Satisfied in Christ but Thirsting for Him

Morning family, it's good to see you all. Thank you for praying for us as we were together. I was together with my fellow elders in Austin last couple days.

Let's pray together. And as I say often, it's important that you pray as much as that I pray. Maybe before I pray, I want you to see this verse that I was reading early this week.

It's really blessed me. Let's turn to the book of Song of Solomon. Song of Solomon, chapter 2. Song of Solomon, chapter 2, verse 14.

Song of In the secret place of the steep pathway, let me see your form, let me hear your voice. For your voice is sweet and your form is lovely. I hope you know that this is the bridegroom, Jesus, saying this to his bride, the church, to you.

If you are in Christ, if you are a member of his body, spiritual body, not any earthly church, but you're a member of his spiritual body and you're a part of his bride. And in the book of Revelation, chapter 14, we see that that is the mark of the bride is they follow Jesus wherever he went. They didn't follow any other preacher or anything else.

They follow Jesus wherever he went. That's the bride of Christ. And if you're part of his bride, listen to what Jesus says to you.

Bless my heart so much to be reminded of it. He says, let me hear your voice. You know how often we are saying, Lord, I want to hear your voice.

And when you speak to me, it's so blessed. And when you give me a comfort from your word, it's so blessed. Have you heard Jesus telling you, I want to hear your voice.

Exactly like a man who loves his wife dearly says, darling, my dove, my darling, my dove, let me hear your voice. Every time we stand here to sing, I hope you'll be reminded of Song of Solomon 2.14. Jesus rejoices when you sing to him. And when I saw that, I realized how much he was excited to hear my voice.

It made me sing louder and more, not louder to be heard by you all, but louder to be heard by him and sing with all my heart. To think that the Lord of heaven, the king of the universe is excited to hear my voice singing to him. That's why we should never be a church where we just sit here and watch people singing like it is in many churches.

The band performing and you impressed by how tight the music is. May we never be such a church. But a church that's taken up with Jesus because he says, I want to hear your voice.

I don't care how good that guitarist and that drummer is and the keyboard player is and how many albums they've soared and Grammy Awards they have. None of that matters. I want to hear your voice, little child.

Even if you can't sing in tune, I want to hear your voice. Let me hear your voice for your voice is sweet. Now let's pray.

And even if you don't pray out loud, if you want to pray out loud, that's fine. But pray in your heart. Jesus wants to hear your voice.

Children, will you pause for a moment, whatever you're doing and pray with me. Let's pray to Jesus because he wants to hear your voice. And even if this is the first time you've thought about praying like that, I hope it'll be the first of many times to come.

When we pray, children, I want to give you one more exhortation. I hope all of you take every opportunity to pray. Anytime there's a chance to pray, you should pray.

Don't make it a law. It's not legalism. Don't say, oh, Brother Santo said I have to pray so I should.

No. Jesus wants you to pray. He wants to hear your voice and he says, little child, you're four years old, you're seven years old, 12 years old, 16 years old, teenagers, 18 years old, 15 years old, however old you are.

You know, Jesus loves to hear your voice and that's why I want to encourage you, any chance you have, pray. Pray out loud. Let the others hear your voice.

Let them see that you're praying to Jesus. So let's pray together. Heavenly Father, I come before you, we come before you this morning as sheep.

I am a sheep and you, the Lord, are my shepherd, watching over my soul. My soul to keep. Thank you that you've kept my soul up to this point and you will preserve me blameless until the day of your coming, Lord Jesus.

What comfort that we could be reminded of that this morning. You promised to hold us, preserve us blameless and we are gonna hold you to your promise, Lord. You made the promise and we're gonna say amen.

It shall be so because you said it. Not because we're so good at being able to keep ourselves from sin. We cannot, Lord, in our own strength, but you will keep us from falling.

We thank you that we can come to you boldly to the throne of grace. The veil has been torn permanently from top to bottom. You started it and you rent the veil all the way to the very bottom and thank you that we can come boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for help in our time of need.

This may be a time of need for some of us, Lord. For others, the time of need is coming this week or in the days ahead. We need grace, Lord.

We humble ourselves before you. You said that you will give grace to the humble and so we set aside all proud thoughts. Any thoughts, Lord, of self-centeredness and where we think we're more important than others.

We forsake all of those thoughts where our world revolves around me and my family and my things and my job and my bank account and my toys. Lord, we set aside all of that never to pick it up again and we humble ourselves, Lord, casting all our care upon you because you care for us. Thank you that you bear our burdens and we ask you for grace, Lord, for this day and grace for the week ahead.

Come and be glorified in our midst, Lord Jesus, here in this place. It's your presence that matters more than anything else, Lord Jesus. We believe you're here.

I pray that everybody here and even those listening online aren't in this room will receive an awareness of your presence even at this very moment and throughout this meeting. Even the children, Lord, that it'll change how we pay attention, that we won't be distracted. We won't be picking up our phones to see what's going on because you're here and you long to move in our midst, Lord, to revive cold hearts, to set us on fire, to baptize us with holy energy like we say, heavenly energy.

Oh, will you do that, Lord? I long for the windows of heaven to be opened afresh over us this morning for us to taste and to experience complete immersion in your Holy Spirit's fire. Will you do that? Thank you that you've cleansed us from sin, cleansed our hands, you cleansed our minds, purified our minds. We don't want a double-minded life.

We don't want to be adulteresses who love the world and love you. We want nothing of the love of the world because we know then that your love is not in us. So, Lord, we want to love you purely.

Will you shed abroad your love in our hearts so that the love for you will be pure, refined seven times like we say, purified. Lord, purify my heart. Let me be as gold, pure gold, consecrated, set apart for you and you alone.

That my affection, my ambition, my goal will be for you and you alone. Oh, pour out your Holy Spirit upon us fresh this morning for that life. Not a stirring emotionally, Lord, here on a Sunday morning, but a life that's devoted to you 24-7, seven days a week, not one day a week.

But on that Thursday evening, Lord, when the battle is thickest and the temptation is strong and the pressures we feel around us through home situations and work situations and other pressures, Lord, we will have an energy that's beyond our ability. Oh, will you send that power in our midst like you did for the apostles on the day of Pentecost and their lives were changed? Thank you. I pray for every marriage in this room and every marriage from those listening.

We know the devil's trying to attack it. Lord, we sense it. We see it.

We're alert because our adversary, the devil, is prowling around our marriages seeking which one he will devour and destroy. And we stand against you, Satan, in the name of Jesus. We bind your work.

The Lord rebuke you, Satan. Get your hands off on any individual in any marriage, in any home, in any child. Oh, Lord, I pray that you will bind the work of Satan in any life, in any marriage, in any home, even in any child if he's got a foothold.

