0:03 To have found God and still pursue him is the soul's paradox of love. Scorned by the all too satisfied religionist, but justified in happy experience by the children of burning hearts. This famous quote from AW Tozer, the renowned author and long standing pastor of a church in the South Side Of Chicago captures one of the greatest paradoxes in the Christian life. On one hand, a believer has already found God. Meaning, they have encountered him.
0:50 They have experienced him. They've been saved by him. But on the other hand, the pursuit continues of him. Meaning, even after finding God or being found by him, there's a deep longing and desire to know him, to experience him, to grow in a relationship with him. That being said, that desire is not universally shared by all professing Christians.
1:22 Tozer calls them the religionists. Those who have a basic knowledge of God and are satisfied in that place, feeling as though they have already arrived spiritually. Whereas, you have those that he calls the children of burning hearts who have this overwhelming desire and longing to know him more and more. And to those believers, it's not a burdensome obligation. It's the natural response of being exposed to the glories that they have seen in the Lord Jesus Christ.
2:00 Now, is what Tozer said something that you can find in your Bibles? I say absolutely. And we can go through the entire New Testament to find examples and exhortations of this truth. But nothing demonstrates this reality more, I believe, than the book of Psalms. And within the book of Psalms, one of the most notable chapters that paints this paradox is Psalm 63.
2:32 And I invite you to turn there with me as we read it in its entirety. Psalm 63. A psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. Oh, God, you are my God. Earnestly, I seek you.
3:02 My soul thirsts for you. My flesh faints for you as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory because your steadfast love is better than life. My lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live.
3:26 In your name, I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed and meditate on you in the watches of the night. For you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wing, I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you. Your right hand upholds me, but those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth.
3:56 They shall be given over to the power of the sword. They shall be a portion for jackals, but the king shall rejoice in God. All who swear by him shall exalt, for the mouths of liars will be stopped. Lord, it is my sincere prayer as we come together as a family to expound your word that it would enlarge our hearts. Again, Lord, it has to be your power.
4:27 It has to be your work in us. It has to be an intervention from heaven. If there's gonna take any change in our hearts, so we ask, Lord, that that would be our portion today, and we thank you for it in Jesus' name. Amen. There are two vital details that you and I have to acknowledge if we want to make the most out of this psalm.
4:49 The first one is a superscription. The heading of this psalm. We read it, but look at it again. A psalm of David right before verse one, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. Now, people debate.
5:03 Was this when David was running away from King Saul? Or is this when David was running away from his son Absalom? You can make a case for both, but I think there's a clue that tells us that this was happening while David was fleeing from his father-in-law. Look at verse 11 again, but the king shall rejoice in God. Speaking of himself, The king shall rejoice.
5:28 Well, David wasn't a king while Saul was occupying the throne, obviously. So I believe that's a helpful way of helping us understand that this is David when he was running for his life from Saul. Either way, he penned this while in the wilderness. And we're gonna make reference to that throughout this text because it's gonna bring a depth to some of these statements and declarations. The second vital detail that we have to grasp here is that I believe there is a structure to this piece.
6:02 Why I say that is because if you read carefully, David mentions his soul three times. And when you look at it even more carefully, you realize that every time he makes reference to his soul, there's a progression that's taking place. Look again with me in verse one, the last part. My soul thirsts for you. Look at verse five.
6:27 My soul will be satisfied. And come here to verse eight. My soul clings to you. Do you see it? Should we expect any less for us as an invitation?
6:44 Should we expect anything for us who obey what David models here? That when you seek after God, he's not talking about seeking God in salvation. He's saved. He's seeking after God, and when he seeks after God, he is satisfied in his soul. And when he is experiencing that satisfaction, he realizes, I still have a responsibility, and that's to cling to my God so that I can continually drink from this well in order for this satisfaction to be sustained.
7:15 Oh, yes. There's a development taking place here. And I want to organize our thoughts with those points. Meaning, they serve as headings, And we're gonna collect our reflections under these three headings. So, this day, you came to church to hear about three things.
7:35 You came to hear about the seeking soul. The second thing is the satisfied soul. And lastly, the clinging soul. The seeking soul. Verse one.
