How the heart of God must ache for His people who often live far below the place in God where God intends for them to be. I often wonder, “God, am I all that you want be to be? Am I living in a manner that is pleasing to you? Are my goals in sync with your will?” I want so much to be in the perfect will of God.
I have no doubt that all of you love the Lord. I don’t think you would be sitting here under the sound of my voice, listening to the words of this message, if you didn’t have a heart after God.
King David had a heart after God, but he was far from being a perfect man. But as someone said the other day, “The one thing that made David a man after God’s own heart was that he was always quick to repent when he recognized that he had sinned against God.” I believe that is truly the mark of a man or woman after God’s own heart. None of us are perfect; nor shall we ever be while living in the earth. But we are always desiring to draw closer to Jesus and to be more like Him every day. That makes you a man or woman after God’s own heart, just as much as David was.
How often do we find ourselves in prayer saying, “God, I want to know you more? I want to know and hear your voice. I want to feel your presence. I want to know your love so that I may extend it to others. I want to experience your glory. I want to be used of God to accomplish great things for your kingdom. I want to be a good servant.” That should be the prayer upon the heart and lips of every Child of God and I know that down deep in your heart, that’s your heart’s desire.
In your prayer time, what does the mind of Christ speak to you? Do you hear the voice of the Spirit calling you into a deeper walk with the Lord and a closer relationship with Jesus? I believe that’s the very heart of God for this hour in which we live! God is calling His Church; His Bride; His People, to draw closer to him. God is preparing a people for his soon return. He is purifying the church. The Holy Spirit is convicting those who will listen, of the things in their lives that hinder us from hearing from God and serving Him with all of our hearts.
We must be so careful to listen to the voice of the Lord. If you are his “Sheep”, then you will hear him if you will only listen. Jesus is the Great Shepherd. He loves his “sheep”. You are a part of the flock of God; you are one of his sheep; and God has placed you in this house that you may learn of Him.
Isaiah 53:6, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."
I know that most, if not all of you, are a part of God’s little flock this morning. I know that God is always speaking to you. The only question is, “Are you listening and can you hear His voice.? I know that the cares of life and the noises of the world around you often tend to drown out the voice of the Lord. The Holy Spirit isn’t going to scream in your ear and try to overcome the noise of life that is around you. You have to learn to shut out the noise of the world, concentrate of him, and really listen for the quiet voice of the Spirit as He speaks to your heart. It’s not that God can’t use other means to get your attention, but He want us all to learn to listen for his voice; and to have such a love of Jesus in us that are ever listening to hear what He has to say.
If we would just focus on what God has to say, we would find ourselves in less trouble and we would be able to live in absolute victory in Jesus every day.
John 10:4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
John 10:5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
In your times of Bible reading and study, what are you searching for as you read? Too often we read God’s Word and we just don’t get anything out of it. It’s not that the Word isn’t speaking to us; it’s that we aren’t listening close enough. God’s Word is a living Word and there will never be a time that you are reading the Bible when the words you read won’t be speaking to your heart concerning something in your life. But if you are going to hear those words, you have to shut out everything else from your mind to hear them.
So why do we live far below where God wants us to live? Why is it that Christians are so often hounded by the devil? I see people all the time who seem to be just one step ahead of the devil all the day long. It’s as though their feet are right at the edge of the pit and pit is expanding, but by the grace and mercy of God they manage to take a step every time the ground disappears where their foot was only moments ago.
Do you ever feel that way? Do you feel like the hounds of hell are chasing you, nipping at your feet; and that at any moment they might just overtake you? That’s nothing more than the powers of darkness trying to bring you down, and most of the time its because we are living just a little too close to the world and not close enough to Jesus.
Jesus said in John 10:10, "The thief [Satan] cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."
Any Christian who lives every day of his life, wondering if I’m really ready for the rapture; or wondering if I’m really right with God; or wondering if there is some sin in me that will keep me out of Heaven; is living far below the place in God where God wants him to be.
