A Thirst For God (04-26-92)
Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 19 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
I. A Thirst For God
A. When what is required to sustain physical life is reduced to the essentials we need roughly the following in this order;
1. Air to breathe
Human life can be sustained for only about 5 minutes without oxygen.
2. Water
We can survive for only 1-2 days in most circumstances without water.
3. Food
We know that it possible for a healthy person to survive longer than 40 days without eating. Maybe even longer depending upon what we have stored up when we start.
B. There are, of course, other things that we require for a healthy normal life, such as shelter, love and companionship, but when reducing the essentials as far as possible these three are absolutely fundamental.
C. Looking closer at the three essentials for life, air, water and food we make the following observations.
1. If all things are as they should be the oxygen in the air is readily available. Under normal circumstances we probably do not give too much thought to breathing. It just happens.
2. The length of time that we can survive without food is somewhat more protracted. In fact there are benefits to going for periods of time without eating. These benefits are both spiritual and physical.
3. Quenching thirst however must be done with greater frequency and doing so requires action on our part. For instance when I sit in my office at home preparing a sermon and I grow thirsty I must take action. I can either get up myself and go to the kitchen get a glass from the cupboard, the ice from the freezer and the water from the tap or I can ask Denise to get the water for me. Either way however requires action on my part. Secondly, I may have options in my choice of beverage to satisfy my thirst; I could choose water, a soda, ice tea, orange juice. Depending upon my mood any one of these would do very nicely.
D. To this point I have only been illustrating physical thirst, but the Word of God draws definite parallels between physical thirst and spiritual thirst.
! II. Isaiah 55
Isaiah 55:1-6
A. God's Invitation and Provision
1. Non-exclusionary "Everyone who thirsts, COME"
2. Revelation 21:6
"And He said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts."
3. Revelation 22:17
"And the Spirit and the bride say 'COME!' And let him who hears say, 'COME!' And let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take of the water of life freely."
4. Do we understand the breadth and magnitude of our Lord's invitation.
B. God's Economy
1. Anyone who has been around for any length of time should become suspicious when something is offered without cost or obligation.
2. Just recently I received a phone call at work from a company that was not familiar to me. The lady told me that a Sony radio was being sent to me because I had been a good customer. She wanted to confirm my address and the spelling of my name. (which in and of itself is suspicious if I had been such a good customer.) I waited for the catch. She then asked me if I would OK the shipment of 24 printer ribbons at $40 dollars apiece. I told her that all purchases had to be approved by our purchasing department. I never received the Sony radio. Surprise!!!
3. But not only does God offer the refreshing water freely without charge, He asks why do we spend money and wages for those things that do not satisfy. How many times do we spend money, hard earned money, only to be disappointed with what we receive. How often do we turn to other things, other people to quench our thirsty souls. "Only Jesus can satisfy your soul."
4. The Prophet Haggai prophesying against a people who had neglected the things of the Lord: (Haggai 1:5-6)
"Now therefore, thus says the Lord of Hosts: Consider your ways!
You have sown much, and bring in little;
You eat, but do not have enough;
You drink, but are not filled with drink;
You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm;
And he who earns wages
Earns wages to put into a bag with holes."
!! C. God's Gift
1. It is fundamental that we believe that God desires to give good gifts to His children. In verse 2 He says, "LISTEN DILIGENTLY TO ME, and eat what is good.
2. Furthermore, God will give us good things in abundance. "I have come that they might have life and have it abundantly."
3. Do you see the connection between listening to God and hearing the Word and life. v.3 "Hear and your soul shall live"
4. John 6:37 NIV
"The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life."
III. The desire for God
A. What causes us to thirst for God?
1. Dryness and barrenness may cause us to thirst spiritually, but not necessarily for God. If it were so, I believe we would see many more obvious signs of people seeking diligently after God.
2. A thirst for God must be acquired. The Psalmist said, "O taste and see, that the Lord is good."
3. When David was in the wilderness during a difficult time, he knew that God was the answer. Psalm 63:1
"O God, you are my God; Early will I seek You;
My soul thirst for You; My flesh yearns for You;
In a dry and weary land, where there is no water."
4. To those who have experienced the goodness and provision of the Lord we can relate to the Psalmist in Psalm 42
"As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."
B. It is just possible that there are more people seeking after God than we think possible. Perhaps we see the mass of humanity seeking after selfish desires and ambitions and automatically assume that they have no desire to seek after God.
C. I contend that the world is full of thirsty people. The problem is that they have not thirsted after the only one who can truly and completely satisfy.
!! D. The French mathematician, Pascal observed that there is a "God shaped vacuum" within each of us. In many instances what we may observe in people's lives is not a flat out rejection of God, but rather an attempt to fill the void they have within.
E. How do we feel regarding those who have become entangled in various cults and false religions. Can we not give them some credit as they are attempting to find answers to life's questions?
F. Where does the problem lie? Do we have a failure to communicate? Are we not communicating the Gospel effectively?
G. One public opinion poll after another reveals that the vast majority of Americans believe that there is a God. Why isn't this better reflected in the condition of society?
IV. Streams of Living water
A. As we begin to conclude I would like to relate a story which illustrates both the thirst of mankind and how that thirst can be quenched.
1. There is an old story of a derelict ship whose crew was starving for water. At last another ship came into sight. The distressed crew signaled, "Water, water, we are starving for water." "Let down your buckets where you are," came back the surprising answer. But such an answer seemed to these thirsty men nothing less than bitter mockery. So they signaled again, "Water, water, we are starving for water." Again there came back the same answer, "Let down your buckets where you are," At last they complied, not at all sure that anything would come of it, but with a dim hope that possibly they were not being mocked. And to their amazement, something did come of it. They found a supply of fresh water that to them was measureless. For unknown to themselves, they had been driven into the wide mouth of the Amazon river, whose waters freshens the sea for many miles from shore.
2. This is Christ's call to you and to me. He is not mocking. Let down your buckets. where you are, and you too, will find that He satisfies the longing soul.
!! B. John 7:38