God Alone: Our One Desire - [Psalm 27:4]

Worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth

A couple of Sunday school go ago or maybe the last one that I that I had taught was on the subject of worship. And I'm going to continue this morning on that theme. You remember last time we looked in Psalm 95.

Where We kind of focused on on these words. Oh come let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand this idea of of having the proper Position before the Lord coming lowly and coming humbly before the Lord in being quiet and bowing down in our focus Being upon the Lord and I'd like to I'd like to just to continue with that and before we do let's let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Our Father how we're grateful our Lord and our God our Savior and great King. We do come before you this morning and we do want to bow Lord and we do want to be still. We desire that that we would just be able to Behold your face this morning that we would be able to hear your voice through your written word Lord God that we might be able to come and worship in spirit and in truth as we should.

And for us to continue to think on on these things and to be able to be the people that you've called us to be who like rescuing and delivering and redeeming with your strong and mighty arm the the children of Israel out of the bondage and the slavery of Egypt and the call for Pharaoh through your voice through your Spokesman Moses was to let my people go For the purpose that they might worship you and serve you and our desire is to do that to do it Properly, so please teach us this morning.

We thank you for the privilege of being able to come and gather. We thank you for the wonder of the church that you have that you have established Lord the church that that you are so concerned about and here at BBC we're grateful that you have called us to yourself and that you've put your name upon us that you love us.

That you think upon us that you care for us and Lord that you teach us and please. By the ministry of the Spirit of God may we be taught this morning in Jesus name. Amen. I'd ask you if you turn with me to the book of Psalms again and let's look in chapter 27.

David’s One Desire in Psalm 27

Maybe personalize this a little bit in the life of David in Psalm 27. Psalm 27 Which is the psalm of David verse 1 the Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked even mine enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh. They stumbled and fell though when hosts should encamp against me. My heart shall not fear the war should rise against me in this will I be confident?

And then David says these words in verse 4 one thing have I desired of the Lord. That will I seek after. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and To inquire in his temple and we may look at a little bit more of this psalm this morning.

But I'd like to just stop there as far as the reading David says That there is one thing not. Not that this one this thing is one of the top three things in my life. But he says there's one thing that I desire in my life.

This is David's single focus. This is David's passion. This is David's longing. I remember Reading another psalm. I'll just turn there. It's some some 63. When David was in the wilderness of Judah psalm 63 one Oh God thou art my God.

Early will I seek thee. My soul thirsts for thee my flesh longs for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is To see thy power in thy glory. So as so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary and you see this this Oh of of David this this.

Really the calling card of a child of God is this. Oh this this yearning this longing this passion this this desire He is He is desiring the Lord. He's as early. Well, I seek thee in his soul his flesh Longing and thirsting after God and he wants to see God and he says because your loving-kindness is better than life.

My lips shall praise thee thus will I bless thee while I live. I will lift up my hands in thy name. And in Psalm 63 80 says these words my soul follows hard after you my soul follows after and your your Translation might say my my soul clings or you might see it in your margin it's a it's a clinging after and I got this.

I got this idea of when when our children were little and If you've had little ones and they just cling on your leg, you know, they're just wherever you are they're just wanting you and Caleb our son was a little bit bigger and a little bit heavier and as he got older it was it was noticeable.

I mean he would do that one thing. Oh dad. Oh mom, and he's just kind of leaning on you. You know you feel you feel him there but the longing is there and the desire they want to they want to be around mom and dad.

And here the desire is for the chip for the child of God. To be with his loving father with the Heavenly Father with with David was he? Oppressed after God he sought after God. He's longing after God and in some in Psalm 27 for he says one thing David narrows down The thing that he desires in his life to this one thing.

He says this one thing he desires it consumes his thoughts and This one thing that he wants to be sure he purposes to keep right in his life. He's not like he's not like most of the folks in this world who if they were asked What one thing do you really desire in life?

