The Heart that Seeks God

The Heart that Seeks God
1 Chronicles 28:2-10
August 27-28, 2022       

David here is going to give his last and final speech, is coming to the end of his ministry, coming to the end of his rule and reign as King Solomon is going to take the position as king, he will be anointed soon. David gives one last speech. If you had one last speech to give, what would you say? I think what you would want to do is to give the greatest wisdom that you possibly could. What do you want to leave behind wouldn't it be the ultimate and greatest wisdom, and that is what we see from David.

He assembles there in Jerusalem, all the officials, all the princes, all the commanders of divisions, all the mighty men, all the valiant men. He first, he speaks to all of the leaders of Israel. He gives a word to them, which is just a right word, seek after all the words and the commandments of the Lord your God. Now this David knows is the key to a relationship to God, but a life that is blessed of God. Seek after the words and commandments of the Lord your God in order that you may possess this good land and bequeath it to your sons after you forever. That's such a great word.

David has come to understand something, that seeking after God, that seeking all of the words of God means to take hold of them for your own life. If you do that, God will bless you. He'll bless you abundantly and then you can leave good things to your son, your daughters after you. After David gives that speech, he turns to his son, Solomon, who will be anointed as the next King of Israel. He says some of the most profound words that a father can say to his son.

Again, he wants to say those words that would give Solomon the greatest opportunity to have a life that's blessed. Don't you want your children to be blessed? I do. I want my children to walk in the Lord. I think all parents here would say the same thing. If your kids walk in the ways of the Lord, I'll tell you what, it is a blessing to every parent. You so want that for them. Here's Solomon who's now been given the task of ruling and reigning as King of Israel, and also to build the temple.

David has brought all the resources and all the materials, all the craftsmen, all the artisans, the stone masons, his gold, silver, all of it, architects it's ready to be built and he is handing it all to Solomon, but before he does, he gives him a very powerful speech. Part of that is this profound word. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him. It's not just finding God. There's the seeking and there's the finding. It's not just finding, it's the discovering of everything that God desires to be in your life.

When you find Him, you will discover that there is a higher way, that there is a better way. There's a more glorious way to live. If you seek God, He will let you find Him. When you find Him, He will open your eyes that you would discover that God wants to give you a beautiful life, because God wants to bless your soul. Oh, how important it is to have a soul that's right with God. I tell you it's so important to have a soul that's right with God. That's what it means to have a beautiful life.

God never promised an easy life. I can tell you, I have not had an easy one, but I'll tell you that God has blessed me because His presence has changed my life. Anybody else? It's so important to see He'll bless you. He'll walk with you on this journey. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him. All right, let's read this speech. It's in 1 Chronicles 28 and we begin in verse 2. "King David rose to his feet and he said, listen to me, my brethren and my people I had in my heart to build a permanent home for the Arc Of The Covenant Of The Lord and the footstool for our God, so I made preparations to build it, but God said to me, you shall not build a house for my name because you are a man of war and have shed blood.

Yet. The Lord, the God of Israel chose me from all the house of my father to be King over Israel forever. As we know Jesus is the greatest fulfillment of that because Jesus is a Son Of David. For, he continues, God has chosen Judah to be a leader. In the House of Judah, my father's house, and among the sons of my father, He took pleasure in me to make me King over Israel."

What a phrase is that? "God took pleasure in me that I should be king over all Israel. Of all my sons, for the Lord has given me many sons, He has chosen my son, Solomon, to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. He said to me, God said to me, your son, Solomon, is the one who will build my house and my courts, noticed this, for I have chosen him to be a son to me and I will be a father to him. I will establish his kingdom forever if he resolutely performs my commandments and my ordinances as is done now."

Now, in the side of all Israel, the side of the assembly of the Lord and in the hearing of our God, he says to Solomon, "Observe and seek after all the words, all the commandments of the Lord your God in order that you may possess this good land and bequeathed to your sons after you forever. As for you my son, Solomon, know the God of your father and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind."

Oh, there's so much for us to take hold of here. "Serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him." Here are those famous words. "He says to Solomon, if you seek Him, He will let you find him, but if you forsaken Him, He will reject you forever. Consider now for the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be courageous and move and act."

All right, those are the verses I want to look at. Of course, we looked at the verses around this on Wednesday in our verse-by-verse chapter-by-chapter study. I want us to look at these. There are many principles here. Out of this great-- a speech filled with wisdom because he wants to equip Solomon to do well in life. God wants those words to be taken hold of by all of us because God wants you to do well in life. With your understanding, He starts out with this, live as a son of your father.

