NO MOVEMENT=DEATH!

Jesus is our goal. “Jesus is our touchdown.” Moves towards the goal!

Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, and then he abandoned the law of the Lord.

Reality check: sometimes prosperity breeds an abandonment of God and God’s laws.

Being satisfied with things in the world stop us from pursuing God.

If I love the world, or anything in it, that stops me from moving forward towards Jesus.

God punished Rehoboam for abandoning God’s law. Discipline from God is a real thing, when we aren’t focused on the Lord.

Rehoboam admitted God was right to discipline him, and humbled himself – in other words, he refocused his life back on pursuing God.

QUESTION: How do we pursue Jesus?

We pursue Jesus by, #1:  Asking God for the desire.

A.W. Tozer
We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit.

– from The Pursuit of God, page 13

an example prayer:

A.W. Tozer
O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

– from The Pursuit of God, page 20

We pursue Jesus by, #2: Obedience. I must do what he asks me to.

We pursue Jesus by, #3: Knowledge about Jesus and the word of God (Bible).

We pursue Jesus by #4: The Church Community. We need people to walk with us in this journey.