01 19 34 04 - Do Right (1)
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Life As It Should BePsalm 34
Intro:
· @ How many times have you bought something with a little sign that says: “Some assembly required.”
o Open the box –a whole bunch of pieces come spilling out with an instruction manual on how to assemble your new purchase
o What do you do?
§ If you are a man — you ignore the manual!
o What is the result?
§ Often — you have a bunch of pieces left over
o What then?
§ “Well, those parts are either extra or aren’t really that important.”
§ Until you try to use what you have just assembled
· You find that it’s just not working the way it’s supposed to
· That may be a normal experience for men
o In spiritual reality — everyone’s natural inclination is to be manly
· We’re talking about “Life As It Should Be”
o Most people think they have a good idea of what that looks like
§ Spend energy on getting educated, connected, financed,
§ But then find that those things really don’t satisfy and they really don’t answer life’s big questions
o They find life is NOT working the way they thought it should
· God, as the creator of your life, KNOWS how life should be
o Psalm 34 demonstrates what that looks like
· 1-10 is the first section
o (1-3) — Think Right – Worship God
§ Worship is: Active
· Focussed on God
· Has the goal of causing Him to be exalted
o (4-7) — Do Right — Depend on God — in not, thinking gets stifled
o (8-10) — Feel Right — Experience God — The end result
· We’ve looked at Think Right
o Now we begin to look at Do Right – Depend on the Lord (4-7)
o If you are depending on the Lord, you will:
§ Seek Him — Look to Him — Cry out to Him
o This morning — Seek the Lord
I. Explanation of SEEKing
A. Not hide and seek –
1. @ Running from place to place hoping to come across the object
B. Definition
1. To seek with great care
2. To come back to the same place over and over
C. Illustration
1. @ Last few years at Christmas – Penny has learned that at least one present under the tree is hers.
2. She sniffs around – pawing at different ones until she catches a whiff of treats or hears a squeak
3. From that point, there is no way of keeping her away from that present.
4. We move her away – but she comes right back. Nothing will distract her from getting back to that present
5. She seeks it out!
D. Application
1. If you understand the reality of worship
a. It will cause you to return over and over again to the Lord
b. It will cause you to take great care – not just when you think about it – but planning your day around seeking the Lord
2. You don’t go to Him as a last resort – but right away all the time
II. Result of seeking
A. God Hears
1. Not just hearing a sound
a. This is responding to what is heard
2. God hears and acts on what He hears
a. @ Bruce Almighty
(1) I resisted watching it until another Christian I trusted said it wasn’t sacrilegious like you’d think
(2) Still – lots of caution – not recommending it wholeheartedly
(3) However—one scene were Bruce , who has been given God’s job — is trying to answer all the prayer requests
(a) Constant noise of voices —drives him nearly insane
b. With all the prayers going up all the time
(1) Does it ever amaze you that God hears you?
(2) And that He doesn’t just hear you — but answers you
3. The God who created and sustains the universe listens to you!
B. God Delivers
1. Definitions
a. Delivers – cause to be separated
b. Fears – Horror because of facing something much more powerful
2. Application
a. When you act on what you know
(1) Purposefully and continually going to God
b. Then He causes you to be separated from the horror you feel when faced with great trials
(1) Not necc the trials themselves – but their effect of causing horror and terror
III. Method of seeking
A. Turn from sin
1. Hosea 10:12 - ...break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord…
2. Context
a. Israel living as if God did not exist
b. Not following commands —seeking His guidance — etc
3. Application
a. We cannot live as if God doesn’t exist
b. IOW—if you are going to seek God, you cannot seek anything else!
(1) That includes sin
(2) @ a good hunting dog is one that gets the scent and stays on it – not distracted by other scents it comes across
(3) How good would it be if it constantly changed its target?
c. Are you easily distracted by sin?
(1) Focus on seeking GOD!
B. Turn from depending on human resources
1. Isaiah 31:1 - Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the Lord!
2. Background
a. Israel was not to go back to Egypt looking for help
b. Egypt had shown itself too weak in keeping Israel as slaves
(1) God was more powerful
(2) Why look for someone less powerful to help?!?!?