The love of the world. He's the prince of this world. We know it, Lord.

And if the love of this world is there in any heart, will you loose them in the name of Jesus that they will be set free, set free to live as one whose affection is above, seated there with you because our life is hidden with Christ in God. Oh, do that, Father, we pray. Record this prayer in heaven, Lord, not because I have words, but because it's your spirit that's moving in our midst even right now.

It's your spirit that's inspiring our hearts to pray this way, saying, in our deepest need and bondage, glory, praise to thee as at Pentecost, O Spirit, send your fire in our midst. Send that spirit of love that we can love even those that it's difficult to love. We can love our enemies.

We can love those who persecute us and harm us in any way. We can love in our marriages as you love us. Do that, Father, and I pray you'll restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the children to their fathers because you said you would.

You've sent Elijah in the form of your church to restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the children to the fathers. I pray for every parent-child relationship here. Will you restore it, Lord, to what you intended it to be when you place these children in our homes? If there's a coldness or a brokenness in any relationship between parents and children, Father, will you restore it? Will you bind those hearts back together in the name of Jesus? Give us our children's hearts, Lord, we pray as parents.

They're yours first of all, Lord, before they were ours. And so we ask you for the promise that our children also will receive the promise of the Holy Spirit. We ask you for that fulfillment, Lord.

Pour out your spirit upon our children. Let your light shine into their hearts that the teachings that they hear and the memory verses they memorize will come alive in them, Lord. It won't just be a ritual.

It won't just be memorization, but it will be life in them. Do that, Lord, I pray. Shine your heart even this morning into the heart of every child, those children that are on the verge of deciding whether to go with the world or to go with you.

Oh, will you do a work, Lord, that will tip them towards your kingdom. Open their eyes, Lord, I pray. Open the eyes of every one of us this morning to see Jesus more highly exalted and glorified.

We're helpless, Lord. We don't know what to do. We face a world that's increasingly, quickly passing away, getting worse by the minute.

And even people in your church are falling away and living hypocritical lives, Lord. And who are we that we, it wouldn't be said of us as well. We're no different.

We could fall in exactly the same way, Lord, but we fall on our face before you. We remain lowly in the dust and say, have mercy on us and pour out your spirit and preserve us, Lord. Unless you build this church, we labor in vain.

Unless you build our homes, we labor in vain. So, Lord, will you build our homes? Will you build our marriages? And will you build this church and establish it, Lord, in heaven, not here on this earth? Let us have a reputation in heaven. Let us have a reputation in hell.

That's where it matters, Lord. Will you do that? Will you build a church through us that the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against us? And Satan will have no place in any life, in any marriage, or in any home. Now, no place in this church, not even a foothold.

Be the wall of fire around us. Be the glory in our midst, Lord. That's our cry.

And will you preserve us in love until the end? You said many, many would fall away. And that means that it could be us, Lord, but we believe in faith it shall not be so. You will preserve us and we will be those who persevere in love until the end.

In love in our homes and in love in this church and love for the dying world around us. One kindling passion, other souls to win. Oh, will you light a fire in our souls, Lord, in our hearts this morning to win other souls.

Fill us with your Holy Spirit that there will be no more tongue-tiedness and a cowardliness when we're out in the world. That we'll have courage and boldness to speak of you. My tongue, my lips shall speak only of thee, Lord, with boldness.

Do that through this church, I pray. We humbly ask you for it because we believe that you're here and you hear our prayer and you will do it. Change our lives, Lord.

No more of this cowardly shameless in the world with our friends or our neighbors or co-workers, but a fire that's from heaven that we can't help but speak of you. Whatever's ahead of us this week, wherever you take us, Lord Jesus, touch our lips with the coals of fire and change us. Here we are, send us.

Here I am, send me. Thank you, you will. In Jesus' name, amen.

Amen. I hope you prayed with me, dear brother, dear sister. One of the fears I have is that you, as we preach in this church, as you hear rich teaching, I believe, that comes from heaven through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, a prophetic voice, is that we will say amen, we'll nod our heads and say, yeah, that's right, it's good, I'm glad I'm in this church.

We may even be able to discern truth and true teaching from false teaching, but it's not working in our lives. That's my fear, is that even in one life in this church, and I especially want to speak to the local church here, that there's even one person here where you're nodding in agreement and you're here because you believe that what we preach is the truth and the whole truth. We don't claim to understand it fully, but wherever God has shown us his truth, we want to preach it.

We don't want to, and I've said this often, that as a church, I challenge anybody to come into this church and show us something we're doing that's not in God's Word, anything. You can challenge us, brothers and sisters, if there's anything we're doing that you don't see in God in the New Testament, come and ask us, why are we doing this? Or if there's something you see in the New Testament, in the teaching of the New Testament, that we're not doing, tell us. Why aren't we doing that? It's taught as doctrine in the New Testament.

That's what I mean when we say that we seek to teach the whole counsel of God, like Paul did in Ephesus. He said that in Acts 20. But my fear, I'll tell you honestly, brothers and sisters and children, is that we'll preach and there may be even one of us for whom it's not working.

And I don't say that to discourage you, and I say that I put myself at the front of the line. Paul had a healthy fear, you read in 1st Corinthians 9. I don't know if you've seen that, maybe I'll have you turn to that verse with me. 1st Corinthians chapter 9. Paul, who had planted many churches, was used mightily by God, was taken up into the third heaven to see heaven, and to be there, and to see.

And he didn't speak about it, because it was, he was so amazing that he knew he couldn't speak about it. The Lord forbid him from speaking about it. And in order to keep him humble, God gave him a thorn in his flesh, to keep him in humble.

And he remained in humility, and he said at the end of his life, I finished the course, I've run the race, I finished the race. Now there's a crown waiting for me, and for any one of you who love the Lord's returning, there's a crown waiting for you. But this same man said in 1st Corinthians 9, verse 26, I run in such a way, not without aim, I box in such a way, not just beating the air, but I discipline my body, and tell it to do what it should do, not what it wants to do.

I discipline my body, and make it my slave. That's what means make it my slave. In Paul's time, if you had a slave, and you told him or her to do something, they better do it.

And if you told them not to do something, they dare not do it. I ask you dear brothers, dear sisters, is your body your slave? Can the Holy Spirit tell your body, don't look at that picture, don't look at that image, don't look at that movie, and it's your slave, and you do it. Can the Holy Spirit tell your tongue, don't say that to your wife, don't say that to your husband, don't retort that way, and it is your slave, and your tongue is your slave.

Telling it to do what it should do, not what it wants to do. Otherwise, after I have preached to others, I myself will be disqualified, Paul says. And if it was true about Paul, how much more us? Paul says, God's not going to say how many people did you preach to? How many churches did you plant? That's all secondary.

