Christ’s Desire
Luke 13:31-34; 19:41-42
Christ’s desire for Israel was that they might have known Him in an intimate relationship as their Messiah. Several days before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, He expressed that desire when He said after being confronted by some Pharisees, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... How often I I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! Again several days later as He begins the descent of His triumphal entry from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, upon seeing the city Christ wept over it saying, “How I wish today that of all people, you, would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and your peace is hidden from your eyes.” Sad that the children of Israel would miss out on the joy and blessing of knowing and doing what the Messiah desired, and how sad that many of us miss the joy and blessing that can be ours by knowing and doing what Christ desires. What is Christ’s desire for you and me?
I. He desires that we would know Him as our Savior
A. Luke 19:10 “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
B. Jesus Christ wants us Saved and He died for us to make that possible. Jesus Christ has offered a Gift to you that is priceless, one which we could never make enough or do enough to pay it ourselves. All you need to do is accept it.
C. Ephesians 2:8-9 8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”
D. John 10:27-30 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”
E. Dr Tom Malone, Former Pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church, Pontiac, Michigan gave five reasons why he knew God wants you to be saved.
1. God said we should pray for everyone (1 Timothy 2:1). If there were no hope for you to be saved, would God exhort us to pray for that person?
2. The Bible plainly teaches that Jesus died for all, died for every one of us--for the lost heathen, for the uncivilized, for those in the past, for those who live now, and for all those who will be born until the end of time. He "gave himself a ransom for all." (1 Timothy 2:6) That means He died for you.
3. The Bible teaches that God is not willing that any should perish. (2 Peter 3:9)
4. Jesus has never refused anyone who came to Him for salvation - "All that the Father gives to me shall come unto me; and he that comes to me I will in no wise cast out.”
5. Because God loves you and gave His Son His only begotten Son to suffer and die on the cross of Calvary. (Romans 8:32) - adapted
II. He desires that we would know Him as our Strength and Sustainer
A. 1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”
B. Matthew 11: 28-29 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
C. A young student on a group tour of Washington, D.C., stayed behind atop the Washington Monument so that he might enjoy the view for a few extra minutes. At 5:15, when he turned to ride the elevator down, he noticed for the first time a sign which stated that the elevator stopped running at 5:00. He raced down the steps and discovered that the doors had been locked. He shouted for help. For three hours he pounded on the door and screamed for someone on the outside, but to no avail! At about 8:30, the exhausted and terrified young man took another look around him, and noticed … a telephone. Sheepishly, he picked up the phone—which, of course, had been there all along!—and dialed for help, and was released from the building within minutes. Psalm 46:1 declares, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." How many times do we plunge forward in panic because we have overlooked our most obvious Source of help? - W. Wayne Price. "Proclaim," 1980 #2, p. 36.
D. "Every Christian has a direct line of communication with God, available at ALL TIMES. But most Christians never lift the phone off the hook and often forget the line exists until an emergency arises." – Bill Bright, "How You Can Pray With Confidence" (1995 Campus Crusade for Christ), p. 11.
E. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
III. His desires is that we would know Him as our Lord
A. John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
B. Luke 6:46 “But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?”
C. Concerning the Lordship of Christ James Smith wrote “Jesus, who died for thy sins, is worthy to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. We can never ascribe too much to Jesus. But He is worthy also to be believed, in preference to Satan, unbelief, the world, or appearances; to be trusted with all, for all, before all; to be loved more than any other, in opposition to any that would rival Him;...to be followed, wherever He may lead us, through evil report or good report; to be preferred to ease, pleasure, wealth, health, to anything and everything. Jesus is worthy to be our example, our confidant, our king, and our all. He is worthy of all He requires, all we can give, all His people have done for Him or suffered in His cause.” – James Smith, Daily Remembrances.
D. John 14:23 “Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.”
E. A group of African-American pastors were once heard singing, "Yes, Lord." A visitor asked them, "If the answer is Yes, what is the question?" They responded," It doesn't matter. As long as God is asking the question, the answer is Yes."
IV. His desire is that we might know Him as our Friend
A. The great Baptist preacher C.H. Spurgeon once said, “Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend” - copied
B. John 15:13-15 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
C. John 17:24 "Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. “
D. Aristotle defined friendship as one soul in two bodies. It is a perfect description of the friendship a Christian enjoys with Christ. – copied
E. Our friendship with Jesus, similar to normal human relationships, has a starting point at salvation. That friendship should grow and deepen throughout our life as we spend time with him.
F. Amos 3:3 “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?”
G. Attributes of true friendship
1. True friendship is a life long commitment.
a. Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity.”
b. Proverbs 18:24 “...there is a friend who sticks closer that a brother.”
c. Psalm 37:5 “Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass”
2. True friendship is shares openly
a. John 15:15 "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
b. Christ openly shared with His disciples and wants us to openly share our lives with Him.
3. True friendship is sacrificial
a. John 15:13 "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.”
b. Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
c. A.W. Tozer says that people who are crucified with Christ have three distinct marks:
• They are facing only one direction
• They can never turn back
• They no longer have plans of their own. - Tim Hansel, Holy Sweat, 1987, Word Books Publisher, p. 187.
