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HAVING AN OBSESSION FOR GOD

Introduction

Do you have an obsession in your daily life? If so, what are you obsessed with.

You might ask what does it mean to have an obsession?

An "obsession" is defined as “an abnormal or intense pre-occupation--an irrational reverence or attachment to someone or something.”

Some 21 times here the Psalmist refers to God in these eleven short verses.

            He could have been obsessed with his enemies, for they were many.

            He could have been obsessed with his circumstances, for they weren’t very good.

However, rather than being obsessed with his enemies, he was obsessed with God!

What is it that you are most attached to in your life? Of course we all know that answer that each of us should be able to give is God.

The OBSESSION of the Psalmist was to meet with and to know God in a very deep and spiritually intimate way. Some have called Psalm 63 the "soul of the psalms."

I read where the early church sang this psalm every morning.

I would like for it to be our psalm for the New Year.

Sometimes circumstances leave us with nothing in life but God alone. David had been betrayed by his own son, exiled from his throne, and humiliated in the desert. Out of those experiences, he expressed here his desire for God and God alone.

Rather than make a host of New Year's resolutions which we would probably break anyhow. Why don't we seek and crave a relationship with the living God more than anything else in life?

Every believer should take part in that kind of pursuit and allow that to become the OBSESSION their lives.

What is your OBSESSION going to be this year? Is it going to be somebody, some thing, some pleasure, or is it going to be the person of God Himself? There is nothing wrong with an OBSESSION as long as it is in God.

There are three main things from this passage of scripture that I believe the Lord would have me to call to your attention in this service today, as we begin a brand new year--the year of 2005!

I.         WE NEED TO BEGIN THE YEAR SEEKING GOD.

The psalmist David reveals an overwhelming passion for God Himself.

Too often we get OBSESSED with what God can give to us, rather than the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. We get so out of round spiritually, that we sometimes seek more of what God can do for us, than we do to just enjoy the person of God (i.e. who He is).

How do we who are parents feel when our children want to be around us only for what we can give to them materially? It is not gratifying at all to think that our children are more concerned about what we can give them rather than just enjoying us for what and who we are.

The Psalmist David sought God for the worth of God Himself rather than anything God could do for Him. We would be wise to pattern our approach to God after that of the Psalmist David.

Every person needs to seek the Lord in order to find fulfillment. But, so many are seeking for everything but God.

            We need God more than we need anything else in life!

            Observe how David sought after God:

            A.        He Sought God with Intensity. (Vs 1)

"Early" expresses earnestness, diligence, eagerness or intensity.

                        It can refer to being early in the morning.

            I believe the Psalmist is combining both the thoughts of eagerness and earliness.

                        In verse one he refers to both a "thirstiness" and to a "longing"

Those two words suggest a condition just short of fainting for the presence of God.

Is there anything in your life that resembles or that is anywhere near the intensity of David in his quest for God?

                         1.         We Need To Seek Him Eagerly!

We should long for God as eagerly as a child is eager to open the Christmas presents on Christmas morning.

It should be such that we cannot wait to meet with Him, to touch Him and to see Him by faith.

                        2.         We Need To Seek Him Early!

Proverbs 8:17–"I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me."

We should start every day off with God. Many of start their day with a morning routine. But whatever else we start it with, we need to make sure that we begin it with the Lord by finding a time to commune with the Lord, and start the day off right.

            B.        He Sought God With Totality. (Vs 8)

When the Psalmist refers to his soul and body he says I am seeking God with all of my being or with all of me.

Our emotions, our reason, our will and the physical body through which they act, should all crave the living God.

Do you know what a craving is? All of us do. Some folks crave nicotine; some folks crave caffeine; other people crave sugar and sweets.

It is an urge in you that tells you that you must have something; that you cannot get along without it.

You and I should crave after God. It should be that we must have Him and cannot get along without Him in our lives!

We should give God:

                        Our Emotions= how we feel.

Our Intellect or Reason= how we think.

                         Our Will= what we desire.

                        Our Bodies=what we do.

It is so easy to play church–that is, to get into some type of religious lifestyle, and not really give all of ourselves, body, soul and spirit, to knowing God.

How would you like it if someone were to promise to give you a strawberry pie and just brought you one little peice when they came to follow through on their pledge? You would say, they did not give me what they should have given.

                        He Sought God With Intensity. He Sought God With Totality.

            C.        He Sought God With Necessity.

                         In verse 1 he speaks of “a dry and thirsty land, where no water is.”

                        David considered himself like a desert in need of water from God.

                        A desert is dry--it's sands thirst for water.

                        There are very few plants that can even survive in the desert.

One plant that does often survive in the desert is the cactus plant. The stems are green, fleshy, and succulent. They store up water in order to survive the long periods of drought that come. There is very little water evaporation through them because they have no leaves. Their long roots spread out and draw up all available moisture.

                        But, even the cactus plant occasionally has to have some water to keep surviving.

The greatest need of our life is a confrontation with God. We need that more than we need a good night's sleep, or a car to drive, or meals two or three times a day. We need that more than we need a well padded savings account or a closet full of very impressive clothes. We need God today as we never have before!!

