INTRO.- My heart’s desire. What is your heart’s desire? I think every human person has desires in life, and often, intense desires. I’m not sure it’s knowledge or wisdom, however, like Solomon asked for in I Kings 3:7-14. There may be certain days when we want wisdom and knowledge, but I doubt seriously these would be our greatest desires in life.
I think for most people, it’s more fame, fortune and fun and not necessarily in that order. Maybe fortune and then fun and lastly, fame.
Frankly, I don’t understand why anyone would want fame as in being a Hollywood star. If they are very popular at all they are constantly hounded by the paparazzi. A little of that stuff would go a long way. I prefer peace and quiet, don’t you?
And what about having the desire to be the president of the United States? Really? Seriously? Are you kidding me? Who in their mind would want that job?
ILL.- Former President Bill Clinton said: "Sometime in my sixteenth year, I decided I wanted to be in public life as an elected official. I loved music and thought I could be very good, but I knew I would never be John Coltrane or Stan Getz. I was interested in medicine and thought I could be a fine doctor, but I knew I would never be Michael DeBakey. But I knew I could be great in public service."
Clinton named two influential moments in his life that contributed to his decision to become a public figure, both occurring in 1963. One was his visit as a Boys Nation senator to the White House to meet President John F. Kennedy. The other was listening to Martin Luther King's 1963 I Have a Dream speech, which impressed him enough that he later memorized it.
I, too, saw John F. Kennedy one time. I saw him at the Joplin, MO, airport when he was campaigning for the Presidency. I think the year was 1960. Even though I saw JFK I never wanted to be the President. Again, who would want that job today? It would be more difficult than ever and with far more security. You’d never have much privacy and would be constantly criticized by some in the media no matter what you did or said.
And what about the desire for fortune, more money?
ILL.- You’ve heard is said some people will do almost anything for money. Yes, some will. An unemployed man named Raymond Roth of Mineola, NY, was suspected of faking his own drowning at a New York beach in order to collect $400,000 life insurance money. Roth was reported missing by his son on July 28 at Jones Beach. Authorities conducted a massive search for him over several days before receiving word that he was alive and staying at a time-share he owned at a Florida resort. On Aug. 2, 2012, he was issued a speeding ticket in Santee, S.C., and told police he was returning to New York to meet with police.
Instead of collecting life insurance money he’ll probably collect something else.
What is your greatest desire in life? The apostle Paul had at least two great desires in life which he talks about in this text. And they are two that we should have as well.
PROP.- Paul’s desire which should also be our desire.
1- He had the desire to see people saved
2- He had the desire to preach the gospel
I. HE HAD THE DESIRE TO SEE PEOPLE SAVED
1 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. 4 Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.
ILL.- Arland Dean Williams Jr. DID YOU EVER HEAR OF HIM? (September 23, 1935 – January 13, 1982, 46 years old) was a passenger aboard Air Florida Flight 90, which crashed on take-off in Washington, D.C. on January 13, 1982, killing 78 people. He was among the six people to initially survive the crash. His actions after the crash, handling the initial rescue efforts as a first responder, became a well-known example of extraordinary heroism, although it cost him his life. He did not know any of the other victims personally. In fact, his identity was not even known until some time after the bodies were recovered.
In the words of one preacher: “His heroism was not rash. Aware that his own strength was fading, he deliberately handed hope (a lifeline) to someone else, and he did so repeatedly. On that cold and tragic day, Arland D. Williams Jr. exemplified one of the best attributes of human nature, specifically that some people are capable of doing "anything" for total strangers.”
What Arland Williams did is utterly amazing! He wanted to see others saved to the point that he was willing to give his own life to save them! INCREDIBLE! I don’t know if he was a Christian but he did what a Christian should do. And what do you think of him? And what do you think Jesus thought of him?
John 15:12-13 “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”
It is greatly commendable that people want to see others saved from an early grave, saved from death and there are other stories where people have saved others from a certain death but not at the cost of their lives. Such as pulling people out burning cars (I saw a video on one such recently), or a man catching a baby which fell from a three story building, etc.
ILL.- A 7-year-old New York City girl escaped injury after she fell from a third-story window when she was caught by a neighbor. A cell phone video taken by a resident in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn shows Keyla McCree standing on an air conditioning unit moments before she fell and landed in the bushes. Her dramatic fall was broken by the arms of Steven St. Bernard, who rushed to the scene and caught the girl.
St. Bernard said, “Please let me catch her, please let me catch her" Andthat’s all I could say. Let me catch that little baby, that’s all.” The 52-year-old bus driver and father of four told ABC News affiliate WABC that he was just in the right place at the right time.
St. Bernard tore a tendon in his left shoulder and was sporting a sling after the incident. As for Keyla, she’s doing just fine thanks to the man who certainly lived up to his name. “I saw her in the hospital. She doesn’t have a scratch on her,” said St. Bernard.
AMEN. Praise the Lord! What a God-incident! BUT WHAT ABOUT ETERNITY? Are we interested in seeing people saved for eternity?
ILL.- Dwight Lyman Moody (February 5, 1837 – December 22, 1899), also known as D.L. Moody, was an American evangelist and publisher who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts (now Northfield Mount Hermon School), the Moody Bible Institute and Moody Publishers.
