September 14, 2003

Service Theme – "Our God Is Compassionate"

Matthew 6:32-34; Psalm 9:10; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Psalm 14:2

What Is God Passionate About?

  1. Introduction
    1. Illustration – (NEW SLIDE) John Piper wrote, ‘The weakness of our hunger for God is not because he is unsavoury, but because we "keep ourselves stuffed with other things"’ (as cited on SermonCentral.com).
    2. Context – Piper makes a very good point, one that brings us to the question of what God is passionate about. The answer to this question can help keep us from stuffing ourselves with other things than God. Let’s look at Matthew 6:32-34 and see what Jesus has to say about it.
  1. Scripture Passage
    1. (NEW SLIDE) Matthew 6:32-24 (from the New Living) – Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, 33 and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. (NEW SLIDE) 34 So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
  1. Hearts That Seek Him
    1. We are worriers. We tend to worry all the time. We worry about the bills getting paid. We worry about the condition of our houses. We worry about having enough groceries on hand to meet the needs of our families and our guests. We worry about the details of everyday living. (NEW SLIDE) But our Matthew passage shows us that when we worry about these things, we miss out on that which is most important: seeking after God’s heart. That’s what He’s passionate about. Let’s read Matthew 6:32-34 again: Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, 33 and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. 34 So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. The big "if" is what gets us – "if" we live for God and make His Kingdom our primary concern. (NEW SLIDE) The Greek is written in the imperative – a command like to a military official – "always be seeking" the Kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. If we do that, we will be living for Him and passionately seeking His heart. But if we worry, we divert our attention from God and His Kingdom. We tell God that we don’t trust Him enough to meet our needs, or, probably more accurately, we tell God that we don’t trust Him to meet our needs our way and that’s the only way we want them to be met. God does things lots better than we do. His insight is greater, His power is much greater, and His love for us is incredible. We’re being stupid, and I include myself in this, when we worry about our everyday existence. We are being very wise, and helping ourselves a lot, when we seek God’s heart first and foremost. God is good enough to meet our needs in His time, so we can focus on getting to know His heart.
    2. (NEW SLIDE) Psalm 9:10 reassures us about God’s tender care. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, have never abandoned anyone who searches for you. What do we gain by choosing not to worry about everyday life and choosing to seek God’s heart? The promise that He will never abandon us. David got it right when he wrote these words. He spent a large chunk of his life running from Saul, but David knew God had never abandoned him and never would abandon him as long as he chose to seek after God’s own heart. (NEW SLIDE) What areas of your everyday life are you struggling with worry in? Begin to say to yourself, "I believe God will meet these needs in His time. I am choosing to seek after His heart instead of worrying." Begin to change those tapes in your head that tell you that you’ve got to worry, and replace them with God’s truth. And then do those things that will bring you closer to the heart of God, such as prayer, Bible reading and study, memorizing Scripture, reading good Christian devotional books, sharing with other Christians. We are called to seek Him with all our hearts. When we do that, we are pleasing to Him, because He is passionate about those who seek Him with all their hearts.
    3. One question came to mind when I was thinking about this whole concept – how do I know God will reveal His heart to me if I seek after it? How do I know this isn’t just some wild goose chase? (NEW SLIDE) In 1 Corinthians 2:10, Paul writes, But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God’s deep secrets. "These things" that Paul is talking about are the life, death and resurrection of Christ and the purpose of His coming. If God reveals to us everything about His Son, whom He holds most dear and beloved in the entire universe, then He also reveals His heart to us. When we have a personal love relationship with Jesus Christ, God’s Spirit reveals God’s secrets to us. We get to know God’s heart! We aren’t running around on some wild goose chase! God has promised to reveal His heart to us. All we have to do is to seek after Him sincerely and wholeheartedly. What a powerful cure for worry! And what a powerful way our hearts and lives can be shaped so that we are like Him and reflect His glory! It doesn’t get much better that that! And I mean that. I’m not just trying to throw out some trite, nice-sounding words of nonsense. I’m not trying to paint a rose picture of what could never take place. (NEW SLIDE) What I’m saying is that, if we "always be seeking" we will find the place of rest in knowing God’s heart. It’ll take some effort, for sure, but we spend far more time and effort thinking about and doing things that are much less important. What is God passionate about? Hearts that seek after Him!