I.   Live as a Son of Your Father

Notice verse 6, "I have chosen him to be a son to me and I will be a father to Him." This promise is a key. If Solomon could learn to live as a son of the Father, it would be a great key to Solomon's life and Solomon's success. It would change everything. I submit that the same is true for you and me. If we could understand what it means to live as a son or a daughter of your father, that you would understand that God wants relationship to you as a father would to a son or daughter.

Jesus referred to God as His Father so many times in the gospels, it's listed more than 50 times that Jesus referred to God as His Father. In fact, the disciple saw the relationship that Jesus had with God as His Father. They saw Jesus in this relationship praying. Jesus would go off by Himself and He would pray and they could see that He was with His Father and they wanted to understand more.

They said to him, "Teach us that, teach us how to pray." You remember what Jesus said. He began that instruction on prayer by saying, "When you pray say our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be the name," but this is a new understanding. This is not the way the Jews understood God. In fact, the name of God is not even spoken because it's considered so holy and so amazing and power that they will not even say their name. No one knows how to say the name of God.

We think we can make some speculation. It might sound like Yahweh or something like this, but we don't really know because the Jews won't say and never have for many, many years. In fact, when they refer to God, even today, they referred to him as HaShem, which means in Hebrew the name, but Jesus said, "When you pray you say my Father." Now, to learn to live with God as a Father it's a very important part of our relationship to understand because it suggests relationship, but it also suggests authority.

If God is the Father and we are the son or the daughter, then God has authority over our lives. He's the Father or the Son. It says, "God chose him to be a son." God chose you to be a son or a daughter. God is pursuing you to be a son or a daughter because that's the key to a victorious and blessed life. Adoption is a beautiful picture of that because we are called sons and daughters of God by adoption. God has adopted us. You can look at several places in the Scripture, Romans 8 being one of them.

When we adopted our two boys from Russia many years ago now, 21 years ago, it really became a picture for us of that very, very thing. It was an interesting thing. It started out when we heard that there was a 13-year-old boy here from Russia and there was an agency who brought older children. He was 13, older children rarely get adopted and so they didn't want to tell him that he was here to potentially be adopted. They said that he was going to be a part of a soccer program, which they put in him into, of course, that was the truth, and we heard that he was here.

In fact, interestingly it was our daughters who said, "We want a brother. He came to us," and mom her first reaction was, "I'm not having anymore kids. I'm done with that." "No, no, no, let's adopt." When we heard there was a 13-year-old boy that fit into the ages, we thought, "Oh yes." We called the agency and they said, "He doesn't know he's here for adoption so just go visit the family like you're really great friends." We never met this family before, but we rang the doorbell and, "Hi, how are you. So good to see you. I haven't seen you so long."

We sat and talked to them and we got to meet Sasha and Alex or Alexander, and then we arranged for another picnic together. That's what good friends do after all, and we had a great time playing soccer together and then we invited him to stay with us as our guests for a week or so at our home. Everyone fell in love with him so we invited him. You are invited. We want you to be in our family. There's that picture of we pursued, we wanted him to be our son.

Our son was just here. He lives on the East Coast. He works for the federal government. He was in the Marines. He was in Special Forces in the Marines for nine years and now he works for the federal government and he was just here for vacation and oh, what a wonderful time. God gave me a son. What a fine young man he's turned out to be. God gave me a son, and God gave him a father. There's a relationship there. There's a respect there.

A.  Abide under your Father’s authority - well

This is the thing, abide under your father's authority is the understanding of what he's saying to Solomon. If you understand what it means to live as a son of your father, then you understand what it means to abide under your father's authority well. You notice well, not resisting, not chafing not, not, not, not resisting, but well. It's like that-- In many places Israel was called stiff necked, that's because they would not humble themselves before God. Stiff neck is literally a neck that's stiff, it won't humble.

Again, I picture a father putting his hand on the neck of a boy. When our kids were young, that's a great place to put your hand. It just is so comfortable, but when there's a wonderful relationship between a father and the son, the son's response to that hand on his neck is, "That's so good. My dad his hand is so strong and he loves me. He protects me. All of that strength it's for me. All of his wisdom it's for me. You can put your hand on my neck anytime. I love you Dad. Papka is what they say in Russian, but what if there's that hardness and resistance and that chafing and, "I'm my own boss. Nobody tells me what to do."

That sounds like an American attitude, doesn't it? The Scripture calls it sniff neck if that's the way we act towards God. No, no, no don't put your hand on, no, but see David is giving his son Solomon a great key. Live under the authority of your father well. It's a beautiful picture. If Solomon would abide under his father's authority well, it would change everything. It would be the key to his success because if his father has authority over him, then Solomon will move in the authority of God Himself. It's interesting understanding.

