Sheryl Brady - The Search is On

I want you to look at your neighbor on the right and say, «Neighbor, the search is on.» Now turn to your other neighbor and say, «Neighbor, the search is on.» Today, he is looking for a place where he can abide, where he can rest, where he can rule, and where he can reign. The search is on.

Spirit of God, I honor you for your presence; it is amazing. I pray that you would just come into the room. I’m humbled that you would enter this little room, that you would speak to us, Lord. This amazing body of people is here because they are hungry, they are waiting, and they want to know what’s next. They want to know if you’re going to fix it. They want to know what they can do to be pleasing in your sight. They want you to know that they can’t make it without your power. So today, as I preach this word, let it become a rhema in our spirits. Let it be a message that we don’t soon forget, but that works mightily in us. Have your way today; talk to every person, even the one who came in and said, «I don’t know anything about God; I don’t know anything about the Word; I’m just here.» Touch every person; find them where they are. Oh, you are so great at that; you have found me so many times right where I was, when I didn’t even know where I was. You found me, you located me, you took me out of darkness, you talked me out of suicide, and you lifted me out of depression. There is nothing like the sound of your voice in my ear. God, be that real to people today, and we will give you glory, honor, and praise in the name of Jesus. Somebody say hallelujah, amen.

On your way down, tell your neighbors on both sides, «The search is on! The search is on! The search is on! The search is on!» In our text, Jesus is having a conversation. In the first text I read in John 16, he is talking to the disciples and telling them that he must go away. He is explaining that he must leave because if he doesn’t go, then the Advocate or Comforter will not come. He says, «I am going to go away, and he is going to come.» When he comes, he will reprove the world of sin. That word «reprove» means he will admonish, convict, rebuke, reveal, and pull the cover off of sin. He will show the world that sin is unprofitable.

Now, the root of all sin is unbelief. The things we do that are questionable we would not do if we knew Jesus was right in the room watching us. There is a part of us that doesn’t believe; thus, we go about doing whatever we feel like doing. If it feels good, do it, because there’s a little bit of unbelief that still resides within us. The very reason that caused sin to enter the world in the first place was unbelief and blatant disregard for the very word of God. God spoke to Adam and said, «You can have all of these trees, but that one right there belongs to me.» So, tithing really began in the garden, but I’m not talking about tithing today. I’m letting you know he said, «You can have all of that, but that one right there, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that one belongs to me. Don’t eat from that tree.» Adam blatantly disregarded the word that God had spoken to him.

I am thoroughly convinced that if we’re going to ever build anything, do anything, or be anything, we must be the kind of people who, if we expect it to be successful, must not disregard the word of God. Look at somebody and tell them, «You need the word of God.» Anything you build in life needs to be your foundation. Anything you build—a business, a marriage, a family—whatever it is that you are building, you need to build it on the word of God. It’s like this church: if you’re going to build a ministry and you want it to be successful, it must be built on the word of God, which must have preeminence in the house. The word of God is important to this house.

You can have the greatest music programs, the greatest singers, the best social events, and the greatest children’s ministry, but if you think you want to draw people who are looking for a life-changing experience and not just chills, thrills, and some high times, then we have got to point them to the word of God. If we don’t point people to the word of God, we cannot help them. Otherwise, we’re just going to be a good little group, a gathering of whatever people that just come together to have fun. We have to be able to point them to the word of God. The reason that the church does not work for a lot of people is that too many of them are just using the church to replace other addictions in their lives. They used to get high on drugs and drunk on alcohol, but now they basically just want…