Life's Greatest Goal

Would like to speak to you this morning on life's greatest goal life's greatest goal. Please bow your heads in prayer father. We Thank you so much for your presence among us. Father we thank you for the precious blood of Jesus Christ that we could come right into your presence.

Thank you for your faithfulness Lord. And all that you are never changes in your love your goodness your grace. Your holiness, it's the same. It never Betters it never worsens it remains the same. And you are that great standard Lord and help us Oh God in this time by your blessed Holy Spirit to open our eyes and Help us to see the things that we've never seen before Lord if we missed it because so many times we do miss it.

And that's why we need the Spirit of God to teach us. So Lord, I just pray now to speak to us through your word and Teach us Oh God that truth the Lord Jesus Christ. Because everything that you are and you have revealed in him. He has come and shown us How you're alike.

So father we thank you for this time that we could come to your word Lord I ask you to help Myself Lord as I speak Lord may we receive this word this morning not as a man Preaching but God is your word.

It's God because this is your word. This is your authority and Lord if there's going to be changed the change needs to be in us To make us more like Jesus Christ. So father where I prayed that By your blessed Holy Spirit you would help us this morning.

For we will give you the glory and the praise in Jesus name.

Amen.

The World’s Self-Centered Goals Versus a Christian Perspective

Out of curiosity. I typed in my iPhone the question when I went under Google. Could just about Google anything nowadays and you get an answer, right? And the question I typed in was What are the most important goals in life?

What are the most important goals in life? Now first of all, I'm going to give you a secular perspective. The secular perspective is that. This is what they said and it came up on my phone quote with this in mind.

Here are the ten primary goals. To accomplish as you plan for life in the next ten years.

One.

Marriage and family.

Harmony.

To proper mindset and balance. Three commitments to improved physical health. For career passion and personal satisfaction. Five develop empathy and gentleness. Six financial stability, you know, that one's going to be in there.

This is a secular perspective. Seven service and social responsibility. Eight stress busting leisure time. Nine continue in education and last ten expanding and growth. Growing in faith and they don't tell you exactly what your faith is in.

Of course All the religions of the world they probably include that. Another list came up right underneath it. Speaks of seven meaningful goals in life. This is still from a secular perspective number one develop your passion into a career.

To get good at being you. In that common today. Three invest in self-education. For cultivate good habits. Five clean up your diet. Six travel for experience. Seven cultivate commitment and relationships.

Now, let me say this. Just that's exactly the kind of carnal Answers that we would expect from the world right that are really if you notice it's focused on self. It's man-centered it's humanism. It's all about self what you can do about you you you so that's that's expected from the natural, man.

Now I changed up the question and typed in something different in my phone. And like I said, we expect that from the secular perspective. So Now I typed in the question and googled it 20 goals. Every Christian should sit.

Now listen to this 20 goals every Christian should sit and At the intro of this it was there was a lot of words I was being saying this is written by a homeschool woman. It has a major degree in psychology.

It has something. Yeah, so, you know where this is going, but I will say this to give her credit. There are some legit Goals with a Christian here, but I just wanted it wanted to type this in and see what would come up.

So at the intro they basically gave reasons for setting goals and pursuing them for the new year. Quote, this is what came up whether we're talking about a personal lives spiritual lives relationships our character.

Or our future we need to ask ourselves. What kind of people we want to be. That's got some truth to it. Having goals can Center us. She says keep our eyes on Christ and Encourage us to grow. Without goals.

We have no reason to press on and we have and we can flounder feel lost or lose track of our purpose. And if you never considered making goals She says in the new year use this as a starting point of and person not.

Personalize these goals for your own circumstances and here are the 20 goals that she put down. She's a prolific writer and this is interesting number one goal number one is Know what you believe know what you believe.

I can go along with that. We got to know the Bible right, but she doesn't actually go into detail specifics. To the second goal is be real be real. In other words be genuine. Don't be pretend don't pretend to be something that you're not be real.

Okay, I can get that. The third was put God first, it's interesting that she put that one third. It's psychology absolutely fourth. Stay strong. Stay strong by staying dressed in the armor of God based upon Ephesians 6 and she's she.

But I'm just giving you the bullet points here. She says a lot in Scripture. She gives Scripture and a little devotion then in seven. The seventh goal is be secure in your place as a child of God security.

Eight memorize God's Word. That's a legit goal. Nine walk the line and holding to your beliefs, but leaving judgment up to God. That's interested almost said I gather from that don't be judgmental. In other words What about what Jesus said?

You are to judge spiritual things. Spiritual man judges all things really so I don't know where she's going with that. But anyway 10 the 10th goal is be the kind of friend that you would like to have.