7:51 Oh God, you are my God. Earnestly I seek you. My soul thirsts for you. What a way to set up this prayer. He says, oh, God.
8:02 He doesn't just address God as God but as his God. Oh God, you are my God. The Lord is not just a concept to David. He's not just a distant figure. No no no no.
8:17 He's a living reality. A personal companion in his everyday life. Don't you dare make the mistake that by David saying, oh God, you are my God, that he is making merely a pledge of allegiance. As though he was saying, I believe in God and though I live in a time where there are many many many gods that are acknowledged, I ascribe to the God of Israel. It's much more meaningful than that.
8:45 He's not just declaring that God is the true God, that God is infinite, he's declaring that God is intimate. He's my God. He's personal. In other words, the way you can summarize his his understanding here is that God is knowable and he is approachable. I belong to Him, He belongs to me.
9:06 He is my God. And that's why in the next part, He says, earnestly I seek you. Now the the word earnestly in the Hebrews is interesting because it can be translated as early, like early in the day, or diligently. So if you have an English translation like the King James for example, it would read and it would be rendered as early will I seek you. Either way, the same conclusion stands.
9:38 David, in his heart of hearts, saw the seeking of God as his top priority. Whether it's early or it's earnestly, what he is reflecting here is that this is my ultimate desire. And that longing was so real to him that he defines it as thirst. Earnestly I seek you, my soul thirsts for you. That's helpful because all of us in here know what it's like to be thirsty.
10:13 Whether you're exercising, working outside, running from meeting to meeting, when your mouth is parched, it occupies your mind. And even in the midst of activity, you are periodically planning, how am I going to take care of this dry mouth of mine? How am I going to quench this? And in the same way, listen very carefully, when the soul longs to know God more deeply, it cannot be satisfied with where it's at. In the same way that a thirsty person will not be content remaining thirsty.
10:52 My soul thirsts for God. How does that look like? Lord, I know that you have opened my eyes to your word in the past, and I thank you for all those precious moments where you have manifested your sweet presence to me, but I want more. I'm desperate for more. I'm thirsting for more.
11:16 And so intense can that desire be, not just in David, but in any person who has tasted of the goodness of the Lord, that this Holy Spirit reveals an extraordinary phenomenon at the end of verse one. Something that can occur. Look what he says here after he says, my soul thirsts for you. My flesh faints for you. He didn't say my soul faints for you.
11:46 He said my flesh faints for you. How can that be? Because when you read your New Testament, you learn very quickly that the flesh is naturally opposed to God and to the things of God. In Galatians five seventeen, we're told that the flesh is against the spirit. Wages war against the spirit.
12:10 And then you read this for example and you discover something different. Not that the flesh is against the things of God, but it's actually in concert. Not my soul faints for you. No. No.
12:24 No. No. My flesh faints for you. Do we have a contradiction here? No.
12:30 There is no contradiction in the Bible. You have a deep deep theological truth that is experiential. He says here, in other words, our longing to know the Lord can become so fierce that it consumes every part of who you are, silencing the lust of the flesh in the process. Your soul can become so fervent in your desire to know God that it can overpower the impulses of the carnal man. And some of you can remember, even when you were first saving, you first were exposed to the mercy of God, the reality of who Jesus Christ was.
13:09 It just envelops you. You you feel like you're on a different planet and you came from a different planet almost. It doesn't have to remain in the first parts of your salvation. David here is in the wilderness experiencing one of the greatest hardships of his life, yet he can say, my flesh, every part of who I am is committed to this cause of knowing God. You know what the appropriate follow-up question would be to this truth?
13:44 How can I arrive at that place? You're saying that this is possible for me, then how can I get there? And I believe David provides a very helpful clue at the end of verse one. Notice what he says after my flesh faints for you. As in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
14:02 Can you see it? David there sitting in the wilderness looking out to that barren land, dry and cracked up, and the thought came to him. This is what my soul is like without the ever increasing presence of God. In the same way that water is the only thing that could bring life to this desert, so only God can give my soul the vitality and delight that it craves. My soul thirsts for you.
