Be Zealous to Know God

 Begin with illustration from my prayer life:

o Few years ago, I looked forward to my quiet time hour each day during Naomi’s nap, mostly because it was
quiet time where I didn’t have to do anything else and I could sit and sip coffee while reading my Bible and
going through my prayer requests
o Didn’t really feel like I encountered God, but I learned a lot
o But just as we mature in our faith, our holiness, our wisdom, we can mature in our prayer life and grow in
the knowledge of God and in powerful prayer as we humble ourselves before God and become zealous
and hungry to know Him more
o It was like if someone offered to provide an all-you-can eat breakfast buffet for us everyday and we simply
chose to be content with our normal oatmeal or bowl of cereal. God is a consuming Fire, and we must allow
passion for Him to consume us.
 Theme for this message comes from a verse in Hosea 6; here’s the context:
o Yes, let us know (recognize, be acquainted with, and understand) Him; let us be zealous to know the Lord
[to appreciate, give heed to, and cherish Him]. His going forth is prepared and certain as the dawn, and He
will come to us as the [heavy] rain, as the latter rain that waters the earth. (Hosea 6:3 AMP)
 I love how the Amplified Version words it: let us be zealous to know God.
 And the promise that follows: that His coming in answer to us is certain
 But why don’t we see that promise of God’s coming to us as often as we’d like, especially as “heavy rains”?

 DESPERATION: We must maintain that zealous desire for more of God, possess that deep longing that King David
had when he wrote in Psalm 63:
o O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
    my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
   as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. (v.1 ESV)
o My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me. (v.8 AMP)
o His whole being desired God more than his flesh craved food and water. In the same way a hungry person
will do whatever it takes to get food for his starving body, David clung to God with all that he was and
followed Him closely wherever He went.
o Though David had been called a man after God’s own heart, chosen by God to lead His people, set apart
for God’s purposes, he never declared that he had enough of God already and was all set to do whatever
God wanted. No, he clung to God and thirsted and fainted for more of Him.
o STORY OF A DESPERATE WOMAN: Matthew 15:21-28
 Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite
woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of
David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed." But He did not answer her a word. And His
disciples came and implored Him, saying, "Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us." But
He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." But she came
and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" And He answered and said, "It is not
good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the
dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus said to her, "O
woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at
once.
o Jesus said blessed are those who are poor in spirit and those who hunger, for they will be satisfied

 EXPECTANCY/WATCHFULNESS: But David didn’t just want more of God; he sought God wholeheartedly and
waited upon Him continually.
o Psalm 25:5 “for You do I wait all the day long.”
 o And when we wait upon God, we don’t just sit in silence, struggling to keep our thoughts from wandering,
we come with hunger for God, with a hopeful expectation that God is going to come to us; that it is as
prepared and certain as the dawn; and that He wants to pour out the knowledge of Himself upon us more
than we can even imagine.
o But we must have that expectation continually at hand
 Luke wrote about how many of the people of Israel were waiting on God in expectation for the promised Messiah
who would come and deliver them from their present oppression
o The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the
Christ. John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the
thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
(Luke 3:15-16)
 Had they not been waiting on God with the expectation that He would come to them, answering
their cries for the promised Deliverer, they might have missed out on the work John the Baptist was
doing in the wilderness: calling God’s people to repentance in order to prepare the way for the Lord
to move.
 They might have missed John pointing out to them that someone greater than himself was coming
who would immerse them in the Spirit of God and holy fire!
 But they came, poor in spirit, desperate for God, expecting God to fulfill His promises
o When we come to God, pressing in to Him in order that we might grow in the knowledge of Jesus, and
waiting in stillness before Him, we must remember to come with expectancy in our hearts.
 It seems like a lot of Christians go to church each week not expecting a lot—everything is planned
ahead, predictable, and safe. Most leave unchanged, not having encountered God the All-
Consuming Fire or His Son Jesus, the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and fire!
 But if we come, every day in our “quiet” times and each moment in our daily lives and every
Sunday to church with a zealous desire to know God and an expectancy to see him move, God’s
going to move in powerful ways, because He delights to reveal Himself to those who are hungry for
Him
 EXPECTANT WOMAN: Luke 2:3 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of
the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from
when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the
temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she
began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of
Jerusalem.