The first thing God, Paul knew, the first thing God's going to ask me when I stand before the judgment seat of Christ, when I see Christ was, was your body your slave? Were you addicted to food, good food? Were you addicted to drink, to alcohol, or even to sugary drinks? Were you addicted to it? Was your body controlling you? Was your God your belly? You loved the taste of good food? Or was it your slave? Otherwise, you'll be disqualified. And then all the other stuff, well Lord, but I raised my children well, and I didn't cheat on my wife, and all these other things, he says. But you failed the very first test.

I'm not even going to look at all the other things. Lest having preached to others, I might be disqualified. And so, I put myself at the start that it could be that even I, as the one preaching, it might not be working.

I want to tell you an honest testimony, brothers. It's working in my life. I'm not, but as God is my witness, what we preach is working in my life.

I don't, I don't brag. I'm not here to, it's not, no credit to myself. But it's working, finally, I'll say that.

After many years of it not working. Because I came to a place where I was at the end of myself. And I came to a place of dependence on the Holy Spirit.

And I came to a place of being actually filled with the Holy Spirit, rather than just talking about it. And then it started to work. And I long that every one of you will experience that as well.

If it's not, then don't be discouraged. Don't give up. But don't stop seeking.

That's the essence of what I want to share with you this morning. Don't get so comfortable with sitting at RLCF, because we preach about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Because we sing about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, without actually experiencing it.

Don't get comfortable with it. That's the thing. And keep seeking the Lord.

We've been blessed so much by the examples of my dad and brother Ian, and others who've gone ahead of us. But you know what is it that made their lives fruitful? They were filled with the Holy Spirit. I think it was Chetan, some, a couple weeks ago, was sharing about how, when he, whenever he'd speak with brother Ian, brother Ian would give him some advice and some suggestions, and show him scripture.

But he would always finish it by saying, but you must be filled with the Holy Spirit. Otherwise this advice, or this should I do this, or what's God's will for my life, is just black and white. It's just law.

It's not life. And if you want the will of God, and God's purpose for your life to come alive, dear brothers and sisters, I encourage you, I exhort you, I plead with you, don't stop seeking for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, for the power of God to fill you. And I don't sit here as one who's somehow accomplished it, that I climbed some staircase and finally got the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

I tell you, I went down. I went lower, and I was broken, and I failed so much, that I finally was ready to give up. I say, Lord unless you fill me, you might as well take my life.

And then he filled me. And I seek to remain in that place of desperation, where unless the Lord gives me his power, I'm better off dead. And you'll see a difference in your life, brothers and sisters.

I believe it. In John chapter 1, we read, and this is also the passion of my heart, that as we speak, John 1, as you hear the preaching in the church, that this will be the testimony of RLCF. John 1, verse 37.

John 1, 37. The disciples heard the message, and they followed Jesus. That's what I mean by, my fear is, that you will hear the message, and you will nod your head.

Or I will hear the message, that I preached, and I'll nod my head. I preached it, but I won't have followed Jesus. And I can be disqualified, brothers and sisters.

And I hope you, it's a healthy fear in your life as well, that you can be disqualified. The qualification will not be, I sat at RLCF, or that I heard good messages. It will be, did you follow Jesus? Are you following him wherever he's leading me? And so, if you're hearing the message, I hope you're following Jesus.

I sincerely hope you are, and if you're not, I hope that in what you hear this morning, if not anything else, that's already, already had the spirit move in my life, through the songs we sang. And if that hasn't happened yet, I hope, at least through what we hear now, that there will be a stirring in your heart, not to do it better, not to try a little harder, but to simply fall on your face and say, Lord, no longer I want the experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit that changed Peter, who was so afraid in front of a little girl to confess Jesus. And then he stood up in front of thousands and said, this Jesus of Nazareth is the one I'm following now.

What was the difference? Did somehow Peter get something? Did he, you know, did he somehow attain to something? He followed Jesus for three and a half years, and at the end of it, a little girl came up to him and says, aren't you Jesus' friend? He says, no, no, no, not me. Afraid, timid little Peter. Can you imagine 30 year old Peter and this little girl, and he's afraid of her to confess Jesus.

And then Pentecost happened, and the Spirit came and filled his heart, and he got up. Peter, taking his stand with the disciples, said, this Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecuted, is the Lamb of God, and there's salvation in none other. And he proclaimed it until the end, and then he was thrown in jail, beaten.

Didn't matter. He says, you can't stop me from preaching Jesus, speaking about Jesus. Doesn't matter if you threaten me, Pharisees and high priests, Annas, Caiaphas, you can threaten me all you want.

I've been filled with the Holy Spirit. There's a fire within me. There's a boldness within me that I can't contain.

Love all constraining, compelling me. Peter had it, and it changed his life. And I don't know where you are.

Are you at the place where you follow Jesus for a number of years, sitting at RLCF, because we've tried to point you to Jesus, but you're missing that. The shame and the cowardness is still there, and the lack of victory is there in your life. Then, dear brothers and sisters, seek God for the outpouring of His Holy Spirit.

We heard in Ephesians 4 last week that it is the responsibility of everybody. Let's turn there also. Ephesians chapter 4, verse 11.

The last part of verse 12, sorry. Ephesians 4 verse 12. Ephesians 4 verse 12 says that the work of the service is for the saints to do.

The equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ. And the question I want to ask you to answer before the Lord yourself is, did you fulfill that verse? We heard about it last week. That it's the responsibility of every member of the body of Christ to build up the body of Christ, to build up the church.

Did you do that this week? Did the messages that you heard last Sunday and then others through the week, did the little bits of encouragement we share with each other during the week as apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers, did that equip you in such a way that you actually built up the church, the body of Christ? Did that happen since the last time we were here together? Through conversations you had with somebody in the home, with your husband or wife, with your children? If not, take it seriously brother or sister. Don't let it be another message that you heard, that you share with somebody, but that the Holy Spirit has filled you and you were actually involved in building up the body of Christ this week. In order to build up the body of Christ, your affection must be set in heaven.

Because God is building this church not here in Loveland. He's building it in heaven, whose architect and builder is God. We're seeking a place, a home that's there.

That's the church. And you won't be able to build up the church unless your affection is also there. Unless God is giving you a revelation of the home that he's building in heaven, you'll still be earthly minded.

Your thoughts throughout the week will only be about how can I make a little bit more money? And how can I get this? And how can I invest in that other thing? And how can I get this thing for myself? And should we buy that other thing? Now all that is necessary. We need to buy food. We need to live in homes and all of that.

