A Soul that Thirsts for God - 1

A Soul that Thirsts for God - 1

Subject – Finding Time Alone with God in a Hurried World

By Rick Welborne

Psalm 42:1-8 (NIV)
¹ As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God.
²  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?
³  My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?"
⁴  These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.
⁵  Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and
⁶  my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon--from Mount Mizar.
⁷  Deep calls to deep in the roar of Your waterfalls; all Your waves and breakers have swept over me.
⁸  By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me-- a prayer to the God of my life. 

--Tonight we begin a new series that I believe is going to resonate with so many. A Soul that Thirsts for God. One of the first responses we get when we ask someone how they are doing is, “I am so busy!”

--People, even church people, actually everyone is caught up with the phrase Charles Swindoll calls the “tyranny of the urgent.”

Swindoll – The tyranny of the urgent is not a theoretical issue, but a very real fact of life. It leaves people feeling strung out, impatient, occasionally resentful, and even worse, empty. 

--I ran into a good pastor friend the other day and in the process I asked him to pray for a mutual friend of ours because they were going through incredible struggles.

--His next words hit me pretty hard. He said I need to meet with you because I am going through such a struggle myself. Here’s the sad part…we couldn’t set a time because of how busy we both were.

--We just really never know what is going on in each other’s lives but I can give you a hint, like my friend, many people are hurting and hurting deeply.

--Many people are looking for affirmation, but sadly, they are looking for it in the wrong places. Don’t misunderstand me, a word of encouragement is good but it is only temporary.

--Many times we don’t think people are paying attention to us but they are. I was on a stationary bike trying to stay fit and a trainer who has not said hardly a word to me the whole time I have been going came up to me…

--Wow, you have almost lost all your body fat. I started to say thanks and then they said, but at the same time maintaining your muscle mass. I said, “You are my new best friend!” They laughed.

--That was good for that moment but, truthfully, I need more than that. What I need and what I believe many people need in their lives is intimacy with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

--Hear your pastor and try to understand where I am going with this. A lack of intimacy with God is our problem. Are we involved, yes? Are we doing programs, yes? But not thirsting for God.

--It is one thing to recognize the problem but it is a whole different thing to make the changes that will address the issues and get us the intimacy we need with God. This is the great need of the church.

--I guess what I am asking of us as we begin this series, are we willing to make the changes needed to help us?

1. Deep Things

--People have always been intrigued by deep things. Deep recesses of space, deep jungles, deep oceans, deep caves, deep thoughts, and deep conversations. 

--There is nothing like going after deep things to make us dissatisfied with the superficial around us every day. Once we dive below the surface and taste the marvels of the deep we realize how valuable that is.

--National Geographic’s show and magazine has captivated us for years going deeper about animals, oceans, and space. They take us on a journey with them and it is exciting. 

--Nothing is more exciting or nothing should be more exciting than to realize that God is giving each one of us an invitation to go deeper with Him instead of being swallowed up with surface junk.

1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (NIV)
⁹  However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him"--
¹⁰  but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 

--Many people, even preachers stop with verse 9…we can’t conceive what God has prepared for those who love Him but why do we stop there when there is more.

--God has revealed it to us by His Spirit…are we Spirit-filled? God wants to take us to deeper things with Him but the only way we will get there is by Holy Spirit in us. 

1 Corinthians 2:12-14 (NKJV)
¹²  Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
¹³  These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
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.

--Now I know you can make it to heaven without being baptized with Holy Spirit power and speaking in tongues, but if you will go to deeper intimacy with God, it will be through Holy Spirit.

--Even Romans 11 talks of the depth of riches both of wisdom and knowledge. It says how unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable are His ways! There is a deeper place in God, Life Church!

--The prophet Daniel stated that God reveals the profound and hidden things and that He knows the things hidden in darkness. 

--Obviously, the Lord operates in realms far beyond our ability to comprehend, but He desires for us to explore and experience more than that which is seen by our natural vision.

--I believe some of God’s best truth’s or His priceless treasures are hidden in depths few are willing to venture into. What a loss for us! Patiently God waits on someone who is thirsty enough to drink..

2. Hearts that Belong to God

--As intriguing as the deep things of God might be, they are not found by the natural means of our mind. He is looking for hearts who belong completely to Him.

Psalm 42:1-2 (NIV)
¹ As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You, O God.

 ²  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 

--Imagine a poor deer in a dry forest trying to find water to drink. It is desperate. When was the last time you needed God so much you were like this deer?

--If the deer does not find water he will die. We should have that kind of holy desperation, if I don’t get to God I am going to die. When can I go and meet with God?

