Sermon Central
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I Earnestly Search For You!
Contributed by Ernie Arnold on Jul 19, 2021 (message contributor)
Summary: This sermon is about having a passion for the LORD. David shows us some keys how to have that passion.
Scripture: Psalm 63; Matthew 6:33
Theme: Passion
Title: I earnestly search for you!
I. Declare that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY Is Your GOD
II. Secondly, David tells us that we are to serve the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY with passion
III. Finally, David understood the importance of perseverance in His walk with the LORD
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
I want to talk to you today about passion. I want to talk to you today about what it means to for us to be passionate about our walk with the LORD. I want to talk to you today about what it means to be so passionate about following the LORD that “your soul thirsts for the LORD and you whole body longs for the LORD”.
This is where we find David in Psalm 63. Once again, David is in the wilderness hiding out from some enemies. Who those enemies are we are not sure. If the psalm was written before David became king then those enemies would have most likely been King Saul and his troops.
If, however, the Psalm was written after David became king then it is most likely when David was hiding from his son Absolom and his militia when they tried to overtake the kingdom and kill King David. Either way, David is in the wilderness hiding out from those that want to kill him.
It is in the midst of all this trial that we hear David’s true passion in life rise to the surface. What David wants most comes to the surface. And what David wants most is the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
That may sound strange to some of us today. For most people when they are in danger they may not seek the LORD first and foremost. The Lord may not be in the picture at all. Instead, they may be more focused on things like food, shelter, clothing, safety or even finances or pleasure.
But that is not what we find with David. When David found himself in the wilderness, fleeing for his life, his thoughts and his heart turned towards the LORD. David understood a very foundational truth; that truth being that a person’s true center must be cemented in the LORD. David understood that his relationship with the LORD was the most important thing in this life.
Later on we see Jesus commenting on the same thing when he reminds his listeners in His Sermon on the Mount:
“Seek first the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteous, and he will give you everything you need.” – Matthew 6:33 ESV
I don’t know about you but I find that remarkable. I find it remarkable that a person can have their primiary focus not on themselves, on their own safety but to having their passion, their primary focus on the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
But as much as I find it remarkable, I also realize that all of us that are Christ followers are called to do the same thing. We are called to be passionate about our relationship with Jesus. We are called to live a life of passion towards the Lord, towards holiness and a life of righteousness.
How do we do that?
Where do we start?
Let’s take some time this morning and see what advice David gives us here in Psalm 63:
I. Declare that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY Is Your GOD
David starts off making a very clear and loud declaration.
“O God, you are my God”
This was not the first time that David made this declaration.
“I said to the LORD, ‘You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.”
“But I am trusting you, O LORD, saying, “You are my God!”
“I said to the LORD, ‘You are my God!’ Listen, O Lord to my cries for mercy’”
Ever since David was a young lad tending his father’s sheep on the hillsides he had made a commitment to the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. He would follow God. He would declare to all those around him that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY would be his God now and forevermore.
We do the same thing when we are baptized. When we go into the water, after we have received the LORD JESUS CHRIST as our Savior and LORD, we are making a public statement concerning our passion and center of life. We are saying in effect that we are not only a new creation but that we want the LORD to be the center of our lives. We are saying with David and with many others that it is our mission, it is our passion that the LORD is our God; our only God.
David is making more than a mere philosophical statement here in this beginning verse. He is deciding more than just following a certain set of rules and regulations. He is declaring once and all that seeking God will be his life’s passion.