You might have to buy clothes. That's wonderful. But is your affection there brother, sister? Is your affection there? Like we read in Colossians 3. Then God will show you the church that he's building.

And you will be passionate about building that church. And you will pray for others in this church. Because God has placed you in this local expression of his body here on this earth.

But he will give you the vision of that work that's happening in the heavenlies. And how you'll intercede for that brother. How is it for you brother, sister when you wake up in the middle of the night? I often wake up in the middle of the night and don't immediately fall back to sleep.

But for many years now it's like, Lord you woke me up for a reason. Maybe I ate too late or ate too much for dinner. That could be the reason.

But God can even use that to say, Lord, to say, Santosh now I want you to have a burden. I want to put a burden on you for so-and-so. That brother, that sister, that child.

And consistently the Lord will just put somebody into my mind. Say, Lord I don't know what they're going through. I'm gonna pray for them.

Begin in your home. And then begin and then move on to the local brothers and sisters in this church. Because those are ones that God has placed in your life.

Whom you've committed yourself to to pray for. And you won't know what they're going through. But you'll be building the church.

And I'm here this morning to remind you of your responsibility to build a church. Because that's my responsibility in verse 11. As a whatever my ministry is and a shepherd in this church.

To remind you that brother, sister, child, you must be building the church. Children, you must build a church. You know that? You don't have to have a title.

But you must be filled with the Holy Spirit. So children pray that you'll be filled with the Holy Spirit. And this life of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

I think I've been thinking about it like this. That the Christian life is one of being satisfied in Christ. But thirsting for Him.

Listen to that carefully again. I'm satisfied in Christ. We sang last week.

And that's a little bit of what promised. Prompted. Not promised.

Promised to. Prompted my thoughts about this. Because we sang none but Christ can satisfy.

Oh Christ in thee my soul is found and found in thee alone. A joy and a satisfaction. Jesus the only one.

The holy one. The purest one. Give me thy nature.

Thy pure holy heart. We sang all those songs last week. And it's it's finding our satisfaction in Christ.

That Christ is enough. And Christ alone it will only be enough. Nothing else will ever satisfy.

That's the Christian life. Is a life where Christ alone is my satisfaction. But I'm thirsting for Him.

And it's easy for us to come to a place where Christ is our satisfaction. But we're not thirsting for Him. And it's this healthy tension as it were.

Where I'm satisfied but I'm not satisfied. I'm satisfied but I'm thirsting for more. Is that the testimony of your life? Or have you reached a place in your life where you've topped off as it were? You know how they say top off my cup.

Top it off. Fill it up. And that's it.

And it's not overflowing. Your cup has been filled to the brim. But it's not overflowing.

The Psalmist David said my cup overflows. And perhaps you reach the point where your cup is topped off. You think well that's good.

Now let me coast along with this experience that I have up to this point. Life's pretty good. My marriage good.

The children are good. They seem to be doing well in school. They're learning their memory verse.

And I pray that they'll commit their life to Christ. They'll take baptism. And I pray that they'll be filled with the Holy Spirit.

But I'm in this steady state. I've plateaued as it were. And what a dangerous place that is if you reached a plateau in your life brother, sister.

Where Christ is your satisfaction, yes. But you're not thirsting for Him more. And you're not longing for a deeper outpouring and a deeper revival and a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit in your life.

Children you could come to that place where you're born again. And you'll say I'm thankful I'm born again. Maybe you've taken baptism.

That's wonderful. But has it plateaued out? And it will plateau off, plateau out if a love for the world comes in. A little bit of the love of the world and that will just the devil will try to douse.

You know what the word douse means? Douse means to be like the fire is getting out of control. You're getting a little too radical Santosh. Tone it down a little bit.

You're always talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. You always seem to want to talk about Christ. Tone it down a little bit.

He'll pour a little water on it to control the fire. Oh beware that it should ever happen in your life. Where God has laid a hold of you.

I know children you've all had some experiences where God has laid a hold of your heart in some way. Maybe it was at a prayer meeting or some message you heard. God touched your life.

And you were set on fire that evening or that morning or whenever it was. And you're like Lord I want to follow you. And you made decisions to follow Christ.

Maybe you gave your life to Christ. Maybe you took baptism. Or you made some other decision.

I've decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. But now it's cooling off.

Oh beware of that. Don't get to be 40 years old and having cooled off. And coasting through life waiting for Christ to come.

There's no such thing. I want to be running towards Christ when I see him in the air. What will it be like for you brother? Sister? Will it be Oh Lord I'm waiting for you.

Come and take me home. Sitting here with my arms crossed. My legs crossed.

Doing this. Doing that. Or are you running to meet him? So that when he appears you you both collide as it were.

Because he's running to meet you. He's excited to come. His coming is soon.

But if you love this appearing you'll be running towards him. You won't be just coasting. So this life of being satisfied in Christ but thirsting for him.

Paul experienced it because you turn with me to 2nd Timothy chapter 1. As far as we know this is the last episode that Paul wrote. 2nd Timothy and if I remember correctly Philippians was right before that. The last two letters that he wrote from what we know 2nd Timothy and Philippians.

I'd like to show you a passage from both of those episodes. So first 2nd Timothy chapter 1 Paul says, again remember we're thinking about the Christian life being a life of being satisfied with Christ but thirsting for more of him. Constantly.

Every moment in any moment you come and look look at me. Santos what's your life like? It should be like this. I ought to be tell you I'm satisfied with Christ but I'm thirsting for him.

Tomorrow you come and ask me the same thing. I'm satisfied with Christ. He is all I need.

He is everything to me but I'm thirsting for more of him. Let that be the testimony of our lives from this day forward if it hasn't been until Christ's return and you will have the most glorious life. You'll have no regret in heaven.

Make it your ambition brother sister that every moment of this of your life from now onwards it will be a life of being satisfied with Christ but constantly thirsting for more. Lord you've topped off my cup that's great but break this cup break me through some circumstance. Let me go through frustration and disappointment so that I get a bigger cup that you can top off and then break me some more so that I get a bigger vessel that you can top off because I'm thirsty for more Lord.

Don't ever get comfortable here at RLCF and I hope that in the preaching you hear from us in this pulpit it will always be this stirring. We're not satisfied for where the Lord has brought us. He's brought us such a long ways hasn't he church family but we're not satisfied.

We're charging the gates of heaven and the gates of hell in this church. 2nd Timothy 1 we read in verse 12 in the middle of verse 12 I'm not ashamed because I know whom I have believed and I'm convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. I know whom I believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

So break it down. Paul entrusted something to Jesus and he says I know him and I believed in him and I'm convinced that what I've entrusted to him he's able to keep. So Paul what's your life like? For some people who only read 2nd Timothy 1 verse 12 they're like okay I gave it to Christ my salvation he will keep me from falling I'm just gonna wait for him to come and take me home.