In fact, we see this in the Scriptures. When Jesus entered Capernaum, a Roman centurion came to him imploring Jesus saying, "Lord, my servant is paralyzed at home fearfully tormented." Jesus responded, "I will come and heal him." This picks up in Matthew 8:8, but the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for you to come under my roof, just speak the word and my servant will be healed."

Notice what he says next, "For I also am a man under authority with soldiers under me and I say to this one go and he goes, and to another come and he comes, and to my servant do this and he does it." He's saying to Jesus, I understand how this is. You have authority of your Father. All you have to do is speak and my servant will be healed. Jesus when He heard this, He marveled. In fact, he said, "I have not found faith like this in all of Israel." That's an amazing thing. "I have not found faith like this with anyone in Israel." That is a deep understanding.

The centurion understood something about authority that many people do not understand. He had an understanding of faith. If God is your Father, then you are under His authority well. To abide under your Father's authority well is one of the greatest keys of life. David is giving Solomon one of the greatest keys of life to abide under it well, to abide when God speaks. If God is your Father, you have every advantage in life. See the implication, see the application, see the significance, see the meaning of it. If God is your Father, you have every advantage in your life.

Verse 20, "Be strong and courageous and act. Don't fear, do not be dismayed because the Lord, God, my God is with you, Solomon, He will never fail you. He'll never forsake you until all the work of the Lord is done." Now, this is a good word. It's every advantage in life. Now, I've used my personal story on this because the application is important. Many of you know my story. I grew up in extreme poverty. My father was an alcoholic, not just any alcoholic, angry, cantankerous, abusive alcoholic.

I thought I had every disadvantage. I thought everything was against me, I looked around, I thought everyone else must have had good fathers, of course, later realized that wasn't true, but on my 21st birthday, it came to a point where I wanted to deal with this with God. I was angry, I was hurt. Everything was against me. I had every disadvantage in life and so I'm telling God what I think, very respectfully, but I'm telling God what I think, and then that word, you ever had the Holy Spirit just impress a word on your heart?

I had that Holy Spirit moment where God just pressed it on my heart, "I will be your Father now." In other words, I understand. I understand what you've had for a father, but I will be your Father now, and I will be a Father like no earthly father could ever be. I will never leave you. Same thing that David said to Solomon, "I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. I put my hand on your life," and I'll tell you what, if God's hand is on your life, you have favor.

B. Receive the word your Father speaks

I thought I had every disadvantage. I thought everything was against me. Now I've come to understand if God is my Father, I have every advantage, and if God is for me, who can be against me? Anybody want to agree with me on this? Can we get a lot of praise and glory? Absolutely. If God is your Father, then David says, then receive the word your Father speaks, see, verse 7. If you would resolutely do it, take all of the words that God has spoken. If you would resolutely do the words that God is spoken to you. If God is your Father, then you have weight to His words. His words have authority, His words have power, His words have weight.

Verse 8, "Observe, seek, after all the words, the commandments of the Lord your God, then you will possess the land, bequeathed." If God is your Father, then His words carry the weight of His heart. Words are powerful, words are powerful in and of themselves because when you speak-- I mean, our words are powerful. When you speak it's your heart that bears fruit. Your words come from who you are.

Jesus said in Luke, 6:45, "The mouth speaks from that which fills the heart." This is the truth, we know this is true. The good man out of the good treasures of his heart will speak forth what is good, because the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart. Now the opposite is also true. Out of the evil of the heart, men will say evil things, harsh things, words that are hurtful. Out of a hurt heart comes hurtful words. Out of an angry heart comes angry words, but out of a good heart, a good man out of the good treasure brings forth what is good.

Here's the thing. God also speaks from that which fills His heart. When you keep God's word in your heart, you are carrying God's heart in your heart. Now that's a beautiful picture. When you have God's word see a good man out of the good treasure of his heart. Well, how do you put good treasure in your heart? "Thy word have I treasured in my heart," David wrote in another place. That's the idea. Keep God's word, God's heart. When you carry God's word, you're in carrying the words of your Father.

I tell you, when God sends His word into your life, it will accomplish the purpose of God when He sends that word. God's words are powerful. Do you believe that? They're sharper than any two-edged sword, they're living and active, powerful. When God sends forth His word, He sends them in power to accomplish a purpose in your life, known as Isaiah 55:11, "So shall my word be which goes forth from my mouth," but even God speaks for that which fills the heart.

