Knowing God
Following Hard After God
Introduction:
Matt 13:44-46
44 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls,
46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
Note: Both had found a great treasure, the first by chance the second by design.
Phil 3:1-12
3:1 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. For me to write the same things to you is not tedious, but for you it is safe.
2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the mutilation!
3 For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh, (We have received the Holy Spirit by faith not by works)
4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
Paul’s resume
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
Paul’s Passion
7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
We live in a day of so many religions, and so many professed believers that it really makes it hard to distinquish who’s who and what’s what. In a world of religious diversity the scripture still holds truthful of Romans 3:10-12
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. (KJV)
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (KJV)
“There is none that Seeketh after God”
We live in a time where many profess they know God but they don’t really seek after Him. Many are seeking the convienient faith and not that which requires total commitment in Knowing God.
“They are all gone out of the way”
Isn’t this so true, many have turned aside looking for the shortcut to God, hoping to find the secret formula that will create and instant knowledge of God.
If you are really sincere in “Knowing God” then this series will be a blessing to you, but if you are only playing games and desire to make everybody think you know God for prestigious reasons this series will convict and expose your hidden agenda.
I am not going to try to make you Know God the way I do, or try to force my personal experience on you to make you feel you should know God a certain way. We must realize that we all have different personalities and therefore we are going to experience God differently and our expression of His touch on our lives will be different.
But I will attempt to point you to Him and seek after Him in a biblical way, so that way you may acquire certain tools along the way to dig deeper into HIM.
Let us take our first lesson from a man after God’s own heart...
Text Psalms 63:1-8
Psa 63:1 O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; (KJV)
Psa 63:2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. (KJV)
Psa 63:3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. (KJV)
Psa 63:4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. (KJV)
Psa 63:5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
Psa 63:6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. (KJV)
Psa 63:7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. (KJV)
Psa 63:8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. (KJV)
Point One: Following Hard After God
King David’s reference was that of a military term, knowing that David was a mighty man of war, he referred his pursuit of God after the manner of apprehending the enemies as they fled through the hills in retreat.
1 Sam 14:22 Likewise all the men of Israel which had hid themselves in mount Ephraim, when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed hard after them in the battle. (KJV)
Strong’s # 1692 dabaq (daw-bak’); a primitive root; properly, to impinge, i.e. cling or adhere; figuratively, to catch by pursuit: KJV— abide fast, cleave (fast together), follow close (hard after), be joined (together), keep (fast), overtake, pursue hard, stick, take.
This is the biblical mentality we should have in “Knowing God” over the rocks through the dry deserts, and deep waters our pursuit of God should not be hindered by any obstacle.
To follow hard after God, we must have the drive to do so. A heart of apathy will never find God, but who is willing to KNOCK until answered.
Point Two: Def - “Follow Close”
This requires a heart of perservarance.... Those that sit on their behind hoping that God will see that they have become a victom of circumstance and wait for deliverance will end up just waiting.
But if we seek hard after God and press to follow close to Him we will get our eyes off of our own circumstances and desire to be in step with him.
Jesus in the Garden.... Thy will be done! To seek God’s will is to seek how to follow close to Him.
Examples -
Matt 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. (KJV)
Luke 13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. (KJV)
Luke 18:5-7 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.
6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? (KJV)
Example of Hezekiah -
2Chr 31:20 Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the LORD his God. (NKJ)
2Chr 31:21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered. (NKJ)
Point Three: Following Hard requires you
Those that have decided to follow hard after God do not have a special gift to do so or a divine personality, it is simply those that have decided to. Following Hard after God simply requires you...
1). We need holy desire
Def: Desire 2 Cor 5:2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, (NKJ)
Complancency is a deadly enemy to the motovated heart in spiritual growth.
2). We need to come to Him in simplicity
Phil 3:8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have put aside all else, counting it worth less than nothing, in order that I can have Christ, (TLB)
3). We need to come to Him in Faith
Heb 10:22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (NIV)
Conclusion: Reality of Value
Example of Levi -
Expound: When the Lord was dividing the land among the tribes of Isreal, he gave no land to Levi, but gave them much more...
Num 18:20-21
I am thy part and thine inheritance...
This is the reality of modern Levites who tend the temple of God, our reward is God. Let us not covet what the world has…In your seeking of Him, Go for the GOLD!
Lam 3:24-26
24 "The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I hope in Him!"
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the LORD.