And their answer might come back. Well, I'd like a good job, or I'd like I would like good health, or I would like a super husband or wife. I'd like to be famous. I'd like money. I'd like a better house.

I'd like better children or whatever better marriage but David's desire in That which ought to be the desire of every believer, and I believe just for us this morning to kind of focus in on. Particularly when we gather like this and ought to be an everyday desire, but particularly when we gather as the people of God we Should be thinking in a different sphere.

And as David's desire was not for material or physical prosperity. And David was a man as is the the Bible describes David as a man who was after what a? Man after God's heart and David. Notice you'll notice in this verse He says one thing have I desired of the Lord that Will I seek after?

You know it's one thing. It's one thing to have a desire. It's one thing to have a longing for something. But usually isn't it so true that what we long for and what we desire we all pursue it. What what we want to have what what is it?

What is it that that just is the the yearning of our heart and then particularly in the spiritual matters the yearning of our soul? That is the thing that we're going to pursue and David said it wasn't enough just to desire it.

He pursued after it when I was studying this I can't remember who the who the writer was but he wrote this he said desires Are seeds that must be sown in the good soil of activity or they will yield no harvest.

Desires are seeds that must be sown in the good soil of activity or they will yield no harvest. Someone else wrote this desires are like clouds without rain unless they are followed up by practical endeavors.

And it's one thing to think about doing something. It's another thing it's another thing to do it and It's one thing to say that we seek after God and to say that we desire the Lord. But we must put some feet to that desire.

We must we must put some obedience to that to that longing we must put some activity and sow it in the soil like that gentleman said in the soil of Activity because really I mean God does judge and consider.

Our thoughts and our desires and our motivations they are they are important to the Lord as far as when he's looking at us, but but really if we. If we say something if we say we're going to do something and we don't do it.

You can think of examples in the scripture. Can't you not everyone that says unto me Lord Lord in. In the book of Matthew, I think it's in chapter 7 not everyone that says but but him that does. And a person who is the person that pleases the Lord is the person that gets beyond the desire.

Gets beyond the the longing gets beyond the thinking about it and gets to doing and put some Put some feet of obedience to the to the longing that's in the heart and that's exactly what what David did.

He was a man who as I read in Psalm 63 8 who followed hard after God and he learned that his greatest needs were his spiritual needs and It only makes sense that if his greatest needs were spiritual needs than his Desires and his pursuits and his time and his effort had to be concentrated on spiritual matters.

David trusted in the God of his salvation. We see this in verse 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear the Lord is the strength of my life of whom? Shall I be afraid and the God who was his life the God who was his strength?

The God who was his all-in-all the God who was the God of his salvation was the God that he not only talked about Pursuing and not only thought about and desired to seek after he sought after him. Notice what it says in In verse.

Where is it here? 8. Psalm 27 verse 8 Speaking to the Lord as he's praying Lord when when thou sayeth seeking my face. My heart said unto thee thy face Lord will I seek? David didn't just sit still but he but he pursued the Lord.

He learned that in order to do this He had to as the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6 33. You want to know what's important? Seek ye first the kingdom of God. This this is a this is a theme of Scripture. It is not just in the Psalms where we read this but David said The Lord Jesus said in in Matthew 6 33, but seek ye Second but seek ye fifth.

No. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you and David made The effort to delight himself in the Lord and he sought the Lord. He did not put his relationship with the Lord or his walk with God or spiritual matters or Worshiping the Lord at the bottom of the list of the important things to seek after in his life.

It was not his second thought. Not when he got around to it that he would do it. It was not when he got everything else done in his life. The Lord did not get the scraps of David's life and That ought to be the same desire for us.

David's heart is involved here, isn't it? He says one thing I Desire, I mean you can't you can't see a person's desire unless you see what they're doing. I mean we can have thoughts and we can have Passions and we can have desires within our hearts and we have thoughts in our minds but people can't see that the only way that it can be seen is if it's followed through with with action and what we do with our life and our behavior and David had a great and a strong passion.