11 Basically Turn to God first not last. Let him be the last resort. Let him be the first resort. 12th goal is be a person of integrity. 13 be teachable. 14 aim for financial stability. There's that financial stability again.

15 seek wisdom. 16 live without fear. 17 prioritize your life. 18 live in the moment. 19 strive to be a servant. And. 20 leave a legacy. Now, let me say this about this list. It comes from the author.

She's from Dallas, Texas. And like I said, she's got a degree in psychology she's a homeschool mom and and This is basically coming from a Christian perspective if you were to look this up. I definitely want to be careful here and saying this that I don't want to be too negative and nitpicky and Being overly critical toward her.

But I want to commend her for one thing. She makes a very good effort at least in trying to be biblical. So there are some legit goals in that list. Focused to some degree yet. Let me say that this is an all earnest and truth.

This list.

Falls desperately short with the Bible really speaks of our goals should be. Now let me Jump to another Woman that she wrote several hymns back in the 1800s. She's not heard of very much. She lived in the 1800s her name was Francis Brooke.

She had an interest in missions very deeply. Her father was a minister of the gospel, but in England. But the cause of health issues and weaknesses. Which when I look this up, it didn't go into specifics of her health issues.

It said she was sickly. She could not labor in the foreign mission field as her two sisters did. But God used her in a mighty way and writing a wonderful hymn that I don't think we've ever sung and you don't hear it sung very much in the church anymore and I know I've.

I've heard it quoted by Luna Ravenhill quite often, but It's a wonderful hymn and the name of the hymn is my goal is God himself. Now beloved God is enough God is enough that he should be our goal and listen to what she says in this wonderful little hymn That summarizes in the deep simple wonderful way what the greatest goal is and That goal should be God.

To every born-again Christian the first stanza says this my goal is God himself not joy nor peace. Nor even blessing but himself my God. Tis his to lead me there not mine, but his at any cost dear Lord by any road.

It's a prayer too if she's you could tell she's praying this. Second stanza so faith bounds forward to its goal in God and love can trust her Lord to lead her there. Upheld by him my soul is falling hard till God has fulfilled my deepest prayer.

Third stanza. No matter if the way be sometimes dark no matter though the cost be all times great. He know us how I best shall reach the mark. The way that leads to him must needs be straight. Fourth stanza.

And I love this one. I listened to the theology in this you gather something very God centered. One thing I know I cannot say him nay one thing I do. I press towards my Lord and In the glory there my great reward.

I'm sorry, my God my glory here from day to day in the glory there my great reward. Now we're diving into some deep waters. Because we're going into God and God alone and he is sufficient he's more than enough.

To pursue God alone for who he is is sufficient. He's the giver. Rather than just the gifts that we're to look at to look to one period and said To love the mercy of God rather than just the blessings of his mercies.

R .c. Sproul Said it this way natural man's sin is precisely this. He wants the benefits of God without God himself. We see this everywhere and the list that I basically gave Basically tells that of What I looked up in Google one of the greatest needs of the church today beloved is What Frederick Faber and a W Tozer read this man quite often.

He was a great poet great him writer. Frederick Faber called it a jubilant pining and a longing for God. A Jubilant pining and a longing for God. The lack of desire. He said is the ill of all ills. Many thousands through it the dark pathway have trod the blossom.

The wine of predestined wills is A jubilant pining and a longing for God. God loves to be long for He loves to be salt. For he sought us himself with such longing in love. He died for desire of us marvelous thought.

And he longs for us now to be with him above. That's Frederick Faber. A W Tozer Said this. I believe that God wants us to long for him with a longing that will become love sickness love sickness. That will become a wound to our spirits To keep us always moving toward him.

Always finding always seeking always having always desiring. So the earth becomes less and less valuable and heaven gets closer as we move into God and up into Christ. In quote love these men. Unquenchable desire a longing and a thirst for God.

Oh Beloved hand the new touch. And when we go into the Old Testament we read in the Bible. There was such a man That God raised up that had this jubilant pining and a longing for God. His name was David.

David Means beloved of the Lord. I actually the commentary of David is found in Acts 13 22 that Luke pins By the Spirit of God and says after removing Saul he made David their king. And he testified concerning him and this is what God had to say about David.

I found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart. And he would do everything. I want him to do, you know in an amazing. How would you like to have God say that about you? That was God's commentary on David and Though David was we know would fail God many times in many sins.

He always came back with true repentance and brokenness. He was restored and though he would bear the consequences of the sword that would never depart from his house. As God spoke to him after he sinned the prophet Nathan spoke to them.

