Pastor Troy posed this question during his message on Sunday, Oct. 29: "What are you searching for?"

God wants you to be part of his big story and not settle for a smaller story. Following Jesus isn’t simply an intellectual journey. It’s something that should hit your soul. It should impact your emotional and physical and spiritual life and every aspect of who you are.

We should desire that our faith is so big and our love so radical that our behavior is coming out of a response of love and not guilt. Our world is hungry for that.

Here are 15 key points from Troy’s message:

1-In Matthew 13 we find parables about the hidden treasure and the pearl of great price. Jesus used parables to both reveal and conceal the truth. Jesus was not interested in battling people to be right. He doesn’t care about getting in an argument about theology. He just says those people who will be ready to listen will hear the truth. Those people stuck in their self righteousness won’t get it.

2-The kingdom of God is about the inside of your life. It’s a heart allegiance. Jesus knows he will die and defeat the power of death. The physical reign of God won’t happen until he takes us home. In the meantime, Jesus enters your life, the Holy Spirit comes in, and your view changes on everything. You long for more of God. You develop a heart allegiance for God.

3-In Matthew 13 Jesus did not shame sinners. Jesus is most angry at religious people who play the religious game. Jesus says this is for you who recognize where you are at spiritually. For those who want to look good for the world, Jesus’ words fell on deaf ears.

4-The Jews completely missed Jesus. They are still waiting for the Messiah. How many people are sitting in church on Sunday and hear the truth but don’t recognize it? If the purpose of gathering on Sunday is to receive intellectual information about God, then it’s useless. God’s words must penetrate your heart. Do you have eyes and ears to see and hear?

5-God reveals himself to those who are humble and open and not to those who are theologically correct, or those who have given a lot of money, or those who attend church. It comes down to a heart posture. Where is your heart and what is it longing for?

6-To begin the journey to dive into God’s big story, it has to be from a humble heart posture. We need a knowledge of sin and an awareness of who we are and of God’s grace and forgiveness. Until you accept the reality of how bad you really are and the depth of your sin, you won’t see clearly the depth of God’s grace.

7-Later in Matthew 13 Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again and bought that field. Jesus doesn’t tell us who this man is. But we know he is not looking for a treasure. He just finds it. When he found it he hid it again and experienced joy. You can experience this joy, which comes from the understanding of who you are and what you have found.

8-Some people find God without ever looking for him. God loves the lost more than you do. The God of the universe can reach them if they are not looking. The man in the parable wasn’t looking for a treasure but finds one. God can capture lives in some of the oddest places.

9-When people find God they experience a kingdom joy. Behavior changes, the emotion in your heart changes, you begin to change and transform. It’s only something God can do.

10-The Christian life is not about behavior modification. You can’t earn it. I tried so long to prove I was right, get enough right, learn enough bible verses. But I don’t deserve anything. God’s grace brings joy to me. It brings an overwhelming sense of love and grace and forgiveness. 

11-Some find God when they are looking for him, like in the parable of the fine pearl (Matthew 13: 45-56). When someone is searching and looking for more, God has already touched them. He has given them a longing for something more. Do you long for more? Or are you satisfied? If you find yourself longing constantly, that’s a sign that God is working on your heart.

12-We try to measure our faith. 'How much do I need to do in order to be right with God?’ When you love Jesus, you no longer wonder about how much you should give of your time, talents and treasure. You can’t give enough because Jesus is worth everything. That principle is so critical because our city is stuck religiously trying to figure out the rules and the shame game.They are longing for so much more. It’s not about rules.

13-Are you longing for God's big story? That’s the whole focus of the Untangled series. It’s about finding freedom in Christ’s provision for your life. God promises that we will find satisfaction in Him in these three verses: 

--John 6.35: Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life, whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” When you give your life to Jesus, no matter what you are experiencing, there will be joy in the midst of pain and sadness. Jesus didn’t promise a life without difficulty, but he promised to provide fulfillment.

--Psalm 107.9: "For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Don’t misread it to mean being right is important or having the right theology is critical. Instead, it means to have a right standing before God, which comes through a relationship with Jesus.

--Psalm 22.26: "The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord! May your hearts live forever!” We manage our lives to remove conflict, adversity or trouble. That’s not going to fulfill a longing. When you give God supreme authority over your life, then your eyes and ears change and you hear and live differently.

14-Augustine said: "Thou hast made us for Thyself O God, and the heart of man is restless until it finds its rest in Thee.” God demands that we love him first, and nothing else should be placed above him. Philippians 3: 8-9 says that everything should be considered a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus.

15-God’s love is so strong that whatever you are searching for, He can meet you there. What God has to offer is so much bigger than the small things we chase in this life. We must sense a bigger story, and in our longings we should choose to draw near to God.