"So shall my word be which goes forth from my mouth for it not return to me empty or void without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it." When God sends His Word into your heart, it becomes a foundation on which you can build your life for it will transform who you are. God's heart will transform your heart, for sure. Then we see this great principle that you can see that David is saying to his son, which is live boldly.

C. Live boldly!

Verse 10, "Consider now the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be courageous." That's another way of saying live boldly, man, boldly. Verse 20, "Be strong and courageous and act." Men of action. Do not fear. Do not be dismayed for the Lord God, my God is with you. He will never fail you, He will never forsake you until all the work of the Lord is done. When you live with God as your Father is to live courageously, boldly, having confidence that if God is your Father, then His hand is on your life, and His help is with you. He will make you bold in action. Proverbs 28:1, "The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, but the righteous are as bold as a lion."

Don't you love that verse right there? I love that verse. That's a picture of a heart that's right with God right there. The wicked flee when no one's pursuing in other words, you're looking over their shoulder, they don't know if they're going to get caught. They might get caught. Anybody see me? They're living in a state of concern or panic. Let me just tell you something, that is no way to live your life. Anybody agree with me? That is no way to live your life, but when your heart is right with God, when your soul is right with God, there's a boldness with that.

The righteous flee when no one is pursuing but the righteous are as bold as lion. There's no one who's perfect. They're not suggesting anyone is, but when you're right with God, when He does a beautiful work in your soul, the boldness of God is the boldness of a lion. Confidence in God is an aspect of faith. Confidence in God is an aspect of faith. I tell you that the more storms and travails that you have walked through with God, the more you have seen His hand guiding you through trouble, the more confidence you have in Him as your Father.

I have walked through many, many troubles, and God has walked with me through every one of them. Anybody want to add your amen and your witness to that? Absolutely. Let's give Him praise. For you will then be able to say, if you've gone through many storms and so many travails, and you've seen His hand guiding you through the trouble, you would be able to say, "I know my God. I know my God. I know how He moves. I know that He rescues and saves. My Father. I know my Father. I know my God."

There is that confidence. If you believe that, then you'll watch for it and you'll wait for it. David believed that. Surely you must agree. David was a man of boldness because of his faith. That's the thing. Proverbs 27, memorize Psalm 27 sometime, it's a great song but just a couple verses. "The Lord is my light and my salvation so whom should I fear?" David is writing. If the Lord is my light and my salvation who should I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life, whom should I dread though a host encamp against me, though war-- He says, though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear. Though war arises against me in spite of this I shall be confident, confident in God.

II.  Seek God and He will Let You Find Him

1 Corinthians 16, "Be on the alert, stay firm in your faith. Act like men, be bold, be strong," and then he adds, "And let all that you do be done in love." That's the heart of God. You see there's the thing. There's a boldness that's with love. That's beautiful. There's this great principle. Seek God and He will let you find Him. That is so deep. That is such a wonderful word. "God searches all hearts," He says. "God understands every intent of the thought, but if you seek Him, He will let you find Him." He knows what you seek. He knows what you desire. He knows what you want.

When He says seek, He's like pursue. People pursue what they desire. Their desires drive them to pursue it. God suggests here that either the heart seeks after God and desires to know God more, or seeks their own way. Turns away from God. That's the person who wants the things of God, but they don't want God. They want the things they might receive from God but they don't want the personal relationship with God as their Father. It changes everything.

Moses is one of the greatest examples. We've been looking at that the last few weeks before I took vacation. I love the heart of Moses in Exodus 33, where he wants more of God. He wants to know Him. He's pursuing, isn't it? He's seeking. He says, "Now, therefore, I pray if I have found favor in your sight, then let me know your ways that I may know you." I want to know you more. Then he said, "Oh I just more thing, show me your glory. I want more."

A. Serve Him with a whole heart

Moses had seen more of glory than any human alive, so much so that he knew it was beautiful on the soul. I want more. I want to know you. If God is your Father, then there's a desire for knowing Him because that's why then David says, "Serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind," he adds. Serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind. You're under the authority of your Father well, no chaffing. There's no kicking. There's no resisting. "I love your hand on my neck, my Father."

He says in verse 9, "Know the God of your father." David is the father here. "Know the God of your father. I knew God. I knew Him well. Solomon, I want you to know Him well." Wouldn't that be what God would say to all of us? Know Him well. David wants Solomon to know God the same way that David knew God. David understood what few understand. If God is your Father, then God is your help. God is your help in time of need and His help, David says "Your help makes me great."

