Jesus Christ is referred to by
name in various different forms. He's called the lily of the valley. He's called the bright and morning
star. He's called the shepherd, the
great shepherd. the chief shepherd of the sheep. He's called Emmanuel, God with
us. He's called the King of Kings. He's called Potentate, the only Potentate,
Lord of Lords. Christ God. But here in this
passage that I read to you, he's called the desire of a nation. And I said just a few minutes
ago that God had a people, a people selected and set apart, chosen,
called them His elect. people, chosen in Christ and
wrote their names down in the Lamb's Book of Life, this chosen
people. And this chosen people, Christ is their desire. When they find out their misery and what
they are by nature, they have a desire. And this
desire can only be fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. So
he has many names. And here it's the desire of the nations.
The word desire is a strong word. It means to long for, to hope for. It's a strong feeling. You have
a desire, you have a It's a strong feeling. It's kind of a craving,
a desire. It's like some people have a
craving for a chocolate bar. Strong craving. It's a need that can only be
realized by being met. strong desire, strong need. It cannot be realized by science
or technology or philosophy. It's a desire, it's a need, it's
a craving that goes over beyond. philosophy and science. And he says here
something about the desire of all nations. Well, I told you that God had
a spiritual people, and they are that nation, this spiritual
people They don't just come from one nation. They come from every tribe and every tongue. They are so numerous and great
that no man can number them. There's millions and millions
of them. They're a covenant people. I mean that God chose them. And he guarantees them salvation, which includes life,
eternal life. He guarantees the spiritual people
that no man can number. He guarantees them eternal life. that they will live forever and He'll be their God forever
and forever. And there'll come a time when
they'll find all their desire to be in the Lord Jesus Christ. All their desire will be in Him. Now, old David, back here in
2 Samuel, if you want to turn and read with me, it's in 2 Samuel
chapter 23. These are the last words of David
the king. the son of Jesse, the man who
was raised up on high. And he was the anointed of God,
the God of Jacob. And he was the sweet psalmist
of Israel. And the Spirit of the Lord spake
by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said,
the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must
be just, ruling in the fear of God. He shall be as the light
of the morning when the sun rises, even a morning without clouds,
as the tender grass springing out of the by clear shining after
rain. It gives you a little biography
of this great King David. He had all that his heart could
desire. David had everything. He wished
for nothing. He was laid down with silver
and gold. his coffer was full, had anything and everything that
he wished for or desired after. But he said this, Although my house be not so with
God. That is, his whole family was not There was no atonement for all
of his family. Some of his family had never
experienced the misery of who they are or the grace of God
in the atonement. He said, Although my house be
not so with God, My children are not under the cover. They're
not under the blood. They're not under the atonement.
Although that my house be not so with God, yet he hath made
with me an everlasting covenant, ordered
in all things and sure. guaranteed, ordered in all things
and guaranteed. The salvation of God guarantees
eternal life to the receiver of the Lord Jesus Christ because
the Lord Jesus Christ is the delight of the sinner's heart. ordered
in all things and sure." I'm sure of it. When his child died,
he had mourned for some time. And finally, when they said the
child is dead, David, David immediately got up and took a bath, cleaned
up, and ate a hearty meal. And they couldn't understand
that. And David said, The child is dead. There's nothing I can
do about it. I can't bring him back. He's
dead. But I can go where he is. A guaranteed salvation. Well, he said, For this is all
my salvation and all my desire. What was David's desire? The desire was fulfilled in God. This is all my desire, that I
might see him, might know him, and be with him forever and forever. This is my desire. He had silver
and gold. He had all that human flesh needed
and wanted to enjoy while he was here, honor and praise, homage. The man, after God's own heart,
said, This is all my desire, although he made it not to grow.
