Spiritual Longings

First Chronicles chapter 11. First Chronicles chapter 11, we'll come to verse 16. David was then in the hole and the Philistines garrison was then in Bethlehem.

David longed and said, O that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate. Now keep this verse in your mind. You can underscore the word longed.

Just for a moment we'll come to the New Testament for final readings in John chapter 4. John chapter 4, verse number 10. Jesus answered and said unto her, if thou knowest the gift of God and who it is that saith to thee, give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, sir.

I will just pass on my reading, making it brief. Just come to verse 13. We've read in verse 10, Jesus answered and said unto her, now this is important, verse 13, Jesus answered and said unto her, whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

I'm thinking of David and I've often pondered what is said in Scripture that he is a man after God's own heart. Now personally as I think of that, that's something that is greatly to be desired and I could put a few titles on this message, being a man after God's own heart. I would think there is probably no one here that would pass us a desire like that.

You want to be a man after God's own heart. Another little title, they'll come a little closer on this, is drinking at the springs of living water. Our brother tied in the first message, our brother Lavery, our life and enjoying it.

Are you enjoying the Christian life? I want to, in the closing moments here, this will be just a little skeleton, this one is entitled spiritual longings. This here, as I dig deep in my own heart, as I think of David, a man after God's own heart, I'm going to give you now, very quickly, I have verses for these but you could search them yourself. The first spiritual longing that seems to head the list in my soul would be this, a richer fellowship with God.

These could be desires but I like the word longing. It just seems to come closer to my soul and I think today, if you're young, maybe you do well, if you don't get these now, please get them, write them down, as you wake in the morning, maybe you can just zip down through these, there's seven of them. A richer fellowship with God, even more, a richer fellowship with a triune God.

See the Apostle, when he writes, he uses an expression that is very special and I've underlined it, I've noticed it, if you count, they may be 273 times. He says that we're in Christ, a tremendous concept because it defines my intimate union with a triune God. That's what we've been brought into and I would long to have a richer fellowship with God.

Now that's another message that we speak upon, this fellowship. Our brother has mentioned that in relation to assemblies like in Norway. There's one thing the devil hates and it's fellowship and he's determined to get it stopped.

He will use everything to hinder fellowship with God. The devil is out to tear down and wreck and ruin every assembly testimony to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I'll say this and just pass on, there's brethren I can't have fellowship with like I would like to because they're not in fellowship with God.

I know that because of their unscriptural motives and practices and someone has said a moment's fellowship with God is worth the whole world. Do we prize it? Oh how blessed to have fellowship with God. The sad thing is we spend most of our life on a fellowship with God.

The next one quickly here is a fuller knowledge of Christ. I'm going to tell you, I just got one of these this morning so it's the last one. I've been trying to work on it just so it puts together a little bit.

A fuller knowledge of Christ. I think of all the things the Apostle Paul said, I've underlined it, I think I've even circled it. He said, I might know him.

I want to get to know him better. I only spoke a few times at this conference platform but I think I outlined this little thought that when I got saved I wished I had this desire and I've had it for quite a while. As I read the Bible, the gospel particularly, I want to learn all I can learn about the Lord Jesus Christ.

A fuller knowledge of himself because to know him is to love him. You really can't love somebody if you don't know him. Those that are married here will certainly agree with that.

To know him is to love him and if you love someone, to love him is to obey him. If you really love someone, you obey him and to obey him is to trust him and to trust him is to be blessed. Next one here and we'll try to stall on this one a little bit.

This is where my thoughts are coming mostly. A closer walk with Christ. A longing to have a fuller knowledge of Christ.

Oh that I might know more about Jesus what I know more of his love who died for me. A closer walk with Christ. He walks with me, the poet said, this friend so dear.

He talks with me, he's ever near. Ten thousand charms around him shine. Best of all, I know he's mine.

You know as we would walk with him and I could turn you to the chapter I've ministered from, it's Luke 24. Jesus himself drew near, it says, and he went with them. Oh how he loves that place of nearness with him and he drew near and he went with them.

It's the thought of his presence. Oh there's nothing more precious than the presence of God. To know his presence.

I have experienced it in my life. At different points I look back at them and I sense that an inner peace, a calmness in my soul, that his presence was with me. Those on that road to Mass, as they spoke with him, how wonderful it is just to be able to walk with him and that comes into the area of communion.

A walk speaks of testimony and we try to speak to believers about our Christian walk, how important it is. It's really our testimony and those that were early disciples, they took knowledge of them that they had been with Jesus. They were in company with the Lord.

There's companionship, there's communing one with another. He talks with me and I would talk with him. How blessed it is just to breathe a prayer in his listening ear.