3. @ Wooden raft in the middle of an ocean – storms tossing you all over – running out of water – no food — raft is breaking up
a. Rescued by a cruise ship——Food — water — safety
b. The wind starts blowing and the ship starts swaying a bit
(1) How smart to jump back on the raft?
4. Application
a. You have experienced this truth – at least seen it in others
b. Why trust in money, self-sufficiency, any other manmade things when they are so undependable?
c. Why see God as a last resort?
(1) Why waste time finding out — AGAIN — that only God is dependable?!?!
C. Seek God with every part of your existence
1. With your whole heart and soul
a. Deuteronomy 4:29 - ...seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
2. With your mind
a. 1 Chronicles 22:19 - Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.
3. Don’t hold anything back from God
a. Complete surrender of every area of your life
b. Depending on God means this:
(1) Chart
c. Is there anything you are holding back from Him?
(1) Then you are not living life as it should be!
(2) @ Moses when God called him to lead Israel out of Egypt
(a) Moses gave excuses
(b) Doubted God’s power
(c) God asked about the stick — just a stick
i. Throw it down— became something different and living, and powerful when it was given to God
(3) When you give your ordinary life to God — He makes it different and living and powerful
D. Seek God’s presence continually
1. Psalm 105:4 - Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
2. This is a constant theme of Scripture
a. God calls us to a continuing walk with Him
3. But we get the idea that if I do it once, that’s good enough
a. Try that on your spouse — “I told you on the day we got married that I love you. And if I ever change my mind, I’ll let you know.”
4. OR — “I can’t keep doing that” – not enough energy, boring, etc.
a. But we manage to do a lot of things continually
(1) Eat, sleep, go to work
(2) “Yeah, but I need those things to live.”
(a) And we don’t need continued contact with God in order to live?
E. Communicate with God
1. Bible reading
a. Psalm 119:10 - With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
b. Any questions?
c. We just cannot wander away from God’s Word – the primary way He speaks to us – and say we are seeking Him
2. Prayer
a. Isaiah 55:6 - Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.
b. The primary way of demonstrating our dependence on Him
c. How much time do you spend in prayer?
(1) Are you seeking God if you only thank Him for your meals?
(a) Or whisper a quick prayer when you’re in trouble?
d. Prayer reminds you of how dependent you are on God!
(1) @ BJU – “if you are too busy to pray, you are too busy.”
(2) Busyness — you trying to solve things yourself
(a) Or seeking after manmade resources
e. Martin Luther: “I am too busy NOT to pray”
(1) Life's writings fill up nearly 60 large volumes - before type writers and computers, even before ball point pens!
(a) translated the whole Bible into everyday German
(b) University lecturing, preaching and pastoring the Wittenberg congregation, family responsibilities.
(2) Luther's normal pattern was for 2 hours a day in reading the Word, prayer and meditation.
(a) An extra busy day ahead, he would take 3 hours.
(b) "Otherwise," he said, "I cannot get all my work done."
(3) Was this a waste of time?
(a) “Imagine how much he could have gotten done if he hadn’t taken so much time seeking the Lord.”
(b) His life's work testifies strongly: "NO."
3. Fellowship with Believers
a. Many times this seeking the Lord is in conjunction with other believers.
(1) 2 Chronicles 15:12 - Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; (NKJV)
b. Other believers: (as long as it matches with God’s Word)
(1) Confirm what God is saying
(2) Remind you
(3) Teach you
(4) Strengthen your resolve to seek God
Conc:
I got up early one morning and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish that I didn't have time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me, and heavier came each task.
"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered. He answered, "You didn't ask."
I wanted to see joy and beauty, but the day toiled grey and bleak.
I wondered why God didn't show me; He said, "But you didn't seek."
I woke up early this morning, and paused before entering the day.
I had so much to accomplish that I had to take time to pray.
· How are you seeking God?
o Going through life hoping to come across His path
o Going through life following His path
· If you say you can’t find God – it’s not His fault
o Deuteronomy 4:29 - ...you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul. (ESV)
· Make sure you are seeking God the way He says you should seek Him
· Then you will be living life as it should be