14:37 And listen, if you want to know what David is saying here, because I'm gonna get to this point in a moment. I don't wanna get ahead of myself, but if you want to to be able to look at these verses and say, I know what that's like. I know what David is speaking about here. I I argue that what you find at the end of verse one is the first step for you to even entertain the possibility of it. What's the first step?
15:05 You have to be convinced of the same truth that David spells out here, that nothing in this life will actually and truly satisfy you. Yes, there are things in God's creation that satiate the material parts of who we are, but listen to this, only closeness with Jesus Christ can address the deepest part of who you are. You're not just material. You're not just physical. You have a spirit.
15:34 You have a soul, and only nearness with Christ, only communion with Christ can touch that part. If you don't even believe that to begin with, if you if you don't have that kind of foundation in your understanding how your relationship God works, you will never you will be a wanderer forever. David is convinced. In the same way that I'm looking here and there is nothing. There is not it's barren.
16:01 I look out to this world with all its shiny toys and all its trinkets. It does nothing for me. It's surface level, it bounces off of me. It's there for a moment and evaporates the next day. Oh, I need God.
16:15 If it's possible to know God, then I I thirst for that. I need that. I'm seeking for that. And I can hear it now. Some might be wondering, okay, you're talking about thirsting for God and seeking it, but what does that actually look like in practice?
16:34 I'm glad you asked. Look at verse two. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary beholding your power and glory because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So David here is reflecting, he's recollecting. He's exiled in the desert and he remembers, he remembers something that stimulates this seeking and this thirsting.
16:56 He remembers the days where he would go to the house of God. He remembers going to the house of God and beholding something of his power and glory. I wonder what that looked like for David. I'm sure it had something to do with him witnessing the elaborate protocols of the sacrificial system, where he would see all those beasts slain in the bloodshed. And as he was processing all of this, he he stood in awe of the holiness of God.
17:28 And as he considered further and looked at these unworthy priests, imperfect vessels, doing the ministry, he he stood back and he reflected on the absolute mercy of God to use such people to be able to mediate and to come into such contact with his presence. I wonder if he considered the ark of the covenant that was behind that veil. And more than being scared about it, he was actually moved by it, because for God to create that space, demonstrated to the people that he longed to come and dwell with man. And so he was he was enthralled by the love of God. I what?
18:09 I have looked upon you in the sanctuary beholding your power and glory. David experienced something, so again, don't make the mistake that David, when he would go to the house of God, was analyzing things doctrinally, and trying to have a more accurate theological understanding. Theology is important, but David is doing more than studying God. He has truly savored him. This isn't just head stuff, this is heart stuff.
18:37 This is like, my soul is moved. You're saying, how do you know that? Look at verse three. Because your steadfast love is better than life. That is not the vocabulary of somebody who just studies, and can give you good definitions.
18:56 That is the language of somebody who has come into contact with the truth in a personal way. Because your steadfast love is better than life. Life is not life without God's love being experienced and known. What is life? This is what he is saying.
19:14 The point that I'm trying to make is, if you want to know what it means to seek God, if you want that seeking soul to be activated, and to experience him the way that David experienced him, then here's what it includes. It includes beholding him. Beholding him to the degree that the conclusions that you make from what you see in God's word primarily, apply to you on an individual basis. And here's what's so glorious, This invitation to behold God's power, his glory, to taste his love, is not reserved for kings and Old Testament prophets. In fact, you and I have greater access.
19:57 What did Paul say in second Corinthians three eighteen? And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. This comes from the Lord who is the spirit. So you and I also have access to behold the glory of the Lord, and Christ removed the veil from our faces, from our eyes, so that we can see clearly. Beholding.
20:28 Can I just pause here and do something? I wanna pause here and actually kinda show you by way of example what that might look like. So personally, not my sermon prep. No. No.
20:41 No. My sermon prep is a different thing. My personal reading, my personal beholding of God's word. I'm in the gospel of Luke. I start in Genesis.
20:49 I end in Revelation. I don't keep count. I'm not trying to follow a pace. If it takes me a year, ten years to go through the Bible once more, doesn't matter to me. I'm not counting.
