OceanSide church of Christ

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GOD WANTS YOUR ALL

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.   Daniel 2:28 opens with these words:  But there is a God in heaven…

 

B.   The psalmist echoed this statement in Psalm 115:3.

 

But our God is in the heavens…

 

C.   The opening verse of the Bible does not attempt to prove the existence of God.  It assumes His reality (Gen. 1:1).

 

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

 

D.   Bible greats understood and acknowledged the existence of God.

1.     Most human beings on the planet Earth still do.

2.    Everyone in this audience would also affirm the existence of an Almighty God.

 

E.   This God sustains a relationship with all humanity.

1.     His is our Creator (Eccl. 12:1; Isa. 40:28; Rom. 1:25; I Pet. 4:19).

 

…the Creator of the ends of the earth…

 

2.    He is our Governor (Ps. 22:28).

 

For the kingdom if the Lord’s:  and he is the governor among the nations.

 

3.     He is our Redeemer (Isa. 47:4).

 

As for our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.

 

F.    In this relationship with us, God wants something.  “God Wants Your All.”  This is the title of our lesson.  It is also the outline of our lesson.

 

I.          GOD

 

A.   A being

1.     Who is real

2.    Who has a personality

3.     Who is invisible

4.    Who is divine, not human

5.    Who has revealed Himself to mankind generally in the Book of nature and specifically in the Book of Divine Revelation, the Bible.

 

B.   One of the descriptions the Bible gives of God is “most high.”

1.     Verses

a.    Psalm 47:2

 

For the Lord most high is terrible…

 

b.    Psalm 83:18

 

That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

 

c.    Psalm 92:8

 

But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore.

 

2.    Definition:  God is elevated.  God is lofty.  God is uppermost.  God is “the Supreme One.”

3.     One thing is that is certain is that God is not a man (Num. 23:19).

 

C.   Even though God is “most high,” He has come low in order to have a relationship with man (Jer. 23:23).

 

Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?

 

II.        GOD WANTS

 

A.   The God of heaven has desires and longings.

 

B.   Several verses speak of God desires.

1.     I Timothy 2:4

 

Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

 

 

 

 

2.    II Peter 3:9

 

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

 

3.     Ezekiel 18:23

 

Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die?  Saith the Lord God:  and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

 

C.   What is interesting is that God’s desires for man are always good.

 

III.      GOD WANTS YOUR…

 

A.   Our minds are often focused upon the relationship that others have with God.

1.     We want our spouse to be faithful to God.

2.    We want our children to wear the name of Christ.

3.     We wish our neighbor or coworker would become interested in the gospel.

 

B.   What God wants is more personal than this.  It involves me directly.

 

C.   God knows each one of us personally and intimately.

1.     He knew us before we were formed in the womb (Jer. 1:5).

 

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee…

 

2.    He knows our name just as He knew the name of Job in the long ago (Job 1:8).

 

And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered by servant Job…

 

3.     He knows all about our physical attributes.  Even the very hairs of our head are numbered (Matt. 10:30).

4.    He knows our downsittings, uprisings, thoughts, and words (Ps. 139:1-6).

 

O Lord, thou has searched me, and known me.  Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; thou understandest my thought afar off.  Thou compassest my path and my lying down, thou art acquainted with all my ways.  For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.  Thou has beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

D.   God is focused upon His desire for you.  Please try to keep this in mind as we consider our next point.

 

IV.       GOD WANTS YOUR ALL

 

A.   All is defined as “the whole of…wholly, entirely, and completely.”

 

B.   All leaves absolutely nothing out.

 

C.   God wants everything.  He wants nothing left out.

1.     God wants our body (Rom. 12:1).

 

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

 

2.    God wants your spirit (I Cor. 6:20).

 

For ye are bought with a price:  therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

 

3.     God wants your affections (Col. 3:2-3).

 

Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.  For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

 

4.    God wants your devotion and obedience (Eccl. 12:13).

 

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:  Fear God, and keep his commandments:  for this is the whole duty of man.

 

5.    God wants all of your love (Mark 12:30).

 

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:  this is the first commandment.

 

D.   God does not want some little pieces of us.  He does not our sometimes.  He does not want our “when I feel like it.”  He does not want our “if I want to.”  He dies not want the left-overs.  He does not want the sick and the maimed.  He doesn’t want half.  He does not want 99%.  He wants all, 100% of you.

 

 

CONCLUSIION

 

A.   Have you given God your all?

 

B.   God wants your all, and He wants it now.

1.     II Corinthians 6:2b

 

…behold, now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.

 

2.    Hebrews 3:15

 

While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.

 

3.     If not today, now, then when?