--Some of you may have to think way back but maybe you can remember when you found the love of your life and all you could think about was seeing them and being with them.

--You felt your heart would break in two, and even felt like at times you would die if you could not hold them again. Anyone remember that or have ever felt that. The psalmist felt this way about God.

--Sadly, hurried world there is very little time for intimacy with God. The church has become a group of people who resemble a herd of cattle in a stampede than a flock of sheep by still waters.

Psalm 23:1-2 (NKJV)
¹  The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²  He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 

--It seems that many who came before us knew how to spend time with the Almighty but do we? We must learn again to think of God deeply, to worship meaningfully, and to meditate on Him unhurriedly.

Richard Foster – Superficiality is the curse of our age. The doctrine of instant gratification is a primary spiritual problem. The desperate need today is not a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people. 

--People with hearts that belong to God will be able to go into the deeper things of God. God help us all!

3. We Cannot Stay Where We Are Now.

--Think about the condition of our world. Think about wars and rumors of war. Think about those who are bent on killing unborn babies and trying to rob the minds of our youth.

--Isn’t it time for the Church…the real church, to get serious about its relationship to God and our responsibility to a lost and dying world. We must go deeper and to thirst more. Jesus speaking to Peter.

Matthew 16:17-18 (NLT2)
¹⁷  Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.
¹⁸  Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

--It almost looked like Peter, at this time, was going deeper and Jesus encouraged Him that he could go much deeper because He was building His Church. Jesus doesn’t build shallow stuff.

--Right after this Peter shows that he was still a surface follower of Christ when he rebukes Jesus for saying He was going to die. Peter continued being shallow until one thing happened in his life.

Acts 1:8 (NKJV)
⁸  But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me…

--Obviously God has provided Holy Spirit for us so we can have greater intimacy, greater power, and depths we have yet to discover. Be thirsty my friend.

Humility – 8

Humility – 8

Subject – Humility and Faith

John 5:39-44 (NLT2)
³⁹  “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!
⁴⁰  Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.
⁴¹  “Your approval means nothing to me,
⁴²  because I know you don’t have God’s love within you.
⁴³  For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them.
⁴⁴  No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God. 

--Imagine with you are in a mall and there are displayed in shop windows expensive and beautiful things you would love to have. 

--What if someone told you to just reach out and take them, you would respond, “I can’t because of the thick glass window that separates them from me.”

--In the same way we see great and precious promises in the Word of God like perfect peace, amazing love, joy unspeakable, abiding communion with God, and unmeasurable fruitfulness. Power.

--We see it in the Word and we hear it preached about but there is something that hinders us from being able to obtain them. God’s promises are yes and amen…they are free. What’s the deal?

--What hinders us from the blessings are our pride and lack of faith. Jesus reveals to us in our text today that it is indeed pride that makes faith impossible.

--Jesus…No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God. 

--Pride and faith are at major odds with each other. Also, I hope we are learning that faith and humility are at their core one. We can’t have true faith without having true humility.

--We can have strong intellectual convictions and have an assurance of truth while pride is still in our hearts. But, it makes living faith, which has power with God, impossible.

1. What Faith Is.

Hebrews 11:1 (NKJV) ¹ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

Andrew Murray – Faith, is it not a confession of helplessness, the surrender to God that waits to let Him work? Is it not in itself the most humbling thing there can be—the acceptance of our place as dependents who can claim, or get, or do nothing but what grace bestows?

--Humility is simply the heart that prepares the soul for living in trust. Pride assures that we cannot possess the things of the Kingdom. Why? It refuses to allow God to be Who He is. 

--Faith and humility are the means by which we can perceive and apprehend what heaven has to offer and its blessings. Faith seeks the glory that comes when God is all.

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NKJV) ³¹ Therefore, whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

--As long as we seek and take glory from one another (our text), as long as our pride causes us to seek praise, as we hunger for honor from men, we will never receive the glory that comes from God.

--Pride renders faith impossible. When we understand our salvation comes from the humility of Christ as He submitted to the cross, it should make us want to participate in His humility.

2. Humility and Faith.

--As you study the Word of God you can see how humility and faith are allied together. Jesus always took notice when He saw this combination.  Let’s look first at the Centurion.

Matthew 8:5-10&13 (NKJV)
⁵  Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him,
⁶  saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented."
⁷  And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."
⁸  The centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.
⁹  For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."
¹⁰  When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!
¹³  Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.

--Can you see it? It is humility that brings a person to be nothing before God and it is humility that removes every hindrance to faith. It also removes the fear so we can trust Him completely.

