PEOPLE NEED JESUS
We all have one thing in common today. We have needs. And because we have needs we seek to meet those needs.
We need security. We need jobs. We need food. We need relationships. We need direction. We need hope. We need faith. We need trust. No matter who you are we are needy. And seeing that we have needs we are going to look to fill those needs.
Hungry we go eat. Thirsty we go get something to drink. Tired we rest. Money we work. Not everyone goes about getting their needs met like God would have them and that goes for Christians as well. If we are not careful we can slip back into depending on ourselves rather than depending on God. We look to men to the minister to “fix” all of our problems. We look to the teen minister to “fix” our kids and when we are looking to them and there are problems and they are not “fixed” then you have attitudes with the leadership. Get this straight. There’s not a man or woman on earth that is going to “fix” all of your problems. Christians can be so humanistic at times it’s downright ungodly. What Christians need is more of God and less of men. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that you don’t need men. I am saying that you need more dependence on Christ if your tendency is to look to men as your savior. There’s only one Savior and he died on a cross! One of the first lessons that Jesus taught his disciples is how to get their needs met not from men but from God.
PT 1: DO NOT WORRY
Mat 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
Mat 6:26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Mat 6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?
Mat 6:28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
Mat 6:29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
Mat 6:30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Mat 6:31 So do not worry, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’
Mat 6:32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Mat 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Mat 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
He tells them first do not worry about your life. Don’t worry about your going to eat, drink or wear. He also told them:
(Mark 13:11 NIV) Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
(Luke 12:11 NIV) "When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say."
But Jesus we have needs how are we going to get them met? Seek first the kingdom and my righteousness. Be concerned about my kingdom, my purposes, my righteousness and my will. Put me first. Walk with me. Pray to me. Depend on me. Believe in me. Have faith in me. Trust me.
Now if you’re not seeking Christ to meet your needs or the need then you need to worry because it’s up to you. You’ve got to do it. You’ve got to figure it out. You’ve got to have the all the answers.
Jesus made an illustration about a pagan. A pagan is a heathen; someone who did not acknowledge Jehovah God. He says the pagans run after all these things.
They have a need. They run to get it filled. Their lives consist of running after things but there’s a problem. They are not depending on God to get their needs filled. They depend on themselves to get it done. When you depend on yourself to get it done then the pressures on you and when the pressures on a lot is revealed. You worry, you fret, you manipulate, you scheme. You do whatever you need to do, to get the need filled. Why? Because your god and you’ve got to do it. There’s a difference between running after the need to get it filled and running to God to get it filled.
How do we get our needs filled?
PT 2: SEEK FIRST GOD
We all have needs but what people need more than anything else is Jesus Christ! Jesus always pointed people to God not to people. Look at the following scriptures:
John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
John 10:7 Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.
The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 15:1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
No matter what the situation Jesus lets people know you need God. I’m the answer. In Jesus ministry He pointed people to God and that’s what taking place in our fellowship. I’m pointing people to a greater dependence on Jesus. Out with the humanism, depend on Christ.
What’s your need? You hungry?
I’m the bread of life.
You thirsty? I’ll give you living water.
You need direction. I’m the way.
Worried about death. I’m the resurrection.
Doubting? Put your hand here. I’ll provide you with faith.
Discouraged? Take courage it is I.
Fearful? Don’t be afraid. I’m with you.
Gotta pay taxes? I’ll point you to a fish, open it’s mouth and there it is.
Marriage problems? I created it; come to me.
Seek me. Put me first. You’ll find me when you seek me with all of your heart. Jesus always pointed people to God. It’s so easy to focus on man and we find Jesus himself redirecting peoples thoughts. Look at:
John 6:25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.
John 6:27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."
John 6:28 Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
John 6:29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
John 6:30 So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?
John 6:31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ’He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’"
John 6:32 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
John 6:33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
John 6:34 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
They were looking for Jesus. Upon finding him they ask him a shallow question. Jesus cuts to the chase. You looking for me because you want more food. Don’t work for food that spoils but for food that endures to eternal life. You’re just thinking about your stomachs. There’s something more important; food that leads to eternal life. Seek me, not food.
John 6:31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ’He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’" Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
Their focused on Moses. How easy it is to focus on great men and not on a great God!!! Moses didn’t give you anything my Dad did.
How easy it is to want men to be the savior of everything and fix everything. We look to much to men. It’s deeper in us than you might think.
I’m not saying that we don’t need relationships, order, structure, finances help. What I am saying is:
What people need more than anything else in this life is a deep, passionate love for Jesus Christ. Jesus will provide the relationships, Jesus will order things, Jesus has the wisdom, Jesus has all the answers and we pray, work and live as if we believe he does. A powerful relationship with Jesus Christ fixes the needs in the church for he will direct to you to whatever earthly thing that he wants to work through to meet your need. What the church needs is to go deeper in it’s walk with Jesus. I pray that you’re praying for I’m pointing the church to go to a deeper dependence on Jesus where hundreds of us are praying daily about the same things.
A powerful prayer life communicates your dependence on Christ and also gives you peace in the midst of trouble. Jesus told his disciples in:
John 16:32 "But a time is coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
The peace that passes understanding comes from walking with the Prince Of Peace.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
1 Pet 3:10 For, "Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 1 Pet 3:11 He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 1 Pet 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
PT 3: FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS PRAY TO JESUS
Sometime our needs are not all that pressing. We still need to pray for everything. But then there are those that are more challenging. Paul was instructing Timothy how to meet some needs in the body. Particularly in this case widows. Let’s learn from what he tells him.
1 Tim 5:4 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help.
A widow left all alone is in a desperate situation. How is she going to get food. Who’s going to take care of her basic needs on a consistent basis? Paul tells Timothy that she needs to put her hope in God (not men), pray continually and ask God for help.
Sometimes we too have desperate needs with no clear solutions to that need. What do we need to do? Put our hope in God. Night and day, pray and ask God for help. Our faith is tested when we are in situations like this. Remember the words of a great prayer warrior.
E.M. Bounds says in his book on prayer:
Nothing distinguishes the children of God so clearly and strongly as prayer. It is the one infallible mark and test of being a Christian. Christian people are prayerful. The worldly-minded are prayer less. Christians call on God. The world ignores God and does not call on His name. But even the Christian has to cultivate continual prayer. T must be habitual, but it must be much more than a habit. It is duty, yet is one that rises far above and goes beyond the ordinary implications of the term. It is the expression of a relationship with God, a yearning for divine communion. It is the outward an upward flow of the inner life toward its original fountain. It is a statement of the soul’s origin, a claiming of sonship that links man to the eternal. Prayer has everything to do with molding the soul into the image of God. It also has everything to do with the elevating and enlarging the measure of divine grace. It has everything to do with bringing the sold into complete communion with God. It has everything to do with enriching, broadening, and maturing the soul’s experience of God. A man who does not pray cannot possibly be called a Christian. There is no possible way that he can claim any right to the term or its implied significance. IF he does not pray, he is a sinner, pure and simple. Prayer is the only way the soul of man can enter into fellowship and communion with the source of all Christlike spirit and energy. Therefore, if he doesn’t pray, he is not of the household of faith.
Make no mistake about it we are in training to be a praying church, a praying people. A people that pray that our prayer life can be more like Jesus Christ’s. The invisible, immaterial part of us, our souls belong to God and are not of this world and need desperately to commune with God daily in solitude; praying to depend on Him. Seeking him, looking to him, crying out to him, honoring him and glorifying him in the core of our being.
Christians need Jesus. God help us not to worry, but to seek you first praying for everything we need. Amen.