This man David a man after God's own heart Loved the Lord and had a desire for God himself. When we open up the book of Psalms We have a Psalter The Psalter of the Old Testament and most of the Psalms that were there found there is by the sweet singer of Israel David himself.

Now you can look this up and look at commentaries. I looked at the Spurgeons and notes on them. Treasury of David the psalm 42 actually. And you can go with me there, please and that's the psalm. We want to look at this morning.

Psalm 42 does not necessarily give us Who the writer is, but it's Davidic and the writing. Because we see David all over it Psalm 42 we see and read a man That had unquenchable thirst for God. What I'd like to speak to you on this morning that David had a longing for God Yearning for God and this is my outline.

I'd like to give to you David had a panting soul. He had a panting soul verse 1 and 2 a Panting soul. Second we see in verse 3 and 4 David had a pouring soul a Pouring soul. And third in verse 5 we see David had a prevailing despondent soul a Prevailing despondent soul and fourth we will see that David had a praising soul a Panting soul a pouring soul a prevailing despondent soul and a praising soul.

Basically is summarized in this chapter that David it's life's goal and greatest goal was God himself. Which is enough. This should be for every Christian as well God himself. I also want to flip that around a little bit because If the Christian is to have God is their goal.

God's goal for us is to conform us into the image of his dear son Jesus Christ according to Romans 8 29 a lot so many people memorize 828, which is a wonderful text, but we cannot leave out 829. 828 says and we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God.

To them that are a call called according to his purpose. But 829 says for those whom he foreknew he also predestined to become Conformed that's that's the word conformed to the image of his son. So that he would be the firstborn among many brethren so David has a jubilant longing and a pining after God now and Psalm 42 is like I said We see a man after God's own heart.

Given an honest prayer in a true and I'm sorry in a time of discouragement. He's discouraged. Within this chapter it first begins if you notice before we get into the word the scriptures itself. It says to the chief musician Mastille.

For the sons of Korah for the sons of Korah. Let me give you a little background on the sons of Korah so we can actually understand the background of this psalm. The sons of Korah were Levites. They were Levites.

They were from the family of Kohat. And by David's time it seems that They served in the mu the musical aspect of the temple worship. They were worshipers that praised God in the temple and According to 2nd Chronicles chapter 20 verse 29 as there was a great battle.

That Jahasa King Jehoshaphat was engaged in that God sent these Levites. From the sons of Korah of the sons of Korah the seculotites and of the sons of the court core heights. Stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a very loud voice.

So they were worshipers that was sent on the front line to praise God. Now there's something else we can read about Korah if you notice in the The Pentateuch and the early writings Numbers Deuteronomy led a rebellion of 250 community leaders against Moses.

During the wilderness experience in the days of Exodus and we see that in Exodus.

Exodus.

God judged Korah and his leaders and they all died. But the sons of Korah remained. They remained. So Korah was judged. But the sons remained. Perhaps they were so grateful for this great mercy That they became notable in Israel for praising God.

So that gives us a little background here now, even though it doesn't say David. I've truly believed that this is David's pen. But we do have for this. For the sons of Korah. For the sons of Korah to sing this is a psalter.

This is a song. And it's a wonderful song. Notice with me in chapter 42 in verse 1 and 2. As the heart paneth after the water brooks so paneth my soul after thee. O God my soul thirsteth for God for the Living God.

And then he gives a question When shall I come and appear before God. When shall I come? and appear before God. What a question. His soul is thirsty for God the Living God. God is the God of the living.

When shall I come and appear for God before God. A longing to be in God's presence as The deer the heart means the hind panthus for the flowing streams of water. David's soul is thirsty for God for the Living God.

The deer's weakness here aggravates her thirst for water for water. To pant. I love that word pant. Pant basically means to yearn. To have a longing after a yearning for a.

Deep.

Heartfelt desire.

It goes deep After the water brooks after the water brooks literally upon the water brooks in the original. So the water brooks the desire hangs over and is resting upon its object Upon its object after thee.

Oh God God is that object? Resting upon God. There's a Hebrew preposition here. That means towards thee. In other words, that's the compass. That's the mark. That's the goal is God himself. So David had a deep heartfelt keen desire Towards God in the sanctuary Where he met with God and God met with him.

The heart the deer is supposed to be.

Thirsty.

Thirsty and. It's a dry and a thirsty land where no water is. Just as David was without access to the channels of spiritual water in Jerusalem in its context.

David was.

Excommunicated and cut off from the sanctuary of God. But his desire and longing was to be in that sanctuary to meet with God and where God met with him. David had that as Frederick Faber said a jubilant pining and a longing for God himself.