Satisfied in Christ knowing him whom I have believed. Now let's turn to Philippians chapter 3. The same Paul who said I know him whom I have believed and I'm convinced that he is able to keep what I've entrusted to him until his coming until that day says in Philippians chapter 3 verse 7 having known him whom I've believed and being convinced that he is able to keep what I've entrusted to him I've entrusted my eternity to him my life here on this earth and forever I've entrusted to him having done that how shall I live my life first Philippians 3 verse 7 whatever things were gained to me these things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ more than that I count all things to be lost in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord hold on Paul I thought you knew him I thought you knew him whom you believed and have entrusted and convinced that you've entrusted to him he says yes I'm satisfied in Christ but I'm thirsting for him I know him but I have a passion that I might know him you see that healthy tension I know him but I have a passionate desire that I might know him know him more let's continue reading for whom I have suffered this is the middle of verse 8 for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them but rubbish dung manure so that I may gain Christ and may be found in him not having a righteousness of my own derived from the law but that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith so that I might know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship is suffering you see how Paul had this balance as it were this tension I know Christ and I'm confident that what I've entrusted to him he will keep until the day of his return but I have this passion to know him I know him but I have counted all things as loss so that I may know him Paul was on this journey of continually seeking to know him he knew whom he believed but he had a longing is that true in your life brother sister I've been meditating on this for the last week examining it Christ I sing from the bottom of my heart when I say Christ is my satisfaction but I wonder if there is a slowing down in some way or a toning down or a let's shift it back a little bit into a lower gear and coast let's put it on cruise control for a little bit not quite ready to commit a hundred percent to the Lord I'm okay maybe in a couple years when I just get this thing figured out you know how the devil plays that game just work a little harder right now and then you'll get that to that point and then you'll be able to give everything to the Lord he's played that trick on me thinking somehow we'll we'll get over this hill and then I'll I'll be able to give everything to the Lord it's like a false summit if you ever do any hiking that's what they call false summits because you come up and you think yeah there's the summit let me just get to that point and you think you've reached you realize no wait that summit was just blocking my view of the actual summit which is even further and there's many false summits and the devil will tease you he'll put a little carrot in front of you just get to that point where you've saved up this much or you're earning that much or you've got to this point in your career and then you'll be happy and then you can live the rest of your life for the kingdom of heaven and commit yourself to the work of building up the church at that point at that point tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow it's a lie of the devil and one day you'll wake up and realize it's the end of your life now you don't have any more days no other false summits this is it you're standing before God and and like we like that poem you'll sees I will bury my head in my empty hands and say oh I wish I had given him more and there will be regrets because I was chasing a dream that it never be said of us today is the day brother sister today is the day to give it all to Christ and the reality of this is for speaking about this satisfaction I think that for many Christians God is as unreal as he is for unbelievers God is as much a an unreal being as he is for unbelievers let me explain what I mean by that for unbelievers they don't even believe that there's a God or even if there is he's not real to them it's clear because they live for themselves they they are their God their bellies are their God their jobs are their God sex is their God money is their God pleasure business all of that is their God so that's unbelievers and for the atheist they say there is no God but you know that Christians sometimes live as atheists yeah we pray to Jesus and we say there is a God but he's not real in the sense that when I pray to him I don't know if he's even heard me you see what I mean by atheism in Christianity Christians who pray I was like I prayed the prayer but honestly I don't really know whether God if there's even God even heard me that is saying intellectually yeah there is a God up there that's why I'm praying I'm not like the atheist who doesn't even pray but in terms of my heart I'm an atheist because I like I actually don't know if you heard me to me you don't even have years Lord and I don't hear your voice to me you don't have a tongue you don't have a voice that speaks to me you see how God is as unreal for some Christians as he is for the unbelievers who don't even who spend time in front of their TV on a Sunday morning watching football what difference is it for us brothers sisters to sit here and sing to him and lift our hands to him and pray to him where he's not real I'm not actually hearing from him I'm not actually seeing Jesus we say open our eyes Lord we want to see Jesus but we sing that same chorus every Sunday and he would never actually see him I tell you brothers and sisters I'm more and more convinced that the proof that we've seen Jesus is how little we will live for the things of this earth and how much we will live for the things of heaven that's how we know we've seen Jesus so ask yourself as I've been asking myself recently more more and more Lord I want to prove that I've seen you by that there's even less of this world that I want otherwise you're as unreal to me as you are to the unbeliever God is not real to the unbeliever that's why they live for world for themselves and for the world and let it be different at least for us and sadly it's true about many Christians they sit in churches watching the football score in the middle of the message because their mind is there I don't really care about the things of this world they sit in churches and their mind is wondering what all the other things or this week yeah maybe we could do this and let's eat this for dinner tonight and all that stuff now maybe you're tempted by that but capture those thoughts brothers sisters children let your affection be set in heaven and you'll know that you've seen God you know that God is real in your life by how little you live for the things of this world less and less and less I'm on that journey I'm not there perfectly I'm trying to get there honestly I mean it I'm not here to lie or sell you anything you know that right but I want it to be that at least for all of us here in this church and those listening to this message it'll be true that I'm living for less of this earth because I've really seen Jesus he's real otherwise Jesus is not real to you and he's called you by name you're hearing his voice let me ask you the Jesus you worship does he have a voice for you personally does he have years for you personally does he have eyes that that that you've seen is he does he have a shape and a form his nature is it real to you brother sister if not ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit don't don't go on another day don't let go of God even one more day before Jesus becomes real to you that's why we're here at RLCF to see Jesus not to just talk about him and sing good songs and if you find Jesus you will find satisfaction in him I think it was in our reading sometime recently that this verse came alive to me in Deuteronomy chapter 18 in Deuteronomy 18 we read about how God divided up the inheritance for the tribes of Israel you know there were 12 tribes the 12 children of Judah let me start that children of Israel sorry Jacob and there were 12 children and I could rattle off all their names but I won't waste your time with that but one of those children was Levi there was Reuben Simeon Levi and the 12 included Joseph and Benjamin if you count the children of of Israel children of Jacob you'll see that there were 12 children 12 boys at least 12 men and included it's beginning with Reuben all the way to Benjamin including Joseph but you know if you look at the 12 tribes of Israel there's those other tribes and when the time for division came you see this in Deuteronomy 18 verse 1 that the tribe of Levi entitled to the inheritance because they were also descendants of Israel descendants of Jacob the Levitical priests the whole tribe of Levi shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel they shall eat