That didn't cover my children. Well, our spiritual people, the objects of his love. This people that come from all
tribes, tongues, nations shall find in the Lord Jesus Christ
all of their desire. All my desire. You remember now,
this was the last words of David. about to go off into eternity. And he said, This is all my desire,
a covenant God. The Scriptures say over and over
that Christ is all and in all. You see, men by nature, since
the fall of Adam, men by nature have a desire that always finds
a wrong object. But God says there will be a
nation, a spiritual nation, and that spiritual nation will find
in Christ all their desires. He is called the desire of a
nation. Now, all through the history
of civilization, you'll find, if you know anything
at all about history, which I don't know much, but I know a little
about it, you'll find in the records left by the historians
that men throughout all ages, from Adam unto this day, all
of them bear and have one basic desire. Men desire a visible
God, a visible God, a God that they can see. a God that they
can touch and a God that they can handle. All men, by nature,
desire a visible God. That's the reason why men make
statues of what they think God looks like. They make statues
of Him. They make statues out of wood,
they make statues out of brass, copper, silver, and gold. They desire a visible God, a
God that they can see, a God that they can touch, a God that
they can move around. They put them in carts and drag
them behind their horse They hang them on the wall, they make
pictures of them. Man, by nature, don't you see,
desires a visible God. They stand out on cloudless nights
and look into the heavens to see if they can see a visible
form of some sort that they can call God. I just heard there
on the news recently that a few years back when they sent some
astronauts into space, they had cameras that could depict what
was on the planet Mars. And they were assured that there
was a picture of a man on the planet Mars. And when they came back from
space, of course they told it through their telecommunication
to Earth before they come back, but when they come back they
told about seeing this picture of a man's or of a face of a
human being on Mars. And it's taken them now about
two years of exhaustive study and searching out this image
that they were sure was a man. And they said, we've come to
the conclusion it was not a man, it was a raise in the firmament
there or whatever they call that material on that planet. And it was about three miles
long and kind of a heaved up sand dune that had some characteristics
that might cause someone to think it was a fake. But man by nature,
that's what I'm saying, man by nature wants a visible God. He wants some sort of evidence
that he can see, touch, feel. All men are that way by nature. Well, they make those statues
and those idols and make them out of wood and make them out
of stone. And these are the evidence. that man desires to have a visible
God, it goes back to the beginning. Even God's earthly people, which
were the Israelites, gave evidence of it. For there is one time
in particular that I remember when Moses disappeared and went
up into the mountains. to talk with God. He disappeared from their midst
and said, told them to watch and to wait. Well, immediately
after the disappearance of Moses, what did these people do? They
took all their gold earrings and bracelets and whatever they
could find that was made of gold. And they built a big fire and out of that molten gold they
made a golden calf. And they said to Moses when he
came down who was upset and angry with them. And they said, this is our God,
this is our God. You see, man has this overwhelming,
ambitious desire to see a visible God, goes clean back, In the wilderness they got bit
with fiery serpents. And they were about to die. And it was told
to make a serpent of brass. And whoever looked upon that
serpent of brass would live, if it was bitten. And they cherished
that serpent of brass and carried it with them everywhere they
went for years afterwards until God said, destroy that serpent
of brass. If God hadn't destroyed it, them
Jews would still be carrying that serpent of brass. It, to
them, was an evidence of a visible God. and that satisfied them. But I'm telling you here this
morning that nothing visible will satisfy the desire
of a man who knows the misery of his soul, that he's far off
from God and that God is angry with the wicked dead. every day. He will never be satisfied until
he finds the visible God fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, men by nature, all of
us, have a desire that always finds a wrong object. The making of these things in
the Old Testament certainly gives evidence that they require a
visible God. Well, all over the world, in every country. Men have shrines. They have sacred buildings. There's
one sacred building there in the Middle East that people,
Muslims, a religion, that they are required once in
their lifetime to go over there in the area of Israel and to see that sacred place
before they die. Build these shrines. Take these
pilgrimages. They have sacred buildings. They
have all kinds of religious paraphernalia. They have crosses here, even
in our area. Churches on what is referred
to as Easter Sunday, prior to Easter Sunday, grown men and
women march in parades and go from one church to the other.