You make my feet like hind's feet, the feet of a deer. When you go to Israel, you will see these-- on the cliffs, it's like, how can they be on a cliff face? They're so sure-footed there. That's why he says "You make my feet like hind's feet. You set me on higher places. Your help makes me great." David understood what few understand. He's trying to give Solomon a great key. If God is your strength, He will be that strength for you. He's a shield about you. Therefore, serve Him with a whole heart and a willing. What does willing mean? It means I want to, I love you, God. You are my Father. I love you.

Let this matter be settled. Let this matter be settled. I love you. You're my Father. Don't kick against it. Abide well under His hand in your life. David wrote this Psalm 42:1, "As the deer pants for the water--" Remember we used to sing that song. Beautiful, beautiful. [sings] As the deer panted for the water, so my soul only thirsts thee. It's so beautiful. As the deer pants, the deer can smell water. They can smell it in the air and they long for it in a dry and weary land. As the deer longs pants, so my soul longs for you.

That's a willing heart right there. I want you Lord. I want more. My soul thirsts for the Living God. Psalm 63, another one, "Oh God you are my God, and I will seek you earnestly." You see why David is saying what he's saying in the song? Because he understands. You're my God and I will seek you earnestly. My soul thirsts for you. My flesh yearns for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Oh, look around the world. Are we not living in a dry and weary land where there is no water? We're talking in a spiritual sense. This is a messed up broken world, and in this messed up broken world my soul thirst for you because you're loving kindness. It's better than life. That was another song we used to sing. My lips will praise you and I will bless you as long as I live, and I will lift up my hands in your name. Ah, how beautiful is that.

David was a man after God's own heart and he wanted Solomon to know God the same way. I tell you, I tell you, I tell you if Solomon would've abided in these words, oh, it would've saved Israel so much trouble. If you know the history of it, we'll look at it. Oh, if Solomon would've abided in these words, it would've saved Israel so much trouble. I say to all of us here, if you would abide in these words, it will save you a lot of trouble.

B. Seek and you will find

Wise is the one who knows it when he's young. I wish I knew God when I was 20 the way I know God today. Anybody agree with me? He says, "Seek Him and He will let you find Him". Seek and you'll find, verse 9 is so powerful. "Seek Him and He'll let you find Him." There is an aspect of the human soul that is always seeking, always longing, always looking, always searching.

Think deeply. In the human soul there is a deep longing, there's a deep searching, searching for meaning, searching for purpose, searching for answers. I submit that God put that in the soul that it might be satisfied in God, that we might be those who seek Him earnestly as the deer pants for the water for I submit that the soul is not satisfied until it has found God. It is not just a matter of finding Him, it's a matter of discovering then all that it means to find Him, because when you find Him you'll find peace, you will find joy.

You'll discover that God can make a soul beautiful. You will find help in time of need. You will find that His hand will make you great. He says in verse 4, "God took pleasure in me," I love this right here. "God took pleasure in me and make me king over Israel." If you seek Him, He will let you find Him and you will discover God's pleasure over your life. God's pleasing. God's pleasure on your life is beautiful on the soul. The Scripture says, without faith it is impossible to please Him, but with great Faith God takes great pleasure.

I was thinking of an illustration. In 1923 during a quarter mile race in England, Olympic champion, Eric Liddell, tripped over the legs of another runner JJ Gilles and he fell, tripped, caused him to fall off the track. By the time he got up he was 30 yards behind the last place runner. You might know already that this is the substance of the Chariot's of Fire movie and that is a famous scene.

Probably the most famous scene in the whole movie, maybe it's one of the greatest scenes of runners as he fell on the track 30 yards behind the last place runner and he gets up and he starts running at a speed. Oh I tell you. I love it when my kids were running because it's so inspiring. Imagine this scene, he's 30 yards behind the last place finisher and he has such a speed that he passes every single one of them and won by three yards with music playing in the background.

He had it in his heart to be a missionary, very strong Christian. He made it very well known that he was in his heart to be a missionary. Someone said to him at one time, "Well if your heart is to be a missionary, why do you run? His answer has become famous. "I run because God made me fast and when I run I feel His pleasure." Oh that's good. That's good. God made me a pastor and when I teach His word I feel His pleasure. It is beautiful on the soul. God wants you to feel His pleasure. It's beautiful on the soul. God wants you to feel His pleasure.

God wants a relationship with you that you would feel His pleasure. If you seek Him, He will let you find Him, and when you find Him, you will find all that He is. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much. You are amazing. What can we say? We want to take hold of these words. We want to live by them. We seek you, we seek you earnestly for you said, if we would seek, you would then us find.

Well, God we want to seek earnestly more of you. We want a relationship where we would abide with you as our Father, and that we would abide under it well, because we want to feel your pleasure. We want the relationship with you where when we find you we find everything that you are in our lives.