the Lord's offerings by fire and his portion they shall have no inheritance among their countrymen imagine if your father was dividing up the inheritance and he says okay each of you you you you get this money this money this money this money but you and wasn't even the last or the oldest is one one in the middle he says you Levi you're not going to get anything how would you feel you know who got the biggest portion of all it was Levi because they all got a piece of land they all got some money or I don't know what all the inheritance was the land of Israel Levi got God himself which was bigger this is what Reuben got what Simeon got what Issachar got Dan Manasseh Ephraim did what they got even as you they probably all were comparing sizes Dan says oh I got this big one Manasseh says I got this and you're well yours is a little bigger okay whatever dad must have liked you a little bit Reuben you got first and then there's Levi sitting with his empty hands and he got the biggest of them all because he had it says the Lord is their inheritance as he promised them my dear brothers and sisters God can bless you with something what is it you want success in your life healing for that child of yours taking care of your children making sure there's enough all your children will be educated and they'll also be able to set up homes these are the things that the Gentiles seek as Jesus said he can bless you with that or you can say Lord I don't want that I want the Levi portion I want the nothing on this earth where I have you you are my everything that's what I mean by being satisfied with God I know him whom I believe that Ivan and I know that that which I've entrusted to him he's able to keep and I hope you today and trust your future and the future of your children and the future of your home and your eternal destiny in his hands and keep it there and find your satisfaction in him and I don't know if Levi figured it out but I hope we'll figure it out Lord I want to be satisfied in you you alone I want you to be my portion the Lord is my portion that word portion is used often in the Old Testament he means he's everything he's my full plates he's my full plate I don't have room in anywhere else I've taken everything and my full plate is gone I don't want to add a little bit more of this cabbage or that other ice cream or that other piece of meat the Lord has filled up my plate I don't have room for anything else the Lord is my portion this is what Levi got and the tribe that got nothing got the biggest of them all this is the principle on which God operates today if you seek nothing on this earth you will have all of God that's the trade-off all I have is yours father and so he says all I have is yours now now it doesn't mean that we sell all we have and live like paupers and beg others because that's what people who sell all they have end up doing for you it is you might like we sang in that hall let all I have be thine and thine alone I lifted my heads up when I sang that a few minutes ago and I really meant it I said Lord there are things you put in my hand but let all I have be thine and thine alone burn fire of God my ransomed soul possessing let all I have be thine and thine alone and if you didn't do that when we sang do it now brother sister it'll change your life that all I have be thine and thine alone and so this this was the tribe that found their portion in Christ alone but like I was saying for Paul that wasn't enough he was thirsting for more he was thirsting for God to make Jesus more real to him Paul probably saw that there was that other thing that he hadn't counted as manure he says I've counted all things but then he's like oh wait oh there's one more thing that I put a little bit of value on that's the journey I find I'm on I thought I had counted all things as lost all things as done come unworthy to be compared to Christ and then the Lord showed me hold on by the way you reacted in that particular situation you proved that there's something that you put value on the way you defended yourself in that situation with your wife or your husband the way you sought a reputation for yourself the way there was a little bit of jealousy you showed that that thing is not done in your eyes and Paul was like oh that I might know him and Paul wasn't made perfect until the end of his life and I believe that perfection was a journey of discovering there's something else I thought all was done I thought my whole plate was Christ but there was a little corner that the Lord showed me that is not Christ something else I put value on he says I'm counting that also as done now that I might know him that I may know him that I may know him and Jesus must become more and more real to us a real God not just some imagination and I've been convicted of that because we pray to Jesus we sing to him we ask Lord speak to us but is it actually happening that's what I mean that my fear is that we could preach about these things but we don't experience the reality of it every day has Jesus been speaking to you really how you speaking to him in a way that you know he hears it and even if he doesn't answer right away it's recorded he's heard it brother sister do you know that I can't convince you in your mind the Holy Spirit must do it and that's why I want to emphasize again seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit because only the Holy Spirit can make Jesus realty no preacher can even the best preacher in the world cannot make Jesus real to you it's a ministry that's reserved for the Holy Spirit and if you've been feeding off of good preaching if you've been feeding off of good YouTube messages and daily devotions and all of that but you haven't had the Holy Spirit lead you to Jesus you haven't seen Jesus it hasn't become real you're watching the menu of what's what can be offered and how delicious that meat looks but it's not actually in front of you and you're not tasting it come and be filled with the Holy Spirit go to Christ not I can't give you the baptism of the Holy Spirit I don't have that authority Jesus is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit and he will do that for you you don't have to come in to the altar here one of the reasons we don't do altar calls is because Jesus said sit down count the cost do you really want the fire of God to burn in your heart do you really want to say all I have let it be thine and thine alone that will change your life but it'll cost you everything you can't have any room for anything else if that's the life you want come to Christ and he will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and he will possess your ransomed soul it's already been ransomed he paid for it on the cross but now you will invite him to fill all of it say Lord you paid the price for me this soul belongs to you but I've been holding it back in some way wanting this or wanting that and say Lord possess my ransomed soul now he doesn't possess like demons possess but he will take over all of it if you invite him to but only the Holy Spirit can bring the make the presence of Jesus real to us that only the Holy Spirit can do it and that's again like I said I go back to what I started by saying is my fear is that we could preach and teach about Jesus and speak about him and speak about him and speak about him but some of us could go away not experiencing the real Jesus and it's Jesus that brother Zach speaks about us Santo speaks about us somebody else speaks about him I heard about that Jesus there is such a person up there but I don't hear him and when I speak to him I don't know if he hears me and I haven't seen him and that's why I still love the world that's why I still want a little bit more money and I'm taking up for the things of this earth and I want a little bit more pleasure that's why I still have some grumbling and complaining in my life that's why I'm I have unbelief because I haven't seen Jesus if you've seen Jesus I tell you there can never be unbelief in your life because faith comes from hearing the hearing the Word of Christ and when you've actually heard the Word of Christ instead of imagining you know you think about Lord I need more faith oh I wish I had more faith no you just need to hear Christ that's it you'll have faith so come and ask the Holy Spirit to make the voice of Jesus real to you and then you'll hear him speak and you'll have faith and in that trial when you're shaken whenever but you used to be shaken you won't be shaken anymore the secret to having faith is not to work up more faith is for the Holy Spirit to make the voice of Jesus real to you and the figure of Jesus and his nature real to you he wants to do it the hope the promises for you and for your children we read in Acts 2 so do you want to have faith do you want your children to have faith the Holy Spirit can do it he alone can do it and I'll say it this way dear brother dear sister and dear children if you've been attending this church for at least three months which I think is 99% of us at least looking out at