I'm going to ask you to take
your Bibles and turn with me to the book of Psalms, chapter
27. Psalms 27. Psalm 27. Verse 4.
One thing have I desired of the Lord, That will I seek after, that
I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. Let's pray. Father, would you help us tonight
For Christ's sake, we ask these things. Amen. To find one, to find one that possesses one thing desired, and that is to dwell in the house of the
Lord all the days of his life. That's the only thing he desires. It must be divine, because I can tell you that there's
not a person sitting in this room tonight that could truthfully
say The only thing, the one thing, the one thing, the single thing
I desire, the single thing that I am going
to seek after is to dwell in the house of the Lord all the
days of my life. Now let me just tell you that
the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one that can say that. He said, John 4.34, my meat, my food, my drink, my
sustenance, my life is to do the will of Him that sent me
and to finish His work. To finish the work of the Father. He said, the one thing, my meat,
this is my life, to finish the work, and he did. John 8, 29, And he that sent
me is with me, the Father hath not left me alone, for I do always
those things that please Him. Everything that the Lord Jesus
Christ did, thought, said as the Father's elect servant was
pleasing in the sight of the Father. It was the Father that spoke
at His baptism on the Mount of Transfiguration and said concerning
Him, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. That's
what he said at his baptism. And on the Mount of Transfiguration,
he said, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, hear
ye Him. So I can tell you that every
believer is in total agreement with this fact that only in the
Lord Jesus Christ Can there be said that there is no distraction,
no weakness, no disappointment in the days of His humiliation
when He walked on this earth? Only of Him could it be said. One thing I've desired of Jehovah,
that will I seek after. That I may dwell in the house
of the Lord all the days of my life. But I can tell you this,
For a believer, there is that desire for that. A believer desires that. Paul said in Romans 7.18, I know
that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing, for to
will is present with me. But how to perform that which
is good, I find not. Let me ask you this,
you that know Him, do you not desire? There's a new man in
you that sinneth not, that does not sin. There's a new man in
you. There's an old nature, an old
man there that does nothing but sin. And that new man, that sinneth
not is the one that says what Paul
says. I know that in me that is in
my flesh dwelleth no good thing. To will is present with me. Only
a believer could say that. But how to perform that which
is good, I find not. But I can tell you this, being
found in the Lord Jesus Christ, being found in Him. I and every
believer can truthfully say, I have obeyed God. In Christ I have. Knowing that
a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the
faith, of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus
Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not
by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified." This is what he said. He said, I know,
I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ whose righteousness is imputed
to me. I believe in Him because I know
that by the works of the law no flesh is going to be justified. So let's just look at this scripture
for a few minutes and hear the heart of a believer as he's found
in Christ. And the believer absolutely desires
this and realizes, but for the grace of God, it would never
be accomplished. One thing have I desired of the
Lord, and that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house
of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of
the Lord and to inquire in His temple. You know the first thing
I see of that is the one from whom the psalmist desires this
one thing. One thing have I desired of the
Lord. Not from one who has no power
to accomplish or to provide the desire of my heart. Not from one who has no heart
for me, but of the Lord. One thing have
I desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after." Listen to
Isaiah 5-6, "...Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. Call ye
upon him while he is near." Paul the Apostle expressed that
desire. Listen to Philippians 3.10. This
is what he said, "...that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection,
and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His
death." Verse 13 of Philippians 3, he says, "...Brethren, I count
not myself to have apprehended, but this one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those
things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ." A believer wants that. I want that. I want to know Him. I want to be found in Him. And how many times Numerous times,
but I just jotted down a few of the scriptures where I saw
examples given of where there were those that sought the Lord
while He could be found. He was walking down the road
one day, going through a town called Jericho, and there was
a blind beggar on the side of the road there. Bartimaeus was
his name. And he heard that it was Jesus
of Nazareth walking by. Jesus of Nazareth was walking
by. Seek ye the Lord while he may
be found. Call ye upon him while he is
near. If the Lord has given you a heart
to cry out to God for mercy in Christ. Do it. Do it. What if I'm not one of
the elect? Has He given you a heart to call?
Then you call. If you have a heart to call,
He gave you that heart to do it. He heard that Jesus of Nazareth
was walking by. And He cried out, Jesus, thou
Son of David, You who are the Messiah, have mercy on me. And the scripture says, And Jesus
stood still, and commanded him to be called.
That's Mark 10, 46 to 49, where that passage is. And he asked him, What wilt thou
that I should do unto thee? And the blind man said unto him,
Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him,
Go thy way, thy faith, the object of your faith, the
one in whom you have faith, thy faith hath made thee whole. saved you. That's what it means. The object of your faith has
saved you. One thing I've desired of the
Lord, and that which I'll seek after. There was a man named
Zacchaeus. The Lord came on through Jericho.