20:56 You ask me, I don't know how many times I've read through it. I'm not interested in counting numbers. I'm interested with meeting with God every time I come to his word. But I'm now in the book of Luke. And in Luke one, I was This is earlier this week.
21:09 I was looking at Mary's song, and in the same chapter, Zacharias prophecy, the father of John the Baptist. So I want you to just see, come with me to Luke chapter one. And this is just personal Again, not sermon prep, just reading my bible before the day starts. Look at Luke one fifty. I discovered a few things that moved me not just in the moment, but listen, revelations of God that have kept me full till today.
21:44 Luke one fifty, look what Mary says, and his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. So I read that and I thought that's wonderful. Yeah. His mercy is for those who fear him. And then I'm reading through the same chapter and I come to Zacharias prophecy over his son.
22:03 And look what it says here in Luke one seventy four. He talks about Christ earlier, talks about John the Baptist later in the same text, but notice, that we being delivered from the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear. So here's what happened. Just two minutes ago, I'm reading a Mary song and I learned verse 50, and his mercy is for those who fear him. Then I come back here, the 71 74 of chapter one, that we may be delivered from the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear.
22:34 Well, which one is it? Do you want me to have fear or no no fear? And then what dawned on me was one of the verses from that glorious hymn, amazing grace. And I think most people miss it. Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved.
23:00 Another paradox if you will. What is John Newton saying there? This grace that I've experienced has caused my heart to fear you the way God wants you to fear, a reverential awe of him. And that same grace has relieved me from all other illegitimate fears. So you have Mary saying here, yes, his mercy is for those who fear him and then in the very same chapter you have a promise that Christ has come that we might serve him without fear.
23:33 Doesn't end there, I kept reading. Look at verse 76 of Luke one. As he now turns to John, his son, and you child will be called the prophet of the most high, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people, and the forgiveness of their sins. Pause there. This is not a point for this message, but just worth noting just in case.
23:58 Notice that John was called to give the message of the forgiveness of people's sins. What was John's favorite word in his sermons? Repent. So for those who think that repentance is not necessary for salvation, what are you gonna do with this? Because by the Holy Spirit, he was called to give knowledge of salvation to his people.
24:17 When John opened his mouth, you know what he said? Repent. That's not the part that moved me. Verse 78, because of the tender mercy of our God whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high. You know what touched me?
24:33 The Holy Spirit could have simply said in 78, because of the mercy of our God, but he included a word before it because of the tender mercy of our God. And there I am on my little chair in my office in my house, and I'm looking at that word after I was just wrestling and dealing with that fear. Fear him. Fear him. Don't fear.
24:56 Yes. I come to this and I realized something about God's mercy. It's not just there. It's tender. What does tender mean?
25:05 So I look it up. You know what it means? Ready for this? Bowels. Say, what's the point of that?
25:14 His mercy comes from the inside. It overflows from his heart. It's not merely a duty. It's not forced mercy. It's not superficial.
25:24 It's not surface level. It comes from it's a feeling mercy. God has he he has mercy and he feels merciful. Ready for this? Towards me.
25:38 So what what are you what are you doing? Why are you explaining all this? I'm trying to show you at least to the best of my ability what beholding looks like. Beholding him. So there I am.
25:48 You say, well you're a pastor. No. No. No. No.
25:49 No. It has nothing to do with being a pastor. Because this isn't a sermon prep time. That's later in the week. And I can show you markings in my Bible from the days when I was a college student and when I was working in advertising where the beholding was taking place.
26:04 This is available to any of us where you look at these things and it's not just, okay, I read my No. It's beholding and then you're moved by it. And you're drawn to it, and what happens now? God speaks to you and now you speak to him. Lord, help me believe that your mercy is tender for me, like your heart is moved when I'm broken in my sin.
26:26 When I seek you, help me really believe that you feel tenderly. And help me understand that you have mercy for those who fear you, so help me have this reverential of you. That's what it looks like. And you go about your day and you do your things and you do your hobbies, but you're still meditating on those things, and when your when your mind goes into default space, it rests there. The seeking soul.
26:55 And you do that long enough and you practice it and you believe that it can work, and you'll come to the next point and that's the satisfied soul. Come back to Psalm 63. Notice what he says here in verse five. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips. Listen, David compares the gratification that comes from beholding to sitting at a table before the most exquisite delicious feast.
