“One Thing I Desire”: The Single-Minded Disciple in a Distracted World — Psalm 27:4 (NLT)
Introduction: The Tyranny of Too Many Things
We live in an age of endless options and constant noise. Notifications never stop. News cycles never rest. Opinions shout. Screens glow. Souls starve.
The great battle of discipleship in the 21st century is not persecution — it is distraction.
Many believers are sincere, busy, active… and yet spiritually thin. We follow Jesus, but we are pulled in a thousand directions at once. Divided hearts lead to diluted devotion.
Into this fractured world, Psalm 27 speaks with holy clarity — not many things, but one thing.
David, a warrior-king surrounded by enemies, chaos, and responsibility, distils life down to a single desire. This verse is not written from a monastery but from the battlefield. And that is why it matters for us.
Psalm 27:4 (NLT): “The one thing I ask of the LORD—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Psalm 27 is attributed to David, likely written during a season of intense threat — possibly during Saul’s pursuit or later political turmoil. The psalm moves between confidence and cry, bold faith and honest fear. That alone should comfort us — mature faith still wrestles.
Yet at the heart of the psalm is verse 4 — the centre of gravity.
David is not asking for safety, success, or victory. He asks for presence.
Theologically, Psalm 27 reveals a profound truth:
God Himself is the reward of faith.
Not blessings. Not breakthroughs. Not platforms. God.
SERMON OUTLINE
The Priority of One Thing
The Passion to Dwell with God
The Purpose of Beholding His Beauty
The Fulfilment of This Desire in Jesus Christ
1. The Priority of One Thing
“The one thing I ask of the LORD—the thing I seek most…” (v.4)
The Hebrew word for “one” (????? — achat) means singular, united, undivided. David is not multitasking spiritually. This is focused longing.
“Ask” (?????? — sha’al) speaks of humble dependence.
“Seek” (??????? — baqash) means to pursue earnestly, relentlessly.
This is not a casual prayer. This is a consuming pursuit.
We often add Jesus to our lives instead of ordering our lives around Jesus.
Discipleship is not Jesus plus everything else — it is Jesus first, Jesus central, Jesus supreme.
Think of a compass. You can have many interests, many responsibilities, many relationships — but only one true north. Lose that, and everything else becomes disorientated.
David’s north was God Himself.
John Piper: “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”
That is not poetic sentiment — it is discipleship reality. When God becomes our deepest satisfaction, obedience stops feeling like duty and starts becoming delight.
2. The Passion to Dwell with God
“…is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life…”
David could not literally live in the Tabernacle. Only priests served there. This is not about geography — it is about relationship.
The “house of the LORD” symbolised God’s manifest presence among His people.
Hebrew Insight - “Live” (?????? — yashab) means to dwell, remain, abide, settle down.
David is not visiting God occasionally — he wants a lived-in relationship.
Psalm 84:1–2 (NLT): “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of Heaven’s Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD.”
This psalm was written by the sons of Korah — worship leaders who understood God’s presence as life itself.
Modern disciples must resist a Sunday-only Christianity. God does not want visiting hours — He wants abiding hearts.
R.T. Kendall: “The secret of walking with God is walking with God.”
There is no shortcut. No substitute. No spiritual hack. Discipleship grows in daily, quiet, faithful communion with the Lord.
3. The Purpose of Beholding His Beauty
“…delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.”
Hebrew Word Study
“Delighting” or “beholding” (????? — chazah) means to gaze, to look attentively, to perceive with understanding.
“Beauty” (????? — no’am) refers to pleasantness, sweetness, graciousness.
David is captivated by who God is, not just what God does.
2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT): “So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”
Theological Truth
You become what you behold.
The world disciples us through constant exposure. Scripture disciples us through holy contemplation.
A child slowly begins to sound like their parents — not through instruction, but imitation. So too, the believer becomes like Christ by lingering in His presence.
Tim Keller: “You don’t realise Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.”
When every other support collapses, the beauty of Christ is revealed not as theory, but as treasure.
4. The Fulfilment of This Desire in Jesus Christ
David longed for God’s presence — but we have something greater.
John 1:14 (NLT): “So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness.”
The word “made his home” literally means tabernacled.
Jesus is the true Temple. The dwelling place of God with humanity.
John 14:6 (NLT): “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”
Gospel Proclamation - Here is the heart of the Gospel:
We were created to dwell with God — but sin separated us. Our hearts became divided, distracted, rebellious.
Jesus Christ lived the perfectly focused life we never could. His heart was never divided. His obedience never wavered.
He went to the cross, bearing our sin.
He was buried, sealing the reality of death.
He rose again, conquering sin and the grave.
Now, through repentance and faith, we are invited to dwell with God forever.
Not through religion.
Not through effort.
But through Jesus Christ alone.
Max Lucado: “The cross is proof that God would rather go through hell for you than live in heaven without you.”
That is not sentimentality — that is substitution. Christ died so we could dwell.
Call to Action: Becoming a One-Thing Disciple
For Believers
Ask yourself honestly:
What competes for my affection?
What shapes my thinking more than Scripture?
What would need to change for Psalm 27:4 to be true of me?
Practical Steps:
Reclaim daily time with God — not rushed, not distracted
Fast from digital noise regularly
Re-centre life around worship, Word, and prayer
Choose presence over productivity
For Those Not Yet Following Jesus
You may be busy, successful, and admired — but still empty.
Your soul was made for God.
Today, Jesus invites you: “Come to me… and I will give you rest.”
Repent — turn from sin.
Believe — trust in Jesus.
Receive — forgiveness, new life, eternal hope.
Invitation to Salvation
If you want to place your faith in Jesus Christ today, pray from your heart:
“Lord Jesus,
I confess I am a sinner.
I believe You died for me and rose again.
I turn from my sin and trust in You alone.
Be my Saviour. Be my Lord.
Teach me to dwell with You all my days.
Amen.”
Conclusion and Benediction:
Church, may we be known not for doing many things — but for desiring one thing.
May our lives whisper what David shouted:
“The LORD is my light and my salvation — so why should I be afraid?”
Benediction:
May the Lord draw your heart to Himself.
May Christ become your supreme delight.
May the Holy Spirit guard you from distraction.
And may you dwell in the presence of the Lord
all the days of your life.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
“One thing I desire…” May it become the defining cry of our discipleship.