and they have crosses around their necks and they designate
or take as volunteers, some men, some women, to carry crosses. They have an unquenching desire
to have an image of the invisible God. And they won't let it go. There at Barriefield, that Methodist
church, they've got a cross in the yard of the pastor's house. And they've got these pieces
of colored curtains, purple I believe. Maybe they changed the color
once in a while and draped over that cross. They've got to have
a visible image of God. That's abomination to God, robbing
God of His glory. It won't work. Always that way. You look with
me here, if you will, in the book of Romans, Romans chapter
1, I believe. Chapter 1, yeah, the book of
Romans. Paul says in this chapter, he
says, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in
unrighteousness, because that which may be known of God is
manifest unto them, for God hath showed it unto them, because that which may be known
of God. Now, creation makes known that
there is a God in heaven. There is enough wisdom and evidence
in creation for men to know who God is. It is manifested in them for God
showed it to them. in creation, enough knowledge
in creation for man to know something of God. For the invisible things
from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood
by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,
so that they are without excuse. That is, every man born into
this world, every one of them, is without excuse. There is no
excuse that a man can give for his ignorance. As a matter of fact, it is not
ignorance. You see and talk about some pygmy
over in the darkest regions of Africa that has never heard the
gospel of Jesus Christ, has never heard the name of God, knows
nothing about God, and you say, well, what about that fellow? What will happen to him when
he dies? Well, he's lost. and he'll perish
forever in his sins. For God hath made known enough
of God in creation and in his conscience so that he is without
excuse." Listen now. because that when
they knew God, their conscience said that this knowledge comes
by creation and they knew somewhat of God, they glorified Him not
as God. Neither were thankful but became
vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise,
they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible
God unto an image, unto an image. Every man, by nature, desires an image, a visible image
of what he thinks is God. These people, the human race,
is without excuse because when they knew God, they glorified
Him not as God. turned the uncorruptible God
into an image made like to corruptible man. They made God to look like
a bird. They made God to look like a
four-footed beast. They made God to look like creeping
things. They are without excuse. And
if you are here this morning, then you, without Christ, and
still looking for a visible image of God, you're as bad as they
are and you have no excuse. No excuse. You'll find no favor
with God. When you are about to receive
the sentence, the sentence of death to be carried out, your
mouth will be shut. You'll have no excuse. four-footed beasts and creeping
things. Wherefore God also gave them
up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own heart." Crosses. Religious paraphernalia. Crosses. Why a cross? Our Lord Jesus Christ wasn't
even crucified on a cross. He was crucified on a pole or
a tree that stood straight up. And they fastened his hands over
his head to the pole, not out there like that, up like this. Put the nails between his hand
and his wrist there, hung him up there, and all the way of his lower body pulled against
him. And they took his legs and they
crossed them and nailed them to a pole. And then they lifted
the pole up and shoved it in the ground. But men wear crosses
because they want a visible image of God by nature. That's how sinful we are. That's
how far off, that's how far remote we are in understanding anything
about the spirit world. Make a god, make a bird, say,
that's our god. Paul says in this chapter, There
is a knowledge. It's not a saving knowledge,
but a knowledge of God to be found, enough of the knowledge
of God to be found in the conscience of a man and this natural creation. And that leaves man, even the
cannibal in the islands of the Pacific over in the New Guinea
waters. leaves them without excuse. They
have enough proof of God Almighty in creation and in their conscience
that they're without excuse. It's a witness to their conscience.
Someone said, or I read about some of the soldiers in the war
in Vietnam, the other wars, that they said there is no atheist
in the foxhole. No atheist there is going to
get down to business in the foxhole. Why? Because even creation in
the natural conscience gives them enough understanding of
God that they're without excuse. You say, well, God's going to send a man to hell that's never
heard about the Lord Jesus Christ? He certainly will. There's enough
witness of God in creation and his conscience that he's without
excuse, God says. He'll send him to hell. Enough evidence, brethren, of
what I'm saying, that man's without excuse. And when it comes before
God, the Bible says that every mouth shall be stopped. There'll
be no appeal. There'll be no, well, I think
it's a mistaken identity. That was not me. No excuse whatsoever. all these places, Africa, what
they call the uncivilized world, if there is such a thing. You
see this idolatry and you say it's ignorance, but it's not
ignorance. It's rejecting light is what it is. These Ethiopians
and Muslims and all of those fellows, that's not ignorance.