27:31 You can translate his point in the following way, when the Lord manifest his presence to me, it's like feeding at a banquet. And he gives us a glimpse of the incredible impact of of what it's like for the Lord to open your eyes, open your ears, open your heart to him. Beyond what you knew in the gospel, the gospel is paramount. The gospel sustains us. Everything stems from the gospel, but deeper things about who he is when you taste it and you taste it and you taste it.
28:04 Look at this impact. Look what he says here in verse six, when I remember you upon my bed and meditate on you in the watches of the night. Now, here's what's so significant. David is writing this again, remember the heading of the Psalm. He's in the wilderness.
28:18 He's in the desert. He's sleeping in random caves. And as he's reminiscing, being in the wilderness, being in exile, listen, he's he's cut off from virtually everything. But you know what he is not looking back to? He's not aching for the comforts of his palace.
28:41 He's not, remembering the taste of royal delicacies. He's not even rehearsing the relationships and the interactions that he had with people that he had to walk away from when he had to leave into the wilderness. None of that. What is he thinking about at the end of the day? When the stillness of the night comes, and all the busyness slows down, and it's just you and your soul with your heavy head on that pillow, what is he thinking about?
29:07 He's reflecting on past testimonies of his walk with God, and it's only causing him to want more testimonies. That's what he's saying here. He's saying, how do you know that? Because look what he says in verse seven. For you have been my help.
29:25 You've been my help. This is what he's reflecting on as he's laying there. I I'm remembering the times when the Lord has intervened in my life beyond coincidence, beyond the sermon, beyond what I've heard from other people. No. I have my own testimonies of God coming through and the thought of it alone is satisfying me and it's causing me to want more.
29:50 But it's the second part of verse seven that deserves our attention. For you have been my help, and the shadow of your wings, I will sing for joy. If you read this over and over again, the whole Psalm, you'll observe something. You'll observe that there's numerous mentions of praising God. So let's revisit it.
30:15 Look at verse three. What does he say? Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. My lips will praise you. Look at verse four.
30:26 So I will bless you as long as I live. Look at verse five, the second part. My mouth will praise you with joyful lips. And finally, verse seven, I will sing for joy. I will sing for joy.
30:40 I will praise you. I will bless you. Oh, he even goes beyond that to something that might make some people uncomfortable. He says, I will lift my hands in your name. What's happening here?
30:53 There's a clear connection. And here's what I wanna say in love. There are well meaning believers who if they are honest struggle to relate what David is expressing here because what he is actually writing about is spontaneous praise and heartfelt joy. It's one thing to sing, it's another thing to sing with joy. He's singing with joy here, and he can't help himself.
31:16 And listen, it it genuinely, genuinely breaks my heart. I'm fully aware that we are living in a day where our land is plagued with biblical illiteracy. I believe in the I believe when you get back to truth, truth trumps over everything, your feeling, your emotions, your experience. I'm there. But it breaks my heart also to learn of believers who have very little feeling in their religion.
31:45 Some of those believers have been taught that having feelings that are stirred within you or even expressed is dangerous and should be discouraged. Meanwhile, you have other believers who listen, they believe the gospel. They believe in the saving message of Jesus Christ, but they find themselves in mechanical motions and they can't seem to break free. This joy stuff, this songs of praise being overcome by the revelation of who God is, that's foreign to many people. And to some people, it's even offensive.
32:21 They they came from a certain denomination or background where it's like, that's looked down upon. Okay. How do you read the Psalms? Like how do you do it? It's like offensive to read it with a monotone voice.
32:32 How? It's like, it's it's it's has life in it, emotion in it, and emotions are not sinful. They're gift from God. Can they lead you into sin? You better believe it.
32:43 Can they cause you to not trust the truth? Yes. Can they betray your convictions? Absolutely. But what a joy it is when they line up with the truth.
32:52 That's God's will. And does the spirit provide any kind of instructions for those who find themselves in such a spiritual rut? Yes, he does. Look carefully at verse seven again. For you have been my help.
