Turn with me to Psalm 27 again. I opened Brother Dwight Coleman's funeral yesterday by reading this psalm. And while I was reading it, verse four really blessed me. It says, 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. That really stood out to me. And then, as I just mentioned to you, a few of the brethren were able to go with me, and on the way home, we were talking about how everyone is so concerned with this life.

All of us, me included. All of us, me included. It's just the natural way of humanity. You just can't help it. It's the natural way of humanity. We're all naturally concerned with this life. We're concerned with our status and our accumulations and our stability and our comfort and our health. But in one moment, it all goes away. In one moment, it all goes away. All of these things that we think right now are so important. We have an appointed time. Every person in this room has a recorded appointed time. We all have a set time. for all of it to be taken away. Think about it like that. That's a little bit of a backwards way of thinking about this. This soul continues. The soul just keeps going. When that moment comes, the soul just keeps on going. But at that moment, everything here is taken away. We have a set time for all of this to be taken away.

Look with me at Job 14, back just a few pages, well, a book back to Job 14. Verse 1 says, Man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower and is cut down. He fleeth also as a shadow and continueth not. And dost thou open thine eyes upon such in one and bringest me into judgment with thee? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.

Now watch verse five, seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee. Thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass. That right there is speaking of every single man and woman on this earth. Our days are determined. The number of our months are with God. We all have appointed bounds that nothing that we have accomplished or accumulated or reserved for our end can pass.

Nothing can go through it. Nothing can go through it. So what this means is Everybody ends up exactly the same on the other side. As soon as we go through it, nothing comes with us. So it's exactly the same on the other side. It's just a soul and God. That's it.

Turn with me to Ecclesiastes chapter three. That's just before Isaiah. Ecclesiastes 3 verse 16 says, And moreover, I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there, and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. Meaning all people stood before the judgment throne, the righteous and the wicked. Everybody was there.

Verse 17. I said in my heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. I said in my heart, concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. God is going to reveal to every soul that he or she is nothing more in the flesh, in this flesh, than a beast. It's emptiness. It's just emptiness. All flesh is grass. That's what he's going to reveal. All flesh is grass. Verse 19, for that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts. Even one thing befalleth them. As the one dieth, so dieth the other. Yea, they have all one breath. Every one, everything's breathing the same air. So that a man hath no preeminence above a beast. For all is vanity. It's all vanity.

Verse 20 says, all go unto one place, all are dust, and all turn to dust again. Everyone in this flesh ends up the exact same way in the end. Ecclesiastes 12 says, the dust is going to return to the dust, and the spirit is going to return to the God who gave it. Everyone in this flesh will end up the same way in the end.

But there is one thing. There is one thing and it'll take faith from God to believe this, to really believe this. Otherwise, men and women, boys and girls will hear this. It will mean nothing to them. It'll go in one ear and out the other and have no value whatsoever. But if God will give faith to a man or woman to see this and believe this, it will be confirmed in them that there is one thing.

There is one exception. There is one hope. There is one thing of value and worth and stability and redeeming security that will go with a soul through that bound. And it's not a thing. In Psalm 27 verse 4, the word thing is italicized. It just said one. One have I desired of the Lord. There is one who can carry a soul from this dying world all the way to glory. And that one is Jesus Christ. He is a difference. He makes a difference.

If we have him, we're leaving this world with everything. If we don't have him, we're leaving this world with nothing. You say, well, doesn't everybody have him? No. We have Him, we have everything. And if we don't have Him, we have nothing. Nothing. And here's the reason why. Go with me to Mark 10, Mark chapter 10. And the thing I'll say is that most people are content with assuming that they have him. Well, I assume I have him. The Apostle Paul was not content with that. He said that I might know. I need to know.

Mark 10 verse 17 says, And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running and kneeled to him and asked him, good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God. Thou knowest the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, defraud not, honor thy father and mother. And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. Then Jesus beholding him, loved him and said unto him, And whom God loves, God reveals this to. Whom God loves, God says this to.

One thing thou lackest. One thing thou lackest. This young man came asking the Lord, when my time comes to leave this world, what will it take for me to gain an entrance into eternal life? He said, I obey the law, I've been a good son, I've been a good neighbor, I've been a good citizen, I've been a very religious man. And the Lord said, that will not do it. Who the Lord loves, he reveals that to. That will not do it. You lack the one thing. If that's all it is, you lack the one thing.

He said, go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven and come take up the cross and follow me. What our Lord just described to him was everything that our Lord accomplished for his people on the cross of Calvary. In order for God's people to inherit eternal life, Christ had to take up his cross. He said, this is what it's going to take. A cross is going to have to be taken up. We couldn't take it up. So Christ came and took it up. Christ had to take up his cross.

He had to empty himself of all of his value and all of his worth so it could be given to his poor people. He made Himself to be their treasure in heaven. See if that means anything to you. His accomplishment, His accumulation, His stability, His comfort, His help was laid up for his people in heaven. It was laid up for them in heaven. He made himself to be the treasure that they would receive when everything here on this earth was left behind. God's people leave this behind to gain that. Leave this treasure behind to gain that. And for that reason, that makes him to be the only thing of any actual value on this earth. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life, but the wrath of God abides on him. So that brings me to this exhortation. Turn over to Luke 10 with me. Luke 10 verse 38.