And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a publican. And the scripture
says he was short of stature. I think of the mercy of God that
allowed him to be that way. Because he couldn't see. He climbed
up in a sycamore tree. He had to. By the grace of God,
he had to climb up in a tree. Because the Lord was going to
pass that way. And the Lord came to that place
and looked up and saw him and said, Zacchaeus, make haste and come down for
today, I must abide in thy house." The reason that he must abide,
verse 9 of Luke 19 says, because this day salvation has come to
this house for as much as he also is a son of Abraham. One thing I've desired in the
Lord, desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after. Old Blind
Bartimaeus, he sought after the Lord. Zacchaeus, he sought after
the Lord. Matthew 9, 20, 21, Behold a woman
which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind
him, and touched the hem of his garment. For she said within
herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. These sought the Lord. One thing Have I desired of the
Lord? That will I seek after. What
is the one thing that a believer seeks after? He seeks after Christ. He seeks after the Lord Jesus
Christ. He is the one thing. Let me ask you this. When a man
or woman stands before God, what's the one thing that you're
going to need? Him. He that hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son hath
not life. One thing have I desired of the
Lord, and that will I seek after. And listen to this, how the psalmist
says it. That I may dwell in the house
of the Lord all the days of my life. You know, when you read that,
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my
life." Is that heaven? The heavens can't contain him. I know that a believer desires
to be with the Lord. We leave this world The Lord
Jesus Christ said, Father, I will that they also whom thou hast
given me be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory
which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation
of the world. And a believer desires the same
thing that the Lord Jesus Christ desires for his people. Listen
to this. As for me, I will behold thy
face in righteousness. I shall be satisfied when I awake
with thy likeness. The believer longs to be with
the Lord. But is heaven the house of the Lord? Is the house of the Lord the
church? I know this where two or three
are gathered together in His name. He said, I am in the midst
of you. There is something extremely
wonderful about being able to assemble ourselves together tonight. This is the body of the Lord
Jesus Christ. God's people are His people,
His body. I know this, 1 Corinthians 3.16
says, Know ye not that ye are the temple of God? That Christ
dwells in you, if you be not reprobate. I know that the church is that
place where His Word is proclaimed and He is honored, where His
people feed upon Him who is the bread of heaven and the water
of life. But is the church that which is referred to here as
the house of the Lord? Let me tell you what or who the
house of the Lord is. Look at the wording. One thing
have I desired of Jehovah, that will I seek after, that I may
dwell in the house of the Lord Jehovah all the days of my life. Do you know who the house of
Jehovah is? 2 Corinthians 5, 9, to wit, that
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word
of reconciliation. Colossians 2, 8 and 9, Beware,
lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit after
the tradition of men, and after the rudiments of the world, and
not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. Do you want to know who the house
of the Lord God Jehovah is? It's the Lord Jesus Christ. In
Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead. You're talking about the one
to whom He prayed while in the days of His humiliation? The
one upon whom the Spirit of God descended in the form of a dove?
Yes. I recognize these things are
too high for us, but I can tell you what the scripture says.
God was in Christ. In Him dwelleth all the fullness
of the Godhead bodily. And I want you to just look at
verse 5, so I can bear this out. For in the time of trouble, He,
who has He been talking about? He's been talking about Jehovah.
For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion.
In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me in that cleft
of a rock. He that has put me in Christ keeps me in Christ. And in Christ
I am in the house of Jehovah himself. One thing have I desired
of the Lord, and that will I seek after, to know Him, to be found
in Him, that I may dwell. Oh, that word
dwell there, what a beautiful word. It means to be set and secure and to abide. that I may dwell
in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. A believer's desire is to dwell. And in that dwelling, he says, to behold the beauty of the Lord. when we consider the beauty of
the Lord. I jotted down a few scriptures
here. First Chronicles, let me just read this to you. 1629. Give unto Jehovah. When I say Jehovah, you'll just
know that it's all capital letters. Give unto the Lord, Jehovah,
the glory due unto His name. Bring an offering. Come before
Him. Worship Jehovah in the beauty
of holiness. I think of that psalm, psalm,
not psalm, Isaiah 6-1. The scripture says, in the year
King Uzziah died, Isaiah the prophet speaking, I saw also
the Lord. There it's the Lord Jesus. sitting upon a throne, high and
lifted up, and his train filled the temple. And above it stood
the seraphims, and each one had six wings, with twenty covered
his face, with twenty covered his feet, with twenty did fly. And one cried unto another and
said, Holy, holy, holy is Jehovah, the Lord of hosts. The whole
earth is full of his glory. The psalmist says, one thing
I've desired of the Lord, and that which I'll seek after, that
I may dwell in Christ all the days of my life, to behold
the beauty of Jehovah as the Lord Jesus Christ, the
one in whom the believer dwells, reveals Him. Isaiah 33.10, Now will I rise,
saith the Lord Jehovah. Now will I be exalted, now will
I lift up myself. You know, the one that we behold
the beauty of is Jehovah Himself who is exalted. Does not your
heart rejoice when we by faith behold the beauty of the One
that we highly esteem. Where is your God, David? David
said, Psalm 115, verse 3, But our God is in the heavens, and
He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased. You let men talk of
a God that they manipulate, hold at bay by their will and by the
beauty of Him who is exalted. High and lifted up. That's a
believer's desire. That I may dwell in the house
of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of
the Lord. Listen to this, Isaiah 33, 17. Thine eyes shall see the King
in His beauty. The believer desires and does
look upon by faith Him who is their King, Paul, the servant of Jesus Christ. Are you not His bond slaves?