33:07 For you have been my help. And in the shadow of your wings, I will sing for joy. Where does he say that he experiences this ability to sing for joy? In the shadow of God's wings. God doesn't have literal wings.
33:21 This is poetic. Wings speak of protection. Wings speak of power. Wings speak of ability, sure, but that's not what he's even getting at. Being in the shadow of anything demands close proximity.
33:36 I can't stand in your shadow even if I'm in the same building as you. I can't stand in your shadow even if I'm in the same room as you. I can only stand in your shadow if I am shoulder to shoulder with you. Here's the point that I'm trying to make. David could sing with joy because he was near God.
33:59 He was close to God. And I was reflecting on this and I thought to myself, this is true throughout the scriptures. And this is from months ago. There are many verses that you read, and you should just keep it in your pocket. And don't forget about a highlight or do whatever you need to do because you never know when it will come and help.
34:20 Sometimes I'll help you with your sermon, by the way. But can I can I invite you to turn to one little sentence from the book of Job? It's it's right by Psalms, so it's not gonna take too much effort. But go to Job 35 verse 10. I was sharing this with some brothers on a Wednesday night.
34:43 We read, but none says, where is God my maker who gives songs in the night? It's that second part that touches me. What does God do? He does many things. You know what he also does?
34:55 He gives songs in the night. I love how he gives it in the night. Cause no matter what you go through the day, if you're close to God, close enough where he can reach out and give something to you, he'll give you a song at the end of the day. No matter what happened. No matter what was taken from you, no matter what burden was added to you, God is able to give you a song in the night.
35:21 That's what David is talking about here. Even if you're in the wilderness, only God can do that. I read a Spurgeon quote where he says the following, we read of beds of ivory, but beds of piety are far better. We read of beds of ivory, but beds of piety are far better. The satisfied soul and the same cause and effect is found in our last point, the clinging soul.
36:05 Notice what he says here in verse eight, my soul clings to you, your right hand upholds me. You know what that word cling is In the Hebrew, it's the same word found in Genesis two twenty four where we're told that a man shall leave his father and his mother and he shall hold fast to his wife. Or in the King James, shall cleave to his wife. Speaks about being glued to somebody. And David uses the same word with his relationship with God.
36:36 My soul clings to you. Here's what he's saying. Yes, in this season, I have sought you. In the past, I have been satisfied. In this moment, I'm satisfied.
36:49 But oh, I know the temptations of life that can take me away from this place. So I'm committing myself to, yes, seek you and continue to seek you and to stay there. I'm clinging to you. I wanna be near you for the rest of my life. And he he unveils yet another incentive for you to have that ambition above all other ambitions.
37:13 No matter what you do, how much money you make, how many responsibilities you have, this is possible for all of us and he gives another reason for you to make it a reality. Look at verse eight again. My soul clings to you, Here's the outcome of that. Your right hand upholds me. So here's what David is saying.
37:32 Not only does closeness to God open up the ability to sing, but also grants me supernatural strength. Is it not true? Listen. Is it not true that when there is needless distance between you and God, always on our part, needless distance that we create, that it always causes us to feel depleted. That there is that sense of strength and energy that is drained from us.
38:05 Temptations feel stronger when you are walking at a distance from him. Sin looks shinier. Lies become louder. Irritations become more familiar and even persecutions feel harsher. And this is so so crucial for you and I to know because this man here who seeks God sets an example for anybody who seeks God.
38:33 If you know how to do that and you know that satisfaction and you cling to him, it does not It promises many things, but it does not guarantee you the eliminations of afflictions. To get the notion that if I walk with that kind of walk, it's gonna blast away all trials. No. Did you read the last two verses of this Psalm? Look again.
38:54 Let's read it. Right after he talks about my soul clinging to you, he says, but those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth. They shall be given over to the power of the sword. They shall be a portion for jackals, but the king shall rejoice in God. All who swear by him shall exalt for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
39:12 So in the same breath where he says, I'm pursuing God, David says, people are pursuing me. Having a close walk with God doesn't delete your problems, but it does provide a strength to endure them. My soul clings to you, your right hand upholds me. And it's upholding me in this moment while I'm in the wilderness fleeing my enemies, who are slandering me, who hate me, who actually wanna kill me. I I know the stability and the strength that only can come from you, and only can come from him when you're close to him.
