The love of Jesus Christ is the ultimate pleasure of a human heart.
PLEASURE
A fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
FUNDAMENTAL
- Serving as an essential component
ESSENTIAL
- Absolutely necessary; vitally necessary
DESIRE
- A feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
EXPERIENCE - The accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct
participation in events or activities
LONGING
A strong, persistent desire or craving, esp. for something unattainable or distant
Prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
Desire strongly or persistently
A longing is an intense wish, generally repeated or enduring, for something that is at the moment
beyond reach but may be attainable at some future time
The love is Jesus Christ is:
• beyond description
• highest
• absolutely necessary
• completes us
THE GREAT AWAKENING
Song of Solomon 8:5 (New King James Version)
A Relative
5 Who is this coming up from the wilderness,
Leaning upon her beloved?
I awakened you under the apple tree.
There your mother brought you forth;
There she who bore you brought you forth.
When God created us, he deposited the Spirit in us.
At the new birth experience, when the sword (Word) went through and divided our soul and spirit (Hebrews 12.4), we were awakened. It was only that when we really feel alive.
AWAKENED
Aroused or activated
Stop sleeping
When Adam chose to follow his wife on earth rather than his God in heaven, the spirit in him died.
It died into sin.
Romans 6:10 (New International Version)
10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
When we were born-again in the spirit, our spirit was awakened. We were awakened by his love, for only God’s love can awaken our spirit and that is why Jesus is the only one who can give us salvation. The spirit started to breathe again and having known the giver of life. Our spirit is serving to fall-in love with the Holy Spirit who became his constant companion. It takes God to love God – that is why we need to understand the love of God through His Son Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the one who can awake our love for God.
John 14:6 (New International Version)
6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
If we want to start our relationship with Him, we must begin with Him first, for He is the beginning and the end.
When we start to want to know him more, love him more, hear him more often, hear his voice like never before, we can be sure that God has already touched us by awakening us.
When the spirit is awakened within us, God starts to nourish him through the spirit and the Holy Spirit becomes our constant companion. The Holy Spirit is devoted to develop us so that our spirit will lead our soul to love God. (John 14.26 & 15.26)
First,
“What happens at salvation?”
Ezekiel 16:4-5 (New International Version)
On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you
clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. 5 No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised.
Your cord was not cut – meaning you still belong to the world
Nor were you washed with water – you haven’t heard the word
Rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloth – Romans 13.14 –
Romans 13:14 (New International Version)
14Rather,clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about
how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Romans 13:14 (New King James Version)
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
DESPISE
A feeling of intense dislike.
Ezekiel 16:8 (New International Version)
8 " 'Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine.
Old enough – when you’re of age to choose, to decide
Spread the garment – He gave us Jesus (Romans 13.14)
Covered your nakedness – without Jesus we are nothing (John 15.5)
I gave you my solemn oath – now, you have his promises
Entered a covenant with you – agreement sealed by the blood of Jesus Christ
Sovereign Lord – He becomes your owner now and most of all
You became mine – Songs 2. 16 – “My beloved is mine and I am his…”
Ezekiel 16:9 (New International Version)
9 " 'I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you.
I bathed you with water – he gave us his word
Washed the blood – took away our sins
Put Ointments – anointed you
Ezekiel 16:10-12 (New International Version)
10 I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. 11 I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, 12 and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head.
•
We need to be anointed first before obtaining wealth.
Proverbs 8:21 (Contemporary English Version)
21and I give great riches to everyone who loves me.
Proverbs 8:21 (New Century Version)
21 I give wealth to those who love me,
Ezekiel 16:13-14 (New Century Version)
13 So you wore gold and silver. Your clothes were made of fine linen, silk, and beautiful
needlework. You ate fine flour, honey, and olive oil. You were very beautiful and became a
queen.14 Then you became famous among the nations, because you were so beautiful. Your
beauty was perfect, because of the glory I gave you, says the Lord GOD.
You became very beautiful and made your beauty perfect. (Heb.10.14)
Only the love of God through Jesus Christ can make your beauty perfect.
Matthew 5:48 (New International Version)
48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Let Jesus Christ perfect your beauty.
When you meet someone who has given you everything in life… everything you need and want…
who made you complete and perfect… will you not fall in-love with him? (Jerry Mguire) Jesus made everything beautiful in your life. (Ecc. 3.11)
ON BARREN PRAYER
Song of Solomon 5:6 (New International Version)
6 I opened for my lover, but my lover had left; he was gone. My heart sank at his
departure. [a] I looked for him but did not find him. I called him but he did not answer.
There will be times when it feels as if he is gone. Our heart aches wanting him, we want to love
him more. We want to be intimate with him, for his presence and only his presence makes us
whole.
And so, you try to search and look for him but you did not find him.
We try to pursue him by:
• Reading his love letters.
• Visiting his house.
• Serenade him with love songs.