Is that enough? Is that not enough. God is enough? But I have all these lists. God should be everything.

I.

David had that jubilant longing pine after God. Spurgeon in the treasury of David. Okay, it's kind of a lengthy quote here, but I had to put it put this all down but stay with me. This is very good. Spurgeon said this about this text.

There's something to be lamented in this state of mind. For if the psalmist had maintained unbroken communion with God his God He would have not been so much panting after him as enjoying him. It is deeply to be deplored that we who sometimes bask in the sunshine of God's countenance Cannot live so as always to enjoy it and then.

Listen to these questions Spurgeon brings to us. Why do we wander? Why do we grieve his Holy Spirit? Why do we turn aside from God? Our exceeding joy. Why do we provoke him to jealousy. Calls him to make us grope in darkness and sigh out of a lot of a lonely and desolate heart.

There is much of an evil heart he says of unbelief and departing from the Living God. Therefore we must not Too much congratulate ourselves. Well, though it is a sign of divine grace to pant after God as the deer pants for the water brooks.

Yet it is an equally certain sign of a Need of more grace and the loss of a privilege that we should always strive to possess. And he goes on to say this as a man can bear hunger much longer than he can bear thirst.

He may continue without food for days, but not without drink so the psalmist mentions the thirstiest creature and The most ardent of the natural passions. He does not say I so I long for my former grander or So I long for my friend.

But.

So I long for you Oh God, and he says this his soul had only one longing one thirst and. And every power and every passion had united itself to that one desire in quote. And that wonderful listen to those questions soul-searching.

Verse 2 says my soul thirst is for God now. Look at the panting soul here my soul. Thirst it's for God for the Living God. When shall I come and appear before God? I Like that phrase the Living God. Jesus said that He told the Pharisees that God he's not the God of the dead.

He's the God of the living. David said in Psalm 63 1 O God thou art my God early. Will I seek thee? My soul thirst it for thee. My flesh longeth for thee in a dry and a thirsty land. Where no water is to see thy power and thy glory as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

To have that kind of thirst for God. Don't we need this in the church today, don't we need this as we go into the new year. That we would pursue God and know God and know Jesus Christ More than anything else to know him personally.

That's my desire beloved Psalm 84 to my soul longest notice that my soul my soul. My soul longest yay even fainted for the courts of the Lord. My heart my flesh cry out for the Living God. Psalm 143 6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee my soul thirsteth after thee.

Like a thirsty land and then he puts a seal on it meditate on it a seal of God himself knows how to satisfy. That unquenchable thirst more than anyone else and only by the way only God can Satisfy that thirst that we have deep within the human soul.

But sin has separated us and that's why we have to deal with our sin through the blood of Jesus Christ. I love Isaiah 41 17 18 because God actually speaks himself here through the prophet Isaiah. And he gives the remedy he says when the poor I love this notice this the poor not the rich.

Those that are poor in spirit and the needy. Poor and needy those two going together. We must be poor. We must be needy in spirit. He's not talking about physically here. He's talking the poor in spirit needy in spirit and seek they seek water.

Are you seeking water? And There's none and their tongue Fail it's for thirst. It's almost like you see the picture their tongue is dry and parched for thirst and God says this I the Lord will hear them and I the God of Israel will not forsake them.

I will open rivers in the high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys and I will make a wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water in that wonderful how God Will provide it even though it's a desert a desolate place and where there's no water God will create it.

I love John chapter 2. Don't you when you had the Samaritan woman? That's rejected a prostitute Comes to Jesus Christ and at the well of Jacob and she comes and Jesus starts the conversation up by said Give me a drink of water and then in verse 10 Jesus says if thou knewest the gift of God, don't you love this?

If thou knewest the gift of God if he knew who it really was and Who it is that said to thee give me to drink. Thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water. I love that Only Jesus can satisfy.

Yes.

He asked for a drink of water and then he ends up giving a well a Well that never will run dry. Hallelujah. One that satisfies the thirsty soul. I'm so thankful today That only Jesus can satisfy. This is he is what this old world needs.

The thirsty down deep and they don't know what they're thirsty for. And that's why Jesus said to her if you knew the gift of God if he knew it You got to know. David asked the question when when shall I come and appear before God.

When when.

For.

David to be separated from God in the sanctuary and his blessed fellowship even for a time Seemed to be the very height of misery for David. Oh Beloved when when shall this separation come to an end? David's longing and his yearning desire to appear before the face of God before God's countenance.

