Seek God With All Your Heart
Seek God with all your heart and desire His presence in your daily life to experience the incredible glory of God.
David Wilkerson emphasizes the necessity of seeking God with all one's heart to experience His abiding presence and power. He explains that while God's love and promises are unwavering, His presence is conditional upon our commitment to Him, as illustrated by the warning given to Eli, the high priest. Wilkerson warns against the dangers of complacency and neglecting Christ, which can lead to a diminished experience of God's presence. He encourages believers to earnestly pursue God to fully realize His glory and blessings in their lives. Ultimately, the sermon calls for a heartfelt commitment to seeking God to maintain a vibrant relationship with Him.
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Anyone who sincerely seeks the abiding presence of the Lord will surely have it. "If you seek Him, He will be found by you" (2 Chronicles 15:2). The Hebrew word for "found" here is "matsa" which means "his presence coming forth to enable, to bless." In short, this verse tells us, "Seek the Lord with all your heart and he will come to you with his presence. Indeed, his presence will be an almighty power that emanates from your life."
God makes his covenant of grace with every believer -- a covenant which is embodied in promises such as, "The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). "[Jesus] will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). He makes special promises to those who determine to seek him with all their hearts but this covenant is strictly conditional.
An unnamed prophet delivered a message to Eli, the high priest of Israel, who was backslidden at the time. The Lord had been warning him against sin and compromise but Eli had ignored all God's words. This prophet said to Eli, "The Lord God of Israel says: 'I said indeed that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever.' But now the Lord says: 'Far be it from Me; for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed'" (1 Samuel 2:30).
The phrase "lightly esteemed' has to do with the lifting of God's presence -- not that the person is damned but rather that he will have to walk in the power of his own flesh. God was telling Eli, "I intended to bless your house, to favor you, but you scorned me so I must take my presence from you."
Many people come to Christ with an initial burst of great faith, yet over time their zeal wanes and they begin to neglect Christ. They lightly esteem his commands and turn back to their old ways. God never stops loving them, but his presence is not with them in the fullness that they once experienced.
God's promises never fail. But some - like the covenant of his presence - are absolutely conditional. They require more than merely our cooperation. Of course, God will never abandon us or stop loving us. But if we remain in sin, his presence will not be with us - and our lives will no longer be an instrument of his powerful presence.
Beloved, seek him with all your heart, and desire his presence in your daily life. Then you will know and experience the incredible glory of God!
Sermon Outline
- I. The Promise of God's Presence
- A. Seek God with all your heart and He will be found by you (2 Chronicles 15:2)
- B. His presence will be an almighty power that emanates from your life
- II. The Covenant of God's Grace
- A. God makes His covenant of grace with every believer
- B. This covenant is conditional and requires seeking God with all your heart
- III. The Consequences of Neglecting God's Presence
- A. God's presence will be lifted from those who lightly esteem Him
- B. This does not mean God abandons us, but His presence is not with us in the fullness we once experienced
- IV. The Importance of Seeking God's Presence
- A. Desire His presence in your daily life
- B. Then you will know and experience the incredible glory of God
Key Quotes
“If you seek Him, He will be found by you (2 Chronicles 15:2)” — David Wilkerson
“His presence will be an almighty power that emanates from your life” — David Wilkerson
“Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed (1 Samuel 2:30)” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- Prioritize your relationship with God and seek His presence in your daily life.
- Recognize that God's presence is conditional and requires us to seek Him with all our heart.
- Desire God's presence in your life to experience the incredible glory of God.