There's enough light in creation and enough proof of God on a
man's conscience, so they are without excuse. Do you see them? They're without
excuse, God said. It's rejected light and it's
rejected knowledge. Paul said when they knew God,
that which can be known of God, they glorified him not as God. And that twenty-first verse says
they became vain in their imaginations. Over here in the first chapter of John, I
hope you'll turn with me. John chapter 1. Let me read some
from this chapter. Chapter 1, the book of John. Listen to what it says. when it all started. When it says in the beginning,
I don't mean that there was a time and a place and a spot out there
that you could identify as the start of this. In the beginning
of the beginnings! God had no beginnings! I don't understand all that,
but in the beginning was the Word And the Word was with God. In the beginning
was the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Word was with
God, the Lord Jesus Christ. And the Word was God, the Lord
Jesus Christ. in the beginning. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the Word, is also God. And he's the desire of the visible
God fulfilled. All you'll ever see of God is in Christ. If you've seen
Christ, You've seen God. They complained to the Lord Jesus
Christ. And he said, Don't complain to
me. He said, I and my Father are
one. I am God. That's the reason I
say the only God you'll ever see is the Lord Jesus Christ.
He's the Word. And the Word, it says, was with
God, and the Word was God. And the same was in the beginning
with God, and all things were made by him, and without him
was not anything made that was made. And in him was life, and
the light was the light of me. That's the Lord Jesus Christ. in whom we have to do is God's
Lamb, the Lord Jesus. The word, and notice the word
is in capital letters, W, capital W, capital O, capital R, and
capital D. Three times the word is in capital
letters, in that first verse. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, in the beginning. It refers to a person, and whoever
this person is, Bob, whoever this person was in the beginning,
God was a person and it was God. God. Over here in the book of
Philippians is something I want to read to you. Book of Philippians, chapter 2. It says here in chapter 2, he
said that the Lord Jesus Christ, being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of
a serpent, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found
in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross." He thought it not robbery. He thought it not robbery. To be equal with God. The only way that you can be
equal with God, listen to me now, the only way that you can
be equal with God is to be God. That's the only way you can be
equal with God, is to be God. The Lord Jesus Christ is God. If you have seen Him, then you've
seen God. He's the fulfillment of the image
of God. Don't look nowhere else or at
anything else, but look to Him who is the fulfillment of the
image of God because he is God. He thought it not wrong to be
equal with God because he was God. Quit looking at them beads
and superstition, and these preachers are the ones that gets me. That
has pumped up this world's population with such ideas that God is someone
that you can trade with. Well, every day and every night
they have preachers on the television, and I've seen them, that will
get men to trade up to God. If you'll do this, you give God
this hundred dollars. And God, I'll guarantee you,
will give you five times as much. And people are filled with that,
all up and down this land. Why? Because by nature, by nature
they cannot be satisfied. Their desires cannot be realized. until they have an image of God
in their souls. And they must see it, Bob. They must see it. Why, those
preachers, they have congregations that if our building encompassed
a whole parking lot, you couldn't get those people in. There's
so many of them. And they just clap their hands.
And you can tell by the looks of their face they're enjoying
every word that's being said. And bless God, bless God there's
not a word of truth in what they're saying. The only way that a man can have
the fulfilled desire is to see God in Christ. He's the fulfillment
of the image. It's to see God. That's the only
way you're going to see. If you listen to them evangelists
on the television, it'll do you more harm than it will good because
there's not a lick of truth in what they say. They're trying
to do something for God and he'll do something for you. Pretty
good bargain. That's a pretty good bargain.
I'll do something for God and then he'll do something for me. I'll give God this and he'll
give me twice back. Abel, Abel, Cain and Abel, they
came before God. Cain brought the best that he
could produce. with his own hands from his field,
the best. He brought it to God and God
rejected it and Cain got mad and killed his brother. Cain
had a desire to have a visible image of God
and he brought the best that he had to God and God cursed
him for it. Cursed art thou, Cain! Thou shalt be a wandering vagabond,
and whosoever kills you! Well, that's right. Only one way you can be equal
with God is to be God. Over there in John chapter 14, I think it was, but anyhow, it's
not there. It says this. It says that the
Lord Jesus Christ was made flesh and he dwelt among us. And it says that the Father declared,
told him out. That is the Father in the Bible. The whole Bible told him out,
declared him to be the Son of God, declared him, told out all
there was to tell about the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what it
means, told out God, about God, who he was. Well, I'll tell you this. I don't
need no picture, no statue, no cross or no of this paraphernalia
of religion or ceremonies or rituals or what have you because
I believe with all of my soul that in Christ is that desire. It's in him. If you've seen him,
you've seen God. We see him by the eyes of faith. In Christ, the desire of the
visible God is satisfied. And that man, that man came here
and was born of a woman. That holy thing, it says unto
you, a child is born. A child is born, flesh and blood. But that flesh and blood was
not the Christ of God because it says in the next verse, or
the next statement, it says, unto you a child is born and
a son is given. The son of God is given, God
and man in one person. Unto you a child is born. Jesus
Christ was never born. Jesus Christ was given. He was
God manifest in the flesh. Great is the controversy of godliness
that God was manifest in the flesh. That's the only God you'll
ever see, Bob. You die and go to heaven, you'll
see a man sitting on the throne. A man in glory, the God-man,
the Lord Jesus. He came down here and he walked
upon this earth. Men spit upon him, rejected him,
would have nothing to do with him, and finally killed him,
this man. And God raised him from the dead.
