All of creation declares God's Glory—Psalms 19:1 NKJV [1] The heavens declare the glory of God; A...

12/15/2024 morning worship service Pastor Anthony Fields " "The Gift of Seeking" Advent Week 3 Isaiah 2: 1-4 Matthew 2: 1-12 "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made,... so that all people are without excuse". Romans 1:20 A common misunderstanding about God is believing He has not made himself known or that God is far away and distant ("the big guy upstairs"). God provides a pathway of discovery leading people to Him. The Magi's story is a great illustration of how God has made himself known and longs to be in a personal relationship with us. God worked in a unique way through a star that led the Magi to the Creator of the stars. 1. God speaks to and draws all people to himself. 2. The ancient story of the stars tells the gospel message. 3. If you want to experience Jesus, you must be willing to be interrupted and inconvenienced (Matthew 2:1-8). 4. Worship God and give him your best (Matthew 2:11). Matthew 7:7-8: "Ask and it will be given to you; SEEK and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Jesus– Immanuel–"God with us" means that God, who is pursuing us, draws and calls all people to himself. As God worked in the Magi's lives, he will work in our lives today, if we seek him with our entire being. Will you seek Christ today?" ____________________ "Try as we might, Lord, we cannot carry the full load of another's burden. Only you can take on our burdens in a way that frees us to walk upright and confident in our future. Help us learn to trust you even as we continue to lend a hand to others. Amen." ________________________ "Think on This: Hide & Seek" Isaiah 55:6-7 "Seek the Lord while He may be found" means to take up our cross and become His disciple (Mark 8:34) at this very moment, today. The command is accompanied by another command and a promise: "Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon" (|saiah 55:7). We must repent of our sin and return to the Lord right now because there will come a day when our time is up. Scripture tells us to get ready, for the day of the Lord's return will come suddenly, "like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2; see also 2 Peter 3:10). While we still have time, before it's too late, we must seek the Lord. God graciously promises to be found: "You will seek the LORD your God and you will find Him, if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul (Deuteronomy 4:29). Over and over throughout the Bible, God calls His people to repent, return to Him, and seek the Lord while He may be found (Deuteronomy 30:2-3; Leviticus 26:40-42; 2 Chronicles 15:4; Jeremiah 29:13-14). God is not hiding: the Bible states that God is always present and accessible and nothing is hidden from His sight, meaning He is aware of everything, and everyone, with the idea that seeking Him actively is necessary to experience His presence fully. Hebrews 4:13 says, "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight; but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. While God's presence is everywhere, the idea that He is not "hiding" means that He is actively available to those who seek Him and desire a relationship with Him."