You called for him but did not answer. (Song 5.6)
Nothing happens and we expect that he will grace your call because you know that he knows the
sincerity of your heart, he will come and meet and satisfy your longing.
We ache for his presence because his presence makes us whole. When he visits us…
It could be just minutes or seconds, but it creates a lasting, a deep carving in our hearts, which
makes us fall in-love with him all over again.
ON BARREN PRAYER
Song of Solomon 1:2 & 4 (New International Version)
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
4We rejoice and delight in you we will praise your love more than wine.
And then we try to do everything but there was nothing.
It feels barren and empty.
We expect that when we come to him, there will be exhilaration, but instead of the great wind we
are waiting for there’s no voice, there’s nothing.
We now cry and our longing starts to capture our entire being. We may end that empty journey of longing that night, but in our hearts, there is one more day and will search and “I will look for you again.” --- Because we already tasted his beauty and we know the kind of love he can give. It is a kind of love that is ultimate, in the highest form that nothing, no one can ever surpass.
The veil can give you fame, fortune, power and influence… but one thing he cannot give, he
cannot give love because he doesn’t have it. (Matthew 2.1)
And the greatest of these is love. (1 Cor. 13.13)
And because we kept calling unto him, waiting and he doesn’t answer… our vision starts to dim. We start to say “What’s the point of all these? What am I doing here? Crying? Kneeling down?
Sometimes, we forgot that it was him who pursued us first. He first loved us (1John 4.19) We forgot that it took him hundreds of pastors, hundreds of preaching and topics about this love and a million of “invites” before we responded to his call. We’ve been hiding and avoiding him for years. “But the Lord called to the man, where are you?” (Gen.2.9) He said, “How often have I longed to gather your children… but you were not willing (Mat. 23.37).
He has been waiting for us for years, longing for you to spend time with him, we know who he
is, but don’t spend time with him. He is the first one who longed, loved and desired us… But he
never gets tired of pursuing us.
Following us wherever we go (Psalm 139.7)
Even if we keep staining our lives (1 John 1.9)
Ezekiel 34.6 “My sheep wandered over all the mountains…
Ezekiel 34.12 “I will rescue him…”
Psalm 147.7 “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up there wounds…”
John 15.3 “He would send us his words to wash and cleanse us again.
When Jesus was about to be crucified, he was beaten, lacerated, kicked, slapped, spat-on,
flogged, and all at the same time he was carrying a big heavy cross which will be his death bed.
His wounds would stick on the rough wood, and dirt and dust going into his open wounds. But he
never complained, he never opened his mouth (Isaiah 53.7)… in fact it was a voluntary sacrifice
(John 10.18). Why? Because he knows there is no any other way but the cross. We needed his
life and his blood. And it was freely given to us…
So maybe now, just maybe it’s our time to wait.
Again, we lock the door, sometimes we would turn the light-off and kneel down beside our bed. We first check the clock before we start, then we close our eyes. We start to worship, then we start exalting his name. We stand up.. we lift our hands, we kneel down again, we open our eyes to see if something is already happening. We close our eyes again, but nothing… no wind… no movement… no electricity. We then sleep, tired and most of all confused and is beginning to be discouraged. Why? Is there something wrong I did? Wrong formula?
Now, our tears become wailing and groaning. We would say with our hearts, “Why won’t you
come?”
I want to love you.
I want to know you.
I want to be with you.
Why won’t you let me hear your voice?
Why are you hiding yourself from me?
We can be easily discouraged with what seems to be barren moments. It doesn’t feel like
standing on Holy Ground, but on Dry Ground.
BUT, unless we fully understand what is happening to his heart while watching us from the
windows of heaven and did not miss any moment of watching us and our pursuit of experiencing
his presence all over again… will forever think that these are barren prayers.
Put in mind that when he wrote our love story with him, he included the chapters of emotionless,quiet and stillness and not just the hearing of his thundering voice or the strong wind that creates an exhilarating experience. These times may feel and seem barren to us… BUT to Him… they are not. And what moves him more is that we continue to search, look, wait and pursue
him and have faith that there is “one more day”. His love for us moves us into believing, and strengthening our faith, that one day, once again he will visit us and capture our hearts with his holy and glorious presence.
Not a tear is wasted. In moments when it seems that our prayer life is empty or dry or barren,they are not… because they matter. They matter to him.
Psalm 55:17 (New International Version)
17 Evening, morning and noon
In fact, God records each prayer, each tear he writes it on his scroll. He knows the story of each cry, tear and prayer. Nothing is wasted.
Psalm 56:8 (New International Version)
8 Record my lament;
And now, when he doesn’t come, your body starts to ache for his presence. You’ll say…
Lord, I want to know you more.
I want to love you more.
Let me love you deeper than this.
You voice out your pain for you desire him so much.
Then, behold!
It is already happening.
You love him so much you weep for him.
1 Peter 1:8 (New International Version)
8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you
believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
You love him so much now that you weep for him…
And that is the beauty of longing.
I cry out in distress,list my tears on your scroll
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