Before the face of God to behold him to adore him to worship him. He had a panting soul. He had a panting soul. Next we see he had a pouring soul. Look at verse 3 and 4. My tears have been my meat day and night while they continually say unto me, where is thy God and.

And when I remember these things I pour out my soul in me. I Pour out my soul in me. For I had gone with the multitude. I went with them to the house of God with the whole with the voice of joy and praise with a multitude that kept Holy day.

This meant something to David, but this is the sanctuary the house of God. He went with the multitude to keep holy day. But he remembered these things about his tears. Has been his meat night day and night.

I want you to think about that. This man was broken. He had a broken in a contrite spirit. God does not despise here in verse 3 and 4 We see a sevenfold depression of the soul. He was depressed. He was depressed.

I Don't know about you. I fight depression at times. Don't you but we must encourage ourself in the Lord God.

As David did.

My tears have been my meat day and night while they can while they continually say to me Where is thy God? Where is God in your trouble? Where is God? When's he gonna show up? He was depressed it caused him to cry.

He was broken. Psalm 80 which is a psalm ASAP in verse 5 says this thou feedest them with the bread of tears. The bread of tears we bread right tears was basically what they lived up. That was their food the tears.

Were you talking about brokenness? And give us them tears to drink in great measure and give us them tears to drink in great measure. Psalm 126 5 and 6 is that they so and they that so in tears shall reap in joy.

He that goeth forth weeping Bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him. David was this kind of man. He was broken beloved. David was upset that he could not eat food.

But he did have food. It was his tears. That was his bread day and night. This was a man that was broken up because he could not get to the sanctuary. He was excommunicated. God does God is concerned.

He desires us to have a broken in a contrite heart. That should be a prayer for us when we go into the new year. God break my heart melt my heart wound my spirit. Jesus said it and in sermon on the mount as he begins to be as he begins to speak about the beatitudes in the first.

When he says in Matthew 5 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. David knew how to pour out his soul to God and notice if you read in First and second Samuel when you see the life of David.

He was a man that poured out his soul to God. While they continually say all the day unto me. Where is thy God? Where is thy God. This echoed and rang in his ear his his ear of his thirsty soul and Brought about his despondency.

And he says this when I remember these things. I pour out my soul in me. I pour out my soul in me for I've gone with the multitude. I Went with them to the house of God. He was cut off from it. It wounded him.

He was broken. He pours out his soul.

In.

Implying to give loose reign to all his sorrows. He had his sorrows. You don't think of this in deep sorrow. One's tendency is to call to mind the remembrance of better things that's gone by. That's the truth we've been there haven't we and.

So to increase one's pain. By brooding over it the pain increases. The question is is this good for our soul? Is it good for our soul? Absolutely. Yes. According to the Word of God because sorrow drives us to God.

Brokenness drives us to God doesn't it? This is why Solomon says it's better to go into the house of mourning than the laughter. It's sobering it always sobers me when I go to a funeral. Not been to a many of them, but there's something sobering about it.

Because it gets your mind off the things that's going to pass away and it gets your mind on things of eternal. That's helpful. Lamentations chapter 3 19 through 24. Jeremiah. There's a there's a weeping prophet right there.

He he was broken. He said this remembering mine affliction and my misery remembering it and then he says the wormwood in the gall and then he speaks about his soul. My soul have Them still in remembrance and is humbled in me.

This I recall to my mind therefore I have hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not they are new every morning. Great is our faithfulness and then he says this the Lord is my portion sayeth my soul.

The Lord is my portion. Therefore I will hope in him. What next we see? David had a prevailing despondent soul. A prevailing despondent. So look at verse 5 and 6. He says this why art thou cast down? Oh my soul.

Look at the questions. Why art thou disquieted in me hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance. Don't you pay close attention to that now his countenance. Then he says in verse 6, oh my god, my soul is cast down within me.

Therefore I will remember thee from the land of Jordan and of the Harmonites from the hill Mazur. You know David pours out his soul before God. Here he has a prevailing despondent soul. And he's asking questions.

Have you ever heard people tell you that it's not good to ask questions before God that is so unscriptural. God knows your heart. He knows what you're gonna say. Anyway, give them the questions. Anybody that tells you that doesn't know their Bible you can mark that down because right here in the Word of God.

We read in the Bible there are literally if you count. I counted 13 questions that David asked. 13 From Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 and by the way, Psalm 42 and 43 are basically connected. He's asking God why he's asking God where he's asking God when if you look in verse 1 when verse 3 We're verse 10.

We're verse 5 verse 11 chapter 43 verse 5. Why why why? Verse 9 Chapter 43 verse 2 why why verse 5 verse 11 and chapter 43 verse 5 why why why.