There is a distinct relationship between the words “IF” and “THEN”. That relationship is CONDITIONAL.
· IF we do X, THEN Y will happen.
· IF I yell “fire” in a theater, THEN I will get arrested.
· IF I buy a new driver and don’t tell my wife, THEN I’ll be making several sets of cornhole to pay for it!

There are several IF/THEN Scriptures. Here are examples:

Two weeks ago we started digging into one of the most famous IF…THEN verses in all of the Bible and its particularly relevant RIGHT NOW.

And we also laid out our bottom line for this whole series:

IF WE…THEN HE

The first one we talked about two weeks ago was the need for us to HUMBLE OURSELVES. And this is what we said:

Will YOU bow up or bow down?

And I talked about being 20” from life transformation. 20” from mercy. 20” from humbling yourself. 20” is the distance between bowing up, STANDING or bowing down KNEELING.

Then last week we talked about …AND PRAY and I said this:

When you are PRAYERFUL, you are POWERFUL

And I talked about the importance of CHARGING your spiritual life DAILY…just like a phone and if you don’t, THEN your potential won’t be realized…just like our smart phone with a dead battery.

If you missed either message, I really do encourage you to go back and watch or listen because IF we are going to receive the THEN parts of this Scripture, THEN we can’t skip any steps.

Today, I want to talk to you about the next requirement in our verse.

2 Chronicles 7:14 – NIV – “IF my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray AND SEEK MY FACE… THEN I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

IF WE…THEN HE

God wants us to SEEK HIS FACE! To SEEK HIM! That thought is found in many places in the Bible. Let’s look at a few:

1 Chronicles 22:19a – ESV – “Now SET your mind and heart to SEEK the Lord your God.”

Shane Idleman, in a sermon said of this verse to think of this word “SET” like the setting of a broken bone. It won’t heal right unless it is SET back in place. We will not receive the THEN part of our text unless we SET OUR mind and heart to SEEK GOD! Our mind and our hearts are so easily focused on OTHER things, distracted by OTHER things. And here is the truth. Your mind and your heart CANNOT be FIXED on multiple things. There is no spiritual multi-tasking. And it’s not a QUICK FIX.

My next door neighbor, like some of you, has a swimming pool. And I have observed something. You cannot empty a swimming pool and fill it back up quickly. This time of year, he empties it and it takes hours. Then in the late Spring, he will fill it and it will take HOURS. In the same way, you CANNOT EMPTY yourself of self AND be filled with more of God quickly. SEEK HIM and KEEP SEEKING! Long for Him. Chase after MORE of Him!

Here is how I understand what it means to SEEK God:
It’s pretty standard when dating that you PURSUE the other person. You do sweet things for them. You might call them or text them. You might create a special date night. Sometimes after the ring is on the finger, people stop pursuing and that is a mistake. Sometimes, after coming to Christ, people stop PURSUING more of Him. They get content, they get complacent. This verse captures where God wants us to be.

That is a PASSIONATE plea! This was David, who WANTED MORE of God! He wasn’t content spiritually! God loved that heart. It was the heart of someone PURSUING God. That is what it means to SEEK GOD’S FACE!
· We are not FIRST seeking His hands of blessing
· We are not FIRST seeking His eyes or attention
· We are not FIRST seeking His ears to listen to us.
· We are FIRST seeking Him for HIM!
And here’s the truth:

If you want MORE OF GOD in your life, then you have to SEEK GOD MORE in your life!

· It’s not lackadaisical! It’s purposed!
· It’s not accidental! It’s designed!
· It’s not idle! It’s intentional!
· IT’s not birthed by WISHING. It’s birthed by DESIRE! By ACTION!

A proud young man came to Socrates asking for wisdom. He walked up to him and said, “O great Socrates, I come to you for wisdom.” Socrates, recognizing a pompous fool when he saw one, led him down to the sea and took him chest deep into the water. Then he asked him, “What did you say you wanted?” “Wisdom, O great Socrates,” said the young man.
Socrates put his strong hands on the man’s shoulders and pushed him under. Thirty seconds later Socrates let him up. “What do you want?” he asked again. “Wisdom,” the young man sputtered, “O great and wise Socrates.” Socrates pushed him under again. Thirty seconds, thirty-five, forty – then Socrates let him up. The man was gasping. “What do you want, young man?”
Between heavy breaths the fellow wheezed, “Wisdom! O wise and wonderful…” Socrates jammed him under again – forty seconds passed then fifty – then he let him up. “What do you want?” “Air!” the young man yelled. “I need air!” “When you want wisdom as much as you have just wanted air, then you will begin to find wisdom.”