Do you not say, as Saul of Tarsus said when the Lord called him
on the road to Damascus, Who art thou, Lord? I'm Jesus that
you're persecuting. Lord, what would you have me to do?
That's a believer's heart. What would you? And then this
last one, Exodus 33. 1819, Moses asked the Lord, it's a
very familiar passage of scripture, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And he said, I will make all
my goodness. Look that word up and tell me
what it is. I'll tell you. Beauty. I beseech
thee, show me thy glory. He said, I will make all of my
beauty. pass before thee. I will proclaim
the name of the Lord before thee. And here is His beauty. And you,
that Almighty God has given a heart for Christ, do you not behold
this beauty? I will be gracious to whom I
will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show
mercy. how beautiful that Almighty God
would show mercy and compassion. There is a desire found within
God's people to dwell in Christ all the days of their lives that
they might, by the grace of God, behold the beauty the splendor,
the pleasantness, the grace, the mercy, the compassion of
the Lord. That beauty that the Lord has
been pleased to shed upon His people through the preaching
of the glorious gospel of Christ. His holiness. How beautiful. I'll be the first to tell you,
I can't enter into it. I don't know what to say about
it. But I can tell you this, I can read the scriptures where
those seraphims cried, holy, holy, holy, night and day, never
ceasing. And I'm thinking, Lord, that
I might behold, though I behold through a glass darkly, I do
behold your beauty. Consider the beauty of irresistible
grace. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. Is that not beautiful? And He
that cometh to me, let me tell you something else that's beautiful.
I will in no wise cast out. I'm not going to cast you out.
But what if I don't remain faithful? Count on it. You won't. You're going to stumble, but
you won't stay down. The Lord will lift you up. The beauty of Him that keeps
us through faith by His power unto salvation ready to be revealed
in the last time. You that know Him, you behold
His beauty. The believer seeks that instruction,
lastly, It says, and to inquire in his temple. A believer knows him and desires
to know him. In Acts 17 11, there was a group
of believers there and this was what was said about them. I just
think, what a What a wonderful miracle of God's grace. God would
do something for a group of people and give them a heart. Because
I can tell you this, I know this, they didn't find the strength
and the faith in themselves to do this. These were more noble
than those in Thessalonica. in that they received the Word
with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily,
whether those things were so." You know, when you hear something
from God's Word, or you look on it, you see it, It contradicts maybe something
that you've always thought or was taught or heard or something
like that. When a believer looks at God's
Word and the Spirit of God teaches him, you know what a believer
is going to say? I believe that. I believe that. I want to inquire in his temple. The last passage of Scripture
came to pass in Luke 10, 38-42, as they went, the Lord and His
disciples, that He entered into a certain village, and a certain
woman named Martha received Him into her house. And she had a
sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard
His word. But Martha was cumbered about
much serving, and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou not
care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? Bid her therefore
that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto
her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many
things. One thing is needful, and Mary
has chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from
her." What did she do? She heard His Word. She inquired. She sought. That's what that
word means. She sought. Faith cometh by hearing
and hearing by the Word of God. A believer has a desire. And he desires
it of the Lord. And he seeks after it. He seeks
after it in the hearing of the gospel. He seeks after it in
the searching of the scriptures. He seeks after asking, praying,
going into his closet and speaking to the Father in secret. And
the Father who hears in secret will reward him openly. And this
is what he seeks. that I may dwell in the house
of the Lord all the days of my life. I want to be found in Him.
I want to know Him. I want to know Him. To behold the beauty of Almighty
God, His holiness, the King, His mercy, His compassion, and
to inquire. I want to learn of Him. We grow
in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. Lord, bless these words to our
heart, for Christ's sake. Amen.