39:53 And this incredible way of life is not only spelled out here, it's found throughout the bible including the Psalms. And some some of you probably read some of these verses and thought, what is he getting at? Can I give you an example as we're ready to close in a moment? Go to Psalm one nineteen. Many people believe that this Psalm, which is the largest Psalm and the psaltery is from David.
40:17 Psalm one nineteen verse one sixty one, so don't go too far back. Notice what he says here. Princess, persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words. What? What do those two things have to do with each other?
40:44 Princes are planning my death. They're persecuting me. They're lying about me, but I stand in awe of your words. Seems cryptic, it seems sporadic, it doesn't seem cohesive. No, it's actually spirit led as you know.
40:59 You know what David is saying here? He's confessing that although there is leaders who are plotting against him, he's not overcome by their threats. He's not shifting by their slander. He doesn't feel the heat of their hatred. You know why?
41:16 Because he is already captivated by the promises and the presence of the one who is greater than his enemies. This man has beheld God long enough, consistently enough. He has tasted of the sweetness of who he is enough so that when even princes have plotted against him, he's unshaken. I know the one whom I believe. My soul has seen, my soul has tasted, my soul is convinced and I'm captivated.
41:47 And so I'm standing in awe even though people want my head. There's reward in this. There there's life altering truths in this. And this kind of calm can only be known in a place of clinging communion. Where's David's strength in this season of his life?
42:10 It's not in retaliation, it's an adoration. I love Mary of Bethany. She's there demonstrating one of the most beautiful acts of worship in all of the Bible. And while she is worshiping the Lord with the revelation that he's going to die and I wanna anoint him and honor him, you have disciples of all people that are criticizing her. It doesn't take that much, Mary.
42:34 We can actually use that for other causes. And what I love about that story is that when Mary is doing this, she doesn't open her mouth to defend herself. Who defends her? Jesus defends her. And when you're in that place where you love the Lord, you worship the Lord, you honor the Lord, it's amazing what he does on your behalf.
43:00 It's amazing how his love is louder than what other people say. I don't wanna be the Christian that with every wind, every attack, every visit, every surprise, I'm knocked over. I'm here. I don't want that. And I'm I'm granted here the secret to that strength.
43:19 Stay close to him. Behold him. Behold him until those truths are stamped on your eyes so that when you see anything or anything comes before you that you didn't invite, you see it through the lens of the one that you've been staring at. I don't just have that verse, the famous verse, Psalm 23, the Lord is my shepherd. Have you ever considered verse five as we use this text as our closings text?
43:46 Psalm 23 verse five. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. You know what most people would want? You removed my enemies from me, so I thank you.
44:18 It's not what he says. God didn't take the enemies away. He just brought a table to fellowship with. The Lord does not always remove the presence of our foes, the knowledge of their cruel plots, or the sting of their sharp slander, but he always makes a way for fellowship even if you're in the wilderness. And he's with us in the midst of it all.
44:51 And it's in that fellowship that you know of fortification. This is possible for each of us in this place. You don't have to be a minister to know what I'm speaking about. In fact, can I say something that's so sobering? There are many ministers who don't know what I'm talking about, And they might have those letters beside their name and have studied years and years and years.
45:17 They've studied God, but haven't savored him. You could be a construction worker. You could be a stay at home mom. You could be working in business, you can be an entrepreneur, you could be a policeman, you can be anything. And this is available to you.
45:36 The seeking soul. How do I even start? Well, you first have to be absolutely convinced that no amount of entertainment, no amount of traveling, no amount of fashion, no amount of improvement on your physical looks, no amount of people that you know, the networking that you nothing ultimately will satisfy you. That's the ABCs of this thing. And then beyond that now, you trust God and you seek him in his word and you ask him.
46:03 The same David who said, I I I'm satisfied as with fat and rich food is the same one who said, open my eyes that I may behold the wondrous things out of your law. I can't do this. Do you know how many times I've prayed that prayer? How many times, Lord, if you don't satisfy my soul, I know myself enough. I will go searching for broken vessels and dirty wells.