He knew that he was responsible To seek the Lord as I said there in verse 8 God Calling us and as we see there we can practically apply that to us is that That God says seek my face in the word face there in the in the Greek basic I mean in the Hebrew basically is God's presence his his being.

Seek me seek my face and and David said when he heard that he said Lord your face I will seek. I'm going I'm going to do it. So these one this these words this in verse 4 this one thing also tells us of of David's greatest desire in his life and two if if his God was all that David had David had enough.

If I mean if if that was it if he if he had lost everything else. It's almost like you I mean you see the parallels in the Old Testament to the new with the Apostle Paul's focus and testimony the stamp that was on the Apostle Paul's life Philippians 121 for to me to live as Christ and to die as game Christ was his life Christ in us what a mystery whether what a hope that we have and Paul's kind of Parallels the same desire of David that God was everything.

I found a another phrase. Where where somebody said? This was was their prayer Lord. Give me yourself, and I will not ask for anything else Lord give me you give me yourself. Allow me to be in your presence and to and what are we talking about here?

What is this what we're talking about David wanting to be in the presence of the Lord? What is this somebody? Give me a word? Maybe begins with an F or C two words. I'm thinking of. Fellowship is one what might the other be?

Communion with the Lord. Fellowship communion with the Lord. Notice David desire did not desire his one passion is one thing is the Most important focus in his life was not to be a great king although.

He desired to be a great king. Wasn't to be the greatest father. It wasn't to be famous. It wasn't to have lots. I believe like the Lord Jesus says in the New Testament. Seek ye first the kingdom of God not only will our needs be provided for.

But isn't it true that if our focus and our desire and our passion and our priority is the Lord that everything else falls into place. Everything else is comes into focus properly everything else takes on the right balance in our lives when when God is first not David is first not us first as.

As we look at this verse though notice as we continue on David saying this passion this spiritual desire this single-minded focus of his that. That his desire was for for the Lord. And he sought after it and notice what he says and how he puts it into context for himself.

He says that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. And as we look at this verse We also see the the place of David's desire the person of his desire is the Lord. But the place of David's desire He says it's the house of the Lord.

The House of the Lord and the Place of Worship

The house of God was important to David. It was a vital Part of his of the worship of God. It was a special place to him and David Of course is speaking of the temple of his day. This was the place where David and the people Of Israel would gather together and they meet together a place where God put his name upon it and and We who are the redeemed of the Lord today have so to speak.

We also have a place where we worship. We have a place that we gather together as an assembled group of believers and just for clarity I realized that and we call that church. We're gonna go to church and I realize and I understand that the church is not not this building.

The church is the called-out assembly of believers. It's the people of God and yet when we gather I mean we kind of put it in that in that frame of reference. We say we're going to church and of course when we think of going to church I don't know what you think about when when you think about where we're going to church if you think about going to the building.

Or if you think about kind of like the whole the whole process of what it is that we do everything we get involved in as far as when we gather for worship and we Gather to to sing and as part of worship.

We sing and and we give of our tithes and offerings. We we read the scriptures. We we hear the message we fellowship together. But really it is the people when it when it's when it speaks of the church, but but that gathering together is The place where God meets with us where God meets and and makes his presence known and We we kind of get an example of that in 1st Corinthians chapter 14.

You'll remember that Paul is trying to get them to To function properly and to not misuse or not abuse the the spiritual gifts that God had given them. Because if you had unbelievers who come into the church and see a bunch of confusion.

All kinds of people speaking in tongues and at the same time and nobody's interpreting it's not done done in order the way it ought to have been done during that day at the the beginning of the of the of the birth of the church and the going forth of the gospel where God have Authenticated the messengers and and the message of the gospel with the with these outward signs.