There is an abundant life; a victorious life; and over coming life; a life that you live in Jesus where you will not doubt your salvation; and will not doubt whether your life is pleasing to God. That’s what the abundant life is all about.
God does not intend for His children to walk around in doubts, fears, defeat and discouragement. He wants to reach down, lift up your head and say to you, “Fear not my child. It is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the keys of his kingdom. It is God’s will that you walk in absolute victory, that you have peaceful rest; that you not live in worry and stress over the things of the world; that you not be concerned with how you are going to meet the needs of your family.” All of these things are caused by a lack of faith and trust in God and the only way to have the abundant life that Jesus has in store for you is to learn to put your trust in God and have faith that God will not fail you.
I believe that we are in the time right now when God’s people are going to be forced to make a choice to either draw closer to God in faith; or be separated from his presence altogether. Not only America, but the whole world is going to experience more of the judgments of God as he tries to get the attention of mankind and lead them to a place of repentance. The Love of God is reaching out, not willing that any should perish, but God’s judgment is at the door and many will soon be lost for ever if they don’t turn back to God.
You are going to need a closer walk with Jesus and a greater faith in Him if you are going stay strong. The economic and political conditions around you are going to grow worse until it comes to a point that you are going to be forced to either lean on Jesus fully, or you are going to abandon the faith and begin to trust more in your own understanding and lean on what man can do for you.
Those who choose to trust in governments of men, and the wisdom of men are going to be led astray, ever farther from God, and will become the vanguard of those who will accept the Mark of the Beast and serve the Antichrist in the Tribulation that is about to break forth in the earth. It could start today or tomorrow, and it certainly won’t be long.
Either we are going to be a part of a “Glorious Church; without spot or wrinkle”; or we are going to be a among those who turn to fight against God. There will be no neutral ground and no place for lukewarm, uncommitted Christians. We are going to be forced to make our decision either to be fully sold out; or not at all.
Oh we may continue to live in a lukewarm condition, but beware, for lukewarm Christians will not be a part of the Bride of Christ. Jesus will reject worldly minded Christianity that is focused on this world and not on Him. Jesus must be first, or he will have no place at all. But God’s Love is reaching out, trying to wake up His people while there is yet time to repent. God is reaching out to you and I right now, pleading through this message, through the Holy Spirit, through conviction for sin; through that still quiet voice of God and his only words are, “Come to me my child; prepare yourself to come to me for I am coming soon.”
The time has come to get truly serious in your relationship with Jesus. No more games; no more time to play around; no more time to wait; get ready and stay ready!
In the Book of Mark there is a familiar story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus desiring to get closer to Jesus and gain eternal life.
Mark 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?
In the conversation this rich young ruler confessed that Jesus was a man who had all the answers he needed, but he just didn’t want to hear what Jesus had to say. The young man was a Jew, a ruler in his nation. He was wealthy in this world’s goods, and had lived his life in obedience to the Law of Moses as best he could. Yet he lacked something and desired to know what it was.
When he was told how to have God’s abundant life, he was unwilling to pay the price and walked away. There is no indication in the Bible that this man who thought he was good enough in his own eyes, ever came to know Jesus or gained eternal life.
He wasn’t willing to do the one thing that kept him separated from the abundant life in Christ.
Most of the time we talk about this story, mentioning the “Camel going through the eye of a needle” and talk about how hard it is for rich people to serve the Lord. While this is an important point of the story, I believe it goes much deeper than that.
This young ruler was a member of the Chosen People of God, just as we are. He was rich, just as we are; perhaps not in the things of this world as he was, but we are all rich in the eyes of God. Money can’t buy the blessings that God has bestowed upon us.
Yet in spite of his claim to being part of the Promise of Abraham; and in spite of his strict adherence to the Law; and in spite of his great wealth; he never made it into Heaven because he lacked one all important thing.
What was it that he lacked?
That Rich Young Ruler missed Heaven, never gained eternal life, and never knew what it was to live an abundant, victorious and over coming life in Christ because he refused get the one thing in his life that he lacked; and there are a lot of people in the House of the Lord on this Sunday morning, around the world, and some right here in Victory Temple who lack that same thing and don’t even realize it. God wants to get your attention this morning!