--This Centurion was a man of authority but he was also a man of love and compassion. Many times those in authority are too full of themselves to care about others.

--This Centurion, we are told, had built a synagogue for the Jewish people, and he obviously cared about the lowliest in his house. He could have had the servant replaced. But he cared.

--Faith and humility, made him come to Jesus on a mission. He probably heard about the leper who was healed in this same chapter.

--Love, humility, faith, and compassion make you come to Jesus pleading. When was the last time you pleaded with Jesus for someone? "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented." 

--Please don’t miss this, Jesus quickly recognized the heart of the man coming to Him, humble, broken, desperate, pleading. “I will come and heal him." 

--Absolute humility must be the core disposition of every prayer and every approach to God, as well as, every relationship with our fellow man. 

--The Centurion comes with love and humility but as he is commended by Jesus, he is recognized for his great faith. When humility and faith get married, miracles are born.

--We try so hard to work up our faith trying to receive from God what our petition is. We travel here and there, we sing louder, we sing more, we scream, we shout…we need to change our course.

James 4:8&10 (NIV) ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
--The cross for Jesus, His death, and the grave of which Jesus humbled Himself, all were His path to the glory and presence of God. It’s our path too if we can comprehend it.

Murray – Let humility be our one desire and fervent prayer. Let us gladly accept whatever humbles us before God or men—this alone is the path to the glory of God. 

3. Humility and Crumbs.

Matthew 15:22-28 (NIV)
²²  A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."
²³  Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us."
²⁴  He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."
²⁵  The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
²⁶  He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
²⁷  "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
²⁸  Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. 

--Notice the humility that brings this Canaanite woman to be nothing before Jesus, which in turn, removes what would hinder her faith to trust Him completely. Fear and doubt are gone. 

--Notice she was an outsider, a Gentile, a mother who was desperate enough to humble herself before this Jewish Messiah…her humility made her believe she had nothing to lose.

--The wonderful disciples are such an example of the church and how we react to those who are outsiders. Our lack of humility screams to the world, we have no answer…go away.

--We forget we have the same resource this lady had…Jesus. The difference, she came desperate and pleading and we just give up so easily because of our lack of humility and faith. 

--Jesus, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." A test. Of course! How often are we tested and we fail because of our lack of humility and faith. She cries, Lord help!

--The test continues, Jesus tries to draw out of us that which would cause us to believe and receive. Humility and faith. "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

--We would have given up for sure because we have not learned that humility before Jesus is the elbow that knocks the crumbs on the floor.

--"Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." A Canaanite woman, an outsider found the answer to God’s heart and miracles.

--Faith and humility mixed with a few crumbs from the Master’s table changed her life, her daughter’s life, and the whole situation.

--It’s not over until God says it’s over. Maybe it’s not that the situation is too hard but just maybe our approach to God is not right. Faith and humility mixed with a few crumbs.

Matthew 15:22&25-28 (NIV)
²²  A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession."
²⁵  The woman came and knelt before him. "Lord, help me!" she said.
²⁶  He replied, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."
²⁷  "Yes, Lord," she said, "but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table."
²⁸  Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. 

  

Bearing the Fruit of Holy Spirit – 9

Bearing the Fruit of Holy Spirit – 9

Subject: Walking in the Fruit of the Spirit – Self Control

Galatians 5:22-26 (NKJV)
²²  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
²³  gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
²⁴  And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
²⁵  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.  

²⁶  Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

The Fruit of Holy Spirit – Self-control.

Self-control - the ability to control oneself, in particular one's emotions and desires or the expression of them in one's behavior, especially in difficult situations.

Synonyms of Self-control - self-discipline · self-restraint · restraint · control · self-mastery · self-possession · will power · strength of will · composure · coolness · moderation.

--If there is anything missing in the body of Christ, it is the fruit of Holy Spirit – self-control.

Biblical Self-control - the ability to control one’s emotions and behavior in the face of temptations and impulses.

--Self-control, as a fruit of Holy Spirit, lets us know that there is available to us supernatural strength to be able to do what we cannot do without Holy Spirit’s help. John the Baptist:

Matthew 3:11 (NKJV) ¹¹ I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

--The Apostle Paul gives us this command as he encourages us toward self-control.

Ephesians 5:15-18 (NLT2) ¹⁵  So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.
¹⁶  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.
¹⁷  Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.
¹⁸  Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 

--Maybe you do not see it like I do, but I see Paul telling us that if we will have self-control, it will be possible because we are filled with Holy Spirit. It will still be our choice.

