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15 “Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.”
18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
How sad and corrupt is man without God
All people, both Jews and Gentiles, are "under sin." —not even one—is righteous before God on their own merits.
a. That verse began a quote that continues here. Paul's version here shortens what David wrote in Psalm 14:2: "The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God."
God was not merely noticing the worst examples of humanity. He symbolically "searched" to see if anyone understood God or looked for Him.
Nobody did. This is a crucial truth, one fundamental to the gospel:
Nobody seeks after God without help from Him to do so. We don't get it, and we don't want to. That's our nature.
PRINCIPLE:
People do not “get” who God is and what the implications are of His absolute righteousness. They are spiritually ignorant and have no idea where to find the truth.
Apart from God taking the initiative with them, they have no way to find God. Their sinful nature blinds them to the truth.
The truth that God’s attributes are absolute is one thing they do not understand.
All humankind is sinful (3:9-20)
From his discussion on the state of the Gentile and Jewish worlds, Paul concludes that the whole human race is under the power of sin (9).
He quotes from the Old Testament Scriptures to show how sin affects every part of human life.
Sin causes people to be rebellious against God, both in their thoughts and in their actions (10-12).
It causes their speech to be harmful and destructive (13-14) and their plans to be violently selfish (15-17).
They have no respect for God, but live to please themselves (18).
The whole human race is guilty, and the law can do nothing but show that guilt. There is no possibility that a person can be put right in God’s sight by keeping its commandments (19-20).
APPLICATION:
a. Men are not sinful because they are ignorant of God, but they are ignorant of God because they are sinful
b. We need a television to engage with television programming. Without divine revelation, man cannot engage with divine truth. People’s minds are sullied with the human viewpoint, blinding them to what God has to say to them.
c. We can only know who and what God is by revelation.
Je 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”
1 Co 2:9, 14, 9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
The non-Christian has a “darkened” mind toward God.
Eph 4:18, . . . having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.
He wants what is good for you, and he has a desire to bring great joy into your life. Seeking God is the key that unlocks the life you were created for.
Non-Christians may have extensive knowledge of the Bible, but that does not mean that they understand it. They cannot truly engage with the Word without the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit. All unbelievers without exception are devoid of truth.
The natural man is hardened in his heart and darkened in his mind. He not only does not understand God but has no inclination to do so.
When we refuse to search for God
First, every man without Jesus Christ is a BASE man. Though you are born of the blood of nobles, and though you are of the offspring of princes — yet if you have not the royal blood of Jesus Christ running in your veins, you are a base man.
Second, a man without Christ is not only a base man, but a SLAVE. This Christ tells you in John 8:36, "If the Son shall make you free — then are you free indeed."
Third, you are not only base and a slave — but a BEGGAR, without Jesus Christ; Revelation 4:17, "You say you are rich and increased in goods, and have need of nothing
Fourthly, another property of a man without Christ is that he is a BLIND man. Revelation 3:17, "And don't know that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and BLIND, and naked."
Ephesians 5:8, "You were once darkness, but now are you light in the Lord — walk as children of the light." "Light has come into the world — and yet men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil."
Fifth, every man without Christ is polluted, as you may read in Ezekiel 16:3-14, "Thus says the Lord God, 'Your nativity is in the land of Canaan, your father was an Amorite," and then, in the 6th verse, "When I passed by you, and saw you polluted in your blood, I said unto you, 'Live!'"
A man without Christ is like a body full of sores and blotches. He is like a dark house without light. He is like a body without a head. Such a man must be a deformed man.
Sixth, without Christ, we have no consolation or solace; hopelessly unhappy; inconsolable:
Seventh, another property of a man out of Christ is that he is a DEAD man. You know that common place in I John 5:12, "He who has the Son has life, and he who has not the Son has not life
Eighth, the last property of a Christless man is that he is a CONDEMNED man. If he lives and dies without Christ, he is a damned man. So says John 3:18, "He who believes not — he is condemned already
Seeking God - Why is it important?
God is the giver of life (1 Timothy 6:13; John 10:10). He is the great I AM (Exodus 3:14).
In God we find purpose, meaning, and satisfaction.
Humans were created for relationship with God and relationship with one another.
How will we experience the life He gives? Apart from seeking Him, how will we understand His great love and our purpose?
Because of the graciousness of God and the gift of free will, God does not force Himself upon us. He woos us to Himself. He pursues us, and we seek Him.