Mark 10:21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me.
Do you see what this young man lacked that kept him out of Heaven? No, it wasn’t his riches because Jesus said that even those things that seem impossible are not impossible with God. Rich men can go to Heaven; so it’s not the wealth of the world that caused the young man to lose out with God.
The one thing that the Rich Young Ruler lacked was a total commitment to following Jesus. He was too wrapped up in the things of the world. His attention was drawn to his wealth, his popularity and his position.
Now you might say, “That’s not me by any means. I’m not rich – but you are.
I don’t have great possessions – but you do. I have nothing to sell – but you have the most valuable possession to sell that anyone could possibly own – your eternal soul. Maybe you will say – well, I not young. Just so you will know, all men are young in the eyes of God. Men lived to be nearly a thousand years old in the Old Testament and we were created to live forever, so even if you are older by today’s standards, you’re still young to God.
You might say, well I’m certainly not a ruler. Let me tell you that God has set you as a ruler over many things; you just don’t recognize it. If you consider yourself a Christian then you must confess that you are part of a royal priesthood; and that makes you a ruler in God’s Kingdom. If you are a parent, you are a ruler over your children. If you have a home, you are a ruler of your home. But even if none of this were true, you’re still a ruler – you are a ruler over your own heart and what you do with it.
The young man wasn’t willing to lay aside his own ambition, his own dreams, his own freedom; and surrender himself to Christ without reservation.
That’s what’s also lacking in the church today – a complete and total commitment to Christ in every aspect of our lives. We want to hold onto to Jesus and hold onto the things of this world at the same time. I’ve heard it from the pulpit in church for a long time that there would come a day when God would send his people through the refining fire, making us ready for the rapture. Well I believe that day is upon us. Today is that day. Jesus is at the door and we are watching and listening at any moment for the trumpet to sound so we can meet Jesus in the air.
God is saying to you this morning that it’s time to make a choice. There’s no more time for procrastination; no more time for indecision; no more time for anything other than to make your choice once and for all. It’s now or maybe never! What’s it going to be?
Jesus spoke to this young man in the most loving voice and peaceful tones that he could. He didn’t beat him with a stick and demand repentance and obedience. He didn’t scream at him for not hearing. The Lord spoke with all the Love that was in Him, but the young man just didn’t hear and walked away.
I can’t help but believe that the Holy Spirit was bringing conviction upon that young ruler. God the Father had kept him, and the Spirit had led him, to this moment in time so that he could have his golden opportunity to come face to face with making a quality decision with Jesus.
The same thing has happened to each of us this very morning. You are here, listening to this message, hearing the heart of God, receiving the words from the very Mind of Christ, because that’s what I asked God to give to you this morning. Your choice is the same choice that the Rich Young Ruler had – fully surrender all that you are; giving it all to Jesus; or face the possibility of an eternity without Jesus.
The young man was sad as he turned away, but his sorrow was only beginning. Will we turn away sadly this morning and throw away another opportunity to say yes to Jesus?
How the heart of Jesus must have been broken as he watched with all the love his heart as this young man turned and went away never having gained eternal life! How it must grieve the Lord every time we turn back to our own way and refuse to hear his Word. How it will sadden the very heart of God to push the lukewarm Christians aside and say, “Depart from me; I never knew you”.
Today is your day of decision. The Word has spoken, the heart of God has been revealed, the Love of God is reaching out to you right now, and now it’s decision time. Will you get that one thing that you lack – a total commitment to Christ; or will you turn and walk away one more time and grieve the heart of God again?
Don’t lack anything in Jesus when you leave here this morning. Give your heart, soul and body to Christ, then gain eternal life. Whether you will ever have another chance is known only to God; but I wouldn’t gamble on waiting to see. Eternity awaits your answer. Jesus is calling and the Holy Ghost is speaking to you. What will you do?