--Paul says we need to be careful how we live…use self-control…don’t live foolishly. He tells us to understand what the Lord wants us to do…we should give great thought to what the will of God is for our lives. 

Proverbs 3:5-7 (NKJV) ⁵  Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
⁷  Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil. 

1. To operate in the fruit of the Spirit ‘self-control’ we must understand God is in control.

--Do you trust in the Lord with all your heart that He is in control of every situation? We usually have problems with self-control when we feel things are out of our control.

--There are many times when things are out of our control but there are never times when life is out of God’s control. How you react to life’s trials will be greatly affected by how you trust God or not.

--How you determine to flow in the fruit of Holy Spirit will also be determined by how you make up your mind to trust God with all of your heart. Everyone say, “God is in control!” 

Romans 8:26-28 (NKJV)
²⁶  Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
²⁷  Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
²⁸  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

A. God knows that we have weaknesses and He is always there to help us.

B. God knows there are times that things are so bad we do not even know how to pray. 

C. God knows Holy Spirit is there making intercession for us as we pray in the Spirit. 

D. God knows what is in our hearts and He knows what Holy Spirit is saying.

E. God knows what His will is so He prays according to His divine will. 

F. God knows what we need and He works all things together for our good. All things.

G. God knows we have all been called according to His purposes, so He works it for our good.

Pro. 19:20-21 (NKJV) ²⁰  Listen to counsel and receive instruction, That you may be wise in your latter days.
²¹  There are many plans in a man's heart, Nevertheless the LORD'S counsel--that will stand. 

--Remember that, it is the Lord’s counsel that will stand…you can trust Him because He is the One Who is in control. Pray for His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. 

Joshua 1:8-9 (NIV) ⁸ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
⁹  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

2. To operate in the fruit of Holy Spirit ‘self-control’ we must walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh.

Galatians 5:25 (NKJV) ⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

 

1 Samuel 24:3-6 (NIV) ³  He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave.
⁴  The men said, "This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.'" Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul's robe.
⁵  Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe.
⁶  He said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD." 

--Let me establish before we move forward with this story that David had blessed Saul in so many ways. He fought and killed the enemies of Saul. He killed his ten thousand and more for his king.

--He would minister music to Saul and the spirit that was sent from the Lord would depart from him and the Bible said he would be refreshed and made well. 

--He even defeated a nine-foot-tall giant who was taunting Israel and Israel’s God. Saul was too afraid to fight him but David trusted God. 

--David is the example of a man walking in the Spirit and Saul is definitely an example of a man walking in the flesh. You would think David would be Saul’s best buddy. See how sin blinds us. 

--Saul threw spears and David while he was playing the harp and trying to pen him against the wall. He chases him like a dog and wants to destroy him. Anger and bitterness out of control. No self-control.

--Saul has the Special Forces of Israel’s army pursuing David with him and he is bent on getting rid of this young guy who was a threat to his kingdom. 

--David never would have been a threat to Saul if he had lived righteously and had been obedient to God’s commands. Many of our problems are our all creations.

--The remainder of this message, let’s look at the self-control that David used in this situation where Saul was in the most vulnerable situation possible.

--Let me point out how incredible of a warrior David must have been to be able to sneak up on Saul in a cave when he is relieving himself and cut the corner of his robe off without him knowing. Maybe noisy! 

A. Recognize David’s self-control when he had his peers encouraging him by using the God card. 

--Many times our so-called friends will encourage us that God is on our side when we want to take vengeance on someone that we have an issue with. Be careful thinking that is the case. God wants you to be happy. Really?

B. Recognize David’s self-control had not allowed the evil of another to cause him to compromise. 

--He immediately felt bad that he had touched the king (his master) in such a threatening way. Trials and persecution never gives you a right of retaliation. 

Matthew 5:44-45 (NKJV) ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
⁴⁵  that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

C. Recognize David’s self-control made him hesitate long enough to recognize God’s hand on Saul.

1 Chronicles 16:22 (NKJV) ²² Saying, "Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm." 

D. Recognize David’s self-control gave him the strength to not allow others to attack the king.

Warning: Do not take up an offense of someone else or allow others to take up your offense. Be careful who you share your junk with. You may get over it but someone else will take it to the next level.

E. Recognize David’s self-control caused David to humble himself before the king (his enemy).

--Humbling ourselves before our enemies puts them in a place where they have to deal with God. 

F. Recognize David’s self-control left it up to the Lord to avenge him.

Romans 12:19&21 (NKJV) ¹⁹ Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.
²¹  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.