 EXTRAVAGANT WORSHIP: David was a man who worshiped God extravagantly

o 1 Chronicles 15:25-29 “So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of thousands went to bring
up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-edom with rejoicing. And because God
helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, they sacrificed seven bulls and
seven rams. David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as also were all the Levites who were carrying the
ark, and the singers and Chenaniah the leader of the music of the singers. And David wore a linen ephod.
So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, to the sound of the horn,
trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres. And as the ark of the covenant of the
LORD came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David
dancing and rejoicing, and she despised him in her heart.”
 Every kind of instrument, song, celebration, ALL ISRAEL—all for God!!
 Some may judge, criticize, rebuke you for extravagantly worshiping God, but we seek to please
God, not people! David was a man after God’s own heart
 David set up a tabernacle for the ark where there was always music, singing, worshiping going on
before the Lord continually!
o The Bible says that we reap what we sow: if we sow passion for God, we will reap passionate lives through
which God can draw more people to Himself
 People are not looking to join a church, a movement, a club, but for something to be passionate
about!! Young people leave the church because they see no life and no passion for anything real
there; we must sow passion for Jesus in our lives and in the lives of those around us
 Jesus said (John 12:32), “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
o EXTRAVAGANT WOMAN: John 12:1-8
 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus
had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was
one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made
from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was
filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about
to betray him), said, "Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the
poor?" He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having
charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. Jesus said, "Leave her
alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but
you do not always have me."
 Ointment worth about a year’s wages
 Could have given to poor, but Jesus was pleased she “wasted” it on Him
o Read last two paragraphs from My Utmost for 9/2
 As we pour out our hearts & lives in extravagant worship/devotion to Jesus, He will continue to fill
us and pour living water through us that draws others to Himself
 But we cannot care what others think, only what God thinks

 UNDISTRACTED DEVOTION: David loved to be with God, to hear God, to behold God
o Psalm 27:4 AMP “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek, inquire for, and [insistently] require:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord [in His presence] all the days of my life, to behold and gaze upon
the beauty [the sweet attractiveness and the delightful loveliness] of the Lord and to meditate, consider,
and inquire in His temple.”
o We talked about how Jesus will draw people to Himself through us, but we must, as John the Baptist said,
decrease so that He might increase in us
 We must deny ourselves and fix our gaze zealously upon Jesus and pursue Him relentlessly
 Proverbs 3:5 says that we must trust in the Lord wholeheartedly and not in our own understanding,
but if we are not meeting regularly with God and denying ourselves and surrendering our lives to
Him each day, we are, in effect, trusting in our own strength rather than God’s
o We cannot conjure up passion, but we can set our hearts to be devoted to God
 God is a Consuming Fire, and as we start spending time daily in His presence, we will become
consumed with Him
o Doing stuff is not a substitute for spending time with the Living God; even Jesus took time alone to pray,
even with thousands looking for Him for healing and all sorts of needs
o TOTALLY DEVOTED WOMAN: Mary of Bethany
 Luke 10: 38-42 Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named
Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet
and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him
and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help
me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many
things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away
from her."
 Same woman who anointed Jesus & wiped His feet with her hair also sat at his feet and was
completely obsessed with Him, wanting to hear every word that He spoke!
 Her sister was so distracted with “much serving;” we can never allow what we think we should be
doing for God or others to get in the way of undistracted devotion to Jesus—serving is good, but if
it takes us away from God, we need to get our relationship with Him right
 FAITH: David was a man who had unwavering faith in God, despite his circumstances
o David was hiding out from Saul with his followers in Ziklag, a city outside of Israel. Once when he and his
men returned from fighting, they found their city completely burned down and all their wives and children
taken captive, including David’s wives and children. The people were obviously upset: Now David was
greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved,
every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. 1 Samuel
30:6
o David trusted God when no one and nothing but God was for him: Saul was against him and those who
claimed to follow him were starting to mutiny. He grabbed a hold of God and drew strength from Him! Had
so much faith because he’d spent so much time with God.
o God has given us so many promises in His word, if we will only take time to read them carefully, commit
them to memory, meditate upon them daily, and believe them with all our hearts.
o Does anyone have any favorite or current verses they are meditating on to help them grow in faith in the
promises of God?
o FAITH-FILLED WOMAN: Story of woman w/12-year hemorrage Mark 5:22-34
 Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet
and implored him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your
hands on her, so that she may be made well and live." And he went with him.
And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a
discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had
spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about
Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, "If I touch
even his garments, I will be made well." And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in
her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone
out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my garments?" And
his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched
me?'" And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened
to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he
said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."
 She didn’t care about protocol or politeness; she believed Jesus could heal and was desperate for
her healing, so she plowed through in order just to touch him.
 Didn’t need to talk face-to-face or have Him lay hands on her and pray; just touching him was
enough & He honored her faith
 Jesus did not rebuke her for her desperation and “butting in line,” rather He stopped, spoke gently
to her, and healed her b/c of her faith
o Without faith it is impossible to please God! As we spend time w/God and are zealous for the knowledge of
Him, we become more and more intimate with Him and have no doubts, no confusion, no skepticism that
He is who He says He is and does what He promises He will do!
o Read from Andrew Murray Abide in Christ from page 130-131 (final 2 paragraphs)
 Everything we need is in Jesus; He has ALL power
 We must be tight with Jesus in order to receive & use that power for God’s glory

 Be desperate for God, expect Him to do amazing things, worship Him w/all your heart in all you do, be completely
surrendered & consecrated to Him in every area of your life totally fixated upon Jesus, and believe that everything
you need is in Jesus and if you ask—you’ll receive it!!