46:24 You need to satisfy me. You need to sustain me. This needs to become more than just duty and discipline. I need delight. Unlock that for me.
46:35 And he's so faithful. He's so faithful because if he if he didn't do that, I wouldn't be preaching to you today. And then when you're there to stay there, to stay there, To stay close to him. And if you if you drift away, come back. And you know it well.
46:59 I've never ever ever ever met a genuine Christian who was lukewarm and was happy. Have you? Show me. I've never seen it. And they know it well, but they stay there.
47:10 Snap out of it. Oh, I know I'm not where I'm supposed to be with the Lord. Okay. Move. What are you waiting for?
47:19 The table's been set. Come to him. Come to him with your dryness. Come to him with your indifference. Tell him about it.
47:26 He already knows. Not telling him something that's gonna surprise him. Lord, I'm lukewarm as it can be. I love my job more than you. I find more pleasure in basketball, not against sports.
47:37 Don't don't pin this on me. Don't I know it can go out there. No no no. I'm not against things. I don't wanna sound legalistic here.
47:43 I'm not against any of those things. What I'm trying to tell you is that there's something better than those things. That's what I'm saying to you. I Lord, I am just honest, but I come to Psalm 63 and I read this language and it's like, it doesn't resonate. Can you show me what it's like for my soul to be satisfied as with fat and rich food?
48:10 I don't know how this works. Lead me. You know, Psalm twenty three five where it says, the Lord is my shepherd, that's all about God's guidance. And verse five is included. So guide me to that table.
48:25 Like, I want this word to be fulfilling. I want prayer to be enjoyable, and it's not gonna happen every single day. It's a fight. I get it. But at least the knowledge of it should encourage you to seek after it.
48:42 Ministry is a misery if you don't have what I'm speaking about. It is. And ministry becomes tragedy for many people because they got caught up in the mechanics of serving God and not enjoying him. This is for all of us, and I want you to seek after it today. Can we bow our heads?
49:24 Listen, please, as you're about to pray, this is the way to answer. This is the way to response. Lord, if this is true, this is real, I want it, but I don't know how to do it. You have to help me. That's how you do it.
49:37 Let him lead you. Don't strive and and and wrestle and beat yourself up now. Seek God in honesty. And I believe that if you're sincere, you can walk out of here with a fresh motivation. A fresh motivation.
49:50 As people's heads are bowed, if I can ask the praise team to join me because we're gonna sing heartfelt songs to the Lord. Just take your time, please. Take your time. Oh, Lord, how we need you. How my heart needs you, Lord.
50:42 Oh, deliver us from complacency, God. Lord, by your spirit, renew a hunger for you. Help us know how to navigate through all our responsibilities and all the things that occupy our thoughts. Lord, bring us to the place of thirsting that even while we're doing things in our mouths, our parched, we still think about water. Lord, help us be the same way that through all the things that we have to do, you you are ultimately there in our meditations, in our longings, Lord.
51:10 And on those days where it's hard, on those days where we don't feel like our flesh is even close to crying out to you, help us seek you in that place. Say, lord, I want I want more than this. Help us know the freedom of being able to communicate that to you. So, lord, if there's anybody here that wants this, Lord, we pray by your spirit today that this would be the turning point in their lives. For those who once knew it before, they they they can say I know what it's like.
51:40 I know exact but I haven't known that in years. Let today be a new day. We pray that your holy spirit would do what no nothing or no one can do. We admit that. And, Lord, even now as we sing, may it be with joyful lips.
51:55 May we really bless your name. May it come from the place because we have beheld your glory today and your power and your steadfast love. In Jesus' name. Amen. Listen.
52:08 If you really wanna meet with God, you don't have to stand at this point unless you want to. If you wanna stay seated with your head down and as they're playing and singing over you, you can do that. You can stay seated and talk to the Lord. If you wanna stand and sing, you can do that as well. There's no rush here.
52:23 We don't all have to do this, this thing in the same way we always do it. This is a time to respond to the message. If you wanna stay seated, if you wanna stand up, you can do whatever you need to as long as it's not distracting. Let's spend a little bit time with the Lord before we close the service.