It was while on a trip to England in Spring of 1872 that he became well known as an evangelist. Some have claimed he was the greatest evangelist of the 19th century. He preached almost a hundred times and came into fellowship with the Plymouth Brethren. On several occasions he filled the stadium of 2,000 to 4,000 capacity. In the Botanic Gardens Palace, a meeting had between 15,000 to 30,000 people.
This turnout continued throughout 1874 and 1875, with crowds of thousands at all of his meetings. During his visit to Scotland he was helped and encouraged by Andrew A. Bonar. The famous London Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon invited him to speak and promoted him as well. When he returned to the United States, crowds of 12,000 to 20,000 were just as common as in England. President Grant and some of his cabinet attended a meeting on January 19, 1876. His evangelistic meetings were held from Boston to New York, throughout New England and as far as San Francisco, and other West coast towns from Vancouver to San Diego.
I would say that Dwight L. Moody was a man who had an intense desire to see people saved in Christ! What about us? Do we have this desire? How strong is this desire in us? Is it strong enough to cause us to talk to people about Christ?
ILL.- I believe it was Moody who was criticized for his evangelistic methods one time by someone. Moody replied, “I like my way of doing it better than your way of not doing it.”
“Lord, lay some soul upon my heart,
And love that soul through me;
And may I nobly do my part
To win that soul for Thee.”
II. HE HAD THE DESIRE TO PREACH THE GOSPEL
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
ILL.- I lost two good preacher friends whose kids married one another. Mike Rathbone preached at the First Christian Church of Murfreesboro, AR, until July of 2009 when he died suddenly of a heart at the age of 63. Mike and Judy’s son Craig married Julie Scott whose daddy was John Scott. We all went to Ozark Bible College together back in the mid-1960‘s. John Scott also passed away in July of 2007 at the age of 59 from a battle with cancer.
Both were good friends, however, one of them made fun of my preaching and the other quoted me the day before he died.
Mike Rathbone quoted me in his Sunday morning sermon the day before he died. Mike passed away Monday evening, July 20th. That morning he wrote me these words (the morning of his passing): “I preached a message which used some of the material in one of your sermons including the title: Be Imitators of God. I used two of your point headings and one of my own. I even mentioned you in the sermon!”
Mike was supportive of me as a friend and a fellow preacher. John Scott was as well, although there was a time when he made fun of me.
Back when we were students at Ozark Bible College I was preaching at a small church in Milo, MO, 57 miles north on HWY 71. One weekend I was without my car. It was getting a valve job done, I believe. I asked John Scott if he would drive me to Milo, MO, so I could preach Sunday morning. John did and there were just a few people in attendance and I have no idea what I preached. On the way back to Joplin I said, “Well, what did you think of my sermon?” John said nothing. I said, “Was it that bad?” He said, “Yeah!” And we both laughed.
But did you know that God can use even a bad sermon at times? Sometimes what we think is a bad sermon or maybe not a good one, God will use it anyway and perhaps in ways we never thought possible.
Both Mike Rathbone and John Scott believed in the preaching of the gospel and dedicated their lives to ministry. And God blessed their ministries and used them in ways He never used me. They were better men. They’ve gone on to glory. I always felt like God should have took me and left them here to preach.
God does use the preaching of His Word and often in strange and mysterious ways.
ILL.- Roy Weece is another preacher friend who has passed on to glory. Roy was 74 years old and passed away in April of 2007 from cancer. Roy had a great voice and calm delivery in preaching. His voice and appearance commanded attention. The first time I ever heard him preach was at a revival at the Fairview Christian Church in Carthage, MO, and after hearing him, I said, “If I hadn’t already become a Christian, I would now.”
While preaching in MO many years ago I asked Roy to preach a revival for us and the people loved him and his preaching. Roy preached 45 minutes on Sunday night which started the meeting. On Monday night he preached an hour but no one was the least disturbed. In fact, that hour passed so quickly as we listened to him preach God’s Word.
Roy didn’t just preach in the pulpit. He preached Christ everywhere he went. I remember him telling about approaching some women in a restaurant who were in a booth next to him. They were talking about going to some fortune teller who could tell them their future and for only $5. Roy said something to the effect that he knew a book where they could read all about their future and it wouldn’t cost them a dime! And then he proceeded to witness further for Christ. Roy’s theme was: “Just one more soul!” Roy believed in preaching the gospel both in and out of the pulpit.
He picked up a hitchiker one and witnessed to him about Christ. As they were driving along they some water alongside the road. Roy stopped his chariot and they both got in the water and Roy baptized him.
It was said during Roy’s lifetime that he baptized 10,000 people! Wow! What a man! What a ministry! What a God he served! We need to preach too!
Matthew 10:7 “As you go, preach...”
Matthew 28:18-19 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
I Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
CONCLUSION----------------
ILL.- When John Knox rose on a cold night and knelt down and prayed for Scotland, and his wife begged him to come back to bed, said; “Woman, how can I sleep when my land is not saved? O God ! Give me Scotland, or I die.”
Is there someone out there whom you know that God needs to save before you die?
What is your heart’s desire and prayer to God? Is it for someone to come to Christ and be saved?
Steve Shepherd, Cape Girardeau, MO
shepherd111@hotmail.com