Now it came to pass as they went 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's 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.

That represents our works. Whether it's works that we think we need to do in order to be saved, or works that we think we need to do because we have been saved, or just the works that we carry on doing while we're living out our time in this life. Works, man's works, the deeds of the flesh.

Verse 40, Martha was cumbered about much serving and came to him and said, Lord, does thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? She has left me to work alone. She's not concerned about works. Lord, we have a problem here. Do you see her? She's not concerned about works.

Bid her therefore that she helped me tell her that she needs to get up and go to work. Verse 41, and Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful, you're full of care and troubled about many things, but one thing is needful. And Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken away from her. One thing is needful. One thing is needful.

In Psalm 27, David said, one thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after. That will I seek after. How, David, how will you seek after that? Here is how. He will say, seek my face. Then I will say, thy face, Lord, will I seek. Thy face. Thy face. 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. To behold the beauty. Where is the beauty? It's in his face. It's in his face. All the glory is in his face.

Have you ever mistaken someone for somebody else? thought somebody was somebody, and it wasn't that somebody. Hannah and I were somewhere, and she was standing in front of me. We were both looking this way. And a guy walked past us who was about my height, about my build. He had short brown hair, gray on the sides. And Hannah started following him. And I was just standing there.

And she just started walking behind him until he turned and she saw his face and was like, that's not you. You'll watch kids, you know, kids will come up to an adult thinking it's a parent and they'll hold on to a leg or they'll grab a hand and stand there until they look up and realize that's not my parent.

That's where a person is revealed. That's where a person is revealed in the face. Lord, show us your face. Show us your face, I want to see your smile. Show us your face, Lord, reveal yourself to us. Look upon us. You know, you don't know this, but whenever you look around and catch somebody looking at you, at first it catches you off guard, but there's something very loving about that. There's something very tender about that. Lord, look on me.

Look on us, Lord, show us the glory, show us the glory, show us the beauty. Moses said, show me your glory, he said, here it is, I'll be merciful to whom I'll be merciful, I'll be gracious to whom I'll be gracious. Where was he merciful? Where was he gracious? On the cross.

Don't get me wrong, those hands are beautiful, feet are beautiful. but shine the countenance of those hands and those feet to me. How will I know if that's to me? I'll see it in his face. Show it to me, Lord. Show me the glory. Show me the beauty that you'll be merciful and gracious to whom you will by way of that great sacrifice of yourself. That's the beauty. That's the beauty. Now listen to this. He's altogether lovely. I firmly believe in my heart. The moment we lay eyes on him, we're going to see the most beautiful man you've ever seen in your life. But listen to this. Listen to the beauty, OK? This is a story. Another man put this in one of his bulletin articles years ago, and I got this from him.

During World War I, the Prince of Wales visited 36 severely wounded men in a hospital in the outskirts of London. The prince and his escorts went through the main ward and shook hands with most of them. As preparations were made to leave, the prince indicated that he had only seen 30 men.

Where are the other six? Although he was informed that the six others were extremely severe cases and in a different section of the ward, the special visitor demanded to see the others. Five other maimed and bruised men were viewed. But where's the last one?

Again, the prince inquired. Although the prince was told that the grotesqueness of the man's appearance would be unbearable, the prince insisted on seeing him. The prince stood silent for a moment. and then moved toward the man and stooping down kissed him. With a breaking voice, the Prince of Wales was heard to say, wounded for me. There's the beauty. That's the beauty. That is the beauty, oh so beautiful. What beauty, what glory. What value there is in him?

Wounded for me. Turn with me to Philippians 3. Philippians 3 verse 13, it 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 Jesus. Brethren, one thing is needful. Press toward the mark. Press toward the mark. How do we press toward the mark? How do we press toward the mark? It's the same way that we seek him.

He says to our hearts through his word, here's how we press toward the mark. He gathers us into this room and causes us to open his word. And from reading his word, he says to our hearts, press toward me. And then we say in return, I want to press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. If he speaks to our hearts, telling us to press toward him, this is what it means.

If my heart says, I want to press toward you, I don't know how to do that, but I want to. If he says that, here's what it means. He has already pressed toward you. If you want to press toward Him, it means a soul that He doesn't press toward has no interest in pressing toward Him.

He has already pressed toward us and given us the prize of the high calling of God in Him. If we have a desire to behold the beauty, that's of the Lord. And it means he has already revealed his beauty to us. So this is our exhortation. Ask him for the desire. All right, this is our exhortation. Ask him to make Christ to be the one thing needful to you. Lord, would you please make Christ to be the one thing needful to me? Ask him that. Because if you have a desire to ask him that in true sincerity, he gave it to you. He told you to. So ask. Ask. One thing have I desired. One thing is needful. Lord, press me to Christ. Press us to Christ. Teach us what that means. Lord, teach me what that means. Teach us to let go of everything and to lay hold of him.

One day, the silver cord will break. And I know more as now shall sing. But oh the joy when I shall wake within the palace of the game. Not giving up anything, we're not leaving anything. And I shall see him face to face and tell the story saved by grace. 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. Lord, give us Christ. Please give us Christ. Amen.