    4. God is looking for people who are seeking after His heart. God is striving to find people whose primary purpose in life is His heart and His Kingdom. (NEW SLIDE) Psalm 14:2 says, The Lord looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if there is even one with real understanding, one who seeks for God. He is searching, but will He find? True life and true understanding come from God alone, so we must seek after Him. Do we trust Him enough to meet our needs in His way? Or do we insist that He meet our needs in our way? Will we stop the worry bug and seek after Him and His Kingdom first and foremost? How will we respond?
    5. Illustration - In Today's Christian Woman, Kimberly Shumate tells how she became a Christian after living as a witch. We pick up the story as she, after coming to the end of herself, walks into a church: As I sat down, I silently shot up a desperate prayer: God, please give me someone in this crazy crowd I can relate to. If you don't give me someone, I'm walking out of here. At that moment, the pastor told the congregation to stand up and shake a few hands. I introduced myself to Lisa, whose dyed-red hair and nose ring suggested we might be at a similar place. My black-and-white hair and spiked belt told her the same. Lisa, a fellow spiritual seeker, and I became fast friends. Looking back, I wonder how the church members stood having me in their midst for so long. I was angry and exasperated as I sat listening to their "good news." How could there be only one way to God? At the end of each message, I marched down the aisle to the pastor and began firing off an onslaught of questions. After three or four weeks of verbal sparring, he humbly offered the associate pastor's ear. I made my rounds from one elder to another, finally ending up at a Friday night Bible study looking for answers. As I sat on the floor in the leader's living room, I felt a peace amidst this group of people who seemed to care about each other. After the study, Lisa sat beside me as Scott, the leader, patiently listened to my New-Age arguments. But one by one, the Scriptures I'd carefully prepared to punch holes in the gospel came back at me with hurricane force. Scott's words—but especially the Bible's words—confounded my cosmic view. After we'd sat there for an hour debating, I was exhausted. My hardened heart and argumentative nature finally had enough. As Lisa drove me home, my mind ached as I replayed Scott's words. All the Old Testament and New Testament verses had one oddly familiar voice—one tone, one heart. I wondered, How could a book written by so many different people over the course of hundreds of years fit together perfectly as if one amazing storyteller had written the whole thing? The Holy Spirit began melting my vanity and arrogance with a power stronger than any hex, incantation, or spell I'd ever used. Suddenly, the blindfold I'd worn for almost 30 years was stripped away, and instantly I knew what I'd been searching for: Jesus! The same God I'd neglected, whose name I'd used as profanity, whom I'd flat-out rejected, was the one who'd sent his Son to suffer for me, to take the guilty verdict so I could be found innocent. My eyes filled with tears as I exchanged the darkness with which I'd grown so accustomed for the light of God's truth. It was such a personal moment between the Lord and me that even Lisa, sitting next to me in the car, had no idea what was going on. I soon realized my life was filled with empty props, and it was time to clean house. My first act of obedience was to throw out all my books on witchcraft and the paranormal, as well as my Tarot cards. But the most important possession—and most difficult to discard—was my treasured crystal ball. I called Lisa. She came right over, and we immediately drove to the Pacific Ocean. My heart pounded as if the demons themselves weren't far behind us. We stood at the end of Malibu Pier, our beaming faces reflecting the radiance of the setting sun. I unwrapped the crystal's black velvet cover, and light streamed out like rainbows as the thick crystal met the sun's fleeting rays. As I dropped the ball into the deep blue water, I knew my future was secure. Now I had a Savior who would be with me always. It still moves me to tears to think he waited through all those years of anger, disappointment, fear, and bad choices. All the mistakes I'd ever made were wiped clean (as cited on PreachingToday.com).
    6. We may not be in as desperate a situation as this young lady was in, but I think we can all make the application to our own hearts and lives. Her solution to worry, that which she was most passionate about, was witchcraft, until she made the decision to begin seeking after God. What are each one of us most passionate about? What is it that we each use to placate our sense of worry, instead of just getting rid of it by the power of the Holy Spirit?
  1. Conclusion
    1. Please bow your heads and close your eyes. Are you struggling to always be seeking God first? Are you struggling with worry? Are the cares and concerns of this world washing over you so strongly that you feel like you’re going to be swept away?
    2. There is an answer for your wounded and weary soul. His name is Jesus. As He said, when you seek after God and His Kingdom first, He will meet all your needs. Are you willing to let Him?
    3. If you’d like God through His Son Jesus Christ help you to defeat worry, to seek Him and His heart first, to begin to truly live, now’s the time to make that choice. And it is a choice. If you’d like God’s help in seeking Him first and leaving the cares of this world behind, please raise your hand. Then circle the "G" on your communication card, and I’ll pray for you this week.
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