Worship God Desires

We all like some things.

(1) WE ALL LIKE TO BE APPRECIATED

We all like to be appreciated for WHO WE ARE and WHAT WE HAVE DONE!

Illus: Thinking about being APPRECIATED FOR WHAT WE HAVE DONE, did you hear about the artist that asked the gallery owner if there had been any interest in his paintings that were on display?

• The gallery owner said, "I have good news and bad news. The good news is that a gentleman inquired about your work and wondered if your art would appreciate in value after your death. When I told him it would most likely triple in value, he bought all fifteen of your paintings."

• "That's wonderful," the artist said. "What’s the bad news?"

• "The gentleman was your doctor."

We all like to be APPRECIATED for WHO WE ARE and WHAT WE HAVE DONE! This is a god-like attribute that we possess.

(2) WE ALL LIKE TO BE LOVED

Illus: While …serving in Paraguay as a missionary, a Maka Indian named Rafael came to sit on a missionary’s porch. The missionary said, “I was eating and went out to see what he wanted. He responded, 'I don’t want anything; I have just come near.'" The missionary said, "I later shared the incident with a local veteran missionary. He explained that it was Rafael’s way of honoring me. He really didn’t want anything; he found satisfaction and pleasure just being near me."

We who are made in the image of God know how good it is to have people that love us and that desire to be near us. They are not there because they want something from you; they are there simply because they want to be near you. This brings delight to our life!

Illus: This is how the Lord must have felt when he went to the house of Mary and Martha. While Martha considered her job (chores) more important than to sit at the feet of Jesus, it must have blessed His heart that Mary put aside everything to sit at the feet of Jesus. SHE JUST WANTED TO BE NEAR HIM!

We are made in the image of God and we want people to APPRECIATE US, LOVE US, AND WANT TO BE NEAR US!

The Lord Jesus came to Samaria to get close to this Samaritan woman. She was a woman that had been confused, abused, and used by so many! Before the Lord could bring about this close relationship with her, He had to clear up some of her problems.

WHAT KIND OF PROBLEMS DID SHE HAVE? The Lord had to deal with THREE things in her life.

I. HER RELATIONSHIPS WERE WRONG

Look at John 4:16-18, we read, "Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly."

Notice, "Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither."

WHY DID THE LORD ASK HER TO CALL HER HUSBAND? He was omniscient; He already knew everything about her that was to be known. So why did He ask her to do this?

He asked her to bring her husband because He was trying to get her to lay her problems on the table so that they could be dealt with.

WHAT WAS HER PROBLEM? She had a wrong relationship problem! It seems to be that she thought she could find everything she was looking for in a man. She did this at least FIVE TIMES!

In other words she lived her life focusing on the wrong thing. Many people today still have that problem.

• Some people think that if they get the right car, home and nice clothes they will be happy, so they seek for these things in their life with all their heart.

• Some people think that if they can get so many thousands in their savings account they will be happy, so they seek to accumulate money.

• Some people think that if they can meet Mr. or Miss. Right they will be happy. So they seek to find that person with all their heart.

Evidently, she fell into this last category. Five times she has given marriage a shot and everytime it failed her. What she needed was a close relationship with the Lord Jesus and then she would find the satisfaction in life she was looking for.

Listen, God looked at man in the garden and saw that he was alone and God gave him a help-meet. But as good as the marriage relationship is it does not satisfy all the longings within our heart.