But even in the working out or the or the functioning the order in the church was disorder and it was disarray. And it was a poor testimony and Paul set things straight and he said, you know, if you're doing it properly Lost folks are gonna come into the church unbelievers are gonna come in and see what's going on and they're going to say this.

Wow, you got some powerful teachers. No, you got you got some super great Interpreters of what's going on? Oh doesn't say that what a building you've got because I'm sure they probably met a bunch rougher.

Than than we did what brilliance what what what splendor what scholarly? Attention that you give to everything that you do that. It said nothing like that. The the testimony was that the unbeliever will come in and see that something special is going on in it.

And and I believe in first Corinthians 14 The Apostle Paul says that they will see that God is in you of a truth. That was that God was with his people that God was not only in them and he's in us. And how was that?

How was God in us by? The Holy Spirit the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and God is with us. He'll never leave us nor forsake us. And one of the ways that that God Is with us and God is present with us is when we gather Together God here being present with us and I equate that to and and and apply it like in the Old Testament where they gather together.

Same as even before David's the David's time with the tabernacle in the wilderness God meeting with the people of God at that place of the tabernacle and the visible sign of it was what by day. What was it by day over the tabernacle.

The it was the it was the cloud right and at night it was the pillar of fire. And that was that was a testimony that that in a that was the the visible Testimony of the presence of God with them. And what happened when the the cloud or the pillar moved?

They moved because they were going to follow and go where God was leading them where God wanted them to be. But that was the presence of God with them and in the temple the presence of God. David longed to be there because that's where God Was he wanted to be in the presence of God and the idea was he says that I may dwell in the house of the Lord.

The idea is that he wanted to be able to be there to be in the house Where where God was but and be like the priests who had the privilege of being able to serve in the presence of God daily Always before the Lord he he not although that wasn't what God had called him to be to to be a priest.

Functioning like that Every day day in and day out like they did he had that heart's desire for that though He wanted he wanted to be in the presence of the Lord. It was a vital Drive in his life. This was a special place For David and I believe that it's appropriate for us to consider that the times that we gather together in this building it's as Significant as the times as I was just mentioning in the Old Testament where those worshippers Met in the place that they called the house of the Lord.

It's just so it's so vital for us to have that longing also, and I don't know what your longing is my desire. When I get to One route 110 in West Boylston with that round building is when we when we walk in the door.

My desire is that everybody will kind of cater to me. Everyone will look at me and see what I'm wearing because I really dolled up today. Or I really I really piled it on you know got the new suit the new tie the new shoes or something.

You know I mean We it can happen it can certainly happen. I want people to know what I've been up to. I want them to look at me, but. But David's desire was not that in our last time when we studied before The whole thrust of the matter the whole reason why we're gathering together is To worship the Lord.

That's what's important and David knew that that was important and how necessary it was to Assemble in the house of God for his spiritual well-being and God has always had a dwelling place upon the earth.

God has always made his presence known and isn't it a wonder that God Makes his presence known in the church now. We read this and we see this in the New Testament. This is something that was a mystery before something that was Concealed but now it's revealed that God is not only in us by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but The presence of the Lord is known.

When the people of God gather together now I know that the context of the scripture in in in the book of Matthew when it speaks of that where to I think it's In Matthew 18 20 where two or three are gathered together in my name Jesus said there am I in the midst of them?

I understand that the context of that is for church discipline because before that it speaks of if you have a problem. You know go to go on your own and in the whole steps of church discipline. But the fact of the matter remains that Jesus did say that where you're gathered.

I am in the midst of you. That's New Testament time and as the Lord changed does he desire to be with his people. Certainly he does. There's a in the book of Acts I'd like there's a phrase there when it speaks of God coming that there's a time of Refreshing from the presence of the Lord with his people.

It's a time where God speaks to us through his word, and if it hasn't changed. Then ought we not to be thinking when we come in the door and we're still and we're quiet and we're praying and we're Listening to the Word of God being read or when we're standing and we're singing.