The poet said a little talk with Jesus. I think about it sometimes. I haven't had any real deep values in my life but there's times when I have really drawn into that little poem, a little talk with Jesus, how it soothes a rugged road.

How it seems to bear me onward when I faint beneath my load. Though the sky may darken and all around me dim, it does not can yield me comfort like a little talk with him. That's walking close with him.

Maybe I'll just take a moment. I've mentioned this once or so before but it's a little poem that was given to me. I have in my home a young person, I take it as a young woman, wrote this poem and they're walking with the Lord and side-by-side and enjoying communion and as they're walking they're enjoying fellowship with God.

But by and by deep dark valleys come into their lives and all this darkness and all along they've sensed that there's two footsteps in the sands of time. Now when they're in the darkness and it's a trial they sense that they're all alone and there's only a single set of footsteps in the sands of time. But by and by they come out into the sunlight and this individual as a little poem goes they turn to God and say you was with me in the light and but when the darkness come it's like you abandoned me.

Now he is with us. He has promised I will never never leave you. That's in a double affirmative.

He will never leave us alone. But you know a voice come back to that despairing Christian and this is what the voice said. That single set of footsteps you saw in the sand of time they're not yours they're mine.

Whatever you do I speak to my own heart. Don't lose your hand in God. He is there.

He will bury you through the darkness and when it feels like no one's holding me he will. The voice said when you come to that time in your life I carried you. I carried you.

When it feels like no one's holding me he is. He was. He always will be.

How precious that is and I want a closer walk with my blessed Lord. When my strength is gone and I'm wounded in the battle he will carry me. That's confidence.

That's faith in God. Now another one is a deeper consciousness of his love. I want a longing.

A deeper consciousness of his love. Now I hope you don't have the experience and will take me a part of a message to go into Peter and explain Peter's experience. I hope we don't have to go through that kind of a thing to really come into a deeper consciousness of his love.

Peter's an example. Peter denied his Lord you know but what happened? Oh our gracious Lord drew near. When the cock crew it signaled a disciple's fallen and he looked at him.

It was a look of love and he come to Peter and he restored him. I tell you why did Peter go on so mightily for God? Peter like a disciple he had a deeper consciousness of his love. He had fallen very deeply.

He denied his Lord but Peter he sensed a deeper consciousness. I have failed my Lord but he never fails me. Oh to feel his arms above around you.

Then there's one here a better understanding of his will. Of his will. I'd like to know more of his will.

A better understanding of his will. I'm not going to tell it here in the platform but down in Newfoundland they're only telling me stories. I'm not gonna tell this one here it would make you smile even laugh but anyway after a while they knew I had a funny bone in me and they all they had to do was just poke me and make me laugh but this one was I want to be able to understand my wife.

I'll just leave that alone. Well I can't help you on that one but I can help you on this one. A deeper a better understanding of his will.

It's in this book that we have before us. A better understanding of his will. There's things that are clear clear.

This is the will of God for me but there's another verse maybe you passed it over. It speaks about the hidden wisdom of God. There's things that I can't understand but they're hidden wisdom of God.

There's a book that I have at home. It's one of the first books I ever bought. It is written by Mervyn Paul and I've escaped my mind.

His son-in-law was a missionary to Cuba. In his later years he went to El Salvador. That was his son-in-law and these words come from him personally then knew him very closely.

Mervyn Paul when he's 38 years old his wife of life-threatening illness died leaving four children and he went through that trial but he told his son-in-law personally. He come to a point where he even questioned God his existence but upon his restoration he became very useful for God. Mervyn Paul wrote the book training for raining and in assembly difficulties and problems he was able to give counsel.

He became a very wise counsel in marriage problems and so forth. He was one that was much sought after for funerals. Why? Because nobody understood like brother Paul.

That's the hidden wisdom of God. God will bring you through that you might not to reduce you but to refine you that you might be the better. We'll just have to stop now so we can close this meeting at four o'clock.

A greater usefulness for Christ. That's number six if you're writing him down. A greater usefulness for Christ.

Oliver Smith I understand when he was in his last closing days maybe hours of his life this is what he said. I've done so little. May once again we resolve that I want to be a man of God after his own heart.

I want to be used greater than I ever have before. A greater usefulness for Christ. The last one I will close.

It's good to close on the coming of the Lord. A brighter hope of his return. Isn't that a wonderful longing? Have a brighter hope.

That hope sometimes has been dim in my life but today may that hope be brighter. Faith love hope. We come to remember Lord.

My love is deepened. My faith is strengthened. My hope is bright.

We sing the hymn. How bright that blessed hope Jesus will come. Let us our heads lift up.

Bright will the glory be when he appears.