To receive spiritual blessings, we must seek God with all our heart and desire nothing on earth but Him.
This sermon emphasizes the importance of believing in God's existence and His willingness to reward those who diligently seek Him. It contrasts material blessings, which are given to all, with spiritual blessings that are reserved for those who wholeheartedly seek God. The story of Sadhu Sundar Singh is shared as an example of someone who fervently sought God and was rewarded with a life-changing encounter. The message encourages listeners to seek God wholeheartedly, like Sadhu Sundar Singh, in order to experience a transformative relationship with Him.
Full Transcript
When you come to God, you must believe that He exists. That means you must believe that He can hear your prayer. He is not a dead God.
And secondly, you must believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. If you don't diligently seek Him, He won't reward you. You'll just get some physical blessings.
For physical blessings, you don't even have to pray. Jesus said, God makes the sun to rise on evil people also. He sends the rain on unrighteous farmers also.
Material things God gives to everybody. Look at all the unbelievers in the world who are rich and healthy. They live in good houses, their children are healthy.
Those are all material blessings. Everybody gets it. Unbeliever to believer.
But to become like Christ, that is spiritual blessing. That's reserved only for those who diligently seek God. One more verse.
Jeremiah chapter 29. Jeremiah 29. The Lord says, You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Again, the same principle. By the sweat of your brow, you will earn your bread. Again, the same principle.
By the sweat of your brow, you will earn your bread. One who diligently seeks God will find Me. The Lord says, you will seek Me with all your heart and you will find Me.
If you tell God, You are the most important thing in my life, You will find Him. In Punjab, when Sadhu Sundar Singh received the vision of Lord Jesus Christ, He was 15 years old. That was more than a hundred years ago.
Somewhere around 1900. That was more than a hundred years ago. He was a young Sikh who had torn the Bible and didn't believe in Christ.
But he was seeking God at the age of 15. But he was seeking God at the age of 15. He prayed again and again.
One day, he got up very early in the morning. And he said, God, I want to know who You are. I can't live without You.
Imagine a 14-15 year old boy saying to God, I can't live without You. Imagine a 14-15 year old boy saying to God, I can't live without You. If You don't reveal Yourself before 5 o'clock in the morning, I will go and die on the roadside.
Because the train comes here at 5 o'clock in the morning. He saw the vision of Jesus. He never expected to see Jesus.
But immediately he was converted. You say, why doesn't God give me a vision like that? I'll tell you. The hard-working farmer has to get the first share of the crop.
The hard-working farmer has to get the first share of the crop. The one who seeks God with all his heart will find God. I feel I am such a half-hearted person.
Most of us are so half-hearted. We can live comfortably in this world without God. We can live comfortably in this world without God.
But what did Sadhu Sundar Singh say? God, I can't live without You in this world. Don't you think God should reward him much more than us? Sure. We have other interests like money and other things in the world.
Or a ministry. Or a church. God says, you be satisfied with that.
Sadhu Sundar Singh was not seeking money or a ministry or a church. He wanted God. And he got God.
I want to say to you that India needs many many young people like that. When I was a young man, I read that testimony of him. When I was a young man, I read that testimony of him.
And I said, Lord, I really want to be a wholehearted living for you. I am not called to be a Sadhu. But that's not my calling.
I want to fulfill whatever ministry you have for me. I am glad I said that when I was 21. I want to say to all of you in Jesus' name.
Right now. At this age. Say, God, I want you more than anything else in this world.
Say what it says in Psalm 73 verse 25. Psalm 73 verse 25. That's a verse I wrote in the front of my Bible when I was converted.
Lord, whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire beside you. I used to say that to God regularly. As a young man.
Lord, I desire nothing on earth but you. I desire no one but you. You say that sincerely to God.
Every day. I tell you, your life will change completely in the next six months. Your life will be so different, your parents will be surprised.
The elders in your church will be surprised. If you sincerely say that to God every day from today onwards.
Sermon Outline
- I. The Necessity of Believing in God's Existence
- A. God must be believed to exist for prayer to be effective
- B. God is not a dead God, but a living God who rewards those who seek Him
- II. The Importance of Diligently Seeking God
- A. Physical blessings are available to everyone, but spiritual blessings are reserved for those who seek God
- B. The Lord says, 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart'
- III. The Example of Sadhu Sundar Singh
- A. Sadhu Sundar Singh was a young Sikh who sought God at the age of 15 and received a vision of Jesus
- B. He was converted immediately and became a wholehearted follower of God
- IV. The Call to Wholehearted Living
- A. We must seek God with all our heart and desire nothing on earth but Him
- B. This requires a daily commitment to say to God, 'Lord, whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire beside you'
Key Quotes
“God is not a dead God, but a living God who rewards those who seek Him.” — Zac Poonen
“The one who seeks God with all his heart will find God.” — Zac Poonen
“Lord, whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire beside you.” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- We must seek God with all our heart and desire nothing on earth but Him.
- This requires a daily commitment to say to God, 'Lord, whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth I desire beside you.'
- If we sincerely say this to God every day, our life will change completely in the next six months.