you and for those of you online if you've been joining us online for at least three months and there isn't in you a constant longing a seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit and then I failed my job as a teacher if you've been coming here for at least three months and throughout your day day and night there isn't this deep down thirsting a deep thirsting then I failed my job and I hope to change that because if you'd remember one thing from this morning when you leave this room let it be this Lord I want my life to be characterized from this day forward by a constant thirsting to be filled with the Holy Spirit constantly and if he does fill you wonderful now thirst for more that I may know him yes I'm satisfied that I know him whom I believed and I'm convinced that he's able to keep what I entrusted to him until that day but I want to know him and I tell you again as God is my witness this is the testimony of my life the middle of the night I wake up and say Lord I want you to fill me right now with your Holy Spirit please do it I've almost never had a physical sensation of being filled with the Holy Spirit just here to tell you that so that if you're seeking for that don't waste your time he gives it to some he gave it to the hundred and twenty on the day of Pentecost and others maybe have had an experience a specific moment but regardless I say Lord I want to be filled I don't care how you do it I don't have to have the sensation I don't have to have the hair standing on the back of my neck or anything like that but fill me Lord I want power I don't want the feeling I want the power and if that's the cry and you make it the constant cry of your heart Lord I'm not gonna let go of you I'm not gonna let go of you Lord I prayed I prayed for years I prayed but I don't have it okay but keep praying and if you quit after ten years it meant that you hadn't really it wasn't really that a thirst if you quit seeking for the power of the Holy Spirit because you asked for one year and didn't receive it him then you weren't really thirsty that's what I would say a thirsty man a thirsty woman a thirsty child will keep asking until the thirst is satisfied that's the plain and simple no matter if it's one year ten years a hundred years and like Abraham he held on to the promise without wavering we read and when he was a hundred years old and he pretty much said Lord you've still said it so I'm just gonna ask you but it's a hundred now but I'm gonna keep asking I'm not wavering and even my wife seems to have grown tired of asking she's laughing at the possibility and even my friends they say Abraham you know it was good when you were 80 it was good when you were 90 but hundred three figures impossible man you can't have a child you reach three figures now too late but Abraham says I'm not gonna wait for Lord you said you would Lord you said you would give me the power of the Holy Spirit and you know how helpless I am without him and if I live to be a hundred one day God will fill me with the Holy Spirit brother sister will you leave this meeting with that confidence that God who promised to baptize you with the Holy Spirit is going to do it I doesn't matter and you're not going to quit you're not going to give up asking until he does it and that's the one who will be filled and may we be a church where every one of us is like that we'll change this town God will move and revive hearts that are cold he'll revive relationships your relatives who know you whether they live close to you or far away they'll see a difference something's happened to something's happened to them their tongues have been speak only of heaven and heaven alone and that burden you had to see your loved ones born again and turn to the Lord will somehow change because your lips have been changed and you want that be that somehow you figured out what to say to them you've been anointed with the fire from heaven the calls from off the altar of heaven have touched your lips now and your purged lips speak of Christ with such grace with such anointing that people are drawn to him so if you've been coming here for three months and there isn't a continual cry to be filled with the Holy Spirit I failed and I hope that you it will change from today children every little moment the when I when I find a little space in my thoughts I find it's it started I had to exercise that I had to choose to seek for the filling of the Holy Spirit now it's second nature for me it's been number of years but that's the constant cry in my heart and now I just find it welling up with me Lord you must fill me with the Holy Spirit it's a cry that's constantly there and it's such whom God fills I would say that you must pray at least 10 times as much as you listen to sermons if I speak for an hour you must pray at least for 10 hours to experience the reality of what we preach I believe that pray pray pray constantly pray without seizing and I you know a lot of people can speak about the Holy Spirit describe the Holy Spirit but they don't really know him and they don't really know Jesus because they haven't experienced it but I don't ask you as before I close is this what you want or will the will the Lord's blessing some answer to prayer be enough for you let's turn to Exodus 33 keep a finger there I want to show you yeah let's just go to exodus 33 I was gonna you can read it sometime Revelation 2 to the church in Ephesus the church in Ephesus was a wonderful church and I believe they experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit through Paul and they many of them in that church were touched by the Holy Spirit and were filled with the Holy Spirit and Paul tells them again in verse in chapter 5 of Ephesians he says now that you've been filled with the Holy Spirit Ephesians 5 verse 18 be continually being filled with the Holy Spirit don't live off an experience that you had last week or last month or last year or 10 years ago where you first experienced the power of the Holy Spirit don't live off that experience today at this very moment be being filled with the Holy Spirit Ephesians 5 verse 18 but the pastor of that church the messenger of that church was like yeah yeah Paul that's probably for that person I'm full of the Holy Spirit look I'm so gifted in how I speak and then God had to write through John to that messenger in the church in Ephesus messenger I told you to be being filled with the Holy Spirit but you didn't take it seriously some in your church did but you didn't and now I'm I see all the works I see the meetings I see the prayer meetings in the Bible studies and all this wonderful and you stay and have lunch together and all that wonderful all that but you've left your first love the proof that you've lost the anointing of the Holy Spirit is that you've left your first love Jesus isn't everything to you you've left your first love and what does he say I'm going to remove the anointing from you gonna remove the anointing from you my dad was speaking to us elders yesterday and you're saying how much is the anointing worth it to you is it worth a little bit of giving your wife a piece of your mind because you reach the boiling point you got the pressure got so much you finally just blurted out that word and frustration why are you always like that your child lost the anointing because the anger filled up in your heart how much is the anointing valuable to you brother sister are you so is there such a radical hatred for sin that you say Lord I can afford I cannot afford to lose the anointing for a second don't take your Holy Spirit for me not even for a second Lord help me Lord to take to hate sin so radically and to see that sin will rob me of the anointing I don't want to lose the anointing in for a second I can't even watch that movie let alone something R-rated but even that PG-13 rated movie where they casually joke joke about Christ or take the name of Christ in vain I can't do that Lord because I'll lose the anointing how much is the anointing valuable to you how much will you seek to preserve it and my dad was saying it's like you know you if you lost a thousand dollars or even a hundred dollars how much would you search for it you had a hundred dollar bill and then it got misplaced now where is it or five hundred dollars in cash somehow misplaced it where is it how much would you search for it I guarantee every single one of us is it's here in the house I know it tear up the house spend all afternoon not doing nothing else you've got to find that money but the anointing ah yeah I guess I'll pray for it tomorrow and that's why so many sitting in churches who used to be useful for the Lord whom God had laid a hold off I've lost the anointing they don't value it money is more important to them may it never be there's only two gods money and Jesus that's it and if the Holy Spirit sees that you're more interested in making a little bit more money than seeing Jesus more clearly and hearing his voice more clearly and having him hear your prayer every time you pray and