THAT is not passive, that is passionate! Do you want more of God like THAT? Then do not be CONTENT spiritually!

Whatever you SEEK FIRST shows your passion for that thing. It shows your priority.
· If your coffee and your phone were both missing, which would you SEEK FIRST?
· If you were at the beach and you discovered your child and your car keys were both missing, which would you SEEK FIRST? Depends if it’s a rental…
· If you were on vacation and you got separated from your spouse and you were missing a suitcase, which would you SEEK FIRST?

Those are super lame examples, because it shouldn’t even be close between those 2. The same is true with us. It shouldn’t even be close between God coming FIRST and whatever is next.

See, whatever is the MOST important, has the highest value, takes priority! It comes FIRST! So, what comes FIRST in your life? What do you SEEK MORE?
· Money or stuff
· To be well-liked or deeply loved
· Fame
· Sleep – Do you seek THAT over time with God
· Power
· It can even be GREAT things like FAMILY. What comes FIRST?
· GOD

God wants us to SEEK HIM FIRST!

And when I seek God FIRST…it’s just BETTER
· I make better decisions when I SEEK God FIRST
· I take better care of this temple when I SEEK God FIRST
· I am better at being generous when I SEEK God FIRST
· I am a better husband when I SEEK God FIRST
· I am a better father when I SEEK God FIRST
· I am a better follower of Christ when I SEEK God FIRST
· I am a better pastor when I SEEK God FIRST

2 Chronicles 7:14 – NIV – “IF my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray AND SEEK MY FACE… THEN I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

And seeking God is hard because it’s what you need to gain access to the very things you lack. You say you don’t know how, don’t have time, don’t have the desire, don’t see the point, in SEEKING GOD. And just like in some other areas of life, the way you get there is by DOING IT ANYWAY.

For instance:
If you lack energy to exercise, what do you do to gain that energy? Exercise anyway! And your energy increases.

If you lack an appetite for fruit or veggies, eat them anyway. Eating them regularly will make you crave them more. I’ve discovered that over the last 3 months or so as I’ve changed my eating habits. Now, I have MORE of a hunger for healthy food. WHY? Because I have made it a HABIT to EAT more healthy food!

If you lack time for Jesus, give Him time anyway and you’ll have more than enough to spare.

If you lack enough money to tithe, tithe anyway and God will give you enough for everything else that you NEED. There is a reason why Paul, said to the Corinthians.

Proverbs 3:9 – NLV – “Honor the Lord with your riches, and with the FIRST of all you grow.”

Put God FIRST. Make Him the FIRST PRIORITY. SEEK God and you WILL know how, you WILL have time, you WILL have the desire, you WILL see the point…

If you want MORE OF GOD in your life, then you have to SEEK GOD MORE in your life!

And…
Psalm 27:8 – NIV – “My heart says of you, “SEEK His face!” Your face, Lord, I will SEEK.”

This verse is something you can say to yourself as you start your day each day. You can make it a declaration of dependence.

“My heart says of you, “SEEK His face!” Your face, Lord, I will SEEK.”

I WILL SEEK YOUR FACE O GOD! And WHAT does SEEKING look like?
· REMEMBER – Who is He and what He has done?
· REFLECT –How has He blessed your life?
· ACKNOWLEGE – Who is He to you? Is He your Savior? Is He your Lord?
· What do you love about Him?
§ Faithful
§ Loving
§ Merciful
§ Sacrificial
· Welcome and Worship Him
· Make Him your focus not you!
· And remember that this is like emptying and filling a pool. It’s like setting a broken bone. It takes time. This morning is a TASTE, but for YOU to SEEK the Lord, that is a daily discipline.

As we SEEK, let’s remember:
If you want MORE OF GOD in your life, then you have to SEEK GOD MORE in your life!