and give him a name which is above every name. Why? They said his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Excellent. That's what his name shall be
called. They said his name shall be called Emmanuel, God with us. Do you know what
they said? His name shall be called Emmanuel,
that is, God with us, God in Christ. And the only God you'll
ever see is God in Christ, the man Christ Jesus. Well, let me
read something here if I can find it. In the book of Colossians,
chapter 1, listen to what it says here.
It starts in verse 13, it says, Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Who refers to Christ? Hath. Hath, that's past tense. Hath delivered us from the power
of darkness. Hath translated us into the kingdom
of his dear Son. In whom, that's a person, the
Lord Jesus. We have redemption through his
blood. even the forgiveness of sins.
Who is this? Who am I talking about? Who is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn of every creature? For by him were all things created
that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible. whether there be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers, all things were created by him
and for him, and he is before all things, and by him all things
consist. And he's the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn, from the dead,
in all things. He might have the preeminence. Even that disciple that is referred
to as the Doubting Thomas, why, he said, I'll never believe that,
that he's risen from the dead until I put my hands in his wounds. And when the Lord Jesus Christ
appeared to him, even doubting Thomas, as he's called, had ten
thousand times more faith than we do. He said, My Lord, and my God, that's what he said
when he seen him, My Lord, This desire of all nations is
the Lord Jesus Christ. Men by nature are looking for
a visible image of God. But we see God in Christ. Christ is God. He's made in the
image of God. Ah, they've seen the physical
body of the Lord Jesus. Thomas did. He seen him sitting
there, appeared to him. He was forced by reality to acknowledge
who he was, my Lord, my God. David worshipped God in spirit
and in truth. And he was confronted by a people
where who, the God that they knew, they made out of stone and they
put it up on a shelf somewhere. David was surrounded with those
kind of people. Look over here in Psalm 115.
Psalm 115. Psalm 115, found that? Let me read something here to
you. I said old David was surrounded by a people that made their gods
out of stone wood. It says in verse 4, it says their idols were silver
and gold. the work of men's hands. They
have mouths, but they speak not. Eyes have they, but they see
not. They have ears, but they hear
not. Noses have they, but they smell not. They have hands, but
they handle not. Feet have they, but they walk
not. Neither speak they through their throats. They that make
them are like unto them. These people who desire a visible
image of God turn around and make these images, and he says,
they that make them are like unto them, and so is everyone
that trusteth in them. Here's these fellas making these
gods, have them all polished up, made them out of gold and
silver and finery of some sort, certain metals, their wood, they
varnished it up and smoothed it up and put it in their shelves
and all that, and they made this statement. They said, David,
where's your God? Here's our God. We got him all
polished up here. We got him sitting up here, sitting
up here high above everybody's head in the corner, and we revere
him. And David said, Well, you've
got a God that can't speak. You've got a God that's got a
tongue, but He can't speak. He's got a head, but He's got
no brains. He's got feet, but He can't walk.
He's got legs, but He can't move them. Well, they said, David,
where's your God? And David said, But our God is
in the heavens. He hath done whatsoever He hath
pleased. That's where our God is, in heaven,
and he's done whatever he pleases. And he'll continue to do that
until time shall be no more. Now, I want to know this morning,
who is your God? Is your God, do you have this
desire that you can see a visible image of God? Do you have that
in your heart? If you do, you'll never have
no rest or no peace this side of eternity. And you certainly
won't have any eternity.