having such faith that comes from it if he sees that money is more important to you he'll say I'm gonna take the anointing from you you've left your first love something else has become a love in its place Exodus 33 a wonderful story one of my favorite passages in the Bible at least in the Old Testament it's how we should live our lives brothers sisters and children Moses was a tremendous example and in most in this passage you see that God starts by saying verse 1 the Lord spoke to Moses listen here go go on up see remember God had promised that he would take the people of Israel into the land flowing with milk and honey and he brought them up out of Egypt and this is soon after that and they he says listen go up from here you and the people whom you have brought up from the land of Egypt go to the land of which I swore to Abraham Isaac and Jacob saying to your descendants I will give it I will send an angel before you and it will drive out the Canaanites the Amorite the Hittite the Perizzite the Hivite and the Jebusite go up to a land flowing with milk and honey as I was reading that again recently I thought about God saying listen Santos you've been asking me for all these things yeah I'll give it to you I'll have my angel be an angel around your home protect you be arranged all around your business around your children my angel will go with you but I'm not going with you that's what he said I will not go up in your midst you can have this land of flowing with milk and honey it's the land I promised you you can go I'll send my angel you'll be protected you won't have the sicknesses if you get sicknesses you'll be healed my angel is well able of healing you from that and I'll answer that other prayer I'll drive out all the enemies the Giants I'll take care of that go take the land that blessing that you've been asking for so long here it is you can have it I'm not going with you what would you say healing yeah I'll heal go ahead you can have it but I'm not going with you and you know you can read the rest of that story but I want to skip down you know it says you look at the relationship Moses had with God verse 11 the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face he'd seen it he'd seen God wasn't an imaginary God Moses had actually seen him he had a longing you know it started to read in Hebrews 11 verse 25 that he didn't consider the pleasures of Egypt as anywhere comparable to being with the people of God and the reproaches of Christ as far more valuable than the pleasures of Egypt to be with Christ and be scorned and reproached and to have nothing was far more valuable to Moses than all the pleasures of Egypt think about the life that he Moses had in front of him could have married anybody he want have multiple wives if he wants all the money he wants all the good food didn't like the food fine to get another one cook it again people waiting on him hand and foot pleasures abounding for Moses and he says Christ he didn't even know who Christ was but the book of Hebrews says he knew the reproaches of Christ to be with the people of God was valuable to him over everything else being with his own so-called brothers in Egypt and his so-called father the Pharaoh and this princess of Egypt who adopted him as his child is like that is nothing all the fine clothes and all the chariots and all the luxury of the comforts and the pleasure nothing I want to be with your people God and I want to be with Moses used to speak to Moses face to face just as a man speaks to his friend brothers and sisters if it happened for Moses in the Old Testament don't you think it's your inheritance in the New Testament in the New Covenant that God ought to be able to be said about me the Lord used to speak to Santos face to face just as a man speaks to his friend just like you speak to me just like you speak to your wife God wants to speak to you a real God that's why we must be filled with the Holy Spirit only the Holy Spirit can make God real where I'm speaking to him face to face verse 12 this man because he'd seen God he says Lord the land promised land the land flowing milk and honey you couldn't give me enough milk and enough honey compared to you I've seen you face to face now you can't tempt me with anything else Lord you may be able to tempt the Israelites they'll probably go for them the milk and the honey is the most important thing for me it's your face Oh Lord I know that we would be a generation that seeks God's face say Lord I want your face don't I'm not going to be tempted anymore by all these other earthly blessings that would solve a lot of problems me sure but I don't want to go there Lord if you're not if it's not your face and the Moses said to the Lord verse 12 see you say to me bring up this people but you yourself have not let me know whom you will send with me you say an angel I don't want an angel you say that a preacher will preach to me no I don't want another preacher I don't want another sermon Lord I want to hear your voice you have said I have known you by name and you have also found favor in my sight you said Moses you're pleasing to me I'm happy with you I'm happy with how you're raising your children but you're saying you're not going with me now therefore I pray you if I have found favor in your sight if you really mean it Lord that I found favor in your sight if I found favor in your sight let me know your ways that I may know you he knew him but he says that I may know you see that Moses had the spirit of Paul Paul had the spirit of Moses actually it was the spirit of Christ that Moses under the Old Testament without being filled with the Holy Spirit he didn't have the Holy Spirit to reveal him Christ but he had a longing for it and God in a supernatural way showed Moses under the Old Covenant more than most Christians today have seen of God is that a tragedy Moses just got to see the back of his face his head God put his hand there crossed by him and then Moses saw him he's behind but he saw more of God God's glory than many Christians today is that true is Moses putting me to shame having seen more of the real God than I've seen even though the Holy Spirit longs to show me Jesus and then it says I want to know your ways Lord and he said verse 15 Moses said to him if your presence does not go with us leave us here in the wilderness I'm better off in the wilderness with God's presence than in the land flowing with milk and honey without his presence that's the question brother and sister are you more content can you be more content in the wilderness like Moses said if your presence does not go with us do not lead us up from here leave us here in the wilderness Lord don't answer that prayer of mine because I want your presence that's more important to me Moses knew his ways you read in Psalm 103 the people just saw his acts they were content with the blessing Psalm 103 verse 7 the people knew God's deeds Moses knew his ways because he said Lord I don't want the miracle I don't want the quail and the manna that's good you'll take care of my needs Lord but if I see your face I don't even need manna to drop down from heaven you will fill my belly with all my needs I don't need meat because I've got your face brothers and sisters I poured out my heart because it's the longing of my heart I don't want to stir you emotionally but I hope that at least from today onwards you will make it like I said the goal of your life that every moment of your day of you and your night whenever you wake up it'll be a longing a thirsting for the true outpouring of the Holy Spirit and you won't stop asking until Christ comes because he will fill you that I can promise not me but he promises he will fill you but after he fills you you it will taste so good that you'll thirst for more and more and more if you've had an experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit how long ago was that was it last week was it 10 years ago or was it today let it be today let it be the now the continual filling of the Holy Spirit the continual burning that all that God said must be in my temple the place of continual burning in the place of continual filling father I pray with all my heart for the words that you place in my heart and I've tried to express humbly and feebly will be a reality for all of us that there won't be a single person hearing this here in this room or online that will not come to a reality of experiencing the fullness of your Holy Spirit and seeing Jesus a real Jesus and hearing a real Jesus and knowing that a real Jesus is there interceding for me and receiving my prayers we believe you heard this prayer you were here you are here in our midst be glorified now and until you're coming and forever you will be the lamb upon the throne receive all the glory and honor Lord that's why we offer you our bodies not that we might have a better life but because you put ransomed our soul and they are yours they will be yours for all eternity let it be so even from the least from the youngest child in this room to the oldest in Jesus name