That all of that is to be done unto the Lord. Psalm 96 1 Oh sing unto Unto your brother and sister next to you a new song. Doesn't say that Oh sing unto the Lord a new song. When we give what we give when the plate is passed.

We are giving that unto the Lord in the presence of God and the fear of God where we're saying Lord I offer up this sacrifice to you. It is it is that which you've given to me, and I want to give back but it's done in the in the Before the Lord and everything that we're doing is to be done for the pleasure of the Lord.

It's under the scrutiny of his eye. And we're we're here not to toot our own horn or have people look at us or my look at how great we are. There isn't anything great about us unless the Lord does something in us unless he changes changes us course in salvation.

It makes us his people and then gifts us to be able to function in the body and that Functioning that ability to be able to to do what we don't do is a Spiritual talent right? No it is a spiritual gift that a gift is something that that was given to us and all that we have even to Be able to function in the churches of the Lord.

So everything is to go back to the Lord the song the giving the listening our ears being Devoted unto the Lord in worship and when we're hearing the Word of God. When God's Word is being preached It is God Speaking and demanding of us.

It is the Lord helping us. It's God feeding his people. But how many times can we come gather? Go through the motions worship leave and have it has it even crossed our mind that? We went to that place to meet with God and for our God to meet with us.

That's David's desire. I want to be in the house of God where God is and I want to. I want to I want to fellowship and I want to have a sweet close communion with the Lord and this this was David's desire.

Biblically, we see this even as I kind of mentioned before in the book of Acts you'll remember when the when the early church gathered together there were times when they were persecuted and they gathered together and It would say that they would seek God's face.

They would pray and it says the place where they were assembled was shaken. Well, it was it doesn't allude to it doesn't allude to any generator in the back room kind of wobble in the building. It doesn't allude to any earthquake or thunder or anything like that.

The place was shaken because God's presence was being made known. God was with those folks and and he strengthened the Word of God. Multiplied and they went back out and they preached the gospel and the word multiplied and there was power in the midst of the people.

Because the Spirit of God had come upon them to enable them to to minister. They assembled for prayer and for worship and for the preaching of the Word of God doctrine for breaking a bread and God made his glorious presence known.

David might be if we could kind of look into David's mind or maybe we could have talked to him. David is saying look there are many things in my life that I seek after and note and notably as a king and Notably as a warrior and notably as a father and as a husband there were a lot of things that Would have taken up some of David's thinking and his time and he had to deal with.

And there are many things that he had to give his attention to but there is only one thing that I really Desire and that is the Lord one thing That I desire of the Lord and that will I seek after this was his thing that he was earnest about he was going to give himself to pursue it and That one desire was that he wanted to be where God was.

It's really simple, isn't it he wanted to be where God was. David wasn't saying He. David was saying I want to be in the presence of God as much as I can. And certainly it's true here when we gather on the Lord's Day.

But certainly it ought to be true in our daily life, too I I want to as much as I can be in the presence of my Lord. And of course we do that when we when we pray and get alone with the Lord. We do that when we get into the Word of God and ask God to speak with us.

And I wonder if this is typical of us. It's just a exhortation for us this morning an encouragement for us. I mean we have we have the privilege for it sometimes. Sometimes you know we when you're a parent I don't know if this if you've ever thought thought of this maybe even for fathers more.

But I can remember a time when I used to come home from work and there'd be four little heads be bopping at the door. They knew about what time dad was gonna come home, and they're behind the door be bopping around.

And then when I pulled in with the car mom would say that I guess it's okay. I don't remember the logistics of all that. But open the door fly open and out the kids would come and they're clinging to your leg and daddy's home and all that, right?

But then I remember a few years later driving home, and I come into the driveway nothing. This just there's no kids at the door. There's no kids running out. You know they get older and they get more independent.

Or they didn't think of it. You know the other things that and you know I desired for that. I longed for it. I'm matter of fact. I wouldn't even mind it once in a while now if they come running out the door.

