The Pursuit Of God

Intro: To live as a human and try to do it without water is deadly. To

live as a Christian and try to do it without God is deadly. The pursuit

of God will embrace the labor of bringing our total personality into

conformity with his (Romans 12:2). Being made in God's image we have

within us the capacity to know him. We should never stop seeking Him,

there is absolutely too much to know. I have made up up my mind to see it

to the end.

I. Vs 1 - 2 - thirsting for God

A. Changing ourselves to fit him

1. Much of our difficulty as Christians seeking God is our

unwillingness to accept him as He is and adjust our lives accordingly

2. We try to modify God to our standards and try to make him closer to

our image

3. God wants the whole person in its entirety, part will not do.

B. Jesus said,"I am the bread of life, he that cometh to me will never

hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

1. Jesus will quench your thirst

2. He will be a spring of living water coming up out of your soul.

II. Vs 3 - 4 - worship

A. John 4: 23-24 - true worshippers

1. I can offer no worship wholly pleasing to God if I know that I am

harboring elements in my Life that are displeasing to him ( Can not

worship truly on Sunday if I can not worship the same way on Monday)

2. True worship is to be so personally and hopelessly in love with God

that a transfer of your affections does not even exist

B. The moment we make up our minds that we are going to exalt God

above all then we will step out of this world's parade

1. we will acquire a new viewpoint

2. a new and different psychology will be formed within us

3. a new power will surprise us with its upsurgings and outgoings

C. When you come to God casual dealings will not suffice

1. "Now I lay me down to sleep" is not going to cut it

2. we must come boldly upon the throne of grace

III. Vs 5-6 - resting in Him

A. Matt. 11:28 - 30

B. It is encouraging to know that little me can go before great big

Him and lay at his feet and rest and not worry about my problems any more.

IV. Conclusion

A. Social religion will be perfected when private religion is

purified

B. Too many Scholars

1. The highest knowledge of God is not intellectual but

spiritual. God is a spirit and only the spirit of man can really know

him.

2. We should not be so concerned for working for God until we

have known the joy of worshipping him

3. You can not carry someone to a place in God that you yourself have

not already been