                        So we need to seek God with intensity...with totality...with necessity.

Psalm 34:10--"The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing."

                        If we seek the Lord, we will not want (i.e have a lack) of any good thing.

                        Seek him in prayer, in Word, in the church, in daily activities....

            BEGIN THE NEW YEAR SEEKING GOD–THEN CONTINUE SEEKING GOD!

II.       BEGIN THE NEW YEAR REMEMBERING GOD.

How easy it is for us to forget about God. By forget I mean that we just pass over God sometimes without giving due attention to Him.

            How often do we fail to give God the attention that he deserves in our lives?

Too many times--too often---too frequently--too repeatedly-- time and time again--we fail to give God the attention He is due.

            A.        We Need To Remember God In Worshipfulness. (Vs 2)

We all need some of those high moments in God presence that we can recall later in life when we go through those low times that we all inevitably face.

                        Have you had any high moments with God in worship lately?

Have you waded around in any throne room glory recently?

We all need some high moments with God, because life has its share of valleys!

Some people lose their lives, their virtues, and all of their possessions, because they want to live on some physical high with dope and drugs. That ain’t living!

The high moments that God gives us in His presence are not like that at all!

They are times that we can look back on when we are going through the valleys to encourage ourselves and to know that there are some more mountaintop experiences yet to come. Thank God, life is not all valley!

David was exiled and alone, but he could remember back to gazing on the things of God in the Jerusalem sanctuary. Those "sanctuary memories" sustained him in the desert when he was exiled and alone even though he longed for them once again!

Do you have any of those "sanctuary memories."

                        What have you let God do for you in His Church lately?

                        We Need To Remember God In Worshipfulness.

            B.        We Need To Remember God in Wakefulness. (Vs 6)

At night, when you cannot sleep or when some fear may come into your life, you should remember God--give attention to Him no matter what the hour.

                        What do you do when you wake up at night and cannot sleep very well?

Do you go for the newspaper, turn on the T.V. set, or do you just sit and stare into the dark?

                        It pays to get your mind on the Lord– insomnia can often be a blessing in disguise.

Someone said, "When you wake up at night and cannot sleep, instead of counting sheep, why not talk to the Shepherd."

The Psalmist David was so engrossed, so absorbed, so immersed, so wrapped up in God and His goodness, that he thought of what God had done for Him throughout the night.

The nights belong to God as well as the day. Never lose sight of that.

Meet God once in a while after midnight. You may find some of the sweetest hours of your life during that time.

            BEGIN THE NEW YEAR SEEKING GOD.

            BEGIN THE NEW YEAR REMEMBERING GOD.

 III.      BEGIN THE NEW YEAR PRAISING GOD. (Vs 3)       T

            The Psalmist praised God in many of his Psalms.

Psalm 9:1-2; 28:7; 35:28; 40:3

            A.        Reasons Abound For the Praise of God.

                         1.         We Should Praise God For His Affection. (Vs 3-4)

Have you praised the Lord recently for His love and affections for you? God loves me and He loves you. There is nothing in us that could earn or merit such a love. But the Bible says:

                                    "Christ died for the ungodly."

"God so loved the world that he gave."

                         2.         We Should Praise God For His Satisfaction. (Vs 5-6)

We can have constant satisfaction in our spiritual lives.

                                    Spiritually, it is like we are sitting down to a rich and plenteous feast.

When we eat of God's spiritual food, we might even lose our appetite temporarily for physical food.

I have been in services before where I forgot that I was hungry physically because the spiritual food was so good.

                                    Do you know what I am talking about? Have you been there before?

                                    I hope so. Come to church to eat a spiritual meal.

                        3.         We Should Praise God For His Protection. (Vs 7-8)

                                    “The shadow of thy wings” speaks of protection.

                                    How does mother chick protect her little ones? Gets them under her wings.

It is said that a man by the name of Salmasius approached the blind poet John Milton about his blindness, telling Milton that it was a sign of the displeasure of God with him. The old poet said to him: " My blindness is only the twilight of God's wings which overshadow and protect me."

The right hand of God was holding Him up. Do you ever sense that?

                                    Like God is holding you up when you feel like you are about to fall?

                                    He certainly does do that!

                                    There are sufficient reasons for the praise of God.

Reasons abound for the praise of God

            B.        Responses Announce the Praises of God.

David emphasizes over and over the usage of the voice in the praise of God. He mentions singing, shouting, and extolling the goodness of God with the lips.

                        I have heard people say,"Well I praise God in my spirit."

That is good, but you ought to try it with you lips, too. God gave us our lips to praise him with. Give a testimony once in a while in the Church and outside of the church of what Jesus means to you.

Maybe the reason so many folks cannot give a testimony is because they do not have one. If you are truly saved you have a testimony.

CONCLUSION

There is every reason to begin this new year OBSESSED with God Himself. We all want God to bless our families, our Church, and our work, but we must first seek Him for who He is Himself.

Begin the new year seeking God! With intensity (eagerly and early), totality, necessity!

Begin the new year remembering God! In Worshipfulness and In Wakefulness

Begin the new year praising God!

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NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!