It'd be kind of cool. You know. It only happens now by accident if they happen to be outside when I when I come home. But wouldn't and can you just can you just imagine? The passion and the desire of God our father for that fellowship with us the redeemed children of God.

That I mean did not God say to David. Seek my face In I'll find I'll find it because I don't want to. I don't want to misquote it. Just so that you won't say well Dave. I think you're just putting too much.

You're putting too much on the Lord. I mean it doesn't say that in the in the scriptures. Let's see if I can find it it's in John chapter 4 and it's the the desire and the passion of God towards us when It comes to us seeking him here.

It is John 4. Jesus is dealing with the woman at the well. It's the scripture that I prayed about as far as when I prayed I used it as far as worshiping God in spirit and in truth. When when the woman was being dealt with over her sins and she goes off on a tangent about Worshiping God in the in the in the mountain Jesus deals with that.

He doesn't just kind of slough it off, but he goes right to the point deals with that. Then he eventually goes back to her sin. But he says woman verse 21 believe me the hour comes when you shall neither in this mountain or in Jerusalem worship the Father.

You worship, you know not what we know what we worship for salvation is of the Jews verse 23 but the hour cometh and now is When the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth and we usually stop there.

Look at the wonderful part of the last part of that verse is John 4 23 for the Father seeks such to worship him. The Father seeks such to worship him. God is Desirous for us to be desirous of him and it ought to be our our passion to seek after the Lord.

We see this we see this in David's life in some in some 27 he has the desire for it, but it goes beyond that to him actually doing something about it. Why is the house of the Lord so important as he says they are one thing I desire to seek after the Lord that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, it's I think it's important because the house of God and worship are inseparably inseparably connected together in the scriptures.

The house of God and worship are inseparably connected together in Scripture. Hold your place in Psalm 27. Look look back in Psalm 5. Psalm 5 to the chief musician. Upon the high love a psalm of David.

Psalm 5 give ear to my words. Oh Lord. Consider my meditation. Harken unto the voice of my cry my king and my God for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning. Oh Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up.

For thou are not a God that has pleasure and wickedness neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight. Thou hatest all workers of iniquity. Thou shalt destroy them like that speak leasing or falsehood or untruthfully.

The Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man. That's them. The world can go after their passion and they can do their their stealing and they're lying their heart be far from God and their sin put the wall between them and their God.

But verse 7 asked for me I Will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy and in thy fear. Will I worship? Toward thy Holy Temple. David is saying that he he comes. And this place of the of the house of the Lord is So important because it's connected with he shows the link between The house of God and being there to worship as I said earlier.

Why do we go to church as we call it? What is it really all about? Why do we assemble together? And of course we read in Hebrews 10 25 that the admonition to us there is. That we're not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.

Hebrews 10 25 we ought not to forsake it or abandon the assembling coming together of ourselves as the manner of some is and that is a negative phrase there that is a Phrase that that shows that there are some who forsaken and abandoned gathering together at their own peril.

At their own spiritual loss. I mean just think about it not being able to gather together assemble together to worship God. What kind of a week would that be? It start off with us wouldn't it would start off with our desires and start out and what's the whole purpose of the Lord's Day?

I mean, it's Sunday in your mind and in our in our hearts the people's day. It's not that way in our calendar. I mean we as Christians when we think about and read the scriptures. They gathered together on the first day of the week which and they did and they denoted that as being the Lord's Day.

And on the Lord's Day where we're not to do our pleasure. But we're to do the Lord's pleasure and it pleases him that his people gather together. Some were forsaking that and he said don't forsake the assembling of yourselves together as the manner of some is but exhorting one another.

Encouraging one another as you see the day of Approaching where to gather together to so that will be encouraged and exhorted and in that worshiping of God. That's what takes place. It's a place where we're helped and we're benefited and where we're built up in the most holy faith.